《Attached》


 Prologue

    Monday, September 5<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    There¡¯s an excited tension in the air, that I do not get. How can anyone be excited about the first day of school? The first day of a year. Early mornings, long days, endless homework-assignments.


    Graduating. Ugh.


    As I zigzag through the crowd of excited and way too cheerful people I can¡¯t help but not share that feeling at all. It isn¡¯t helping me that I¡¯m not a morning person, at all. I¡¯ve never been one, and I never will be. I love the peace that the night brings, when most people are asleep, only people like me still awake, not at all bothering each other.


    But as it seems, most students around me are actually excited to go back to school again. Maybe they¡¯re excited to see their friends again, and it¡¯s pretty much the only thing I¡¯m excited about too.


    My girlfriend Annika came back after a four-week long vacation and it¡¯s probably the longest I¡¯ve ever been without her, since prior to her vacation overseas, I spend three weeks in the burning sun in Africa.


    I still can¡¯t believe dad thought we would think it be fun to join him on one of his safari trips, visiting the wildlife, and with that, the sick animals he treats as a volunteer-vet in other countries.


    Thank god he never wanted to move there, I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive too long without my friends.


    It¡¯s been seven damn weeks since I saw my girlfriend and it¡¯s solely the reason I¡¯m in school early, else I wouldn¡¯t have cared if I would¡¯ve arrived a couple of minutes late. Nobody gets send out for being late at the first day of school anyway.


    But as my eyes find her long ginger-coloured hair, a smile breaks onto my face and all annoyance dissipated. My mood is gone like snow in the sun.


    ¡°Come here you¡­¡± I grumble in her ear as I put my arms around her, swirling her around in my arms.


    Her giggle is like music in my ear, and the sweet smell of her skin reminds me of vanilla. The feelings this girl gives me are indescribable.


    I can¡¯t put them in words. It¡¯s as if my heart explodes every thud of my heartbeat as I look into her bright green eyes, that look at me amused.


    ¡°Hi Siddey.¡± She hums, leaning in to connect our lips in an ever so sweet kiss.


    ¡°I missed you so much.¡± I mutter, leaning my forehead against hers, while keeping her close to me and in my arms.


    ¡°Ah, pooh bear I missed you too.¡± She pecks another kiss on my lips. ¡°Dad suggested you¡¯d join us for our next vacation, because I was moody way too much because I missed you.¡±


    I chuckle and nod with a smirk. ¡°Same goes for my parents. Mom nearly killed me for my moods. She asked if I couldn¡¯t book a ticket to go after you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡± Davy, Annika¡¯s brother and my best friend, pulls her out of my arms, to replace to spot with himself for a brotherly hug. ¡°There¡¯s another Bray that missed you.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I can¡¯t help but laugh loudly, slapping him on his back before shoving him aside. ¡°Yeah, I missed your ugly face too, Dave.¡±


    I pull Annika back at my side, putting my arm around her shoulders proudly.


    ¡°Oh, Siddey.¡± She turns to look at me. ¡°Mom wants to know if you¡¯re coming over for dinner this Thursday. It¡¯s her birthday and she would love for you to join us.¡±


    ¡°Off course I will.¡± I nuzzle my face into the croak of her neck. ¡°Any second I get to spend with you, is better than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Iew, get a room, perverts.¡± Amber¡¯s annoyingly high voice sounds right beside my other ear, but it¡¯s causing a smile on my face nonetheless.


    ¡°Amber, baby!¡± I call out, pulling her in a hug with my other arm. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Want to smooch a bit yourself?¡± I wiggle my eyebrows, causing her to scrunch her nose in disgust.


    ¡°No, Sid! Gross.¡± She pushes herself away from me with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re all cute and whatnot. But I prefer girls, remember.¡±


    ¡°Well, luckily you¡¯re no threat.¡± I smirk, sitting down on the bench that we claimed four years ago, as our bench.


    Annika claims her spot on my lap, putting her arms around my neck to give me another kiss.


    ¡°Let¡¯s agree they¡¯re allowed to be clingy one day,¡± Edward¡¯s voice sounds amused as he walks closer. ¡°And after that, the girls get to hit Annika whenever they¡¯re too clingy, and Dave and I get to beat up Sid¡¯s pretty face.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Annika puts her hands on my cheeks, as if trying to protect my face. ¡°No hitting Sid in the face.¡±


    ¡°Not in the face?¡± I frown while she pushes my face together, making me pout unwillingly. ¡°Howwabout no-atall?¡± I murmur, right before she pecks a kiss on my pouting lips, releasing my face again.


    ¡°One day, to make up for seven weeks of separation.¡± She winks.


    ¡°So, your place, or mine?¡± I wink, causing her face to flush.


    ¡°Sid!¡± She slaps my chest teasingly. ¡°Don¡¯t be disgusting.¡±


    ¡°What? Making love is not disgusting!¡±


    ¡°You know the rule, Sid.¡± She giggles. ¡°No talking about it in public,¡± She whispers, before kissing my neck teasingly. ¡°Mine, parents are out until late.¡±


    ¡°O! My! God!¡± Amara comes running towards us, flopping down on her place in between Edward and me on the bench.


    Causing our personal Triple A to be reunited; Annika, Amber and Amara. The three are best friends and thanks to my friendship with Davy, I met Annika. Edward and Amara met because he became friends with me.


    She quickly pecks a kiss on Edward¡¯s cheek, before she looks back at us again. ¡°You won¡¯t believe who I just saw!¡±


    ¡°The most beautiful girl, after four weeks?¡± I frown, sending a look towards Annika, and lastly to Davy. ¡°The Bray¡¯s are back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± She jumps up, quickly hugging both of them, causing us to laugh. Amara can be slightly hyperactive.


    And she loves to gossip.


    ¡°Who did you see?¡±


    ¡°Cory Dunn.¡± She nods, seemingly sure of herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make things up.¡± Annika slaps her softly. ¡°Cory Dunn is¡­ you know?¡± She turns a finger at the side of her head, indicating he is nuts. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to make fun of, really.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not making things up! He¡¯s in school. I saw him when I went to pick up my locker key.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± I slap my own face. ¡°I forgot to rent one.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still tons available, just head over to Quinten during lunchbreak.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°You saw Cory Dunn.¡± Davy crosses his arms. ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in our class. I was curious as to what he was doing here, and they told him he¡¯s in our class. He¡¯s joining school again.¡±


    ¡°But, isn¡¯t he¡­¡± Annika repeats the movement of turning her finger in little circles, causing Amara and Amber to roll their eyes, while Davy, Edward and I can¡¯t hold back a chuckle.


    ¡°I guess he¡¯s better now.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s willing to tell what happened?¡± My eyes widen. ¡°Maybe we can finally find out what is in The Miller Woods.¡±


    ¡°You and your mysteries.¡± Davy shakes his head, though he is definitely curious as to what is in the woods anyway.


    It wasn¡¯t a simple story of a child getting lost in the woods, spending a night in there.


    Cory Dunn came running out, screaming, crying, terrified of something. Nobody was able to calm him down; not even his mom.


    One story says he was hunted by a rapist, another says he was hunted by wolves. But all stories are sure of one thing; Cory Dunn went nuts and he was taken to a psychiatric ward two towns over.


    And he repeatedly cried out he wanted ¡°it¡±to leave him alone.


    Nobody ever found out what really happened.


    And now, Cory Dunn is back.

 Chapter 1 – Cory Dunn is loco

    Tuesday, September 13<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean.¡± Amarapushes Annika out of her way, walking over towards Cory, who just dropped a stack of papers.


    Annika, Davy and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as his eyes grew wide and he kept muttering to ¡°go away, not now¡±. He forgot about the papers for a second, staring to the wall in shock, but then he kneeled down to grab the papers.


    Amara helps him stack them, handing the ones she collected to him as they both get up.


    ¡°Thanks, Amara,¡± he whispers insecurely.


    ¡°No problem.¡± She smiles. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come and join us for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Am!¡± Annika hisses, gesturing for her to come closer.


    She rolls her eyes, pulling Cory with her. ¡°He¡¯s joining us for lunch, okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I pull up my nose. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡± She sends me a displeased look, gesturing Cory to follow her, which he reluctantly does. But not without sending us an apologetic look. At least he knows he isn¡¯t welcome. At least he feels sorry for it.


    ¡°There¡¯s another dent in my rep¡­¡± Davy grumbles, before heading outside too.


    ¡°Like you had a reputation to begin with!¡± I call after him, before Annika and I laugh because he flips me off.


    ¡°Maybe we should give Cory a chance. Amara worked with him during Chemistry and he seems to be really nice. And smart. We could use a smart guy in the group.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I pull her closer, tickling her teasingly. ¡°I¡¯m smart!¡±


    ¡°No! No tickling! Sid! Serious! Stop it!¡± She tries to pry my tickling hands off her, to no avail. I¡¯m stronger and she knows. ¡°I beg you! Mercy, Sid.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but only because I know you think I¡¯m smart anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so, smart.¡± She takes in a couple of deep breaths, before allowing me to pull her in my arms, kissing her on her lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m smart, because I fell for you, which is smart, huh?¡±


    She giggles, putting her hands around my neck to reconnect our lips. ¡°I love you, Sid.¡± She whispers as her lips left mine. ¡°We¡¯re almost together for three years.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m planning a great date.¡± I tell her sweetly, smiling happily as I take in her beautiful face. She might not be flawless to most people, but to me, she is. She¡¯s not the skinniest girl, not to say she¡¯s overweight, but not skinny either. But I love how she fits perfectly in my hold. Her ginger hair is curly, and I know for a fact it can be really messy and untameable at times, but then she puts it in a bun and the few strains of hair that manage to escape during the bike ride to school make her look cute.


    Her bright green eyes always seem to sparkle, and I love how her skin is light and how she hates the sun because she easily gets sunburned. I¡¯m not the biggest fan of summer either, so it¡¯s something we have in common.


    The freckles on her skin make her one of a kind. She isn¡¯t a girl that uses tons of make up, just some mascara or whatever.


    She doesn¡¯t prance around in tiny skirts or hot pants, she wears decent clothes that make her look more of an adult. She¡¯s sophisticated, yet casual at times.


    Annika is just Annika, and it¡¯s exactly what I like about her.


    ¡°Want to join the rest? And Cory?¡± I ask her after shutting my locker with a push of my hand. I turn the key while entwining our fingers, guiding her towards the door to go outside for some much-needed fresh air.


    As we walk up to the rest, I notice that Davy, Edward and Amber seem to be a bit uncomfortable with Cory in their presence, but still, it doesn¡¯t seem too weird while he¡¯s casually talking to Amara.


    ¡°Give him a chance, okay?¡±


    ¡°I will, I promise.¡± I nod in agreement, deciding on sitting next to Cory to show her that I meant it.


    She sits down on my other side, leaning her head on my shoulder in content. ¡°I love how it¡¯s not too hot, not too sunny, but bright enough¡­¡± She tells us with a small smile on her face.


    ¡°We should go swimming soon.¡± Amber suggests. ¡°We haven¡¯t been together with the whole group in seven weeks and we haven¡¯t hung out with the six of us ever since school started.¡±


    ¡°Seven.¡± Amara nods towards Cory. ¡°Cory should join us when we hang out.¡±


    Davy rolls his eyes, Edward awkwardly looks away while pretending not to pay attention, and I shrug.


    ¡°Cory can join us, but then he has to take some stuff too.¡±


    ¡°What stuff?¡± Cory frowns, but he seems a bit relieved I did agree with Amara to let him join.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°You know, alcohol, or snacks, or spliffs.¡± Annika sums up casually. ¡°And a good mood, which is compulsory.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink or smoke.¡± Cory looks at me as if he tries to see if I dislike that fact about him.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to drink with¡­ my meds¡­¡±


    ¡°What meds do you take?¡± Amara politely shows interest, though I have the idea Cory isn¡¯t excited about telling us stuff about that.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± He drawls.


    ¡°Is it because of what happened?¡± Davy asks without looking up from his phone. ¡°Like, loony-meds?¡±


    Cory swallows, his face flushing, suddenly very uncomfortable.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just ask that.¡± I snap at Davy, kicking him under the table, causing him to yelp. ¡°That¡¯s really immature and impolite.¡±


    ¡°As if you care, dipshit.¡± Davy mutters, rubbing his shin with a painful look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. He started about the meds himself.¡±


    ¡°To explain why he doesn¡¯t drink.¡± Amara bites at him. ¡°Jeez, Dave, grow up. No wonder you can¡¯t get a girl to like you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Cory tells us before sighing deeply. ¡°They think I¡¯m¡­ a loony. So, I have to take meds that keep me sane.¡± He explains.


    ¡°They think you¡¯re loony, but you disagree?¡± Annika frowns. ¡°They did explain why they want you to take the meds, right?¡±


    ¡°I know what I saw.¡± Cory suddenly snaps in anger. ¡°They can tell me all I want, I¡¯m not crazy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± I drawl, lolling my head a bit. ¡°What is it that you saw?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He tells me in a defensive manner. ¡°It¡¯s in the past and I want to keep it there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so mysterious. People think you got raped.¡± Davy leans on his arm, seemingly a bit bored because Cory isn¡¯t giving us any intel.


    ¡°Guys, we¡¯re not talking about that. Cory doesn¡¯t even know us.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t raped. And I didn¡¯t see any wolves. And I didn¡¯t see a murder happen.¡± He debunks some of the rumours that started to make their appearance again since he showed up in school last week. ¡°Those stories are based on guesses. It¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°Then tell what did happen, and people will stop gossiping about it.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll think I¡¯m crazy if I do so.¡± Cory shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s in the past, now drop it.¡±


    ¡°People already think you¡¯re crazy.¡± Edward tells him matter-of-factly, finally turning to look at Cory. He gets a slap from Amara, scowling in return. ¡°What did I do? I just told him the truth.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I.¡± I shrug. ¡°I¡¯m just curious by nature.¡±


    ¡°Then go and see for yourself.¡± Cory snaps at me, getting up from his seat. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, funny guy. They fenced the woods. Nobody is allowed in¡­¡± Davy rolls his eyes in annoyance.


    ¡®¡­or out.¡± Amber mutters. ¡°We tried.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t.¡± Cory sighs, sitting back down. ¡°I started having¡­ nightmares. And I never feel as if I¡¯m alone. I can¡¯t explain it. I can¡¯t sleep without the medication, and even then, it¡¯s hard to go to sleep. The dark is my enemy and I¡¯m scared shitless half of the time. Trust me on this, you shouldn¡¯t even want to go into those woods.¡±


    * * * * *


    ¡°We have to find a way to get in those woods,¡± Davy tells me as soon as he caught up to me running the compulsory laps during soccer practise.


    ¡°Forget about it Dave, not going to happen.¡± I shake my head shortly, before focussing back on my breathing, and mostly controlling it.


    ¡°But dude, you lovea good thriller.¡±


    I nod in agreement, smirking at the thought of actually finding a way to get into those woods. We should¡¯ve sneaked in years ago, when the fence around it wasn¡¯t finished yet. When they still had guards invigilated the direct surroundings.


    But we weren¡¯t even 15 back then, too young to be allowed to go out late at night. And during the day, it was too easy to be spotted by trying to get in.


    Believe me, we tried.


    We used different tactics, like playing soccer close by, kicking the ball into the woods. When we wanted to go in ¡°to pick it up¡±, they told us to get lost. The ball is still in there somewhere.


    We tried to let the dog of our neighbours run in, but the coward stopped at the edge of the forest, refusing to run further.


    I tried to tell them I lost my non-existing baby-sister and that she might¡¯ve ran into the forest, but they simply called my parents to ask about a baby-sister. We got a fine and a firm warning to beat it.


    And with every attempt, we saw the fence getting closer and closer to fully build up. And then, one morning, I drove by on my way to school and suddenly it was finished. Now the fence is about five meters in height, there¡¯s power on the fence, there¡¯s barbed wire on top and behind it. There¡¯s no way you can easily sneak in, before the guards would be there to find you trying to get in.


    We even considered to dig a tunnel, but since we had no idea how to not end up getting buried alive, we let that plan sail, admitting defeat.


    But Cory Dunn showing up in class made our long-desired dream light up again.


    We want in, no matter what.


    I might not be too excited about it, but it¡¯s simply because I don¡¯t want to get my hopes up too high.


    ¡°Sid, we have to find a way. Cory¡¯s not going to give in.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want him to give in.¡± I answer in annoyance. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to talk about it, then stop asking him about it.¡± Davy had been bugging Cory about it nearly the entire day. Eventually, Cory left us because he rather sat alone, then having to deal with whiny Davy.


    Amara got angry, which lead to Annika being annoyed because Amara chose Cory over us, and then she refused to hang out because I didn¡¯t instantly pick her side in their trivial fight.


    Girls¡­


    ¡°It¡¯ll ruin all the fun once we get in the woods. If we ever get in, and we already know what scared him, it won¡¯t be as fun anymore.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re never getting in the woods, you said so yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying never, just not soon. Maybe when we¡¯re a little older. Maybe when one of us is rich enough, we can go skydiving, landing in the forest on purpose¡­¡± I bring up one of our old, fantasized ideas.


    Davy chuckles and shrugs. ¡°Well, let¡¯s try and graduate first, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Graduation.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we have months left. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I just don¡¯t like the idea of graduating. Real life will start after graduation.¡±


    ¡°I thought you hated high school.¡±


    ¡°I hate college even more, I think. Think about having to work to pay rent and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dude. Way to ruin the mood.¡± He hits me in my shoulder right before we stop running as we finished the laps. ¡°I will come up with an idea to get in.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let me know when you came up with a realistic plan.¡±


    ¡°How about buying a huge trampoline and jump over?¡± Edward appears next to me, chuckling over his own stupid idea.


    ¡°And break our legs when landing. Sounds like a solid plan.¡± I laugh along with him, shaking my head in the same time. ¡°We could crawl our way through the forest, people will for sure think we¡¯re crazy then.¡±


    ¡°Most people that know about our obsession of getting into the forest already think we¡¯re crazy.¡± Davy shrugs his shoulders, simultaneously telling us he doesn¡¯t care what others think about it.


    ¡°Did we see it right? Did you guys hang out with Cory Dunn during lunch?¡± Joseph and his best friend Geronimo stop by our sides. ¡°Is he as crazy as people say? You know, talks to himself, or to nobody in particular.¡±


    ¡°Amara is adamant about making him feel welcome,¡± Edwards grumbles annoyed, since it¡¯s his girlfriend who forced Cory¡¯s company upon us.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t caught him talking to himself or whatever.¡± I shrug it off. ¡°He seems kinda nice though. I didn¡¯t mind him hanging out with us.¡±


    But in all honesty, I really want him to at least give a hint about what happened to him, so I know whether or not to let the wish to get into the forest die out or not.


    Little did I know that faith is about to help us a hand to give us exactly what we want.

 Chapter 2 – Guys-night

    Saturday, September 17<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I¡¯m as bored as ever, happy that the guys and I agreed on hanging out for the night at my place, as my parents are away for the weekend and my annoying sisters all decided to go out.


    The house is mine, and mine alone until tomorrow morning.


    I bought us some chips, popcorn and managed to persuade my sister into buying some beers so dad won¡¯t find out because I otherwise would have to steal his beers. Edward brought over some beer of his own, while Davy took care of three spliffs.


    We¡¯re currently binging Orange Is the New Black, though this is a solid Edward choice in series ¨C as Davy and I are more into creepy things.


