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Chapter Twelve

'.......locked?'

'That's what I've been saying for the past few minutes. Yes, it's LOCKED.'

'But.....how?? It was open two days ago!'

'There's only one possibility.'

'Mr. Lollipop shifted?'

'This house is probably haunted.'

Did I remind her to get a shovel?

'Says the person who used to say there were no monsters under my bed.'

She turns herself to me. 'Think about it, Vanessa. The door was locked, and we spent days opening it. Then, by miracle, just when we were about to leave, the door unlocked itself. Or someone unlocked it. The door was OPEN, Nessa. And forty-eight hours later, it's locked again. This is the EXACT version of a HAUNTED HOUSE.'

'You know what? I can actually laugh my butt off here but since you've got that bull dog expression on your face, I'll keep quiet.'

Flame sweeps her gaze around. Her shocking black hair flow gracefully over her forest back-pack.

'Flame?'

'Uh...yeah.'

'Are you gonna.....you know....?'

'Um....I....I think we should go.'

Wow, I should mark this day.

'Uh....say that again?'

'I think we should leave....something doesn't feel right.'

Is it the hamster in your back pack or is there really something wrong?

'What do you 'doesn't feel right?'

'Uh.....the trees are moving.'

'So?'

'And there isn't any wind.'

My neck cranes around, and fair enough, the leaves are moving as if there is some gentle breeze.

I hold up my hand and try to feel the air.

Nothing.

Flame's words keep swimming in my mind.

Something doesn't feel right.

I think we should go.

Flame steps backwards and gets closer to me.

Something doesn't feel right.

Suddenly, my hair is blown against my face, and I squint my eyes in surprise.

Leaves fall from the trees and land on the ground.

Something isn't right.

Not right...

'Vanessa?'

Flame's voice crashes through the mist.

'Yeah....'

'I see something......black.'

Black...

I raise my voice a little, surprised to find it shaken.

'Let's turn back and run.'

'There is no turning back now.' A feminine voice startles both of us.

I wildly spin my head around trying to find the source of the voice.

Not only because I was scared.