Haunted Secrets

Haunted 8

Belle POV

How dare she? How could she respond to me at all? Can’t she just apologize to lessen a bit of the pain I’m feeling? I felt like ending it all, but then Mia showed up just in time. How did she find out about my plan?

And then there’s Monica. I treated her like a friend, even with her awful attitude. I acted sweetly around her, thinking I knew her well, only to have her betray my trust.

I was shocked when she suddenly burst into tears after Mia spoke. This was the first time I had seen her cry genuinely; before this, it always felt like a performance.

“Yes, Mia, I’m annoying and desperate for attention. Trouble loves me, and I won’t deny it,” she said, her voice cracking. Finally, she admitted it. Trouble loves me too; just say you love trouble.

“I’m always present for our meetings and shoots because that’s my only talent, and I’m bored at home because my parents don’t want to see me around. It’s just the rest of my family left, but—”

I couldn’t let her finish. I was infuriated by her dramatics! How can she claim we’re family when she’s been nothing but hostile toward us?

“Family? With betrayal? What’s that supposed to be, share your blessings?” I snapped, anger flaring inside me. So she views us as family? It seemed she required some form of exchange.

“I just want to help,” she cried out, her voice raw with emotion. Help? Is that what she calls it? I could feel myself about to explode.

“Then maybe you should’ve just kept your help to yourself!” I shouted. “I don’t need your help; I know how to deal with my problems!”

“I'm sorry?” she replied, sounding genuinely taken aback. Really? Now?

“Sorry? Seriously, Monica! I’ve needed that apology for ages! You’ve just been throwing insults at me! What is wrong with you? Are you that selfish?” I cried, tears streaming down my face. “Do you crave love that badly?”

“Yes, I lack it! I lack attention!” she confessed, her voice trembling. “That’s why I’m admitting my mistakes! I wasn’t myself when I did those things!”

What was happening? I was drowning in confusion, unable to comprehend the whirlwind of emotions swirling around me.

---

Mia POV

“Guys, we need to meet. We can’t shoot right now; our safety is the priority,” I announced, noticing their puzzled expressions.

“What do you mean?” Third asked, concern washing over his face.

“Don’t joke about this, Mia,” Gelo warned, his voice low and serious. Leo, Monica, Belle, and James looked at me with uncertainty.

“Do you have witch blood or something?” James teased, but I shot him a glare, wanting him to take this seriously.

“Can you all focus?” I insisted, my heart racing. I knew that if they learned the truth, panic would take over.

“We need to finish this project so we can go home. It’s our third day here, and we’ve barely accomplished anything,” Leo said, frustration evident in his voice.

“I just want to go home,” Belle chimed in, her voice shaky. “Why don’t we just find another venue?”

“True, I feel like I’m going to die here,” Monica added. As I glanced toward the door, I caught sight of a woman lurking just outside. When she realized I was watching, she vanished into thin air.

“Did you see that?” I asked, my voice tense. James quickly closed the door, his face pale with fear.

“I think that woman was listening to us,” he whispered.

“What were you going to say?” Third asked, growing increasingly uneasy.

“We’re not going to be allowed to leave,” I said, my stomach sinking as they laughed, still unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

“Who’s going to stop us?” Monica asked, skepticism lacing her tone.

“Remember when you almost took your own life, Belle? How do I know about it? Why was I able to stop you? It’s because I had a dream,” I explained, my heart pounding as I recounted the haunting vision.

“In my dream, there was a man and a woman who had a child. They got married, but the man’s true love was the sister of the woman. In that dream, the woman killed herself after discovering her sister and husband together. The husband admitted he loved the sister more,” I continued, my breath hitching as I reached the most terrifying part.

“I saw that same woman in this very room, lying there, blood pooling around her neck, shards of broken glass scattered everywhere. A little girl was crying, and then the dead woman turned to me, her eyes lifeless but somehow still filled with pain. She called out to me and said we wouldn’t be able to go home.”

The room fell silent, their faces pale and horror-stricken as they absorbed my words. Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing an old woman holding a knife, her eyes cold and devoid of compassion.

My heart raced, a jumbled mess of fear and adrenaline surging through me. It felt like I was trapped in a nightmare, caught between the instinct to flee and the horrifying reality before me.

“AHHHHH!” We screamed in unison, the sound echoing off the walls, blending with the eerie atmosphere surrounding us.

As the woman stepped closer, her presence suffocating, I could feel the air grow thick with an overwhelming sense of dread. The whispers that had been lurking at the edges of my consciousness were now loud and menacing, echoing my fears.

We stood frozen, our hearts pounding in rhythm with the impending doom, knowing that whatever fate awaited us was drawing nearer, and there would be no escape from this nightmare.

:>yshanggabi