    We just finished the last season of Supernatural, we watched Stranger Things, and a bunch of spooky movies of which none really made an impression on us.


    Edward has had it with the same type of series and movies, so he opted for something lighter for now.


    But it results in me feeling bored out of my mind, despite already having smoked a spliff and drank a bunch of beer. It¡¯s not that I dislike the series, it¡¯s just a lot of the same things, over and over again.


    The same women in the same prison, and a lot of female drama added in the mix. Why on earth do people like this show so much?


    It¡¯s entertaining, but after two episodes, I¡¯ve kind of had it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we go play Fifa or whatever?¡± Davy groans as Edward wanted to start the next episode. ¡°I¡¯m done watching series.¡± He leans forwards, pausing the episode and sending me a pleading look.


    ¡°I vote Fifa!¡± I raise my hand to put some power behind my vote. ¡°Need some action or I¡¯ll fall asleep soon.¡±


    ¡°You guys always do this,¡± Edward whines, giving in anyway, exiting Netflix to start up Fifa. ¡°But can we at least do Rocket League too? I suck at Fifa.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do both. As long as I don¡¯t have to watch another episode of that show tonight,¡± I grumble while getting up to retrieve the controllers from a drawer.


    We decide on starting with Rocket League to give in to Edward again, as a sorry for again cutting the series short ¨C we normally binge watch series for the entire night ¨C and not give him a feeling as if Davy and I are constantly teaming up against him.


    He was after all the last addition to our group, while Davy and I have been friends for over ten years already. We simply are thick as thieves and we share a lot of interests and opinions, we¡¯re both just a tad bit smarter than Edward and we have way more memories made together to talk about.


    And then there¡¯s the fact I see Davy nearly every day, if not because I¡¯m hanging out with him, it¡¯s because I¡¯m in a three-year-long relationship with his twin sister.


    We both game a lot more often, we both play soccer and we both ski during the winter, while Edward prefers snowboarding. Davy and I go out wakeboarding a lot during summer months, while Edward didn¡¯t like it when he once tried out to find an interest to share with us.


    So, practically, the only thing we have in common is our shared interest to become designers, and our love for creepy things.


    Call us childish, we can still appreciate haunted houses in theme parks and on carnivals and we love any thrill we can get.


    We¡¯re a team of three during Rocket League and this is the one game Edward is able to excel compared to us, so we play the until around midnight because we have fun, we laugh a lot, we fuck up some things and laugh even harder because it pisses of Edward when we do not take a match serious.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    And right when I want to start the next game, the TV shut¡¯s off, in the same time the lights go out, the dishwasher stops, and it becomes completely dark and silent around us.


    ¡°The fack?¡± Edward looks around, while I hear Davy shuffle next to me. My eyes need some time to adjust to the dark.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even storming,¡± I mumble, pushing myself up as Davy turned on the flashlight on his phone. ¡°The power only ever gets cut when lightning strikes.¡±


    ¡°Try turning it back on, we were winning everything!¡± Edward gestures towards the phone while I walk over to the hall, where I know fuse box is located.


    During thunderstorms, the power in this house cuts on a regular basis, like every ten minutes. But without a thunderstorm, I have no explanation to this power outage.


    Davy offers me light while I pull out some mess that is stashed in front of the fuse box, but as I try turning the power back on, it keeps flipping off.


    ¡°Dude!¡± Davy hits me pretty hard, his eyes wide while I''m getting increasingly annoyed that the power won''t turn back on. Davy waves his phone, showing me there''s no signal to his phone, no internet to be used.


    Great, now how are we going to play games?


    ¡°Dude!¡± He repeats, pointing towards the small windows in our front door. ¡°Everything went out. We''re not the only house without electricity.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± I grumble, walking back towards the living room. Thank god Edward already grabbed some candles and lighted them. There''s a spooky air all around us, with the flickering flames of the candles casting big shadows behind each of us.


    ¡°Dude, massive power outage, do you know what that means?¡± Davy followed me, while I thank god for the fact my parents told me where to find the old radio.


    ¡°The fence is out.¡± Edward looks at Davy with wide eyes. It''s the doom scenario we''ve been waiting for.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I swirled around on my feet to look at them. ¡°I''m sure there''s a back up for it... like hospitals have back ups for their power supply.¡±


    Davy snatches the radio from my hold, sitting down and installing the radio without another word. ¡°Let''s hear what they say on the radio.¡±


    We put in some batteries and turn the buttons to find a decent signal, tuning in on a local show.


    In the background, we can hear sirens coming closer.


    ¡°We should leave before they have everything on lockdown,¡± Edward suggests. ¡°Get us clothes to wear, like, black clothes.¡±


    I take in a deep breath, actually contemplating on telling them I''m not so much excited about going anymore. Cory has been very clear about the aftermath of his visit to the woods. He clearly said we shouldn¡¯t want to enter the woods.


    Then again, we''ve been waiting for this for years and I don''t want to be the pussy that ruined our chance.


    I nod and run upstairs to grab us the clothes, grabbing my backpack, some flashlights and other necessities, before heading back downstairs. While we dress up for a visit to the woods, we listen to the news bulletin, which tells us there''s a power outage not only in town, but in the entire area. We''re told to stay inside, use candles and spare batteries to any important items, like phones and whatnot.


    The sirens of cop cars telling us there is an emergency and it is nearby the forest.


    We fill the backpack with bottles of water, bread, grain bars and the necessities I took from upstairs, including rope and a large blanket that we put in a second backpack. All in all, it takes us nearly half an hour to get ready and go outside. Since it''s only a couple of blocks away from my house, we decide on walking, to leave as few evidences as possible.


    I think we''re all nervous as we walk in silence, sneaking the last few meters to the corner of the last street. There''s a bunch of cop cars parked in front of the only gated entrance into the forest, and a group of police officers standing about 40 meters on our left. We bend over, sneaking away from them and run towards the gate. It''s nearly pitch-black outside, so as long as we''re silent, they won''t notice us. We duck down as a truck comes from opposite direction.


    ¡°The army?¡± Davy nudges me and Edward. ¡°Now I''m definitely sure the power is gone.¡± He turns towards the fence, and so do we. He first throws a twig and when nothing happens, he moves to touch the fence himself. He hesitates shortly, but as he makes contact, nothing happens. ¡°This is it. Now, or never.¡±


    We make our way towards the only known blind spot in the fence, since a homeowner decided on growing bushes in front of the fence, making it impossible to see it without actually looking for it. Then, Davy cuts the fence while Edward and I stay on watch in case a guard walks by on either side of the garden. It''s dead silent all around us, the only sounds coming from Davy.


    I''m nervously biting my nails, but then he taps my shoulder, gesturing for me to follow him.


    Davy is first to crawl through the hole, I''m second and Edward is last.


    I can''t believe we managed to get on the other side of the fence.


    I can''t believe we''re actually here, trespassing a fence that is going to be guarded by the freaking army.

 Chapter 3 – The Miller Woods

    Saturday, September 17<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    We crawl the first couple of meters, but as soon as bushes take away the view of the fence, we get up and walk further into the woods.


    ¡°We''re here.¡± Edward takes in our close surroundings, but i bet he can''t see much, since there isn''t much light in here. The moon is almost completely behind the leaves of the threes and it''s hard to look where we are walking. I hand out the first set of flashlights. We have three spare ones and our phones that are all nearly completely charged.


    ¡°But let''s agree on using one at a time, only when necessary.¡±


    ¡°Got it, save the battery.¡± Davy nods, grabbing his phone. ¡°But let''s take a picture to prove to the girls we were here.¡±


    I smirk, posing next to Edward, as Davy holds out his phone to take a selfie of the three of us. At first, we just smirk daringly, but soon, we pull scared faces, funny faces and we end up having to hold back our laughter, not wanting to alarm anyone that we''re here.


    ¡°Let''s go and find out what is so scary about the woods.¡± Davy pulls out the map he has in his backpack, a compass and turns on his flashlight, dotting our entry point on the map. He''s been a boy''s scout for years, so Edward and I let him guide us into the woods further, every so often leaving a trace in a tree with bright coloured fabric that we rip off an old shirt and mapping the spot on the map to know where we are.


    We''re no fools. We went over this again and again, coming up with safety precautions and whatnot to make sure we''d be able to find our way out again.


    For a while, all we do is play boy scout, making our way over to a mapped lake in the midst of the forest.


    ¡°This is boring.¡± Edward complains with a whiny voice as we stopped again to map our location. ¡°It''s just a forest. Nothing scary about it.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± I whine along with him, holding the flashlight for Davy to place a dot on the map. ¡°What caused Cory to freak out and end up in a ward for over two years?¡± I kick away a stone in annoyance.


    ¡°So far, I would say the doctors are right and he is a loony.¡± Davy agrees with me. ¡°This is nothing special. At first, I thought it was because it was dark and all, but we can even see the sky over here.¡±


    Davy is right, as the forest opened up after the first 100 meters of dense leaves functioning as a natural roof. But we hardly need our flashlights anymore.


    ¡°Let''s take another bunch of pictures as proof.¡± Edward grabs his phone, snapping some photos of our surroundings. ¡°At least we have documented proof this forest is plain simple bor...¡±


    There''s a cracking noise not too far behind him and he silences instantly, as I move the flashlight away from the map and towards the spot. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Sounded like someone stepping on some twigs...¡± Davy slowly got up from his seated position and all three of us now shine a light in the direction of the sound. There''s nothing there.


    ¡°Eddy, you fucking idiot.¡± Davy scowls, shining towards his feet. ¡°You''re the one stepping on twigs.¡±


    I chuckle as I notice the broken twigs under his feet. But then the sound is back, now close behind me. The three of us swirl around on our feet, shining the light in three different directions, lighting up about a vision of 5 meters wide.


    Nothing.


    ¡°I swear, I wasn''t moving.¡± I already defend myself, but Davy''s eyes tell me he knows I wasn''t moving. He seems excited, while I feel a bit restless. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.


    I have a really bad feeling right now.


    The sound is back in it''s original spot and as the three of us turn around again, I feel as if we¡¯re being watched.


    Then, there''s the sound of a girl giggling, causing my heart to skip a beat.


    ¡°What the...?¡± We''re now standing back to back, while Davy moved to put the map in his backpack to have his hands free.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± I whisper, wanting confirmation about what I heard.


    ¡°Is anyone there?¡±


    The cracking sound seems to be further away, nonetheless sounding in front of me again. I can''t help but frown since there''s nothing to explain making the sound.


    ¡°This is weird.¡± Edward mutters, now obviously getting a bit uncomfortable. ¡°Maybe we should call it quits.¡±


    ¡°Go home...¡± I fill up the blank he left in his sentence.


    ¡°What?¡± Davy scowls. ¡°We¡¯re finally hear and we¡¯re already scared by some stupid noise? It¡¯s probably the wind.¡±


    ¡°Dave, there is no wind.¡± Edward grumbles under his breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t want to end up like Cory.¡±


    ¡°Cory is probably a pussy and his words are what is scaring you right now. Stop being a pussy. We wanted to go to the lake and we¡¯re almost there.¡± He looks at me and since it remains silent in our surroundings, I calm down again. ¡°What are we? Pussies? We know there''s nothing there.¡± Davy scowls in the same time I was thinking that we made it up. He nudges me. ¡°We wanted this for years. Nothing happened.¡±


    I bite my lip but slowly nod in agreement.


    ¡°What? You want to stay?¡± Edward sends me a scared look.


    ¡°Yeah, dude,¡± I answer with a nervous chuckle. ¡°I want to see the lake. It¡¯s said that it¡¯s really beautiful and we¡¯re here now anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staying. I want to go home. I¡¯m going home.¡± He pulls his backpack up from the ground when Davy grabs his wrist.


    ¡°Rule number one, stay together. We¡¯re not letting you go out on your own. What if something happens?¡±


    ¡°Like what, Dave? You said so yourself, there¡¯s nothing there.¡± He makes a grand gesture in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± I agree with Davy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry dude, but I¡¯m not letting you go out on your own, and you¡¯re not ruining this for us.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to ruin? A fucking walk through a fucking boring forest in the middle of the fucking night?¡±


    ¡°If you find this forest boring, then why leave like a scared little chicken?¡± Davy sends him an annoyed look. ¡°You were the one that kept talking about this, ever since Cory reappeared back in society. And now you want to go back because of nothing?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Dave. He¡¯ll follow us anyway, because he¡¯s too pussy to go out alone.¡± I pull Dave in the direction we need to go to get to the lake and with an annoyed groan, Edward follows us, now with a displeased frown on his face.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the lake, take some pictures and then head back, okay?¡± Davy tells him in an attempt to make him stop pouting because he lost an argument.


    ¡°Fine, lake, pictures, back.¡± Edward agrees, not all too happy about it.


    We walk further in silence, but I think we¡¯re all a tad bit more cautious and paying attention to our surroundings. Since Edward refuses to walk in the back, I sacrifice myself, but now with a second flashlight lit to feel a bit more comfortable. Eventually Edward decides to keep me company by walking next to me, with Davy as our guide.


    * * * * *


    We reached the lake without any more trouble, relieved because we made it in less then half the time we have in the forest before the sun will start to rise and we have to be out and back home.


    We made sure the hole in the fence was big enough for us to be able to crawl through again, even if the power would be back on.


    We¡¯re not stupid, we know the power outage will be temporarily.


    Though none of us has a signal on our phones, which might indicate it¡¯s still out.


    It could also mean there is no phone reception in the forest.


    Neither of the scenario¡¯s feels great in case something would happen and we need help.


    We sit on a flat area next to the lake, staring over it towards the other side, while taking a break to eat something.


    ¡°Did we take a spliff?¡± Davy leans forwards to look at me, as Edward sits in between us. ¡°We should totally get high right now. That would be funny.¡±


    ¡°I took them.¡± I smirk, retrieving the two spliffs that we still had left from my backpack.


    ¡°You want to get high?¡± Edward scowls, shaking his head. ¡°No way, dude.¡±


    ¡°What? Nothing happ¡­¡±


    There¡¯s a gush of wind that silenced Davy¡¯s protest, causing us to sit up straight in surprise. It¡¯s not so much the gush of wind, which is a totally normal thing to happen outside. It¡¯s the fact only the trees close by are affected by the wind; the rest of the forest remains silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit weird¡­¡± I mutter, turning to look behind us. There¡¯s no wind anymore, no sounds of rustling leaves.


    ¡°We should go back anyway.¡± Edward¡¯s voice shakes a bit and I notice he has goose bumps, right before he pulls down the sleeves of his sweater.


    ¡°Take pictures.¡± Davy pads his knee. ¡°And we¡¯ll head back.¡±


    We put our stuff back into our backpacks, one by one posing in front of the lake for a picture. I take Edward¡¯s picture and Davy¡¯s, before posing myself.


    I smirk towards the camera, making a peace sign with my fingers, and Davy joins for another picture together, when Edward¡¯s face pales, staring towards his phone.


    ¡°Eh, guys¡­¡± He squeaks nervously. ¡°Maybe we should go back, now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Davy and I walk up to him, and he turns his phone with a shaky hands, showing the picture of the two of us.


    I think my heart stops for a second as I notice a dark mass on the right of me in the picture. It¡¯s in the edge of the screen, about a meter away. But what creeps me out more, is the next picture, in which it is gone, but the entire picture is sharp, except Davy and I; we¡¯re a blurry colour mess.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, now.¡± Davy sounds a bit panicky and I totally feel him right now.


    ¡°Lead the w¡­¡± There¡¯s a cracking sound above us and in unison, the three of us look up, right in time to see a branch breaking of a tree, plunging towards us.


    We scream and jump aside. As I land, I feel as if something pushes on my chest when I try to get back up and breathing suddenly get¡¯s harder.


    My throat and neck start burning, and I grasp for air, grabbing hold of my throat.


    ¡°Sid!¡± Davy calls out, running towards me, grabbing my arms. ¡°Stop choking yourself! What¡¯s wrong!?¡±


    The feeling of being choked stops, right before I release myself because he pulls away my hands.


    ¡°Auch, fuck!¡± Edward hisses, grabbing the back of his head, while Davy and I turned to look at him right in time to notice a small rock falling to the ground behind him.


    ¡°The hell¡­?¡± Davy¡¯s eyes widen and for exactly three seconds, we all stare towards each other in shock.


    ¡°Right now, I think it would be a great idea to get the hell out of here.¡±


    Davy and Edward nod in agreement, the former helping me back on my feet. We grab the flashlights, and run in the direction we came from.


    I think we¡¯re all panicking right now, and I¡¯m trying not to think about what the hell just happened.


    I just try to keep running as long as possible, following Davy, who holds the map and compass in his hand to guide us back down somewhat the same path.


    ¡°I... ne-need¡­ abreak¡­¡± Edward calls out, completely out of breath. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± I no longer hear his footsteps and as I turn around, he is bend over, trying to catch his breath. Davy and I run back to him, pulling him forwards.


    ¡°Let¡¯s at least keep moving.¡± I suggest, while we walk further with Edward in between us. ¡°Are we still going in the right direction?¡±


    ¡°According to the map, and the fact I recognize some parts, we do¡­¡± Davy drawls nervously.


    ¡°I hear a but, what¡¯s the but?¡± Edward presses out in between gasping for air.


    ¡°The fabric¡­ it¡¯s nowhere. I tried to find them¡­¡± He gestures towards a group of five trees that are nearly in a perfect circle. I remember we stopped here to take a leak because I couldn¡¯t hold up any longer.


    I also clearly remember tying a piece of bright yellow fabric onto a low branch.


    It¡¯s not there, and it¡¯s nowhere on the ground either.


    ¡°But we¡¯ve been here¡­¡± I answer hesitantly. ¡°We took a leak there.¡± I gesture towards a tree, that is still a bit wet at the bottom, as prove we actually had been here on our way in.


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡± Davy takes in a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s just follow the map, okay?¡± We keep walking until Edward taps our shoulders again.


    ¡°I¡¯m good¡­ we could run again.¡±


    Davy and I nod, and with Davy ahead of us we start running again.


    I guess all three of us want to get out of here as soon as possible.


    We shine lights towards the ground to make sure we¡¯re not tripping over anything, but still, even I¡¯m absolutely sure there¡¯s nothing on the ground in front of me, I feel my ankle getting stuck, as if grabbed, and I trip, planting my face on the ground with a loud groan.


    Edward stops running right away, and Davy about three meters further.


    ¡°Get up. Sid, get up.¡± Edward yanks my arm and as I get back up, there¡¯s a new gust of wind, a stronger one, and I see it surprised Davy. The map flies into his face and he quickly moves to grab it, but another strong gust of wind sends it flying up in the air.


    ¡°No!¡± I call out in shock, knowing it is our way out of the forest. ¡°Get it!¡±


    We run after it, looking up to follow it.


    ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± Davy calls out loud, causing Edward and I stumble to a stop, watching the map disappear into the darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t run after it.¡± He grabs our arms, yanking us into the other way. ¡°We have to walk straight ahead, in that direction.¡± He points somewhere. ¡°I recognize those trees and bushes, and we¡¯re nearly there. I think it¡¯s safe to say there¡¯s something really off about this forest and it¡¯s trying to get us to get lost. We¡¯re not falling for it. Forget the map. I have the compass and we need to walk to the North-East¡­¡± He silences as soon as he watches down to the compass, that is now spinning around like crazy.


