just a dream? or reality? by victoria sanchez
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"There has to be a reason people think this place is haunted you know..." Anise notifies. I roll my eyes. She worries too much. "It's not a good idea..." Joanna starts. Her serious face now shows an enormous grin. "I think it's the best idea ever!" I'm so glad someone here agrees with me. "Well, it does look cool," Rin adds flatly. "We should go in!" I grin like a madman and see Joanna doing the same. Rin keeps that oddly frequent frown plastered to her face.
Right now, my friends, Anise, Joanna, and Rin, and I are standing in front of the old, abandoned mansion in our small town of Sunset City, Ohio. Tonight is Halloween night. So, instead of the usual trick-or-treating, we decided it would be fun to visit the place. We even came here in costumes. I'm a white cat. Joanna is a pumpkin ghost, I suppose. Anise is a huntress who's bows and arrows are blue glow-sticks. Rin, who usually doesn't dress up is a dark angel, everything she has on being a dark color.
"Like I have said before, I don't think- Natalie! Come back here!" Hey, looks like Anise finally noticed that I took off running a while ago. Finally, I reach the antiquated door, who's hinges look rather weak. I throw my head over my left shoulder and say, "Oh, don't worry about me! I'm fine!" With that, I try to open the door, having to tug on the knob with all my might. After a few tugs, Joanna joins me, and we finally get the door to open, causing it to splinter towards the bottom.
Wow... The mansion may look old, and dusty from the outside, but it seems almost brand new on the inside. Everything is neat and in order. Even the old-fashion furniture is clean and doesn't have the plastic like in the movies. But, the walls are a different story; the walls are a pale sort of yellow color, and is peeling. Looks like someone took care of this place while didn't at the same time. That's really strange.
Whoosh! Something races its way by us. Thud! I jump back and face the direct the noise came from. I see the door closed on its own. Wow, that's really creepy... Again, the mysterious creature flies by us but, this time, it passes by slow enough for me to be able to see what it looks like. It is a sickly orange color, and looks like a ghost. Oh my goodness! Maybe those stories were actually true! That means that there really is a monster haunting this place!
Before I can have a panic attack, the lights shut off. There is the sound of shuffling. Then, a piercing scream meets the air, and strains my ears. It sounds a lot like Joanna! Wait, it is Joanna! Suddenly, the lights flicker back on. I see than I was right. Joanna's spot is now empty, only the musty air taking her place.
My eyes dart to Anise's deep green ones, and see a deep sense worry. Now, my eyes meet Rin's midnight, glassy orbs, only to see fear deep within them. "We have to get Joanna back," I declare. I expect Rin and Anise to agree, but, surprisingly, they don't. "How are we supposed to find Joanna if we have no clue as to where that... Thing took her?" Anise asks, being logical. Rin steps up, "We'll have to search the entire house." For once, I agree with her. We'll have to search the entire house if we want to find Joanna. We agree with Rin, and search the entire first floor. There is nothing in the living room, the kitchen, or the two bedrooms.
Now, it's time to head to the second floor. We nervously walk up the stairs, the antiquated wood splintering, and bending beneath us. Hiss. Hiss. My eyes widen in fear as I see what is hovering above the floor in front of us. It seems to be the same creature from before! I can see that I was right, it is a ghost. I hold my breath as it stops in front of us, still facing another direction. After what seems like hours, it finally decides to go along on its merry way. I let out a sigh of relief, meanwhile, Rin walks up the stairs, reaching the eerie hallway.
"Rin! What are you doing?" Anise and I whisper in unison. Why would she so fearlessly go into the hallway? "I want to see where it goes," she informs, brushing her black, silky hair out of her pale face. "But why would you-" I'm interrupted by Anise, "Maybe it can lead us to Joanna!" Oh my goodness! She's right! We have a chance! "Come on!" I whisper. "It's time to save Joanna!" We slyly tiptoe our way through the hallway, staying as quiet as possible.
We reach the corner. I feel my palms sweating, and nervously look at my companions. They each dart their eyes to me, and urge me to turn the corner. I shake my head in return, refusing to walk into the open where I can be captured. After a few moments of silent arguing, I give in, and reluctantly walk forward. Please, don't let anything come out and eat me. Please, don't let anything come out and eat me. My legs feel like hundred pound weights.
Slowly, I force myself to go forward, and wish I didn't. The same creature that we saw on the top of the stairs. It looks me in the eyes. It reaches out to me, and before it gets any closer, I run. As I speed through the hallway, I shout, "Retreat! Retreat!" I run deeper an deeper into the house, my breathing becoming harder to do. I look over my shoulder, and see that Anise and Rin are having the same problem as me. Suddenly, I get an idea.
