The Haunted Orphanage

Chapter 42

Mark's POV

I was hiding behind the couch in the living room covered in milk. I was still shoveling cereal into my mouth, hoping he wouldn't find me.

After I had shot a couple pieces of cereal at Anti, he got remarkably competitive. He filled a cup with milk and chased me for a few minutes before finally throwing it at me. However, I was simply a distraction for Dan and Phil to construct a plan.

I peeked my head over the couch, trying to get a glimpse of the doorway to the kitchen. I noticed Dan glancing around, looking for me. I straightened up a bit so that my head was over the couch.

Once he saw me covered in milk, he silently chuckled and gave me a thumbs up. He walked to Phil, closing the door behind him so that I could no longer see them.

I heard Anti running towards the kitchen, so I ducked back down and peeked out the side. He ran out from one of the hallways with a box of cereal in one hand, the empty cup in the other, and his spoon in his mouth. He glanced around the living room, and after not seeing me, he crept toward the kitchen doorway.

Dan and Phil hadn't told me what they planned on doing. All I was told was to keep Anti busy for a few minutes while they threw something together.

Anti slowly opened the door to the kitchen, and after nothing happened, he swung it open at full force. Immediately, something seemed to have dropped from the ceiling onto Anti. He yelled and fell to the ground, while Dan and Phil's laughter filled the air.

I ran around the couch, still eating my cereal, and jogged up to the door. "What fell?" I asked, before seeing a bucket stuck on Anti's head.

"Mark?" he muttered.

"Yeah?"

"What the hell is in this thing?" he asked as he slowly removed the bucket.

"That," Dan started as he leaned on the counter, "would be the maple syrup Nate and Jason used on their pancakes this morning."

Anti heaved the bucket at Dan, hitting his leg. "You dumped syrup on me?!"

"Not just any syrup," Phil began. "Maple syrup."

Anti sighed and wiped some of the syrup out of his hair and onto his hand. "This'll take forever to wash out."

"That was the point," Phil stated matter-of-factly.

"Hmm," I mumbled out loud, getting everyone's attention.

"What?" Dan asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Daniel. I'm covered in milk, and Anti's covered in syrup. The both of you are spotless, though."

Anti snuck behind Dan and Phil, unnoticed, and grabbed a can of whipped cream from the counter.

"What's your point? That better be a compliment," Dan stated.

"Something like that," I mumbled as Anti poured whipped cream on Dan and Phil's heads.

I quickly ruffled their hair, getting the whipped cream stuck in it. Dan and Phil swung punches at me and Anti, but couldn't land a hit due to their laughing.

After a few more seconds, Anti ran out of the kitchen, grabbing me on his way. I still had my cereal and spoon with me, but continued following him nonetheless.