    ¡°No. Fucking. Way.¡± I whisper in shock, an even a bit in appreciation because damn, this would be awesome in a horror movie.


    But this isn¡¯t a movie. This is us, lost in the freaking Miller Woods.


    Obviously haunted down by something.


    ¡°Dude¡­¡± Edward¡¯s eyes widen as he shines a light towards me. He yanks my collar down. ¡°Your throat is red dude.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I touch my throat confused, staring at him questioningly.


    ¡°Auch!¡± Davy cries out in anger. ¡°I think I got scratched.¡± He holds his neck with a hand and an angry look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m so done with this shit. We¡¯re going, in that directions.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re running, now.¡± Edward nods, pulling me to a start, while Davy again takes the lead. Edward soon again falls a bit behind and this time I¡¯m the one hearing him trip and fall.


    I swirl around, scared, tired, annoyed because I just want to get the hell out of here but something won¡¯t easily let is leave.


    ¡°Dave! Stop!¡± I call out, running back towards Edward. But right before I¡¯m able to reach him, something pulls him away from me by his feet and we both scream in fear. ¡°Ed!¡± I call out, wanting to grab his hand, when a huge force on my chest sends me flying backwards away from him. Davy just came running back and I see his eyes widen in fear as I fly backwards.


    He grabs Edward¡¯s hand, as I¡¯m confused about what just happened. One moment I was running, the next, I¡¯m on the ground and damn, does my head hurt.


    ¡°Sid?¡± Davy¡¯s voice sounds distant and I groan, wanting to grab my head, but it¡¯s hard to do so as the whole world is spinning.


    ¡°Grab his arm, we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    I can¡¯t even make out which of them is speaking right now. But I feel them grabbing my arms, lifting me to my feet and supporting me while hurriedly walking further towards what we believe has to be the edge of the forest.


    I try to stay conscious, paying attention to our surroundings. But I¡¯m dizzy, nauseous and I feel myself slip away in a darkness.


    A darkness that I don¡¯t even mind right now because anything is better then experiencing any of this for a second longer.


    But the last thing I see, scares me the most of all; as I further slip into the darkness, I see a vague figure of a girl in a small distance. It¡¯s as if she¡¯s floating in front of us, about ten meters away.


    And then everything goes black.

 Chapter 4 – Consequences

    Sunday, September 18<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    ¡°What were you even thinking!?¡± Dad yells in anger, as he walks back and forth through the living room in Davy''s parental house. ¡°The Miller Woods!?¡±


    ¡°I guess we weren''t thinking.¡± Davy mutters, him seated on the other bench while I''m flat on my back, trying to ignore the throbbing headache I have ever since hitting my head. I woke up without much memory, but as the minutes and hours passed, I regained most of the memories of the events in the Miller Woods and now I¡¯m completely relieved because I¡¯m on the couch, in the safety of the Bray residence.


    We got caught because Davy and Edward yelled as they tried to get us away from whatever tried to drag Edward back, or whatever pushed me. According to Davy, I flew backwards three meters.


    They escorted us out through the hole, that they instantly went to fix after we promised there wasn''t anyone else in the woods, trying to be though.


    Then they took us to the police station, where they charged us for trespassing prohibited grounds, calling our parents since we''re all underaged.


    We''re grounded "for life" and probably will get community service as a punishment, along with the fact we have to pay back the damage to the fence.


    We''re so screwed.


    And scared. Did I say that before?


    I haven''t slept a second since we got out of the woods.


    I went to hospital and I couldn¡¯t really explain what happened that made me hit my head, because while everybody was out of the room, Davy pressed me not to tell too much, as they would lock us away like they did with Cory.


    Davy, Edward and I all have prominent marks. Them both on the back of their necks, while I have red marks on my throat; as If someone tried to choke me.


    All three of us had to be checked by a doctor, who seemed particularly interested in the marks.


    But we kept silent about the invisible power, the sounds we heard, the giggling girl, the tripping, the wind, the choking, my lesson in flying, or Edward being dragged by an invisible force. And I told nobody, not even Davy or Edward, I saw a girl figure in front of us right before I blacked out.


    I want to talk to Cory first, before opening up about it to anyone else. I want to know if this is why he went nuts. If this is why he is scared shitless in the dark.


    ¡°Sid! Are you even listening?¡±


    ¡°I have a hard time focussing...¡± I admit while covering my eyes.


    ¡°Harold, he has a concussion. The preaching can wait.¡± Mom pulls his arm, as Mr. Bray obviously is on dad''s side, Mrs. Bray nods in agreement, pulling Davy in her arms protectively.


    ¡°Promise me you will never do such a thing, ever again.¡± She tells him firmly, pecking kisses on his head as if he''s a little child that needs to be comforted. And despite me being here, he allows her.


    I''m not the only one who is freaking out over what happened.


    Annika is still caressing my hair in a loving way, my head resting on her lap.


    ¡°Why don''t you try to get some sleep?¡± She suggests with a careful smile. ¡°I''ll keep an eye on you.¡±


    ¡°I''d love to sleep for a while.¡± I admit while suppressing a yawn. ¡°Can I sleep in your bed?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Honey?¡± Mom sits down next to me as I slowly pushed myself up. ¡°We''ll have dinner here, but after that, we''re going home. You are grounded, despite your concussion being a punishment already. And your dad and I want you to tell us what happened soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay mom. For now, I just want to try and get some sleep.¡±


    She nods and I can tell she¡¯s following me with her eyes as I walk out of the living room and towards the stairs in the hallway.


    Annika followed me, along with Davy. We¡¯re dead silent, heading towards Annika¡¯s room in the attic.


    I slump down on the bed, laying down on my side, pulling the cover over me while I let out a yawn.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wake you up in an hour.¡± Annika pecks a kiss on my lips. ¡°And when you go home with your parents.¡±


    I nod sleepily, while Davy took a seat on the desk chair.


    ¡°We need to talk about it.¡± He looks at me. ¡°And it can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°I can wait.¡± I disagree with him, closing my eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have a concussion.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Edward was dragged backwards, Sid,¡± He tells me with a deadpanning look. ¡°By something invisible. I saw it happen. It was there.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I admit with a whisper. ¡°I was pushed, remember.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Annika sat down on the bed next to me. ¡°Tell me everything.¡±


    But the tune of Davy¡¯s ringtone interrupts us and I open my eyes to see if he¡¯s answering it.


    ¡°Eddy What¡¯s up?¡± He puts the phone on speaker. ¡°I¡¯m with Annie and Sid.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys grounded?¡±


    ¡°We are, but Sid is here, wanting to sleep. His parents are staying for dinner. How about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grounded, for life. My dad didn¡¯t even freak out because we went into the woods. He was pissed because I left Stefan and Gina home alone when I went to Sid.¡±


    ¡°Well, boo-hoo. Sid and I are demanded by our parents to tell what happened.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Davy scowls. ¡°How do you think they¡¯ll respond when we tell them something invisible pulled you back, and pushed Sid? Throw a branch at me?¡±


    The latter confuses me, but I know I missed some things in the end.


    ¡°Right, well, I was calling for a reason.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±


    ¡°Did you check the photos you took? I know you took some photos of us in the beginning.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked them, why?¡±


    ¡°Check them, right now.¡±


    ¡°And why?¡± Davy is visibly opening the photos on his phone. ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Are they normal?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Are they¡­ is there anything out of the ordinary?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    ¡°Remember the picture of you and Sid, that I took by the lake? The blurry one? It gets weirder.¡±


    I pushed myself up a bit as Davy moved towards the bed to show Annika and me the pictures. They¡¯re perfectly normal, just us, mostly pulling weird faces.


    ¡°They¡¯re normal. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll send mine. Hold on.¡±


    It goes silent, and soon, Davy receives a message, coming from Edward, including a couple of pictures.


    In the first couple pictures, during the early stops, nothing is off. But as Davy swipes through the photos, he clearly notices something that I didn¡¯t notice right away.


    ¡°Do you see it?¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Davy zooms in on two dots of lights in the background, which is weird since there had been a power outage until early in the morning ¨C after we got out.


    Edward clears his throat. ¡°I think they¡¯re eyes.¡±


    There¡¯s a chill going through my body, as soon as I realize Edward¡¯s description of them being eyes, seems spot on.


    ¡°Go further, after the picture by the lake it get¡¯s freaky.¡±


    Davy quickly swipes ahead, and after the picture with us blurred by the lake, the other three are all with us blurred, while Edward is normal in the pictures by the lake that we took.


    It creeps me out to see myself that way. It¡¯s as if a dark, blurry mass is right in front of my face. As if I have no face.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Davy mutters, swiping further. The next picture, it¡¯s his face that is blurred, and the last picture is nearly completely dark.


    ¡°Turn up your brightness in the last.¡± Edward whispers with a scared voice.


    Davy and I exchange a look, while Annika is squeezing my hand nervously.


    As Davy turns up his brightness, the outlines of an eye become visible, and it¡¯s staring straight into the camera of Edward¡¯s phone.


    Monday, September 19<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I didn¡¯t sleep, at all, ever since the Miller Woods. Not just because my parents or either of my sisters had to wake me up every hour during the first night.


    It¡¯s because I¡¯m scared shitless. I kept a light on, I kept peeking around in my room, I kept feeling as if I was being watched, while I was all alone.


    And even though I have a slight concussion, I wanted to go to school on Monday. My parents first disagreed, but eventually, they gave in and let me go.


    And I¡¯m not so much excited to go to school. I just want to go to school and talk to Cory.


    So, we¡¯re nervously seated at our regular spot outside of school, about 15 minutes before classes start, waiting for Cory Dunn to show up.


    All six of us ¨C by now Amara and Amber know what happened too ¨C watch as Cory dumps his bike in the shed, walking up to us casually, as if it¡¯s like any other Monday.


    Too him, it might be.


    Too us, it¡¯s completely different.


    He walks towards us, with a small, happy smile on his face as he sees us, but then he comes to a complete stop, staring at me with wide eyes.


    I swallow, wondering if he knows what we did already. The newspapers reported about our trespassing, but not with our names.


    Then, he shoots forwards and towards me, pulling down the collar of my sweater.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Eeh, we were actually hoping you would be willing to talk with us¡­¡± I drawl awkwardly, wanting to cover the marks with my hand.


    Cory slaps my hand away, while using his other to pull down Davy¡¯s hood.


    ¡°No.¡± He shakes his head in disbelief. ¡°No, no, no. Please tell me you guys aren¡¯t the ones who trespassed¡­¡± His voice falters, before he runs around the table, pulling down Edward¡¯s collar too, as we sit in awkward silence.


    I feel at least a little scared because Cory seems to know what those marks mean. He instantly knew it had been us who trespassed into the forbidden Miller Woods.


    ¡°Why?¡± He¡¯s nearly crying now. ¡°I told you not to!¡±


    ¡°Well, we were curious, because you wouldn¡¯t tell us anything.¡± Davy grumbles annoyed, pulling his hood back up to cover up the marks.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have believed me anyway.¡± Cory snaps back at him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t in a ward for no reason, fool. Nobody believes me, nobody ever does. My own goddamn parents think I made it up.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± I ask him with a demanding voice.


    ¡°You first.¡± He points to my head. ¡°You have a swelling on the back of your head that wasn¡¯t there last Friday.¡±


    ¡°I got pushed.¡± I whisper, since I have a feeling Amara, Annika and Amber are all a bit sceptic about it. ¡°Davy got dragged. We all got scratched, and we heard things. We sawthings that aren¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°Angie.¡± Cory whispers, looking down as if in thought. He swallows, as he looks back up to meet my gaze. ¡°What happened afterwards?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, but the photos we took are creepy.¡±


    ¡°Can¡­ Can I see them?¡± He asks hesitantly, slumping down on the bench beside me.


    Davy hands him his phone with the first picture on screen. ¡°These are all the weird photos. We had normal pictures too.¡±


    Cory silently swipes through the photos, until he gets to the picture with my face being blurred by a dark mass. He takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes shortly. ¡°Promise me one thing.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Edward asks him nervously.


    ¡°Never talk to anyone about this.¡± He holds up the phone. ¡°You¡¯ll end up in a ward, like me.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t talk to anyone yet.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t talk to anyone other than me, and maybe I could introduce you guys to Kim. She was in the woods too.¡±


    ¡°And who¡¯s Angie?¡± Davy asks curiously. I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one who heard him whisper the name.


    Cory doesn¡¯t respond with words, but simply showing Davy the picture in which Edward told us he recognized eyes. ¡°This is Angie, and she probably attached herself to you three.¡± He looks at us one by one. ¡°You¡¯re marked. And she will haunt you.¡±

 Chapter 5 – Friends by faith

    Wednesday, September 21, 2016


    I¡¯m moody, I want to lay down and sleep, and I want to be left alone. My head hurts, I haven¡¯t slept ¨C I skyped all night with Davy and Edward because they too couldn¡¯t sleep. I leave a light on because Cory warned us, the dark is now our enemy.


    The line between awake and asleep, the grey area in which you¡¯re not awake, but not completely asleep either, is when trouble will start.


    We can¡¯t keep it up and stay awake until the end of days, but let¡¯s say I¡¯d like to postpone whatever ¡®trouble¡¯ will start as long as possible.


    I¡¯m a zombie, and not solely because I haven¡¯t slept much since Sunday during the day, but also because I have a minor concussion and I didn¡¯t take enough rest so far.


    I stayed home on Tuesday but being home alone ¨C even during the day ¨C makes me restless. I feel as if I¡¯m never really alone and every time I see my reflection in the mirror, the marks on my throat remind me that Cory warned us we will never be truly alone anymore.


    I regret our actions, more then I regret anything in my entire life. But then again, so far, nothing happened to either three of us, and now, three days ahead in time, it starts to feel like a distant dream in which only the marks on our skin, the pictures on out phones and the memories in our minds are signs that we were in the Miller Woods.


    I don¡¯t remember saying a word so far today, and I¡¯m getting increasingly more annoyed by Annika¡¯s worried looks and her constantly asking me if everything is okay.


    Cory wasn¡¯t in school this morning and I can¡¯t help but feel relieved to see him arrive during lunchbreak. I don¡¯t know why, but I feel safer with him with us.


    And I¡¯m not the only one, because Edward and Davy keep seeking his company too. We¡¯re probably the most boring group in school to hang out with right now, as the three of us hardly speak a word, and Amara and Amber still seem sceptic about what we¡¯ve told them so far.


    Amber even said to Annika that she feels as if we messed the pictures up ourselves, and said we could¡¯ve easily marked ourselves. Amara thought we¡¯re solely keeping the story up because we want to mess with Cory, and the girls are now in their first ever fight.


    Amara apologized for her thoughts, seeing she knows we didn¡¯t make it up because she knows us well enough to know something is off with the way we behave.


    ¡°I¡¯d kill for some sleep.¡± Davy mutters, his head resting on the backpack that is in front of him at the table. ¡°Just¡­ for two days straight.¡±


    ¡°Then go to sleep.¡± Amber rolls her eyes and shakes her head. ¡°Nobody¡¯s forbidding you to go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± he hisses angrily. ¡°Can you just¡­ not stick your nose into my business? And if you don¡¯t believe us, then why the hell don¡¯t you go into the Miller Woods yourself? The fence is still out for the duration of the reparations.¡±


    Which is true since they can¡¯t put the power back on as long as people are working to repair it. And apparently, a new five by five-meter-wide fence couldn¡¯t be fixed in a matter of three days.


    The army is still guarding the forest and I can¡¯t help but wonder whyit¡¯s so important to the government to keep people out of the forest.


    I did research, and there¡¯s no real explanation for them to guard the Miller Woods, other then the fact 13 people disappeared, and Cory and a girl named Kim that is now in her twenties, both came out screaming in agony and fear.


    Cory knows Kim. She reached out to him when she read his story and apparently, she¡¯s his only friend.


    Though I do consider him a friend too. He could¡¯ve easily avoided us after we ignored his warnings, but he decided to help us with the best of his abilities.


    He gave us minor intel on what happened to him, which is somewhat the same as what happened to us. A bunch of weird unexplainable things, followed by him never being sharp in a picture, and a girl named Angie haunting him ever since.


    We tried to take his picture, but it wouldn¡¯t focus on him; as if he wasn¡¯t in the picture and the camera was only able to focus on other things beside or behind him.


    The same goes for Davy, Edward and myself; we¡¯re blurry in every picture.


    ¡°Cory!¡± Davy perks up as he feels the former taking a seat in between us. ¡°We were worried, where were you?¡±


    ¡°Bad night¡­¡± he mumbles ashamed and insecure.


    ¡°I have another question.¡± Edward leans forwards in his direction, behaving as if we¡¯re going to talk about top secret stuff. ¡°Sorry for all the questions¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I get it. I wish I would¡¯ve had someone to ask questions to too.¡± He smiles carefully. ¡°And it¡¯s kind of nice to have some people who believe me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Edward clears his throat. ¡°How do you know this is Angie? How do you know who Angie is? It¡¯s only eyes -,¡±


    ¡°-two dots of light.¡± Amber cuts him off.


    ¡°Yeah, two dots of light, in a forest where nobody ever comes, on a night that the power in the entire area was out. But yeah, lights. Because we can so easily explain what source is behind them.¡± Davy sarcastically sneers at her.


    ¡°Yeah, because explaining them as eyes of an invisible girl called Angie makes so much more sense.¡± She again rolls her eyes.


    ¡°Amber¡­¡± Annika sighs tiredly. ¡°We have four friends telling us it¡¯s true. And I think it¡¯s safe to say we¡¯ve been friends long enough to know they¡¯re telling us exactly what they saw and heard. Can you please be a little more open to their side of the story and try to support them?¡±


    Amber closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and groans. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll try. But if this is all a joke, then I will ruin your lives.¡± She points especially towards Davy. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°And so are we.¡± I push her pointing finger down, turning towards Cory. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s Angie?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± He takes Edwards phone from him, showing me the picture. ¡°I see her fully. You only see eyes¡­¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But as I turn to really look at the photo, I see her too. Not just eyes, but a dark mass in the form of a body. A girl, wearing a dark dress, with short black hair touching her shoulders.


    And then I remember the vision of a girl floating in front of us as Davy and Edward tried to drag me out of the forest, and I know it¡¯s her. It¡¯s the same girl.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I squeak, and Cory instantly snaps his head towards me. ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s a girl¡­¡±


    Cory¡¯s eyes widen, and Davy and Edward lean over the phone to take it in again.


    ¡°It¡¯s just eyes¡­¡± Davy whispers confused.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see her, soon enough.¡± Cory whispers with a hoarse voice. ¡°When did you first see her?¡± He looks at me curiously. ¡°Did you lose your consciousness in the woods?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yes¡­¡± I mutter insecure. ¡°I think I saw her right before I blacked out.¡±


    ¡°You saw her!?¡± Davy hits my shoulder and I scowl in return. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything.¡±


    ¡°Because she only presents herself to those who are tipping over to sleeping or unconsciousness. For weeks, I thought I made things up, because it always felt like a dream.¡± Cory admits with a shrug.


    ¡°And she came up to you and introduced herself as Angie?¡± Amber still sounds as if she doesn¡¯t believe us.