"Guys, try to open as many doors as possible," I demand. Anise is about to speak when I continue. "No questions asked." The other two just shrug and obey my orders. I can't find an unlocked door! I am becoming very frustrated. Once I am just about to give up, Rin finds an unlocked door. We rush in, hoping the our pursuer doesn't find us. The door is locked and the light is turned on, showing the bedroom we stumbled into. the walls are a pale brown color and is definitely more welcoming than the rest of the house. There are two beds that are nice and neat. I see a window. It has bars over the glass, much like a prison cell.
Rin stands besides window. "It seems late. We should sleep," she says, keeping her eyes on the outside. Anise and I nod in agreement, feeling tired ourselves. Rin continues, "Alright then. I'll keep watch." Again, Anise and I agree. Rin sits on the floor besides the door, and patiently awaits for a noise. Anise falls asleep in a matter if seconds. I can't help but stay awake. Will we find Joanna? Will we be able to escape? I inwardly sigh. This is all probably just a dream... Just a dream...
"Hey, Rin?" I whisper. Rin looks up from the floor and responds, "Yeah?" I force myself to ask the question that has been lingering in the back of my mind for a while. I begin, holding back tears, "I-if we don't make it-" Rin decides to interrupt me. "No, we'll make it. Don't even say stuff like that." Even though I can't see her, I know that she is holding back tears too. It seems the thought of not making it frightens Rin and me both. There is a silence. "Just try to sleep," Rin orders, her voice cold once again. I obey her, and let my eye lids fall.
I wake up and look around. So this wasn't just a bad dream... I see Rin, and Joanna! But, where is Anise? I sleepily yawn, and rub my eyes. Rin takes notice in me. "Good morning, Natalie," she says, her voice remaining emotionless. Once I sit up, I eagerly hug Joanna. "I was so worried for you!" I exclaim. Joanna winces in pain. Then, I notice all her bandages. She has black cloth wrapped around her left knee, and another wrapped around her wrist. She has a small cut in the palm of her hand. Her white costume is ripped from one side, and the other side is now a deep, crimson red.
"What happened?" I ask, moving Joanna's deep brown hair from her tanned face. She shakes her head, refusing to say a single word. I decide not to question her any further, seeing the frightened look on her face. I turn to Rin, who must have ripped her costume to help Joanna, "What happened while I was sleeping, and where is Anise?" Rin avoids my gaze. "Well, you see, while you were sleeping, Anise and I heard Joanna in the hallway, and went to go help her. We saw the monster that took Joanna, and ran over here. Anise tripped, and the thing got her..." My eyes widen. Not Anise!
"M-maybe we can find her," I suggest. "Not now, we can't risk losing another one of us. Plus, Joanna still isn't well," Rin reasons. She is right; we can't just leave Joanna here, but... "I'll go on my own," I declare. My companions look at me like I'm crazy. "You can't go on your own! That monster will get you!" Joanna worriedly informs. Even Rin, who usually stays quiet, has a say in this, "We can't lose you too!" I shake my head. "I'll be alright. I just want to try to find Anise. I want all of us to be together when we escape." Without hearing what Rin and Joanna have to say, I walk into the empty hallway.
I walk through the entire house, seeing no sign of anything. Now, I just have one last place to look; the basement. I nervously look around the dark room. I see many antiquated paintings of unknown people. It looks like the eyes follow my every movement. Creepy... I continue to look around. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust, unlike the rest of the mansion. I trail my fingers along the painting of a young girl. She has dirty blond hair, and bright, green eyes. Her face is lit up by a grin. Then, I notice something weird. At the top of the painting, is a splash of bright red. I gently touch it, and, when I bring my fingers back from it, my fingers are wet. I look at my hand and gasp. I'm about to leave the basement, and go back to my friends when I suddenly fall to the floor. My eyelids become very heavy, so I let them fall.
Uh, why does my head hurt so much? I'm still in the basement, but I'm in a different part of it. I try to stand, but I can't move at all. Only my face features can. I blink. What's going on? Out of nowhere, our pursuer floats towards me, and picks me up from the floor. It goes to a huge floor in the ground. Oh my goodness! It's going to throw me into the hole! I panic, screaming the loudest I can. The creature ignores my screams, and finally lets go of me. I remain paralyzed for the whole way down. Until...
