They Came With Secrets

2|Moorwood Mansion

I'm soaking wet, drenched by the rain. Maybe I should have taken the bus instead. I saunter down the hallway and pause in front of my locker, opening it up to take out my books.

Something is happening. My sixth sense can tell. There's a group of people gathered at a corner not too far from me. The popular kids. It's so obvious they're talking about me because of the ten times Mia has glanced my way, smirking. She's so terrible at gossiping.

The bell rings and I make my way to English class. The day was moving like molasses. But I made it out unscathed.

I wade through the gaggle in the hallway, being inconspicuous as possible. Then I abruptly trip on something, falling flat on my face and when I look up there's a small crack on my glasses and a pair of legs in front of me. A cheerleader's definitely.

"Hello there," Natalie chimes as though she didn't just send me plummeting to the ground ."What do you want?" I ask, getting to my feet, being as placid as nature can allow.

"A favor."

There are better ways to ask for a favor than tripping someone over your foot. "Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now."

Her brows draw together. "What?" Unfortunately for me, her airhead boyfriend, James is already marching this way. Guess there's no escaping now.

"James. Explain to her the favor we're asking," she states. He turns to me with a smug smirk. "Here's what's gonna happen." He lifts his phone and shows me the poster on his screen.

"Our end-of-the-year party is taking place soon and our venue might just be Moorwood Mansion."

"So?"

He rolls his eyes and stuffs the phone into his pocket. "We're going to use you as bait for whatever's in there. If you come back alive, it's safe. If you don't, we change our venue."

Ah yes, the reliable chair.

Maybe they see me as a chair and not a living creature.

Concerning this haunted mansion, I once had a seatmate, Eddy. He was all about proving there was no danger residing in that house. According to the rumors he went in and never came out. I don't want to believe that.

"Okay," I nod. It's not like I had a choice.

I notice Darren— A friend of James' marching towards our direction with a pistol firm in his grip. The way people carry guns around in the open here should be illegal in any other town. "Did she agree?" he asks James.

"She had no choice," he replies and snatches my bag, tossing it aside.

It doesn't take long before I become their hostage, walking down Willow Lane. The muzzle of Darren's Springfield is firmly pressed against the back of my head ready to blow with the slightest of my misbehavior. We pause and take a moment to stare at the dilapidated house, the rain giving me an ominous feeling. The cracked and uneven stone pathway that leads to the front entrance, the wrought-iron gate, rusted and askew, struggling to hold up its dignity, the exterior, once adorned with intricate stone carvings and ornate balconies, now covered in layers of dust and moss. This is Moorwood mansion.

My eyes catch a blurred shadow standing unnaturally still behind a curtain on the first floor. Could that be— "Hey!" I snap out of my thoughts, gripping my chest as my heart beats in my throat. "Wear this." James gives me a hat, leaving me puzzled. "It has a camera and a microphone so we can see what's going on inside," he clarifies.

"Now go in... and don't you dare try anything stupid," Darren growls beside my ear, pushing me forward.

I swallow my saliva and push the door open immediately getting caught in some cobwebs. I recover from the one-second heart attack and wave my hand around, brushing them away. As I step into the room a chill tiptoes down my spine. The door slams shut without me even touching it. I reach for the doorknob, twisting it open. It's locked. "James the door is locked," I tell him through the microphone, hiding my overwhelming panic.