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Cory¡¯s voice barely a whisper. ¡°I¡­ she¡­ she sends me messages or something¡­ I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t explain. I dreamed about her, and when I woke up, I just knew she had to be Angie.¡±


    ¡°This is weird.¡± Amber rolls her eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m gonna sit with Jenna and all¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not going to tell them about this, right?¡± Cory stares at her in horror. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ you shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Chillax, baby.¡± She laughs at him. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this. People will think I¡¯m crazy too.¡± And with those words, she leaves.


    And I can¡¯t help but feel a bit insulted in the least because she just insinuated we¡¯re crazy.


    And maybe we are. Maybe we shouldn¡¯t listen to Cory. Maybe he¡¯s just getting into our heads.


    But that still doesn¡¯t explain the marks, or the push I got, or the fact I now clearly see a girly figure in the picture that apparently only Cory and I see.


    * * * * *


    ¡°How long do you have before you have to be home?¡± Cory follows me towards a bench park where we agreed to sit down to talk about things for a bit. I¡¯m still grounded, and I¡¯ll be grounded until we manage to pay of the damage to the fence. So, probably until my mid thirties.


    Which ruins any opportunity to meet up with Cory outside of school. Unless, like today, a teacher is sick and we are out of school one hour early.


    ¡°Four,¡± I grumble in annoyance, sitting down with a sigh. ¡°Thanks for wanting to talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Seemed like you could use someone who¡¯d listen.¡±


    ¡°And tells me what it is that will happen if I go to sleep. Because I need to sleep. I¡¯m losing it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t sleep. It¡¯s just¡­ I see her in my dreams a lot. That¡¯s how it started. Hallucinating because of sleep-deprivation could be one explanation, but nowadays, I sleep enough to rule that out.¡± He chuckles awkwardly.


    ¡°What do you see? Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He nods, grabbing two cans of coke, handing me one. ¡°For starters, do you know what lucid dreams are?¡±


    ¡°Eh, something with being awake, but then again not?¡±


    He smiles, shakes his head and shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s a state of dreaming in which you are aware of the fact it¡¯s a dream. In a lucid dream, you get to decide what you do in the dream. You can learn how to fly and all. Next question, do you know what sleep paralysis means?¡±


    ¡°Not being able to move, still feeling as if you¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°And in some way, you are awake, but still can experience a dreamy atmosphere.¡± He nods and smiles again.


    ¡°And why is this important?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s what will happen. You¡¯ll get very vivid dreams, lucid dreams on some occasions and sleep paralysis right before you fall asleep. And that¡¯s when you meet Angie.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring me already.¡± I stare at him with wide eyes. ¡°You¡¯re telling me I¡¯ll be paralysed when she shows up? And I can¡¯t do anything?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no.¡± He sighs. ¡°It¡¯s scary, and I still don¡¯t always know how to fight it. Most of the time I try to ignore it and go to sleep. It helps that I have medication that speed up the process to fall asleep, so I mostly fall asleep anyway.¡±


    ¡°I need those meds.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, soon, you do. Because you won¡¯t be able to hide it when you keep walking around like a zombie.¡± Cory awkwardly scratches his head. ¡°In my lucid dreams, I feel safest, because I get to run away, fly away, kill her if needed. And then I¡¯m safe until I wake up again.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so, run away, fly away, swim away; anything to get away.¡±


    ¡°And kill her when she won¡¯t stop haunting you down. You just have to imagine any sort of weapon in your hand. She really dislikes knives. They¡¯ll scare her off in itself.¡±


    ¡°Knife, got it.¡± I nod, sighing in relief because he¡¯s handing me tools to sleep a bit more comfortable. ¡°But if this is it, she is in your dreams and you get to kill her so easily, then why did you spend two years in a ward.¡±


    ¡°Because, and I don¡¯t know how to prevent it from happening, she will eventually appear when you¡¯re awake to. She attached herself to you and she grows stronger the more scared you get. The more you see her, the more you respond the her, the stronger she gets.¡±


    ¡°What, are you telling me you see her during the day too?¡±


    He swallows, but then he shrugs. ¡°I hear her. I don¡¯t see her.¡±


    ¡°What, like, does she talk to you?¡±


    ¡°She keeps trying to lure me back into the forest. Keeps telling me to come out and play hide and seek.¡±


    I choke on a sip of coke, staring at him in shock. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell her to back off and how you can¡¯t go back into the woods?¡±


    He again clears his throat awkwardly. ¡°There¡¯s a way in.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a way in. I was in the woods this summer.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Are you deaf?¡± he chuckles, I think trying to lighten the mood by joking around. But this isn¡¯t a joke. ¡°She showed me, in my dreams. It wasn¡¯t a lucid dream. I woke up, and I was in the woods. There¡¯s an old empty building. It¡¯s not big, I think it belonged to the rangers or whatever. There¡¯s a tunnel.¡±


    My eyes widen, and I don¡¯t know how to respond to this new piece of information. For years, we tried to figure out a way into the woods, and we¡¯re going to have to pay for the damage to get in, and now I find out there¡¯s a tunnel?


    ¡°I woke up and then remembered how Angie guided me to a building and through the tunnel. I almost panicked, but since I¡¯ve been in the company of Angie for years already, I managed to keep calm, go back through the tunnel and go home.¡±


    ¡°And where¡¯s the entrance? Where does it start?¡±


    ¡°The basement of the old abandoned mill just outside of town.¡± He sighs. ¡°And I¡¯m only telling you this because I know Angie will eventually show you the way anyway. Just promise me you won¡¯t go back in there by free will.¡±


    ¡°What, hell no!¡± I call out. ¡°I¡¯m never going back in there, ever again. I¡¯m no fool.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Cory nods, pleased with my reaction. ¡°And promise me you won¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Not Davy and Edward either?¡±


    ¡°I already told Edward all of this yesterday. He invited me to his house to talk. He has cool parents for not grounding him as bad as you and Davy are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°If only he would be willing to pay off the damage to the fence¡­ he has plenty of money and he understood why we did what we did.¡±


    ¡°But then you guys wouldn¡¯t learn anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I roll my eyes because that¡¯s exactly what Annika and Amara said when we complained about Edward¡¯s dad refusing to pay at least Edward¡¯s part.


    ¡°Too me, and I know because I know what is happening to you, you¡¯re already punished enough. But nobody believes you.¡±


    ¡°So, like, that Kim is really the only one who believes you?¡±


    ¡°My dad doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m crazy either, but he has a hard time believing my stories. And I haven¡¯t talked to either of my parents about it in a year. He just desperately wants my nightmares to stop.¡±


    ¡°I assume your mom wants the same?¡±


    ¡°Mom and dad divorced over differences, mostly about me. I haven¡¯t seen her in months. She has a burn out and she¡¯s refusing to see me, my dad, or my sister.¡±


    ¡°You have a sister?¡±


    Cory, bites his cheek and frowns, opening his mouth to talk, closing it back up with a confused look on his face.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well, I kind of assumed by now you guys would¡¯ve figured out Kim is my sister and she¡¯s the reason I went into the woods in the first place.¡±


    Call me shocked easily, I again choke on a sip of coke, deciding on not taking any more attempts to drink until Cory is done telling me his story. ¡°Kim is your sister? I thought she reached out to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she did. Because she was¡­¡± His words falter, and he suddenly seems emotional. ¡°She got lost in the woods, was taken to the ward because she refused to speak after that and she reached out to me because nobody believed her story once she started talking again after nearly six months of silence. And to find out if she was telling the truth, I went in myself. I wanted to capture evidence to help her prove she wasn¡¯t crazy.¡±

 Chapter 6 – Meeting Angie

    Wednesday, September 21<sup>st</sup>, 2016


    Facing facts, I know tonight is the night I will no longer be able to stay awake. I drank tons of Red Bull to stay awake during the day ¨C it even has sent my heart into overdrive at one point and Annika took away my fifth can because she was getting worried. But now that the caffeine and sugar rush are gone, I simply know that I can¡¯t keep fighting the sleep.


    And now I¡¯m in bed, with a nightlight on next to my bed, luminating the room, shaking and nervously biting my lip as my eyes keep darting around the room.


    This is going to be the end of me if I won¡¯t catch some much-needed sleep soon. I need sleep.


    I¡¯m not a morning person to begin with, and I¡¯m even worse when I didn¡¯t sleep enough.


    I¡¯m cold and hot in the same time, my head feels heavy and the painkillers I got make me fuzzy and even more sleepy.


    And I think I¡¯m drifting off, but on the other hand I still know I¡¯m awake.


    I yawn, I turn around with my face towards the wall, wishing Annika would be allowed to stay over. I think I would feel safer with her next to me.


    I close my eyes, even if I swear it¡¯s only for a second, to rest my eyes.


    Yeah, just resting my eyes.


    Maybe I should ask my parents if I can get the spare bedroom on the floor my parents and sisters sleep.


    Why did I specifically want the attic?


    Because it¡¯s the biggest in the house and now I get to have a two-seater couch on my room to sit when my friends are over.


    I blink a couple of times, but again my eyes close, my mind drifts off, and then I hear a creaking sound close behind me and I¡¯m wide awake and frozen in fear.


    Did I drift off too far?


    Did I reach the grey area in between awake and asleep?


    Is she here?


    I swallow hard, too scared to turn around and see with my own eyes.


    And for some stupid reason my mind decides it¡¯s a good idea to grab my phone and turn on the camera to look at myself, and the background.


    But I can¡¯t move and that¡¯s causing me to panic. I want to reach my phone, but I can¡¯t. And now I know what Cory meant with sleep paralysis.


    I close my eyes with force, telling myself to go to sleep. Don¡¯t turn around, just sleep.


    And for a while, it¡¯s all I focus on and since I at least have the painkillers making me sleepy, I soon find it harder to focus, and I feel my body relax, while I drift off into a slumber.


    And again, I hear the floor behind me creak, and I open my eyes wide.


    Why is my nightlight out?


    I swear I didn¡¯t turn it off.


    And then I notice I¡¯m turned to other way, staring at a figure standing in the middle of my room. Slowly, as my eyes get used to the dark, I¡¯m able to make out it¡¯s a girl in a dirty baby-pink dress that reaches halfway down her shins. Her short black hair is messy and her eyes are focused on me.


    My eyes widen as she steps towards me. I scream, I jump up in my bed and walk backwards away from her.


    I stare at her in shock, she stares at me with a creepy neutral expression, walking towards me agonizingly slow.


    I swear I screamed loud enough to wake up the entire neighbourhood. My parents should¡¯ve heard me.


    Why aren¡¯t they barging in to find out why I screamed?


    As Angie reached the edge of my bed, she moves to climb up and there¡¯s now less then two meters between me and her, my heartbeat racing, thumbing against my chest painfully hard.


    And then I jolt for the door and make a run for it.


    I run down the stairs, not caring if I¡¯m waking everybody up, but I¡¯m not going to stay up there alone for another second.


    As I barge into my parents¡¯ bedroom, I come to a full stop in shock, finding Angie on the bed with an amused but evil smile on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t run, Sid.¡± She whispers amused, followed by a giggle.


    My eyes must be popping out of my head, and then I realise, this can¡¯t be real.


    This can¡¯t be reality. My parents are home and I heard them when they went to bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m dreaming¡­¡± I whisper, shaking my head, before I run back out of the room, throwing open all bedroom doors, finding them empty one after the other.


    No Liza, no Ellie, no Lynn, not my parents. Nobody.


    I kind of start to panic, because I have no idea where Angie went and when she¡¯ll show up again.


    And it freaks me out even worse because I have no idea what she¡¯s going to do to me.


    Can she harm me?


    I subconsciously touch my throat, knowingwhat she¡¯s capable of. She could hurt me physically. She already did.


    I swallow hard as I reached the ground floor, hearing Angie¡¯s giggle close behind me. I jump in my spot, running outside, cursing myself because I suddenly remember I¡¯m dreaming, and I get to decide what I¡¯m capable of right now.


    I should be able to fly. I jump, wanting to fly, but landing back on my feet.


    Angie giggles again, and I find her staring at my feeble attempts to fly, failing over and over again.


    I run away from her again, finding the entire town in darkness, and no living soul around. I¡¯m screwed if I don¡¯t think of a way to get out, right now.


    ¡°You want to play hide and seek?¡± Her voice sounds so, so innocent, in a sing-song manner that somehow freaks me out even worse. ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are!¡± She giggles more and I¡¯m slowly losing it because her innocence somehow seems even scarier.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    She¡¯s luring me, right? Pretending to want to play.


    Somehow, I have a feeling I should try to kill her, and for some reason, I feel as if I need a knife. I don¡¯t know why, I don¡¯t know how, but I know I do need a knife.


    But where do I find a knife out here?


    If I can make my way around Angie, I could go back home, into the kitchen, and grab a huge knife.


    So, run around the block, make sure she follows me, and then she¡¯ll be behind me when I go back into the house.


    I run, but make sure to stop long enough for her to catch up.


    She¡¯s giggling constantly, peeking around corners and bushes and I feel weird and uncomfortable about this.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get you!¡± She sings out cheerfully.


    ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re not.¡± I mutter, as I run into the house again, straight towards the kitchen. I blink my eyes to adjust to the even darker room, but then I find the knife I was picturing in my mind, grab it, and turn around to find Angie stopping about four meters away. Her eyes are focused on the knife and as I hold it forwards towards her, they grow wide in horror.


    What I did not expect her to do, is scream.


    She screams on top of her lungs. It¡¯s a painfilled scream that I feel in every fibre in my body. It gives me chills, it creeps me out.


    She covers her eyes, but she keeps screaming.


    I close my eyes, I cover my ears ¨C still making sure to hold the knife ¨C and try to block the terrifying sound out. The heart breaking, painfilled, scream in horror.


    And then I open my eyes and wake up in my bed with a soar throat and my parents staring at me in shock and worry.


    My dad kneels on the bed, holding my shoulders, while mom stares at me, covering her mouth with a hand and wide eyes full of confusion.


    ¡°Wh-what happened?¡±


    Monday, September 26<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I woke up screaming during the night, every night since Wednesday. I saw Angie in my dreams, every night.


    I keep hearing the giggling, and the scream in agony whenever I show a knife made an impression.


    It¡¯s as if every time I close my eyes, I hear the scream.


    And I¡¯m scared shitless, because she becomes increasingly more upset with me, though she seems to keep a distance more and more.


    It¡¯s as if she¡¯s trying to find a way to harm me by observing my behaviour.


    And then there¡¯s the issue that whenever I look into a mirror, I think I see her eyes somewhere behind me. But when I blink, or turn to look, it¡¯s gone.


    It¡¯s always somewhere in my peripheral vision and I can¡¯t seem to focus on them. But I know she¡¯s there, following me every move.


    And now it¡¯s Monday, and my parents have had it with my nightmares, waking up the entire house in the middle of the night ¨C always at three A.M. ¨C and they took me to a doctor to find a solution.


    He concluded it might have something to do with the concussion and prescribed me meds to sleep ¨C probably the same as Cory, and sent me home, telling me to come back if it wouldn¡¯t stop in about a week.


    Dad went to work, while mom said she would drive me to school. But when she takes a right turn where she should¡¯ve gone left, I frown and turn to look at her. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Home, honey.¡± She smiles sadly. ¡°We¡¯re going to talk, and then you¡¯re going to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°You look exhausted Si.¡± She whispers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk either.¡±


    She sighs deeply. ¡°I need you to talk to me Si, tell me what¡¯s going on with you.¡±


    ¡°You heard the doctor¡­¡±


    ¡°The doctor doesn¡¯t know you went into the Miller Woods right before the nightmares started. And I¡¯m not stupid. You didn¡¯t tell us everything.¡±


    ¡°I did! I already said, I tripped over the roots of a tree, and slammed my head onto a rock.¡± Nice lie, Sid. ¡°And I told you before, I scratches myself because the mosquitos¡­¡±


    ¡°Those weren¡¯t scratch marks, Si,¡± She deadpans, steering the car onto our driveway. ¡°I called you in sick today, so don¡¯t worry about school. Worry about worrying your parents to death.¡± She clicks her tongue, gesturing for me to go on and head inside.


    She follows me inside, gesturing for me to take a seat on the couch. ¡°Spill the truth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°So, Cory Dunn really did make up whatever he claimed happened? They sent him to a psychiatric ward for nothing?¡± She sounds demanding and I¡¯m actually kind of surprised she started about Cory.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know damn well, alright? I know you spoke to him in the park last week. I sawyou there while I was heading back to work after a meeting. Honey¡­ Si, tell me what happened. I won¡¯t call you crazy. I won¡¯t call you a liar. I know something is off. There¡¯s a lot needed to scare you the way something scared you in those woods.¡± She points in the direction of where the Miller Woods are. ¡°What happened? Did you see a ghost? Are werewolves real? What is in there, Sid?¡± She almost sounds begging. ¡°I need to know what it is, or I can¡¯t help you. And I love you, so, so much. You¡¯re my only son, my baby. Let me help you.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ nothing¡¯s there, okay?¡± I mutter, insecure and doubtful about shutting her out of this. But I can¡¯t spill the truth. Cory¡¯s own mother didn¡¯t believe him either and how in the world is my mom supposed to believe me when I tell her I¡¯m haunted by a childish girl called Angie, and that¡¯s why I scream at night? How is she supposed to believe me when I explain how I got a concussion, or marks on my throat?


    No, I completely agree with Cory; we can¡¯t talk about this to anybody.


    She sighs in defeat, but nods, accepting ¨C at least for now ¨C that I¡¯m not going to change my story.


    ¡°Just try to sleep for a bit, here, on the couch, while I¡¯m right here with you, okay?¡± She sits down and pads her lap, inviting me to crawl close to her and sleep like I always did when I was little; with my head resting on her lap.


    I yawn, knowing it¡¯s too inviting to turn the offer down. I pop out a pill, get myself some water to swallow it and smile thankfully when I see mom grabbed a comforter to lay under.


    ¡°Just sleep, safe by my side.¡± She whispers, pecking a kiss on top of my head after I lay down. ¡°I love you, honey. And I always will.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, love you too, mom.¡± I whisper sleepily, closing my eyes, allowing the pill to do its work.


    And I don¡¯t think I even noticed the grey area in between sleeping and being awake. I just blacked out instantly.


    * * * * *


    As I wake up, I find my sister Lynn on the other end of the couch, reading a book in peace, with earbuds in her ears, listening to music in the same time.


    I wonder where mom went, and why I didn¡¯t notice how she placed a pillow under my head to offer me more comfort.


    I move a bit, pushing up so that I can lean my head better onto the pillow. Lynn notices I¡¯m awake and without moving, she smiles shortly, pulls her long black hair over her other shoulder, before she continues to read her book.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried, Harold.¡± My moms voice sounds faintly, and I can only assume they¡¯re seated in the kitchen. There¡¯s a smell lingering of mom cooking dinner ¨C and for as far as I can tell, she¡¯s making us my favourite meal. ¡°Mara told me Edward took Cory home twice already. And I saw Sidney sitting with Cory in the park the day the nightmares started.¡±


    ¡°You think Cory is causing the nightmares?¡± Dad sounds surprised and I grumble because I don¡¯t want them to blame Cory.