"No!" I yell. I sit up on the bed, and look around. I see familiar lavender walls and white butterfly stickers. I'm in my room. I calm myself down, telling myself it was all just a dream. I try to convince myself of this, but it all seemed too real. Everything is so vivid in my mind. Well, at least I'm awake now. I lie down in my bed, and hug my stuffed teddy bear, patiently waiting for the sun to rise.
Right now, my friends, Anise, Joanna, and Rin, and I are standing in front of the old, abandoned mansion in our small town of Sunset City, Ohio. Tonight is Halloween night. So, instead of the usual trick-or-treating, we decided it would be fun to visit the place. We even came here in costumes. I'm a white cat. Joanna is a pumpkin ghost, I suppose. Anise is a huntress who's bows and arrows are blue glow-sticks. Rin, who usually doesn't dress up is a dark angel, everything she has on being a dark color.
"Like I have said before, I don't think- Natalie! Come back here!" Hey, looks like Anise finally noticed that I took off running a while ago. Finally, I reach the antiquated door, who's hinges look rather weak. I throw my head over my left shoulder and say, "Oh, don't worry about me! I'm fine!" With that, I try to open the door, having to tug on the knob with all my might. After a few tugs, Joanna joins me, and we finally get the door to open, causing it to splinter towards the bottom.
Wow... The mansion may look old, and dusty from the outside, but it seems almost brand new on the inside. Everything is neat and in order. Even the old-fashion furniture is clean and doesn't have the plastic like in the movies. But, the walls are a different story; the walls are a pale sort of yellow color, and is peeling. Looks like someone took care of this place while didn't at the same time. That's really strange.
Whoosh! Something races its way by us. Thud! I jump back and face the direct the noise came from. I see the door closed on its own. Wow, that's really creepy... Again, the mysterious creature flies by us but, this time, it passes by slow enough for me to be able to see what it looks like. It is a sickly orange color, and looks like a ghost. Oh my goodness! Maybe those stories were actually true! That means that there really is a monster haunting this place!
Before I can have a panic attack, the lights shut off. There is the sound of shuffling. Then, a piercing scream meets the air, and strains my ears. It sounds a lot like Joanna! Wait, it is Joanna! Suddenly, the lights flicker back on. I see than I was right. Joanna's spot is now empty, only the musty air taking her place.
My eyes dart to Anise's deep green ones, and see a deep sense worry. Now, my eyes meet Rin's midnight, glassy orbs, only to see fear deep within them. "We have to get Joanna back," I declare. I expect Rin and Anise to agree, but, surprisingly, they don't. "How are we supposed to find Joanna if we have no clue as to where that... Thing took her?" Anise asks, being logical. Rin steps up, "We'll have to search the entire house." For once, I agree with her. We'll have to search the entire house if we want to find Joanna. We agree with Rin, and search the entire first floor. There is nothing in the living room, the kitchen, or the two bedrooms.
Now, it's time to head to the second floor. We nervously walk up the stairs, the antiquated wood splintering, and bending beneath us. Hiss. Hiss. My eyes widen in fear as I see what is hovering above the floor in front of us. It seems to be the same creature from before! I can see that I was right, it is a ghost. I hold my breath as it stops in front of us, still facing another direction. After what seems like hours, it finally decides to go along on its merry way. I let out a sigh of relief, meanwhile, Rin walks up the stairs, reaching the eerie hallway.
"Rin! What are you doing?" Anise and I whisper in unison. Why would she so fearlessly go into the hallway? "I want to see where it goes," she informs, brushing her black, silky hair out of her pale face. "But why would you-" I'm interrupted by Anise, "Maybe it can lead us to Joanna!" Oh my goodness! She's right! We have a chance! "Come on!" I whisper. "It's time to save Joanna!" We slyly tiptoe our way through the hallway, staying as quiet as possible.
We reach the corner. I feel my palms sweating, and nervously look at my companions. They each dart their eyes to me, and urge me to turn the corner. I shake my head in return, refusing to walk into the open where I can be captured. After a few moments of silent arguing, I give in, and reluctantly walk forward. Please, don't let anything come out and eat me. Please, don't let anything come out and eat me. My legs feel like hundred pound weights.
Slowly, I force myself to go forward, and wish I didn't. The same creature that we saw on the top of the stairs. It looks me in the eyes. It reaches out to me, and before it gets any closer, I run. As I speed through the hallway, I shout, "Retreat! Retreat!" I run deeper an deeper into the house, my breathing becoming harder to do. I look over my shoulder, and see that Anise and Rin are having the same problem as me. Suddenly, I get an idea.
