Shadows of deceit : The Augustus secret

Chapter six

Stefan

My body tenses as I grasp the sheets, pulling them over me in a desperate attempt to shield myself. My movement is slow and hesitant, as if I'm afraid of being seen. I feel the cold air biting against my skin, making my body stiff and hard as sweat drips down my forehead. I feel cold, and yet, my skin is harsh with goosebumps erupting out of them. I clawed at the covers with desperate and shaking hands, pulling them close as I buried my face in them.

I was still, my body frozen and tense with fear. My breath came in slow and shallow gasps as I tried to suppress the sobs building up in my throat. Outside, the screams filled the halls, torturing and tormenting me with their agony and horror. My skin crawled with anxiety, my body trembling with gooseflesh.

I couldn't move, barely able to breathe as the sounds of the screams took over the air and filled my head. They sound tortured, lonely, and awful... they sound forbidden in the ears of a 12-year-old.

I could not sleep. As I listened to the screams, I found myself pondering who or what was causing them. My mind raced with terrifying guesses, imagining terrible scenarios and monstrous entities responsible for the dreadful sounds that plagued the night.

The shouts would not stop. Every second, their dreadful intensity seemed to grow, their haunting voices sending a chill down my spine. In that moment, I felt trapped. Paralyzed with fear and unable to fall into the peaceful embrace of sleep.

I wanted them to stop. I'll do anything to make it stop.

My eyes snapped open as my heart raced. The moonlight illuminated my room, casting a soft glow across the floor. I slowly got up from my bed, running my fingers through my hair as I did.

I reached out for a cigarette, placing it between my lips slowly, a deep breath entering my lungs as the smoke filled my mouth. With one hand on the balcony's edge, I leaned back and settled into a relaxed position. I took a long drag on my cigarette, the smoke filling my lungs and calming my nerves.

Silence filled the night, only the sound of the wind and my soft breathing punctuating the quiet.

I leaned back against the balcony's edge, a cool breeze hitting my bare chest. The wind blew through my hair, causing me to shiver slightly as it caressed my skin.

My breath was quick and shallow, I took another drag on my cigarette, the smoke filling the air as I exhaled slowly, trying to regain some semblance of calm. As my thoughts swirled and my mind attempted to forget memories I couldn't escape.

I let my mind escape for a bit as I recalled some of the previous events of my days. Tell me about your childhood, she said. I couldn't help the dark smile that erupted on my face, inwardly scoffing at the absurdity of it all.

Of course, she expected my childhood to be as spoiled and easy as any other brat with rich parents. Did she really want me to tell her about the fancy huge birthday parties I had? The piles of gifts that waited for me under the Christmas tree?

She expected to hear how pampered I was by my parents. How loved I was.

I couldn't help but feel like all this whole thing was a joke. A joke that keeps replaying itself expecting me to laugh sometime, I won't.

I refused to be a part of this stupid charade, this fake show of pleasantries that served only to polish and perfect my parents' fabricated image. I refused to take part in keeping their lies alive, their secrets safely buried beneath a veil of fake images.

But what I hated even more was the fact that I didn't seem to have a choice...and that journalist kept reminding me of it.

My teeth clenched with frustration and resentment as my thoughts swirling with memories of the past.