    ¡°No, Harold. Wake up! Sid is hiding the truth about what happened in those woods. ¡°They went into the woods and Cory was in a psychiatric ward for months, years even! And now Sid is way too silent, tired, exhausted even. He has nightmares, he wakes up screaming. You know he isn¡¯t scared easily. He¡¯s a thrill-seaker¡­¡±


    ¡°Which is why he went into those damned woods in the first place.¡± Dad complains angrily. ¡°If he would just stop and thing for once¡­ But you heard the doctor, it¡¯s probably due to the concussion that he has nightmares.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re blind, Harold. I spoke to him today, and I pressed him to start talking. He didn¡¯t, but I saw the doubt, I saw him contemplating on talking. There¡¯s more to it then we know. And probably more then we can understand because we weren¡¯t there. We¡¯ve never been in those woods. But you know something is off. No innocent forest gets guarded by the army. There¡¯s stories about haunted woods, about woods in which danger lurks behind every tree. But none of those woods get fenced and guarded like the Miller Woods. Something happened to Sid and he¡¯s too scared to talk.¡±


    ¡°Are you implying that he saw a ghost, or what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Harold.¡± Mom hisses. ¡°I don¡¯t know if ghosts exist and if that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering him. I only know that fictional thrillers and horrors don¡¯t scare him. He was attacked by something and nobody stepped foot into those woods for years. He saw something that is scaring the hell out of him.¡±


    ¡°Olivia, calm down, okay? Let¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ we should show him that we support him.¡± Dad sighs. ¡°He needs to know that we will always be there for him and that he can always talk to us.¡±


    ¡°But your sceptic, and that¡¯s scaring him away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I don¡¯t know, Olivia. I find it hard to come up with an explanation.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to, if Sid feels safe to tell us what¡¯s going on. We need to get him to talk about his nightmares.¡±


    ¡°And for the time being, we¡¯re ignoring him being grounded, allowing him to have Annika to sleep over, or for him to sleep there?¡±


    ¡°He slept like a baby until I got up and left him to get his pillow. As soon as I sat down again, he calmed down. I don¡¯t want him to be alone right now. He needs to rest, he needs to sleep. If sleeping in bed with Annika will help him to do so, I¡¯d say it¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    ¡°And we still have to go and talk to Coen and Janet. Why don¡¯t we go over for dinner and talk as soon as the kids are in bed?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, and we¡¯ll leave Sid there for the night.¡±


    Why do my parents need to talk to Davy¡¯s and Annika¡¯s parents? And did I understand correctly that I was calm, until mom left me alone?


    Or that I¡¯m again allowed to have Annika sleep over here, or to go over there? Because that would definitely settle my nerves in the evening a bit.


    Or at least, I hope it will.

 Chapter 7 – It’s just a dream

    Monday, September 26<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I¡¯m fazed the second we went to bed and Davy didn¡¯t really seem to have trouble going to bed by himself. At first, I thought he would sleep in Annika¡¯s room too, since he was laying under a cover on the spare matrass that is always on the ground, filled with pillows, blankets and the stuffed bunny that Annika has ever since she was a baby.


    It¡¯s her reading spot. She always dives into the pillows, grabs a book, and disappears into a fictional world, sometimes for hours in a row.


    And he went up with us ¨C Annika too sleeps in the attic, but shares it with Davy, who has the second half of the attic as his room ¨C and snuggled into the pillows with a blanket pulled over it.


    We talked about sweet little nothings, for the first time in a week. It felt good, and it distracted me for a bit. They told me how Edward tripped over a ball during P.E. and how idiotic it had looked.


    They told me how Mrs. Jenner ¨C an older lady teaching German ¨C became angry and upset because nobody was listening and how she called our parents pigs who could raise children. She even pushed aside Davy¡¯s desk when he kept laughing during her preach.


    But then he stretched, yawned, and pushed up from his spot. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off to bed. We have school in the morning and you know me, I love my sleep.¡±


    I frown in wonder, leaning up on my elbows to look at him. ¡°I thought you¡¯d sleep in here.¡±


    ¡°No way dude.¡± He scowls. ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping in a room with my sister. I love you and all, you¡¯re my best friend, but what you guys do in the bedroom is not my business.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± My frown increases. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to sleep alone either? What was up with the skype sessions last week?¡±


    ¡°That was last week, then, nothing happened.¡± He shrugs carelessly. ¡°I sleep fine, Sid. I know you have nightmares and all¡­¡± He scratches his head backwards. ¡°Do youwant me to sleep in here?¡±


    I think I would feel even more comfortable with him in the same room. But then again, that would up the percentage of people in the room that are haunted by Angie, right? If he is haunted by her, which I¡¯m starting to doubt because he apparently hasn¡¯t had a nightmare once.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I just figured you and Edward have the same trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we don¡¯t.¡± He seems uncomfortable to talk about it. ¡°Edward is still freaking out a lot, but you know he¡¯s a pussy. He hasn¡¯t had a nightmare once, but he keeps freaking out. At least you have a reason to freak out.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m the only one with nightmares?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but then again¡­¡± Davy¡¯s words stop, and he bites his lips. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who says he sees her in the picture, right? And you said you saw her in the woods too¡­ We didn¡¯t.¡±


    I lay back down, staring towards the ceiling, wondering if me seeing her in the woods and in the picture is the reason I¡¯m suffering while they¡¯re not.


    Did she perhaps solely attach herself to me, and not to them?


    But why am I different?


    ¡°So, well, if you want me to sleep here, I will¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I have Annika and you¡¯re right next door, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He nods, and I see a small smile. ¡°Call me whenever something is wrong.¡± He leaves the room and I sigh, rolling over to face Annika, pulling her in my arms.


    ¡°Well, at least one good thing came out of this.¡± She giggles. ¡°We get to see each other outside of school again.¡±


    ¡°If you look at it like that¡­¡± I chuckle, leaning in for a quick kiss. ¡°I missed you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Pooh Bear, I missed you too.¡±


    ¡°How come you always call me Pooh Bear anyway?¡± I wonder aloud, actually not remembering why she started calling me that way, and not digging the name as much anymore.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Because you¡¯re a cuddly bear.¡± She shrugs with one shoulder, scooting closer to burry her face against my chest.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I guess. I¡¯m just tired.¡± I take in a deep breath, keep it in for a couple of seconds and breath out heavily. ¡°Think we can switch sides? I rather face the room¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh, oh, sure.¡± She frowns shortly, but then she switches places with me so that I get to hold her and face the room. ¡°Do you want me to leave the bed light on?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± I lie, knowing I damn well want that light to be on. But I don¡¯t want to feel even more like a little chicken. I¡¯m obviously more affected by all of this then Davy and I wish I would be more like him right now; careless and calm.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I nod along with my answer and she rolls over to turn the lights off. The silent grows as soon as she is back in my arms, her back against my chest and my nose nuzzled into her hair. ¡°I love you, Anni.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Siddey. I hope you sleep well.¡±


    And so do I.


    And I do fall asleep quick, and without trouble or a freaky scary girl haunting me.


    I don¡¯t know what time it exactly is, but I wake up because I hear a scream close by and I¡¯m a bit confused because it¡¯s not my own scream that woke me up. Even more so, I can¡¯t even remember dreaming at all, let alone have a nightmare about Angie following me around, repeatedly asking me to play hide and seek again.


    The scream repeats ¨C louder this time ¨C and since I¡¯m wide away with a raised heartbeat, I instantly recognize it as Davy who¡¯s screaming.


    My eyes widen and I scramble off the bed as Annika sat up with confused and sleepy eyes. ¡°Where are you going? What¡¯s wrong?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Davy¡­¡± I answer, already running out of the room. The third scream is louder, longer and similar to the scream Angie always screams in the end of my nightmares as soon as I present a knife to her.


    ¡°Sid, is that you?¡± Mr. Bray sounds worried and I hear his footsteps run up the stairs.


    ¡°Dave!?¡± I call out as soon as I run into the bedroom, finding him hiding in the corner of the room with a terrified look on his face, covering his head in fear. I run over to him and grab his wrists ¨C wanting to pull his hands away from his face to show him it¡¯s me. But as soon I grab his wrists he yelps and screams again.


    ¡°Davy, calm down!¡± He father pushes me aside, pulling Davy towards him. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± He seems lost at what to do and confused about what happened.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± He cries out, trying to push his father away in complete an utter panic. ¡°Let! Me! Go!¡±


    Never have I seen Davy like this, ever. The panic, the fear.


    And I just know, he saw Angie.


    Tuesday, September 27<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I¡¯m annoyed while following Davy towards his locker. He¡¯s been avoiding me, Edward and Cory all morning. He left for school before Annika and I got a chance to talk to him and he sat with other friends before school and during classes.


    He¡¯s been avoiding eye-contact and I¡¯m worried.


    ¡°We have to talk, Dave,¡± I harshly tell him, stopping next to him while he¡¯s opening his locker.


    ¡°About what?¡± He feigns ignorance and I hate it when he does this.


    ¡°The dream.¡±


    ¡°What dream?¡± He bites his lip, he avoids eye-contact yet again and he¡¯s messing with his lock, unable to open it.


    ¡°You saw her. I know you did.¡±


    ¡°Who Sid?¡± he sends me an annoyed look, mimicking my own expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s how we¡¯re going to play? Why won¡¯t you talk?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­!¡± He groans, lolling his head backwards in the same time. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, Sid. It¡¯s just a dream, right?¡±


    ¡°Tell me what you see in the picture now.¡± I hold up the phone. Cory advised me to ask him about the picture in which he only saw eyes. According to him, his reaction, not even in words, but in actions, will tell me enough.


    He tried not to look at the picture, but I know the effect of the picture, and the fact Davy is curious by nature too. His eyes flicker towards the phone shortly, back to his locker and then his eyes grow wide. I think it sank in that he saw something that he didn¡¯t see before. His head snaps back to me, his eyes staring at the picture in horror. ¡°How the hell¡­ I swear¡­ She¡­¡±


    Then we lock eyes and I know from now on, there¡¯s a fourth person who¡¯ll be haunted by Angie at night. It¡¯s no longer Kim and Cory. It¡¯s the four of us.


    Cory told me Kim is still in a ward, and she hardly ever speaks to anyone. She just lost it. Cory at least kept it together a bit, enabling him to go back to school.


    And bond with us over the fact we¡¯re now all victims to our own curiosity and the need to seek thrill and scary things.


    ¡°You saw her in your dream. That¡¯s why you panicked.¡± I conclude, putting the phone away again.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a dream, right? She can¡¯t harm us.¡±


    I pull a face, tapping my throat, tapping my head and sighing deeply. ¡°I think she can.¡±


    ¡°But now what do we do? I just know if I¡¯ll ever fall asleep while there¡¯s nobody to wake me up, I won¡¯t survive if she¡¯ll harm me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You can kill her in your dreams. It¡¯s what I do, it¡¯s what Cory does.¡±


    ¡°Kill her in your dreams?¡± He seems a bit fazed.


    ¡°You can kill her in any way possible. Just know that it¡¯s a lucid dream whenever she¡¯s there, and you can do whatever you want. Cory told me knives are the most affective way to scare her off. But she¡¯ll scream in a way that sends chills through your bones¡­¡± I awkwardly scratch my head. ¡°I haven¡¯t got the hang of lucid dreaming yet, but according to Cory you can picture yourself holding whatever you want, and you¡¯ll instantly have it. Picture a knife and you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to do that!¡± He cries out.


    ¡°I always go to the kitchen in my dreams, grab a knife. But it¡¯s hard because it¡¯s like she knows I¡¯m going there to grab a knife, so she blocks my way¡­¡± I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s weird, man. And I hate it because I just need some solid sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°But you slept fine last night. You didn¡¯t wake up screaming.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I know. Maybe it did help that Annika is there with me.¡±


    ¡°So, if I sleep in the same room as you guys, I will be safe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I shrug, biting my lip while overthinking it. ¡°Do you think, perhaps, she only haunts one of us at a time? Cory hasn¡¯t had a nightmare ever since mine started.¡±


    ¡°Guys?¡± Annika sounds a bit insecure as she steps up next to us. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking. Not that I know as much as you guys do. But I need to show you something.¡± She grabs our wrists and Davy hisses and pulls back, grabbing his own wrist protectively.


    I frown, Annika frowns and Davy¡¯s face flushes.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Annika let¡¯s go of my wrist again, grabbing his elbow to pull his arm in our direction.


    Davy reluctantly removes his hand, showing a large scratch-mark on his arm.


    My eyes widen in shock and Annika takes a deep breath.


    ¡°Did she do that? In your dream?¡±


    ¡°She grabbed me¡­ She tried to pull me into the woods.¡± Davy mutters, a bit ashamed. ¡°I fought back, and this was a result. Then you guys woke me up.¡±


    ¡°Holy¡­¡± I stare at it in shock, but then Annika nudges me.


    ¡°You guys really need to see this. Cory and Edward are waiting already.¡± She nods her head, telling us to follow her.


    We follow her towards the library and towards a computer where Edward and Cory are waiting confused and in wonder.


    Annika sits down in front of the computer, opening her account, and a web-page.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see her, so I don¡¯t know for sure. But I thought, maybe this is about the Angie you guys see. From what I know, it¡¯s a young girl that you see and this one was called Angela¡­¡± she turns the screen towards Cory most, but Davy and I lean forwards too, finding a short article about a girl that went missing over fifty years ago. It says that she went missing when she was playing outside in the back garden and was never found again. She was nine years old, wore a pinkish dress the day she went missing and was bare-footed.


    The picture shows Angie, only clean and smiling, her short black hair curly at the bottom with a pink bowtie in it.


    ¡°That¡¯s Angie.¡± Cory whispers. ¡°That¡¯s her.¡±


    I read the article again, and then I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. There¡¯s a picture of the house she lived when she went missing.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± I gesture towards the picture of the house.


    ¡°The house with the backyard¡­¡± Davy¡¯s face pales.


    ¡°In which we entered the woods.¡± Edward finishes with a squeaky voice. ¡°Holy shit, isn¡¯t that a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°Coincidence? What if that¡¯s why she dragged you away from where we were heading?¡± Davy hits his shoulder hard. ¡°We entered her domain, through her domain.¡±


    ¡°How were we supposed to know she lived in that house? Out of all houses!?¡± Edward scowls, rubbing his shoulder with a painfilled look on his face.


    ¡°Only we can pick that exact house.¡± I mutter, sitting down again. ¡°But how is this helpful?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Annika whispers insecurely. ¡°I just feel like I need to do something to help. You¡¯re my boyfriend, Davy¡¯s my brother, Edward is¡­ well, he¡¯s Edward. And I like Cory.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you.¡± I hum happily, leaning to peck a kiss on her cheek.


    ¡°One question.¡± Cory clears his throat. ¡°She was never found, right? So, there¡¯s no cause of death or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Annika nods and smiles awkwardly. ¡°I think she died in those woods and is now haunting people.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Cory nods. ¡°And if you ask me, there¡¯s a big chance she was killed with a knife.¡±


    ¡°Which would explain her fear of knives.¡± I agree with a nod of my own.


    ¡°Knife?¡± Annika perks up and I can almost see the lightbulb above her head. ¡°That¡¯s possible! That¡¯s¡­ I think¡­ I have to look for it.¡± She¡¯s now more talking to herself then she¡¯s talking towards us, typing away on the computer.


    ¡°You have more to show us?¡± Edward is reading along over her shoulder. ¡°About a serial killer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, remember how about four years ago, three people got killed, and they said it was a copy-cat killer?¡± Annika sounds enthusiastic, and that¡¯s probably because she¡¯s on to something.


    Believe me, she isn¡¯t enthusiastic because there had indeed been a serial-killer active about four years ago and I still remember how we weren¡¯t allowed to be outside by ourselves. We needed at least two adults close by whenever we went outside. It sucked, but after three deaths, they captured a guy and the murders stopped again.


    ¡°What about it? He¡¯s still in jail.¡± Davy frowns, leaning back, visibly losing interest in the conversation.


    ¡°A knife was part of the M.O. and it was part of what made them believe it was a copy-cat. He stabbed his victims three times each.¡± She points towards the computer screen. ¡°Amara and I wrote an essay about it a while ago. The top three biggest crimes committed in the area. The original murdered used a knife, stabbed his victims trice, and raped the female victims before drowning them. It was horrific, but he was active in the year Angela disappeared and it is believed she was on of his victims.¡±

 Chapter 8 – A faint whisper

    Monday, September 26<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I haven¡¯t had a nightmare ever since I¡¯m allowed to sleep at Annika¡¯s place, or to have her sleep over at my place. Since she didn¡¯t really feel comfortable to sleep with only me in an attic, so far, I¡¯ve slept at her place ever since and since Davy¡¯s nightmare on Monday, he too sleeps in her room.


    His parents are a bit worried and confused over it, but so far, neither them, nor my own parents, asked any questions.


    Since Davy slept in our room, he hasn¡¯t had a nightmare either and the problem shifted towards Edward, who was increasingly calming down since nothing was happening to him. But now he too saw her in his dreams, he too was lured towards the forest in his dreams. But since he hung out with Cory a lot, and talked to him a lot, he already knew he could scare Angie away by showing a knife.


    Which is also why all three of us, following Cory¡¯s advice, have a knife next to our bed.


    Of course, we don¡¯t keep them in plain sight, but they¡¯re there in case Angie decides to haunt us outside of our dreams to.


    We kept busy throughout the week, trying to dig up all names of the victims that got murdered by the serial killer over fifty years ago. We tried to find any available story about the Miller Woods and found out there¡¯s twenty-five missing persons, of which Angela Donna was the sixth to disappear.


    There¡¯s some weird details about the information we found so far. Every time a person went missing, there¡¯s five missing persons quickly following within three months, then there¡¯s a gap of thirteen years, before another six persons go missing. This continued until two years ago.


    The last who went missing I can still remember. His name was Jordy Dane and he was only one year younger than I am myself.


    Jordy went missing on March 11<sup>th</sup>, 2014, exactly one week after Kim spent time in the forest before she came out screaming and crying.


    Cory went in the woods in October and he was the last known to set foot in the forest, until we did.


    The year Jordy went missing, and both Kim and Cory got in trouble, was the next year in the thirteen-year cycle. Kim could¡¯ve easily been the first victim, as it was nearly exactly thirteen years after the last child went missing in 2001.


    But other then Jordy, there had been no victims. Local government and adults around town claim there were no other victims because they closed off the woods, but being presented with the real facts, we now know that isn¡¯t true.


    Jordy went missing, and was never found, in March, while the Miller Woods were made prohibited area in October, after Cory came out.


    The other five victims should¡¯ve gotten victimized in March, April and May.


    Perhaps the original killer died and that¡¯s why it stopped, but we¡¯re not sure.


    We can¡¯t really explain the connection between the murders, the fact they stopped, and the fact we¡¯re haunted by Angie, the sixth victim. Since she¡¯s the sixth victim, it¡¯s probably safe to say she isn¡¯t the one causing people to disappear. But on the other hand, she is obviously trying to lure us into those woods again. Right now, it¡¯s through our dreams, but according to Cory, he hears her during the day too.


    Always asking him to come play hide and seek, like she requested in my dreams too.


    ¡°What if Angie is innocent?¡± Annika asks, searching through all the papers we printed about the cases so far.


    ¡°She nearly choked your boyfriend.¡± Amara rolls her eyes. ¡°Bet she¡¯s really innocent.¡±


    ¡°What if it isn¡¯t Angie who did that to him?¡± Edward throws up a ball, catching, repeating the motion over and over again. We¡¯re seated in his bedroom with the six of us; Davy, Cory, Edward, Amara, Annika and myself. We haven¡¯t seen Amber in days and I wonder if she was that good of a friend to begin with. I almost would wish she would¡¯ve been there with us in those woods.


    We did, however, find out Amber¡¯s uncle William Grayson, is one of the victims that went missing in the third cycle.