"Guys, try to open as many doors as possible," I demand. Anise is about to speak when I continue. "No questions asked." The other two just shrug and obey my orders. I can't find an unlocked door! I am becoming very frustrated. Once I am just about to give up, Rin finds an unlocked door. We rush in, hoping the our pursuer doesn't find us. The door is locked and the light is turned on, showing the bedroom we stumbled into. the walls are a pale brown color and is definitely more welcoming than the rest of the house. There are two beds that are nice and neat. I see a window. It has bars over the glass, much like a prison cell.
Rin stands besides window. "It seems late. We should sleep," she says, keeping her eyes on the outside. Anise and I nod in agreement, feeling tired ourselves. Rin continues, "Alright then. I'll keep watch." Again, Anise and I agree. Rin sits on the floor besides the door, and patiently awaits for a noise. Anise falls asleep in a matter if seconds. I can't help but stay awake. Will we find Joanna? Will we be able to escape? I inwardly sigh. This is all probably just a dream... Just a dream...
"Hey, Rin?" I whisper. Rin looks up from the floor and responds, "Yeah?" I force myself to ask the question that has been lingering in the back of my mind for a while. I begin, holding back tears, "I-if we don't make it-" Rin decides to interrupt me. "No, we'll make it. Don't even say stuff like that." Even though I can't see her, I know that she is holding back tears too. It seems the thought of not making it frightens Rin and me both. There is a silence. "Just try to sleep," Rin orders, her voice cold once again. I obey her, and let my eye lids fall.
I wake up and look around. So this wasn't just a bad dream... I see Rin, and Joanna! But, where is Anise? I sleepily yawn, and rub my eyes. Rin takes notice in me. "Good morning, Natalie," she says, her voice remaining emotionless. Once I sit up, I eagerly hug Joanna. "I was so worried for you!" I exclaim. Joanna winces in pain. Then, I notice all her bandages. She has black cloth wrapped around her left knee, and another wrapped around her wrist. She has a small cut in the palm of her hand. Her white costume is ripped from one side, and the other side is now a deep, crimson red.
"What happened?" I ask, moving Joanna's deep brown hair from her tanned face. She shakes her head, refusing to say a single word. I decide not to question her any further, seeing the frightened look on her face. I turn to Rin, who must have ripped her costume to help Joanna, "What happened while I was sleeping, and where is Anise?" Rin avoids my gaze. "Well, you see, while you were sleeping, Anise and I heard Joanna in the hallway, and went to go help her. We saw the monster that took Joanna, and ran over here. Anise tripped, and the thing got her..." My eyes widen. Not Anise!
"M-maybe we can find her," I suggest. "Not now, we can't risk losing another one of us. Plus, Joanna still isn't well," Rin reasons. She is right; we can't just leave Joanna here, but... "I'll go on my own," I declare. My companions look at me like I'm crazy. "You can't go on your own! That monster will get you!" Joanna worriedly informs. Even Rin, who usually stays quiet, has a say in this, "We can't lose you too!" I shake my head. "I'll be alright. I just want to try to find Anise. I want all of us to be together when we escape." Without hearing what Rin and Joanna have to say, I walk into the empty hallway.
I walk through the entire house, seeing no sign of anything. Now, I just have one last place to look; the basement. I nervously look around the dark room. I see many antiquated paintings of unknown people. It looks like the eyes follow my every movement. Creepy... I continue to look around. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust, unlike the rest of the mansion. I trail my fingers along the painting of a young girl. She has dirty blond hair, and bright, green eyes. Her face is lit up by a grin. Then, I notice something weird. At the top of the painting, is a splash of bright red. I gently touch it, and, when I bring my fingers back from it, my fingers are wet. I look at my hand and gasp. I'm about to leave the basement, and go back to my friends when I suddenly fall to the floor. My eyelids become very heavy, so I let them fall.
Uh, why does my head hurt so much? I'm still in the basement, but I'm in a different part of it. I try to stand, but I can't move at all. Only my face features can. I blink. What's going on? Out of nowhere, our pursuer floats towards me, and picks me up from the floor. It goes to a huge floor in the ground. Oh my goodness! It's going to throw me into the hole! I panic, screaming the loudest I can. The creature ignores my screams, and finally lets go of me. I remain paralyzed for the whole way down. Until...
"No!" I yell. I sit up on the bed, and look around. I see familiar lavender walls and white butterfly stickers. I'm in my room. I calm myself down, telling myself it was all just a dream. I try to convince myself of this, but it all seemed too real. Everything is so vivid in my mind. Well, at least I'm awake now. I lie down in my bed, and hug my stuffed teddy bear, patiently waiting for the sun to rise.