We Are One Now - A Goosebumps Fanfiction

Chapter Seven

"Shelly? Shelly!"

"Huh?" Shelly snapped out of her thoughts and faced the direction where the male voice had come from.

She was not alone in the bathroom anymore. A boy shorter than her was standing in the doorway and across from her. The boy had short, brown hair and pale skin.

She recognized him right away. "It is you."

"Of course, it is me, Shelly," he said soothingly. "The mistress wanted to let you know that the show will begin in five minutes. The gym is already filled with students and their teachers and parents."

What is that, fellow readers? You assumed that the boy was Slappy? Well, guess what? The writer of this fanfiction tricked you! Ha! You were tricked! And it is not even Halloween. He is just a regular orphan like Shelly.

When the boy had left, Shelly focused her attention back on her jewelry box and put on the earrings. She examined them in the mirror as they jiggled and was satisfied. She was like a replica of her mother with those earrings.

A tear trickled down her cheek, and she wiped it in an instant. If anyone wandered in, she did not want them to see her cry. After all, the talent show was not about grief and being sad. It was about having fun. Fun. Shelly has not had any fun since the death of her family.

Shelly could not help it. No matter how many times she tried, she could not stop grieving over the family that she had known forever. And while grieving is a slow process, she knew that she needed to move on. Her parents would want that.

"It would be easier...if someone...cared for me," she said. "I know that Tamara and the mistress love me, but I wish that there was someone who would let me be part of their family."

"You can be a part of my family."

The orphan jumped out of her socks. That is, if she were wearing socks. The voice was definitely male, but it sounded like an older man.

She gripped the edges of the sink and breathed hard. "A man older than me is in the girls' bathroom," she said quietly.

Whoever it was chuckled. "A rare beauty such as you should never be frightened. I am not an old man. I am practically the same age as you."

"He is flirting with me?"

"I would not have said that if I were you. Then again, I can read minds, so..."

Shelly faced him, and her jewelry box fell off the sink and clattered to the hard floor, startling her. Rings and earrings and necklaces and bracelets tumbled out, covering the floor.

"No!" the word escaped from Shelly's mouth. She got on her knees and started to pick up her jewelry.

The bathroom was engulfed in darkness. Except for the lightbulb above Shelly. It was protecting her and the sink from the darkness. What she had not seen beforehand was the pair of eyes poking out from the blackness. They were glowing and trained on her.

The eyes blinked, and the mysterious person spoke. Though, he is not much of a mystery if you are a fan of Goosebumps. He tsk-tsked. "You are a breath of fresh air. You should not have to clean the mess."

She did not look at him. Or in this case, his eyes. "I made the mess. It is only fair that I do it."

"Are you a slave? No. I did not think so. You are too smart and beautiful to clean."

"What makes you think that I am smart?"

He chuckled again. "Let us just say that I can sense it."

A hand appeared from the blackness and wiggled its fingers. Shelly was reaching for one of her bracelets when the bracelet shot up. It was now floating in the air. Shelly was impressed, which is what the person was hoping for.

"Why is my bracelet floating?" she questioned. "Is it haunted?"

"And you are funny?" he said. "You truly are worthy to be my bride."

Her eyes locked on his. "Your bride?"

"I will explain momentarily. Just sit back and enjoy the show."

The orphan watched in astonishment as the jewelry box and the rest of the jewelry floated into the air. He waved his hand around in a circle. The jewelry moved to the box and dropped in. He snapped his fingers, and the box was shut and placed back on the sink.

"You should get a latch for that," he suggested. "Do not want to lose your precious jewelry."

Shelly stared at her jewelry box and bit her lip. "How did you do that?"

"Believe it or not, I have magic."

"Really? Cool. Thank you." She picked up the box. "I should get going. The talent show needs me."

"The talent show can wait." The same hand wrapped its thumb and fingers around her wrist. "I would like to get to know you more."

"Uh...you can know more about me when you watch the talent show."

"And watch those other orphans take the spotlight? Count me out. You deserve the spotlight. All of it."

Her cheeks turned red. She was both flattered and nervous. "I never knew that I had a fan. Please do not tell me that you are a stalker."

"Not to you. But I could be a stalker to your enemies if you wish."

"My enemies? I do not have any enemies."

"You must. Everyone in the world has an enemy or two. Is somebody in the orphanage jealous of your looks or intelligence?"

"Not that I know of."

"Hmm. Do you have any...ex-boyfriends?"

He noticed the sadness in her eyes.

"I unfortunately do," she confessed. "I thought that they were great guys, but they tricked me. They are nothing but jerks."

"If I may ask, what are their names?"

"Their first names are Chad and James. They reside here in Madison."