    He was never found, and he was only 12 years old back then.


    ¡°Then who would have done that?¡± Amara asks, sitting up on the bed with a deep sigh. ¡°That would mean there¡¯s another one of those freaky ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Which isn¡¯t a nice thing to think about,¡± I mutter, rolling closer to Annika, pulling her in my arms. ¡°Angie alone is scary enough.¡±


    ¡°I just want to play hide and seek.¡±The words sound distant, whispery, and a giggle follows them. ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are!¡±


    My eyes grow wide as I realise these words aren¡¯t spoken by either Amara, or Annika. They wouldn¡¯t say such a thing right now.


    Only Angie would.


    I pull my head up, staring around the room in shock, not finding anything out of the ordinary.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I keep silent, trying to hear her again, but she doesn¡¯t talk any further and I think nobody else heard her, which annoys and confuses me.


    Why me, and why didn¡¯t Cory respond in any way either? He was able to hear her, right? He heard her before.


    I tune out of the rest of the conversation and I remain silent for the rest of the talk. I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯re discussing after that, but they don¡¯t pay any attention to me while I¡¯m snuggling close to Annika and try to take a quick nap.


    Which is practically impossible since they¡¯re talking with the five of them and then I resolve in observing Cory, the latest, but great fitting addition to our group of friends.


    He seems relaxed, he seems happy, and I think that might have to do with the fact he is no longer alone in this, he has five more persons to talk to about his problems. He has five friends and I bet he didn¡¯t have any when he was kept in that ward to protect him from himself.


    And I¡¯m glad he¡¯s willing to help us, talk to us. Instead, he could¡¯ve turned his back on us since we weren¡¯t instantly friendly to him. Or because he¡¯s probably sick and tired of talking about it or having to explain what happened.


    * * * * *


    I follow Cory around the apartment block he lives in, going in through a gate. We both haven¡¯t spoken a word since we left Annika¡¯s and Davy¡¯s house. Annika has dancing practise tonight, so I¡¯m staying with him until she¡¯s done. Then my parents will pick us both up and we¡¯ll sleep at my place. Davy will stay with Edward because he refuses to say home alone another second, and Amara and he don¡¯t sleep together because Amara¡¯s parents disapprove of it.


    When we left the house and got on our bikes, Cory simply stated, ¡®you heard her too¡¯ and I nodded to confirm.


    I think he knows I want to talk about hearing Angie during the day, since it is the next step he predicted that would happen.


    I follow him inside a small apartment, noticing his dad asleep on the couch with a bottle of beer still in his hand.


    Cory sends me an apologetic smile, grabbing the bottle to place it on the coffee table. Or more, beer table since there¡¯s more bottles on it.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t cope with things well¡­¡± Cory mutters, seemingly a bit ashamed. ¡°Want to sit in my room?¡± He suggests, and I nod, following him down a narrow hallway to the back of the apartment. There¡¯s three doors on the left, and two on the right. ¡°Quick tour.¡± He gestures towards the first door on the left. ¡°Dad¡¯s room, Kim¡¯s room, my room.¡± He taps the doors to indicate which room he means. ¡°Bathroom and toilet.¡± He gestures towards the other two doors.


    ¡°Cool.¡± I smirk, while we head into his bedroom. It¡¯s small, cramped almost. There¡¯s a single bed in the corner, with a closet at the foot end of the bed.


    The desk is tiny, like a third of my desk, and it¡¯s shoved under the window, since it¡¯s practically the only spot there is in which it wouldn¡¯t be in the way.


    ¡°I know it isn¡¯t much but the divorce¡­¡± Cory scratches his head. ¡°I know you guys all have massive bedrooms and all¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ cosy.¡± I chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s not like you choose to be¡­ poor? Are you poor? I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s insulting you¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not that poor¡­ mom lives bigger, on her own. She completely ruined my dad and he¡¯s now unemployed and well¡­¡± he drawls awkwardly while I sit down on the bed. ¡°I guess we are poor.¡±


    ¡°Is Kim home? You said you would introduce us.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t. She¡¯s with mom right now.¡± He shrugs, throwing the clothes that are on his desk chair onto his pillow to sit down. ¡°But that¡¯s not what we¡¯re here for, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I scratch my head, scooting backwards to lean my back against the wall.


    ¡°You heard Angie,¡± he whispers with a bit of fear in her voice. ¡°It seems as if you¡¯re just a tad bit more affected by her then the others. They should¡¯ve heard her too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they did, but chose to ignore it?¡±


    ¡°I think, knowing Edward as well as I got to know him in the past couple of days, he would¡¯ve totally freaked out. Not sure how Davy would respond.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I heard her first, because I had the nightmares first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about those nightmares. It seems as if she only haunts those who are alone.¡± He frowns. ¡°And I¡¯ll be the only one alone tonight.¡±


    ¡°If she haunts you tonight, I think it¡¯s safe to say she doesn¡¯t target those who are in the company of others.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t feel like waiting for that.¡± He grumbles, slumping down a bit.


    ¡°Wait, you were in that ward for nearly two years.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so?¡± He squints his eyes. Talking about the ward always causes him to be on edge, protective even.


    ¡°Did you share a room?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn¡¯t.¡±


    I feel a bit puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep in the same room every night?¡±


    ¡°I did, but my roommates weren¡¯t there for two years. They left after three months and then I would be alone again until someone new came in. And since I had the nightmares, I was the last who would get a roommate. I even had a single person¡¯s room for a while. But that was considered a privilege and whenever I misbehaved, they would put me back in a shared room.¡± He rolls his eyes in annoyance. ¡°Anyway, why are you asking this.¡±


    ¡°Did you have the nightmares when others slept in the same room?¡±


    He opens his mouth to speak up, but then closes it back again, now fazed and puzzled. He repeats the motion again, before he turns towards his desk, pulling a journal out of a drawer.


    I pull up my eyebrows, leaning forwards to look what he¡¯s doing, finding him browsing through some sort of diary.


    ¡°Is that a diary? You wrote a diary for two years straight?¡±


    ¡°I kept track of what I dreamed, and when.¡± He mutters, obviously his mind taken by the diary instead of completely focussing on me. ¡°And for as far as I can tell, I only had nightmares when I was¡­ alone.¡± He turns around. ¡°So, Angie will visit me tonight.¡± He groans again.


    ¡°Then sleep at my place.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave my dad alone right now.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°If Kim would be here, I could. But I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But, wait¡­ about Kim. Isn¡¯t she haunted by Angie too?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard her about it in a while. The last thing she said was how she just ignoredAngie and she left her alone. When I tried to ignore Angie, she got angry and upset with me and she got even worse.¡±


    ¡°Weird.¡± I mutter, staring towards the journal. ¡°So, how about I sleep here, tonight? I¡¯ll have company, you¡¯ll have company. Annika is fine on her own because Angie isn¡¯t attached to her.¡±


    ¡°Would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Why not? We¡¯re friends, right? And I know what it¡¯s like. I¡¯d hate for anyone to go through that.¡±


    ¡°Wow, and people always say you guys are jerks. But you guys are the best friend I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°People say we¡¯re jerks?¡±


    ¡°Mostly you and Davy. How you always blurt out everything and never think for a second if it could be insulting to others.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ sounds like us.¡± I chuckle, knowing there¡¯s plenty of people who dislike me since I am straight forwards and sometimes a bit obnoxious. I¡¯m not perfect.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll sleep here? Are your parents okay with that?¡±


    ¡°I just tell them I¡¯m with you because we¡¯re working on a project and they¡¯ll leave us alone.¡±


    Cory chuckles and then he smiles, and the smile is record-breaking. It¡¯s full of gratefulness, it¡¯s full of admiration and it¡¯s full of relief. Cory is thathappy, and thankful, for me to agree on sleeping here.


    In a tiny, unknown apartment with a drunk dad out on the couch.

 Chapter 9 – Hide and Seek

    Tuesday, September 27, 2016


    Cory and I fell asleep soon after going to bed. I called my parents, I called Annika, and I told them I¡¯d go to school with Cory in the morning. Annika was a bit disappointed, but she understood.


    And she was happy that I try to help Cory with the same problem, instead of leaving him on his own.


    But as soon as I was falling asleep, I felt like something was off, and I couldn¡¯t exactly explain what it was that was off.


    We¡¯re in Kim¡¯s bed, which is a two-person bed. But other then the fact this room offers enough space for a double bed, there isn¡¯t much more in it then in Cory¡¯s room. A closet, a desk, and a bed.


    Besides, there¡¯s not much stuff in here either. At least Cory has a bookshelf, a computer and clothes scurrying around his room. This room is spotless.


    So, as soon as I blinked, and found Angie in the corner of the room with a small smile on her face, I wanted to wake up again. But I knew it was too late, as she would only be visible if I already tipped over the edge towards dreaming.


    And telling myself to wake up would be ever worse, because I know that triggers sleep paralysis and then I couldn¡¯t grab a knife and scare her off.


    So, when I open my eyes again, I¡¯m in the same bed, with Angie in the corner of the room, and Cory right next to me; wide awake and staring at her in horror.


    Since she¡¯s standing in front of the door, we can¡¯t do much other then sit and stare.


    ¡°Come play?¡± She tips her head slightly to the left. ¡°I¡¯ll hide, you two seek.¡±


    I blink and gone she is, confusing me further. She never left on her own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared!¡± Her voice again in a sing-song way, a giggling following close behind the words. It echo¡¯s through the house.


    ¡°What if we stay and ignore?¡± I wonder aloud, realising Cory must just be an addition to my dream.


    ¡°She¡¯ll get worse,¡± he answers with a slight shudder in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He holds up an empty fist and I frown, wondering what he wants to do, before I realise I¡¯m having a regular conversation with Cory.


    In my dream.


    ¡°You want to beat her to death?¡± I drawl sarcastically. ¡°That¡¯s just cruel¡­¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Cory stares at his fist in shock. ¡°No, what?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I pictured a knife¡­ I should hold a knife. Where¡¯s the knife?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Sid¡¯s dream.¡± Angie is back in the room, now looking upset. ¡°Why won¡¯t you seek for me?¡±


    ¡°Am I in your dream? But I¡¯m¡­¡± He frowns, before he jumps in his spot and hurries towards the wall.


    I turn my head, facing Angie, who is a couple of centimetres away from me.


    ¡°Why. Won¡¯t. You. Seek?¡± She demands an answer, the sing-song voice is gone.


    I yelp, scooting backwards away and towards Cory.


    ¡°What the hell do you want from us!?¡± Cory cries out, actually in tears now. ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°I want you to seek. I want you to find.¡± She pouts, like only a nine-year-old can pout.


    ¡°Will you leave us alone after that?¡± I ask her with a shaky voice. ¡°If we seek?¡±


    She nods. ¡°If you find me, I can leave.¡±


    ¡°What, I¡¯m not following her!¡± Cory cries out again, pinching my wrist painfully. ¡°No fucking way!¡±


    Again, Angie tips her head slightly, stepping away from the bed and I wonder if Cory ever spoke to her like this before. I haven¡¯t. I never took the time to listen to her.


    Or ask questions.


    But what if Annika was right and Angie wasn¡¯t the one to hurt us? What if she¡¯s just the ghost of a nine-year-old that wants to play hide and seek.


    ¡°I¡¯ll play.¡± I breath out a shaky breath.


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Promise, but only if Cory can stay here, I¡¯ll play. But rules first.¡±


    ¡°Rules?¡± She stares at me curiously. ¡°There¡¯s no rules to hide and seek. You just find me.¡±


    ¡°Not in the Miller Woods. I¡¯m not going in there. I can¡¯t even go in there¡­¡±


    ¡°Off course you can, silly!¡± She giggles again. ¡°Come out, come out, wherever you are!¡± She calls out and laughs, visibly enjoying herself.


    But all that matters to me, is the fact she hasn¡¯t tried anything to harm us.


    ¡°No Miller Woods.¡± I demand again, causing her to stop laughing, blinking a couple of times.


    ¡°Find me, Sid, and I¡¯ll leave. You promised to play.¡±


    I look at Cory shortly, who sends me a scared look. When I look back, Angie is gone again.


    ¡°Sid, you¡¯re not actually going, right?¡±


    ¡°I think I have to,¡± I whisper in fear, wondering what will happen if I break a promise to Angie.


    ¡°But, you can¡¯t. She¡¯ll hurt you¡­¡±


    ¡°She could¡¯ve hurt both of us just now. She didn¡¯t.¡± I pull my arm away from his hold, grabbing my hoodie, wondering why I would even wear a hoodie since this is a dream and I don¡¯t feel cold at all.


    ¡°But she will once we¡¯re alone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she will.¡± I frown, overthinking the situation. This isn¡¯t any ordinary dream, but then again, seeing ghosts isn¡¯t a normal thing either. ¡°I¡¯m going to seek for her, but I¡¯ll stay out of the woods. As long as I play, I kept my promise, right? It doesn¡¯t mean I have to find her.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I get up from the bed, put on my shoes and walk towards the door while biting my lip.


    ¡°Wait, Sid?¡± Cory calls out after I left the bedroom. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡±


    * * * * *


    We¡¯ve been walking around an empty, dark town for what feels like the entire night. But for as far as I can tell, the sun still isn¡¯t rising and it¡¯s nowhere near rising either.


    And here we are, both every so often calling out for Angie to play along with her game. But it¡¯s entirely silent around us. No giggling Angie, but no Angie in its whole, which is what matters to me most.


    As long as we keep playing until we wake up, she apparently will leave us alone. Hiding, waiting for us to find her.


    Probably in that damned forest.


    The thing is that this is a dream and I first thought, by now, we would feel sleepy, or have sore feet. But none of that is close to the truth.


    I could keep walking like this, for hours.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been walking for hours or something.¡± I whine, wanting to wake up and get this over with already. ¡°When are we waking up?¡±


    Cory suddenly stops, grabbing my wrist, again squeezing it hard. ¡°Wait I just remembered something.¡±


    ¡°What is it you remember?¡±


    ¡°She made me walk before. But back then I wasn¡¯t aware I was dreaming.¡± He turns to look in the direction of the forest. ¡°I woke, and I woke up where I was during the dream. What if we¡¯re walking around town, sleep walking in real life?¡±


    ¡°Then we would look like idiots.¡± I mutter, now definitely done with this game. ¡°Go home?¡±


    ¡°I do feel like we should just go back to sleep in our dream and then wake up regularly again.¡±


    ¡°So, go back to your place?¡±


    ¡°And sleep.¡± He nods. ¡°This shit is weird anyway.¡±


    ¡°But it gave us one answer; as long as we play hide and seek in a dream, she won¡¯t bother us¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go back!¡± Angie is in front of us and we both yelp and jump away from her.


    I cover my heart, leaning over to grasp for air and calm back down. ¡°Jesus, you scared us to death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Jesus, you silly.¡± She giggles again, but then she looks serious again. ¡°You haven¡¯t found me yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right here.¡± Cory gestures. ¡°We found you.¡±


    ¡°What, no!¡± Angie¡¯s eyes widen and right there, in that moment, I realize I¡¯m no longer afraid of Angie. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! You haveto find me!¡±


    ¡°Look, Angie?¡± I awkwardly scratch the back of my head. ¡°My head hurts and¡­¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡± She stares at me annoyed while squinting her eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t feel pain in a dream.¡±


    ¡°Like how seeing ghosts isn¡¯t normal either?¡± I deadpan. ¡°I have a concussion because you pushed me.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± She calls out, and then, much to our surprise, Angie starts crying. ¡°I just wanted someone to find me.¡±


    ¡°Cory!?¡± Weirdly enough, there¡¯s an angry manly voice. ¡°Cory where the fuck are you!?¡±


    Cory¡¯s eyes widen and while I was getting curious because Angie started crying, the whole world shifts, and I black out, only to wake up the next moment, in bed, next to a confused Cory.


    ¡°Why are you in your sister¡¯s bed!?¡± A voice demands close. ¡°Who is this!?¡±


    ¡°Morning dad,¡± Cory yawns and stretches. ¡°This is Sid Hayes and we were working on a school project until late.¡±


    His dad stares at me with angry eyes, but then he huffs and leaves the room again. ¡°You¡¯re late for school.¡±


    We share a look, before looking at the time on my mobile. We have about 10 minutes to get to our first class.


    ¡°Ugh, we¡¯re not going to make it.¡± Cory grumbles, climbing over me and out of the bed. ¡°It¡¯s a ten-minute ride to school from here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Cory?¡± I ask him in surprise. ¡°We¡¯re going to ignore the dream? Or did you not dream about Angie?¡±


    He swiftly turns around on his feet, staring at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You really were there?¡±


    ¡°I was, and so were you.¡± I stare at him, unimpressed. ¡°We played hide and seek with Angie.¡±


    ¡°And she cried.¡± He frowns, and then we both smirk. ¡°We made a nine-year-old cry. That¡¯s something to be proud of¡­¡± he mumbles, leaning down to grab his sweater, stopping as he realizes, he¡¯s already wearing his sweater.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to talk about this, but only with Edward and Davy present.¡± He states with an annoyed sigh.


    ¡°And Annika, she¡¯s the smartest in our group.¡±


    ¡°And Annika, because I think we need her brains, yes.¡± Cory nods in agreement. ¡°And we¡¯ll skip first class?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Gerard, right? He loves me.¡± I grin slyly. ¡°We¡¯ll get in if we leave soon.¡±


    * * * * *


    Davy is fumbling with a pen, biting his lip while Cory and my story sinks in. We told him, Edward, Annika and Amara what we dreamed about.


    They¡¯re shocked, mostly because apparently being together doesn¡¯t really help to prevent her from visiting us in our dreams.


    And then Annika pulls my sleeve, nodding to indicate she wants me to follow her without the rest.


    I frown and shrug, getting up and following her away from the group to a spot where nobody is listening along.


    ¡°Sid? I¡¯ve been thinking about all of this. And I know you got hurt, and the concussion is proof of that, the marks¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what did you think about?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s not really a haunting thing when there¡¯s only nightmares. There¡¯s nothing happening in real life. And now you tell me Angie didn¡¯t even try to hurt you and now I just wonder whether or not she is harmful at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to not call it a haunting when you¡¯re not experiencing this. But the sleep paralysis is real, and I heard her, Annika. While I was awake. I heard her voice.¡±


    ¡°You did? When did that happen? And why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, in your room. Cory heard her too. Did Davy perhaps say anything about it to you? He didn¡¯t seem fazed at all.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you suddenly went silent?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I was trying not to freak out over it.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you went to Cory. Because he knows more about it.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t trust him.¡± It¡¯s Amber¡¯s voice that suddenly sounds behind us. ¡°I found Kim. It¡¯s his sister, and she claims there¡¯s nothing there and he¡¯s just playing mind tricks with you guys. He did the same to her and she got in a lot of trouble for believing him.¡±


    I frown, staring at her while feeling slightly annoyed. ¡°She was the first to talk about Angie and she caused trouble for him. She¡¯s lying.¡±


    ¡°She was in those woods before him, and she never experienced anything like that afterwards. There¡¯s something in those woods, yes.¡± Amber nods with a sad face. ¡°I believe that part now. But Angie isn¡¯t real. Just because Cory tells you so much about it, with details and everything, you believe him and after going through things in the Miller Woods, you¡¯re probably just open to it because you¡¯re affected. It makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± Annika and I both snap at her.


