History of Fictitious: Volume Three

Chapter 2

A week has passed, and things have been going well. Jenessa and Mia share a room, the boys share the largest room, and Mother and I are in the smallest. Initially, I was going to sleep in the same room as my sisters, but our mother got tired of having a room by herself.

The boys helped plow the farm while I planted seeds with Mother. As for Jenessa and Mia, who both hated dirt and bugs, they cleaned the house, which still proved to be an arduous task for them. It was hilarious when they came across a spider. They hopped on the kitchen table and tried killing it with the broom. That's when, as the story goes, Flint walked in and stepped on the spider without knowing what was happening. He thought they were freaking out over a rat or something.

Tonight has been anticipated by all of us siblings, though. Apparently, Sasha's sisters are just as pretty as she is because Flint and Gill agreed to the arrangement without a second thought. The same must be true of Sasha's brothers. Both my sisters giggled when I told them that Sasha's brothers and their friend were coming. I still didn't know what any of Sasha's siblings looked like or this friend they were bringing. Of course, I've been avoiding the marketplace. The house is much quieter.

When we hear a light tap at our door, Jenessa and Mia rip the door open, scaring poor Sasha to death. My sisters quickly maintain their excitement and make their way out of the house with their cloaks on. I follow behind them, laughing at their suppressed emotions and dyed capes. They couldn't stand the fact that the cloaks were just tan, so they dipped them in some homemade dye. The cloaks came out splotchy, but I loved my sisters so much because of their innovation.

Once I am outside with the rest of my siblings, I try to keep my mouth from tumbling open as Emmit holds an arm for me. Now I understand why my sisters were so cheerful. Emmit is the family friend. I note his tailored brown jacket with a swirled design on the collar and the navy blue shirt underneath. Not only is he attractive, but he knows about style. And he smells like a sweet bottle of honey.

"My lady," he says.

I almost took his arm despite the alarm bells banging in my head. However, one of Sasha's brothers comes over to us. "Um . . . Emmit, you're taking Jenessa, not Arabelle."

Emmit sighs and drops his arm. He winks at me as he approaches Jenessa, who doesn't look pleased. I hope she doesn't try to blame me for this, but I feel bad because who wants to go out with a guy who's eying your sister? I stroll forward with Sasha's brother before Emmit gets any bright ideas of switching. We all start walking opposite the town, which leads into a little section of the forest.

Soon, we come out of the forest, and our sights land on the haunted castle. For the most part, it is still intact and beautifully built, but it has possessed and cursed written all over it. Around the castle grounds is a circle of dead bushes and fog. The atmosphere is cold despite it being a warm summer night moments ago.

"Are those the bushes that stop people from entering?" I ask Sasha's brother.

Just as he is about to respond, Emmit jumps on in our conversation. "Actually, it isn't just the bushes that attack. There's a magical barrier that sends ghostly wolves, or that's what the rumors say."

"So you actually don't know anything about this place. You've never gone inside?"

"Oh no, people have gone inside," Sasha's brother says, pushing Emmit away from me, "Like my last girlfriend and a few of her friends. They have never come back out."

"And you didn't go looking for them?" I ask, not impressed that he left his last love to die in a haunted castle. I honestly don't buy into all this ghost stuff.

"The castle wouldn't let me in."

It sounds like a pitiful excuse. The castle has several doors, windows, and holes where he could have easily gained access. There was no way he couldn't get in. I want him to elaborate, but the others want to start the game, so we gather around in a circle.