There's a famous uninhabited mansion in Lark Creek, Virginia where an accident occurred seven years ago. Mysteries surround it, and people say that you'll hear strange noises coming from the inside of the mansion. No one in Lark Creek has the courag...
"Long live the walls we crashed through All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you I was screaming long live all the magic we made And bring on all the pretenders One day, we will be remembered." —Long Live by Taylor Swift
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Leslie tightly gripped my arm again, causing me to grit my teeth. We were now shaking with absolute fear. I took a look at my queen, and she gazed back at me with a mask of horror and uncertainty that made my heart ache. This was the first time I saw her this scared, because she isn't the kind of girl who gets frightened easily. This meant we were both dead meat.
Good-bye, world.
I furiously shook my head. No! I shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts. There was still a way. I was Leslie's king and knight in shining armor. I should protect her with my life from this dangerous moment we were in.
I stood straighter, making my best friend gasp. "Jess, what are you doing?" she asked in an urgent whisper and placed a warning hand on my arm.
I ignored her and stepped out from the shadows, hiding my fear behind a mask of confidence. "It's no use hiding?" I started, thankful my voice didn't crack even a bit. "Ma'am, I should be the one who's saying that to you!"
If Conrad were here, his first sentence would be: Ma'am, you should call a hair stylist. Snappy!
The Wicked One held the knife in her hand firmly. "What do you mean by that?"
Even after seeing the knife, I still held my ground. "We found a picture of you and your husband who fell at the grand staircase seven years ago," I said. "Also in the picture was the person who's been living here for seven years and looks entirely different—your son!"
She gasped out loud.
"That's right! He's the one in the cell over there!" I exclaimed. "The only thing that didn't change is the birthmark on his left hand. Dimitri Alson!"
I looked at Dimitri. He was looking down at his quivering hands, maybe not having a clue what was going on outside his prison.
Leslie stood beside me with newly-found confidence, eyes narrowed at Trina. I gave her a warning look, but she ignored me. Such a nice revenge. "I felt something odd the moment I stepped into this mansion," she chimed in. "After the accident, you supposedly moved away, but water still ran out of the faucet. I mean, think about it: no one is stupid enough to pay water bills for a house with nobody in it.
"In addition to that, the plants in the greenhouse are well taken care of. I believe you sell the vegetables in town to earn money, or use them for cooking, even though you still have enough money, since your husband was a successful businessman. And you're using that fire exit—or should I say secret passage—that's hidden from normal view so that you could get in and out of the mansion without being seen. But the reason why you had to make it seem like no one lived here—I guess you're also the person who started spreading those rumors—and why you had to lock your son down here..." I could tell she was trying to get her voice under control.