    ¡°I dreamed about her last night, and Cory was there, and he knew exactly what I dreamed without me telling him. He was there, for real.¡±


    Amber opens her mouth to speak but closes it back down while cocking her head a bit, now confused.


    ¡°I know what I see, what I hear, what I dr¡­¡± I stare over Amber¡¯s shoulder, and for a second, I swear I saw Angie in the crowds close by the door. But when I blink, she¡¯s gone. Or I made it up, or I confused another girl with short yet dark brown hair for her. ¡°Dream about.¡± I finish the sentence a bit uncertain about my mind playing tricks on me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Annika let¡¯s her hand glide through my hair with a worried look on her face, her eyes darting over my face on the look-out for an answer.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I mutter with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m just really tired.¡±


    ¡°Just promise me you¡¯ll be careful,¡± Amber whispers sadly. ¡°I¡¯m worried this is going to blow up in your face even worse.¡±


    ¡°We should¡¯ve never gone into the woods,¡± I admit in defeat, wishing I could turn back time and refuse to go when Davy suggested it.


    If we wouldn¡¯t have went in there in the first, things would still be the same and I wouldn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m slowly losing my mind. So now I do not just dream about her, I hear her too. And I swear I saw her a minute ago, but I simply can¡¯t prove it to anyone, not even myself.


    And the rest of the day I keep scanning my surroundings to find her, not once actually seeing her.


    But one thing changed in the last 24 hours; I¡¯m no longer afraid to dream about her. I can wave a knife, I can play hide and seek and pretend to put in effort, and she¡¯ll leave me alone.


    And secretly ¨C and I¡¯m not going to admit this aloud ¨C I hope I will see her again tonight. Because I have questions that have been left unanswered since Cory¡¯s dad woke us up while we had a somewhat decent conversation with Angie.


    And she started crying when I reminded her she pushed me. And she admitted she did but didn¡¯t mean to.


    She got upset when I got angry about it, which tells me she feels sorry for pushing me.


    But I want to know why she pushed me in the first place. If she didn¡¯t want to harm us, then why did she try to drag Edward back into the woods? Why did she push me away for trying to help him?


    I need more answers, and somehow, I feel there¡¯s only two options to get them; ask Angie or go back into the woods.


    And I¡¯m not going back in there.


    Not even if I would get a million bucks to do so.


    So, asking Angie is my only hope in getting answers.

 Chapter 10 – Crossing over

    Tuesday, September 27<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I¡¯ve been silent most of the day, overthinking possible tricks to get Angie to haunt me tonight. First of all, I will sleep at home, on my own, while Davy still sleeps in Annika¡¯s room, Cory joining them for the night, and Edward is planning on sleeping in the same room as his younger brother Stefan.


    I told them I¡¯d be fine. That it wouldn¡¯t matter anyway and that I¡¯ll be okay ¨C now that we know she just wants to play hide and seek.


    They all have a theory that as long as there¡¯s a person without an attachment in the room, she won¡¯t visit.


    Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re right, and she will come to me since they have someone in the room without an attachment.


    And I won¡¯t.


    And I removed the knife I kept in my room, putting it in the laundry room after mom went to bed. I do not want to scare her off in any way.


    I dress up comfortable and pull the cover up until my chin. I mess around with my phone because I¡¯m not tired yet, I twist and turn, awaiting the sleep to take over, getting highly annoyed because it won¡¯t take over fast enough for my likings.


    I think it¡¯s past midnight, and the time leaves Monday far behind by now, but I finally start to feel sleepy enough for my eyes to close slowly while my thoughts are still racing through my thoughts.


    I hear the clock tick every second, I hear the wind rustling the leaves of the tree behind our house, I hear my dad¡¯s snoring. I hear a cracking sound I can¡¯t explain and I have to keep myself from opening my eyes.


    My heart is thumping in my chest, as loud for me to hear every beat, not just feeling it.


    There¡¯s a sound of an owl, and another crack, but then the sounds fade away and I feel myself drift off. I¡¯m not asleep, but not completely awake either, when I hear the by now familiar giggle of Angie.


    I want to open my eyes but drift off further. Once I drifted of far enough to dream, I find myself in a dark, and what seems like an empty room.


    I blink a couple of times, my heartbeat now racing, my breathing the only sound I can hear at first. But as I focus, I can hear a little girl cry and I frown, taking a look around the room as my eyes slowly start to get used to the dark. I can tell the room is like a wooden cabin, and there¡¯s the outlines of a table and two chairs on my right. There¡¯s what seems like a small kitchenette in the far-right corner, and a closet in the left.


    I jump and scream as I look to my left, finding Angie standing right beside me. She smiles, but it¡¯s a sad smile.


    ¡°I like you, Sid,¡± she tells me with a simple voice. ¡°I think you want to listen.¡±


    ¡°I mostly want answers,¡± I respond, again looking around the room as soon as I recovered from the jump-scare she gave me. ¡°And it would be great if you would stop scaring the living daylight out of me.¡±


    She giggles shortly, and then I feel her hand around my wrist, squeezing lightly. ¡°You¡¯re funny. And your girlfriend is pretty.¡±


    ¡°You can see Annika?¡± I frown, now a bit worried. ¡°Are you haunting her too?¡±


    She shakes her head and stares towards the ground. ¡°Girls aren¡¯t brave enough.¡±


    ¡°But you could if you want to?¡± Am I really having a conversation with Angie? About my girlfriend? ¡°Why are you haunting me and my friends?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re brave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not brave.¡± I snort and roll my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m scared of a little nine-year-old girl¡­¡±


    ¡°You went into the woods that night. All the way to the lake,¡± she tells me with a smile. ¡°And you know there¡¯s lots of people who never made it out of the woods.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re one of them.¡±


    She swallows and nods, again a sad expression on her face. ¡°Nobody ever found me.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you want us to play hide and seek?¡± I ask her, trying to ignore the sound of a crying girl in the background.


    She nods again, at the brim of tears. ¡°Mommy and daddy never found out what happened.¡±


    ¡°Then why not haunt them and tell them?¡±


    ¡°And scare the living daylight out of them?¡± She frowns and I can¡¯t help but chuckle because she used my choice of words. ¡°Besides, I can only haunt those who I meet in the woods.¡±


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t haunt Annika if you would want to?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, no. I can¡¯t appear outside the woods without already knowing a person¡¯s mind. I know your deepest thoughts, Sid. I know you want answers. And I like Annika because she thinks I¡¯m not a bad person. Which I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°And your parents are still alive?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I know my brother died. Because I felt it when he died.¡±


    ¡°You still remember them?¡±


    She nods again, now pretending to balance on top of a beam, using a small floorboard. ¡°I miss them. And I¡¯d like to think they miss me too.¡±


    ¡°And where are we right now?¡±


    ¡°Hunter¡¯s lodge.¡± She stops balancing. ¡°I wanted to show you where to seek.¡±


    Hunter¡¯s lodge.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I¡¯ve heard stories about hunter¡¯s lodge. People never felt at ease here. Back in the days ¨C and with that I mean years and years ago ¨C people used to haunt in these woods, and Hunter¡¯s lodge was their resting place. A small wooden cabin in the middle of the woods where they could spend the night in one of the two small bedrooms. There¡¯s a direct path towards the lodge, but since nobody ever came here in the past years, it¡¯s probably mainly overgrown; nature claiming back what humans once took from her.


    Hunter¡¯s lodge appears in lots of ghost stories and some people claim that the ghost stories ¨C mainly told by camp fires ¨C about Hunter¡¯s lodge are based on true events.


    How a guy got decapitated by another hunter because he stole his food.


    How a guy shot himself because he lost his mind over something, other¡¯s trying to stop him from doing so.


    How best friends hunting together fell out and never spoke again, all because one attacked the other in the middle of the night.


    There¡¯s numerous claims of ghost sightings, while weird sounds and an awful smell were signature signs that Hunter¡¯s Lodge was close by.


    The lodge was closed and locked down somewhere around the second wave of six kids going missing mid seventies.


    Three of the kids¡¯ bodies where found close by this lodge while the other three were never found, despite repeated attempts to find them and the kids who went missing years before.


    In total, only 10 out of 25 kids were ever found, and in two cases they only found one single bone that were recently discovered to be theirs by DNA.


    ¡°Hunter¡¯s lodge? In the middle of Miller woods?¡± My voice trembles and I can feel fear getting a grip on my breathing. The thought alone of being in the Miller Woods ¨C even if it¡¯s just a dream ¨C freaks me out. Let alone being inside Hunter¡¯s Lodge. ¡°Am I going to wake up here in real life too?¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°You¡¯re aware of the dream. I can¡¯t make you sleep walk. I¡¯ve tried so many times with Cory¡­ But he¡¯s not as brave. Davy is, though. He doesn¡¯t scream or cry.¡±


    ¡°Cry? Who cries? Does Cory cry?¡±


    ¡°Kim did, at first. Now she¡¯s just a loony. But she¡¯s just really annoying and I don¡¯t like to visit her. She¡­ kills me. She¡¯s not nice at all.¡±


    ¡°I tried to kill you several times.¡±


    She stares at me with wide eyes. ¡°No! You just held a knife. I don¡¯t think you would, would you? Would you kill me? You know it hurts to be stabbed?¡± She blabbers on, tears now rolling down her cheeks, making me feel shitty because I made the ghost of a nine-year-old cry for a second time.


    ¡°No, Angie¡­ I wouldn¡¯t¡­ I would¡¯ve done that by now, right?¡±


    ¡°Are we friends?¡± she asks in between sobbing.


    ¡°Yes! Yes, we could be friends!¡± I hold up my hands as if in surrender. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°Will you help me?¡± She wipes the tears away with her dirty sleeve, staring at me with puppy eyes, still glistening with tears. ¡°Help me go home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going into those woods again.¡± I groan, knowing I will lose my mind if I ever go back into the woods again.


    ¡°I could protect you if you do.¡± She cocks her head, her eyes now filled with curiosity. ¡°And I¡¯ll guide you in your dreams, so that you know where to go to. We¡¯ll do it over and over again until you memorize the shortest route.¡±


    ¡°No, Angie¡­¡± I cry out in fear. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I¡­¡± I shake my head to put some force behind my words. ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough to show me in my dreams? I¡¯ll even find your parents and tell them¡­¡±


    ¡°No! You have to find me! You promised to seek me!¡± She calls out, suddenly angry. ¡°You. Promised. Me!¡± She stomps her feet on the ground and the whole lodge starts shaking as if there¡¯s an earthquake going on. The cabinets in the kitchen fly open and plates and cups start falling down, clattering around on the floor, shattering to pieces. The crying disappears, making place for a bone-chilling scream of fear, while Angie keeps stomping her feet.


    ¡°Angie! Stop it!¡± I shout at her, scared shitless because of her mood swing, knowing she can easily hurt me again if I piss her off too much.


    ¡°You promised! She screams at me, pointing her finger towards me. ¡°Never break a promise, Sid Hayes.¡±


    Her voice is icy cold, distant, angry and it causes goose bumps on my skin and my heart to skip at least a couple of beats.


    And then the world shifts like it did the night before, going black.


    Wednesday, September 28<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I sit up right in by bed, trying to catch my breath. I¡¯m covered in sweat, my heart trying to beat out of my chest, while I¡¯m shivering in fear. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing, but I open them again as I feel a draft that confuses me, as I didn¡¯t open my window far enough to feel a draft all the way in my bed.


    I turn to look towards the window, noticing it¡¯s wide open and the curtains are spookily waving in the wind, while the moonlight shine a bright light onto the mirror, that is on the right side wall.


    There¡¯s words written on it with what looks like blood.


    My eyes widen in shock, reading the words that are written in crimson red:


    ¡®Hide, seek, find.¡¯


    No way.


    ¡°No fucking way.¡± I can¡¯t look anywhere else then towards the mirror, shocked, confused, maybe a bit scared.


    ¡°Never break a promise, Sid.¡± Angie still sounds pissed, and I yelp as I notice her in the opposite corner of the room, next to the window.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­ Am I still dreaming?¡± I blink and rub my tired eyes, opening them to find an empty room, now frowning in confusion.


    The words on the mirror are gone, though the window is still open.


    Is my mind playing tricks on me?


    Am I really losing my mind?


    It¡¯s no surprise I can¡¯t fall asleep after that, simply because I¡¯m a bit restless for angering Angie.


    But how can she expect me to go back into those woods?


    She said she would protect me, so she definitely hinted that I¡¯d be needing protection if I were to ever get back into those woods.


    Something out there did haunt us, and perhaps the only reason we managed to get out, is because of Angie.


    Which, if it were to be true, makes me feel shitty for not wanting to help her.


    I do understand she wants me to find her body ¨C or whatever is left of it ¨C in those woods. She sought the brave, and apparently, we met her standards.


    And then it dawns me, Cory spoke of him being in a cabin in Miller woods this summer, getting there through a tunnel.


    Was Angie trying to show me where the tunnel leads to?


    But what good would it be for her to show me the end of a tunnel, without showing me where exactly to find the entrance?


    I know the entrance is in the old Mill just outside of town.


    Is Hunter¡¯s Lodge the cabin Cory spoke about?


    If that is the case, then I¡¯m definitely sure I¡¯m never going to go into that tunnel, ever.


    Not that I would now, but in that case I¡¯m 100% positive I¡¯m going to get into big trouble once I get through the tunnel.


    But how do I get it clear to Angie that I¡¯d be risking my life if I were to try and help her?


    Besides, I promised to play hide and seek, not to actually find her, or go into those woods, right?


    Then, suddenly, there¡¯s a stronger wind blowing in the room, messing up pages on my desk, blowing one right towards me.


    I stare down at it, finding a note in a strangely familiar handwriting.


    I peek towards the mirror, but find nothing there, focusing back on the note.


    If you won¡¯t help me, I won¡¯t help you.


    And now, what does she mean by that?


    I frown, having a really bad feeling about this, and her stupid little threat.


    What if I¡¯m in trouble, simply because I really scared Angie away?


    What if Annika was right, and Angie isn¡¯t the main problem?


    And as I stare at the note on my lap, I notice something moving around in my room.


    And I can¡¯t describe it other than a black mass that is crawling from my windowsill, towards my desk, down onto the floor. And as it starts to shift towards my bed, I sit frozen in my spot, completely still because of shock and fear, watching in horror how the black mass crawls closer, the sounds of creaking floorboards sounding underneath it, inching closer and closer to me.


    I want to move, I want to run, but I can¡¯t find the strength in me.


    And as it rises from the floor right in front of me, I feel as if I¡¯m sucked into a space where I feel every fibre in my body being squeezed together and I simply scream while the black mass engulfs me, swallowing me in it.


    There¡¯s no sounds, there¡¯s literally nothing for a moment, and then I¡¯m back in bed, with Angie seated on my window sill.


    ¡°Will you, or will you not help me?¡±

 Chapter 11 – Deal

    Wednesday, September 28, 2016


    I¡¯m kind of a mess, since Angie left shortly after I told her I¡¯d think about helping her ¨C not promising anything yet ¨C and I was scared shitless she really left, and the black mass would be back to come after me.


    It didn¡¯t show at home, but now, everywhere I go, I swear I see some sort of dark mass; always in the corners of my eyes, in the corners of the room.


    But I swear it¡¯s there, and I don¡¯t know what to do now that I¡¯m almost completely sure Angie¡¯s attachment isn¡¯t my main problem. Something else is after me and if I¡¯m right there is something else, I¡¯m positive it¡¯s not at all an innocent ghost of a young girl who wants to be found.


    It feels evil, dark, malicious and all other synonyms for it in the same time.


    If Angie is protecting me, and maybe my friends, from this evil mass, then I don¡¯t think I have any other choice then to do something back for her.


    But then again, I don¡¯t wantto find her, because I fear the moment she will be gone.


    But I¡¯m starting to realise, Angie is functioning as some sort of shield between me and whatever is in that black mass.


    I think I¡¯m no longer safer out here, then in those woods. Because whatever puts us at risk in those woods, is now out here, on the verge of getting to me.


    I know Edward was already freaking out in the woods beforemost shit went down, so I don¡¯t think of him as a decent fellow seeker. I do, however, think Davy might be up for it if he knows what is going on right now.


    Cory is too broken to be dragged into this more then he is already.


    But I am currently pulling him along while Davy is following us through the empty hallways of school, outside, and to the park across the street.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Cory whines, rubbing his sore arm that I was squeezing until I let go a second ago.


    ¡°Yeah, dude? Where¡¯s the fire?¡± Davy frowns, taking a seat on the bench next to us. ¡°We gonna smoke?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± I bite in his direction. ¡°We¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    ¡°No shit, Sherlock.¡± Davy frowns, cocking his head sideways a bit. ¡°Can you hurry and get to the point? We have to be at community service in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Right, okay. I spoke to Angie again.¡±


    ¡°I figured you did.¡± Davy rolls his eyes. ¡°Should Annika be worried you¡¯re cheating?¡± He smirks, Cory snorts and I roll my eyes.


    ¡°She¡¯s not our problem.¡± I send him a deadpanning look, annoyed because he¡¯s obviously no longer taking this seriously. ¡°Something else is.¡±


    ¡°What is ¡®something else¡¯?¡± Cory asks curiously, sitting down now that I gained his interest.


    ¡°I can¡¯t describe it in any other way then a dark mass that is following me around since Angie threatened to leave me on my own.¡±


    ¡°She threatened to leave you, and you made her come back?¡± Davy frowns, seemingly lost because I know a couple of days ago I would do anything to get Angie to leave.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. She left, this dark mass came up to me and the next moment I¡¯m awakeand Angie is there.¡±


    ¡°You saw her while you were awake?¡± Cory gasps for air in shock, Davy¡¯s head snaps back up to look at me with wide eyes.


    I¡¯m not sure if I should tell them the black mass isn¡¯t the only thing that has been following me around today. Angie did too. I saw her a handful of times, just sitting around doing nothing else then stare in the directions I swear I can see the black mass. It¡¯s telling me my mind isn¡¯t playing tricks, it¡¯s really there, just never showing itself fully.


    And Angie might be keeping an eye on it.


    She might be preventing it from attacking me.


    ¡°She¡¯s with me all the time¡­¡± I drawl, scratching my head, noticing Angie is now seated on the swing set about 30 meters away.


    There¡¯s no wind, but still the swing she¡¯s seated on is slightly moving as she¡¯s moving it around.


    Cory and Davy now too stare towards the swing set, confused and impressed in Cory¡¯s case, worried in Davy¡¯s case.


    ¡°Dude, this is starting to freak me out a bit.¡± Davy pulls my sleeve to gain my attention again. ¡°Why are you that much more affected then Eddy or me?¡±


    ¡°Because he tipped over to unconsciousness in the woods.¡± Cory haphazardly guesses. ¡°He was open to it in the woods, you two weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I groan. ¡°She says she likes me because she thinks I¡¯m brave. If you would allow her, she would contact you too.¡± I gesture towards Davy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what she thinks about you though.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Cory shrugs, staring at the moving swing from the corners of his eyes. ¡°I killed her a bunch of times, I threaten her with a knife, make her scream¡­¡± He turns back to fully face me. ¡°And you¡¯re the one who showed her you¡¯re willing to listen.¡±


    ¡°And now she¡¯s asking for help.¡± I nod, agreeing to what he¡¯s telling me.


    ¡°Help with what?¡± Davy asks, shuddering at the thought of helping Angie.


    ¡°Find her body.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Let me guess, in the Miller Woods?¡± Davy scowls. ¡°No way I¡¯m breaking in there ever again¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a tunnel,¡± Cory and I tell him in unison.


    ¡°Cory, when you told me it leads to a small cabin, did you mean Hunter¡¯s Lodge?¡± I ask him, ignoring the fact Davy choked on a sip of his drink when we told him there¡¯s a tunnel.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not Hunter¡¯s Lodge. I told you, it¡¯s the building that was used by the rangers. Not hunters. Why did you think it is Hunter¡¯s Lodge?¡±


    ¡°Because Angie took me there in my dream. I was aware so she didn¡¯t make me sleepwalk all the way there, but she showed me Hunter¡¯s Lodge.¡±


    ¡°Why would she show us two different spots?¡±


    ¡°She said she wanted to show me where to look.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Sid, are you actually contemplating on going back in there to find the body of a dead nine-year-old who went missing in the fifties?¡±


    ¡°I went missing in the sixties.¡± Angie sing-songs right next to me, skipping around our little group. ¡°I was born in ¡¯53.¡±


    ¡°She went missing in the sixties.¡± I bring over her message. ¡°Born in ¡¯53, so missing in ¡¯62.¡±


    Cory and Davy both look at me with frowns on their faces.


    ¡°She said so¡­¡± I defend the knowledge, ignoring the fact it¡¯s kind of useless right now.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you take Davy with you tonight?¡± Angie cocks her head, with a smile on her face. ¡°I think he¡¯s willing to help. And I can¡¯t make a connection with him because he won¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡°How is he not letting you?¡± I ask, realizing I wondered it out loud, causing Cory and Davy to start looking worried.


    ¡°They think you¡¯re crazy.¡± She giggles amused. ¡°You need to find a silent way to answer to me.¡± She skips a new round again. ¡°Davy¡¯s been sleeping in the same room as Annika and she¡¯s preventing me from coming close. She¡¯s strong, you know? Smart, realistic. She¡¯s like a shield. I couldn¡¯t get to you while you were there either.¡±


    ¡°Davy, she wants you to open up for her too.¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡± He scowls again, shaking his head quickly. ¡°She freaks me out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, he¡¯s just worried he¡¯s going to lose his mind.¡± Angie sings again, sitting down on the bench next to him.


    I notice goose bumps on his right arm, seeing him shudder in cold.


    ¡°He knows I¡¯m around.¡± She giggles, blowing towards his ear. Davy covers his ear, trying to play the sudden movement off as if he wanted to push back some hair. ¡°And I tease him all the time. But he won¡¯t open up.¡± She grins towards me. ¡°I think the three of you could find me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried you¡¯ll lose your mind if you allow her in.¡± I point out what Angie said with a small smile on my face, liking the fact Angie is attached to him and knows some of his deepest thoughts because she did manage to haunt him during a dream once before.


    Maybe being friends with a ghost isn¡¯t that bad after all.


    Well, as long as it¡¯s just Angie.


    * * * * *


    I didn¡¯t manage to persuade Davy to sleep over at my place, and I¡¯m kind of nervous about being alone in my room while that very obnoxious and stubborn black mass is still lurking in the corners of my eyes.


    Angie didn¡¯t leave for even a second after I acknowledged her presence in front of Cory and Davy.


    She¡¯s been wearing me out with all her talking, while I couldn¡¯t talk back because there¡¯s always someone around me. During community service there had a hand full of other teenagers, at home my mom and dad keep their eyes on me and mom had been doing laundry in the other room in the attic for what felt like hours.


    And all the while, Angie kept telling me things about the time she was alive ¨C though she leaves out the story of what happened to her.


    She keeps telling me things about Edward, Davy and Cory and I had to keep myself from laughing out loud when she told me Edward pied his pants in his sleep when she went to visit him.


    He also cried in his sleep.


    Edward isn¡¯t brave, and she¡¯s not interested in him to get him to help.


    She is interested in Davy, knowing I refuse to go in alone if I were to ever go back into those woods.


    And I know I have to, because I feel like I need to help Angie.


    She¡¯s helping me too, right?


    But not alone. Never alone.


    ¡°Angie?¡± I whisper, watching her sitting on the windowsill, staring towards the forest.


    ¡°Sid?¡± She whispers back, staring at me amused.


    ¡°Can I ask you a very serious question?¡± I emphasize serious, because now that I hung out with her the entire day, I found out that Angie loves to fool around and mess with others.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, can you?¡±


    I roll my eyes, and push myself up on my elbows, hugging the pillow against my chest. ¡°What¡¯s the black mass you¡¯re keeping away?¡±


    She scrunches her nose, and I notice her eyes flickering towards the corner behind me, causing me to snap my head and stare at it; nothing there.


    ¡°Will it kill me?¡±


    Angie shakes her head, staring at me with something that looks a lot like worry. ¡°It¡¯ll make you kill. It¡¯s the reason I died. It¡¯s the reason people lose their minds in those woods. It¡¯s been trying to find a new body to use.¡±


    ¡°And it wants me?¡±


    ¡°Well, it found you first. Honestly, it¡¯s why I pushed you in the woods, you know?¡± She hops down from the windowsill and I watch her walk around the room, watching all my stuff from up close. ¡°You have two attachments, while Davy, Edward, Cory, they all have one.¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nods, swirling around on her feet, making a short pirouette and a small bow as if she¡¯s proud that she attached herself to us.


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°When you guys were at the lake, you jumped away to one side, while they jumped to the other side. So, you were weakest and it clanged onto you. The choking was part of him trying to weaken you far enough to take over.¡±


    I stare at her with wide eyes in horror, again looking towards the corner she¡¯s been keeping a close eye on. ¡°So, it¡¯ll take over if I am weak?¡±


    ¡°Not as long as I¡¯m there to keep it away.¡± She giggles again.


    ¡°But won¡¯t you be gone when I find your body?¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re willing to look for it?¡±


    ¡°I think we have to make a deal, and both keep our ends of the deal.¡±


    ¡°What is my part?¡±


    ¡°Help me to defeat that¡­ thing¡­ that want¡¯s to take over my body.¡±


    She bites her lip, visibly overthinking what I¡¯m asking her to do.


    ¡°If you help me, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to, though. So, you¡¯ll have to do everything I ask you to do.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some things I wanted to find out, but can¡¯t¡­¡± She cocks her head. ¡°I¡¯m a ghost, I can¡¯t read books, or use that box you use to read news articles about me and all the kids that went missing.¡±


    ¡°That box?¡±


    She giggles, pointing towards the laptop.


    ¡°Oh, a computer.¡± I realise she never worked with those, so she doesn¡¯t really know what it is or how it works. ¡°You need me to look things up for you?¡±


    ¡°The history of the forest.¡± She nods and swirls around again. ¡°There¡¯s been weird stuff going on in there for ages already. And your little friend in the corner is one of the results.¡±


    I snap my head towards the corner again, still not seeing anything. ¡°Seriously, will you stop freaking me out by giving me the idea it¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°But it is. It¡¯s just hiding and waiting for me to leave.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna leave, right?¡±


    ¡°No, we have a deal, right?¡± She smiles widely. ¡°You¡¯ll find my body and I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t leave as soon as I found your body, huh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll solve your little issue first. That way it¡¯ll be safer to go into the woods anyway.¡±


    ¡°I do not consider an issue in which a black malicious mass wants to take over my body to use it in order to kill people ¡®little¡¯, to be honest.¡±


    She giggles again, sitting down in the middle of the floor. ¡°Let¡¯s talk business, Sid. We don¡¯t have all the time in the world.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mortal. We don¡¯t.¡± She giggles again, now sitting in a meditating pose. ¡°Night time, is my time. Day time, is yours.¡±


    ¡°Which means?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll solve my problem during the nights, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not going into the woods physically, yet. During the day, we¡¯ll solve yours.¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable.¡± I nod, placing my head on the pillow. ¡°So, you¡¯re taking my mind into the woods again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to guide you through the woods, night after night, until you memorize the route I need you to walk once we¡¯re ready to find my body.¡± She winks at me, and then she closes her eyes and stays silent.


    And I think it¡¯s my cue to go to sleep and let her guide me to wherever she wants to take me.

 Chapter 12 – Touch of an angel

    Monday, October 3, 2016


    Angie has been guiding me to a small wooden cabin that was used by the rangers and the close surroundings. She showed me the situation around the cabin as it is now, and how it used to look when it was still being used. She showed me there¡¯s four pathways leading away from the cabin, all leading to the four main parts of the wood; Millers lake, The pits, Hiker¡¯s trail and Deer trial.


    The first is a part of the woods that I remember from our nightly adventure in the woods. It¡¯s a large calm lake that ¨C according to books ¨C isn¡¯t deep anywhere, except one part that is a deep hole. She showed me the fifteen cabins that were once rental houses for families to spent time during the summer months.


    The ¡®pits¡¯ is an area in the woods where there¡¯s a lot of uneven grounds, ditches, deep holes and large bumps that had been forbidden area even before the first people went missing. The grounds are simply unstable, and you could step in a hole without seeing it.


    Hiker¡¯s trail is the best part of the woods and is directly next to the lake, and is the part where Davy, Edward and I entered and walked through towards the lake. It¡¯s just an area with lots of small trials, ideal for a walk through the woods ¨C were it to be in any forest except Miller woods.


    And then there¡¯s Deer Trial, the part that was used for hunting, where there were a lot of deer ¨C hence the name. It¡¯s also the part of the forest where Hunter¡¯s Lodge is located, and it is the part of the forest in which most of the ghost stories take place.


    We haven¡¯t walked there yet.


    But since we started exploring the woods for my sake to not get lost and do research about any dark activities to solve my problem, I started to grow fond of Angie and her stupid humour.


    It also distracted me from my homework, and now I¡¯m seated in class, while the teacher is handing out tests, which I totally forgot and didn¡¯t study for.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I hiss, wanting to curse more for this stupidity. I need to pass this test because I haven¡¯t done well in this class so far.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Angie giggles, showing up next to me. ¡°Annika is smart. I¡¯ll peak for you.¡±


    I smirk while keeping my head faced down so that nobody sees my sudden smirking. Angie giggles and skips towards Annika, who sends me a worried look as I look up to find her staring at me.


    She¡¯s asking me with her eyes if I¡¯m okay and I smile to reassure her everything is fine indeed.


    I get my test, fill in my name, and wait for Angie to give me the right answers. Knowing Annika mostly get¡¯s A¡¯s in this class, I decide on putting some of the answers wrong, even though Angie repeatedly tells me it¡¯s not the right answer.


    I can¡¯t fill in my test in the exact same way. The teacher will know I cheated, even though he would never be able to figure out how I managed to get Annika¡¯s exact answers since she¡¯s not seated next to me. Davy is in between us, and by the annoyed and frustrated sounds he¡¯s making, I can tell he¡¯s struggling with his test too.


    But I can¡¯t do anything to help him right now, other then keep my test as much to the left as possible so that he is able to peak every so often.


    So, Angie is handing me the answers, and I¡¯m trying to hand them to Davy right afterwards.


    I finish the test, filling in three made up answers in the end to finish before Annika does so that the teacher will be even less suspicious. I pretend to check the answers to give Davy a bit more time, but then I get up, hand in the test, and leave the classroom.


    Angie follows me while floating behind me, humming a tune happily, swaying from left to right a bit. I can¡¯t focus on her in plain sight, but I know she tends to do that a lot.


    It¡¯s a tune I don¡¯t recognize and probably is from back in the fifties. Every so often I¡¯m reminded of the fact Angie is a nine-year-old ghost that died over fifty years ago, instead of her being just another one of my friends.


    Though, I do believe if she would be alive, I would definitely be friends with her if she would be my age.


    ¡°Sid.¡± It¡¯s Annika¡¯s voice behind me, and she sounds a bit worried. It makes me turn around to find her walking towards me, while Davy is following close behind her. ¡°You didn¡¯t study, did you?¡±


    ¡°Eh, yeah, I did.¡± I lie, knowing I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t, while I know I must have passed the test with a nice grade because Angie helped me.


    ¡°Oh, because you cursed¡­¡± She smiles carefully. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you though. You changed a lot¡­ You know¡­¡±


    ¡°Since we were in those woods.¡± Davy steps in and finishes her sentence. ¡°Edward and I are fine, but we feel like you¡¯re deliberately allowing Angie to haunt you.¡±


    ¡°Which is true.¡± I shrug, taking a look around us, finding a wide smiling Angie on my right. She sticks out her tongue towards him and I bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing.


    ¡°She¡¯s here, isn¡¯t she?¡± Annika looks around us.


    ¡°Yeah, my right side.¡±


    ¡°Is she really? Or are you losing it?¡± Davy frowns and crosses his arms. ¡°Cory can¡¯t even explain what you¡¯re experiencing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Cory didn¡¯t experience the same.¡± I shrug, knowing Cory was never haunted by the mass. ¡°Nobody ever listened to her before.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    And the black mass is probably a demon, and I don¡¯t want to think about it. I¡¯m trying to ignore that part of the problem as much as possible.


    ¡°If you open up, you¡¯ll understand.¡± I tell Davy with a simply smile. ¡°She¡¯s not evil. She is actually really helpful. And she¡¯s funny¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a nine-year-old ghost,¡± Annika hisses annoyed. ¡°She¡¯s not a friend, Sid.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea what is going on right now, so you have no idea how wrong that assumption is, Anni,¡± I snap at her, annoyed because she spoke negative about Angie, while I really like her.


    And not just because we share the same sense of humour, but because she¡¯s the only one capable of helping, and helping me in the same time.


    ¡°Then tell me what¡¯s going on, Sid.¡± She is practically begging me. ¡°Why are you letting this happen? I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡±


    I¡¯m indecisive if I should tell her about the black mass. Davy knows, and I somewhat expected him to tell her about it.


    ¡°Is it¡­ that thing?¡± Davy whispers, sounding a bit uneasy. ¡°Is this because you saw that¡­ shadow?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a shadow.¡± Or maybe it is, I don¡¯t know. But if it¡¯s a shadow, it belongs to something I can¡¯t see and that¡¯s maybe freaking me out even more. ¡°But yes, Angie is helping me to try and figure out what it is.¡±


    ¡°And why are you the only one who suffers from it?¡± Annika genuinely sounds worried, but I still feel a bit agitated because I don¡¯t think she believes I¡¯m telling her the truth.


    She might think I¡¯m losing my mind.


    And I wondered if I did too. But I¡¯m pretty sure this is reality, as is Angie.


    ¡°Because it got to me first. It latches onto the person closest, and apparently, I was.¡± I hug, crossing my arms. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve been doing research and some dark shit went down in those woods. And Hunter¡¯s Lodge had something to do with it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going in there, ever again.¡± Davy tells me adamantly. ¡°No thank you.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a pussy,¡± I snap, wondering where the sudden annoyed feelings are coming from. ¡°Grow up.¡±


    Both Davy and Annika frown at me, probably too wondering why I¡¯m acting on edge.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today, dude?¡± Davy chuckles awkwardly. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to go back in there either.¡±


    ¡°Well, I changed my mind. I have to help Angie. She¡¯s helping me, it¡¯s the least I could do for her.¡±


    ¡°The least you could do for her?¡± Davy scowls. ¡°She could¡¯ve left us alone and none of this shit would¡¯ve happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop! Talking! Like that!¡± I cry out in anger. ¡°You don¡¯t know half of it, Davy!¡± I swirl around on my heels, marching away from them, mostly because I¡¯m starting to become angry and I don¡¯t want to fight with either of them.


    ¡°Then talk to us, Sid!¡± Davy caught up with me, grabbing my wrist to stop me from walking away. ¡°Tell us what we don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Angie¡¯s keeping it away, okay?¡± I hiss, pulling my wrist from his hold. ¡°She¡¯s keeping that¡­ thing¡­ away. It wants me, it wants to posses me. It wants to use my body to kill people, okay?¡±


    Annika stares at me in shock, while Davy looks me up and down confused.


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t help me, I¡¯m going to be possessed by an evil shitty fucking demon and it will make me kill.¡± I cry out, slumping down to the floor because suddenly I¡¯m exhausted and I feel defeated. ¡°And I don¡¯t know how to stop it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help, Sid.¡± Annika sits down next to me and while she puts her arms around me, I want to push her away. I don¡¯t want her to touch me right now. But as she does, I suddenly grow calm and less exhausted then seconds before. So, I slump down against her while she caresses my hair in a loving way. ¡°Because I love you, and I¡¯m pretty sure Davy loves you as a brother too.¡±


    ¡°Ans as a friend.¡± Davy kneels in front of me, grabbing my shoulder firmly. ¡°Show us what you found so far, and let Annika use her brains to help figure this out and find a solution.¡±


    * * * * *


    I¡¯m in Annika¡¯s bed and she made her mother call my parents to tell them I¡¯m still experiencing trouble to sleep, and I would stay over for the night. As soon as I got my parents approval, I pulled on a jogging pants and crawled into her bed, tired, yawning, wanting to sleep without Angie for one night. But she followed me in here, and she¡¯s currently seated on the foot end of the bed, staring at me without a facial expression that I can read.


    We¡¯re having a stare-off. Not a bad one, but we do this more often when there¡¯s nothing to say, or in the rare occasions I¡¯m done with it all and want her to take the black mass and leave me the hell alone for a second.


    Annika and Davy both noticed I¡¯m staring in her direction, both not knowing she¡¯s there for sure, but probably both thinking it.


    I showed them all the information I have about dark rituals, demon worshipping in Deer¡¯s Trial, Voodoo, and all other things I¡¯ve found about the Miller Woods.


    Annika went over it, Davy helped her by playing her assistant as she¡¯s trying to connect rumours, stories and news articles and find anything out of the ordinary. Any bit of proof that any if it truly happened so that we would know where to start our fight.


    But then she found me staring, because Davy nudged her and nodded his head towards me.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Davy pushes himself up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep in my own room.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Annika frowns and I lazily break eye-contact with Angie. But I think we turned to look at him simultaneously.


    ¡°Tell Angie I¡¯m done hiding. I¡¯ll listen.¡± Davy swallows, visibly not entirely convinced this is the right thing to do. ¡°I¡¯ll help you to find her¡­ body.¡±


    I simply blink, incapable of responding because I¡¯m too tired.


    Angie glides off the bed, walking around Davy with a curious look on her face. ¡°Siddey, will you be okay with Annika?¡±


    I push myself up quickly, not wanting her to leave. ¡°What, no!¡± I call out, to which Davy and Annika think I¡¯m responding to Davy.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to help her?¡± Davy frowns.


    ¡°Oh, big baby.¡± Angie giggles, waving off Davy. ¡°I¡¯m in the next room. I¡¯ll keep an eye on you. But believe me, it¡¯s not here. Annika is a shield, remember?¡±


    ¡°How would that work out?¡±


    ¡°Well, the same as with you?¡± Davy now sounds lost. ¡°I¡¯ll open up, she¡¯ll talk to me, and we¡¯ll help her together, and help you in the same time.¡±


    ¡°He really doesn¡¯t understand that you¡¯re talking to me, huh?¡± Angie giggles again.


    Annika shushes Davy, since she noticed I¡¯m not staring at Davy.


    ¡°Annika is strong, and full of love, and kindness, and innocence¡­¡± Angie sums up before she giggles again. ¡°Well, not thatinnocent.¡± Angie winks and laughs like a nine-year-old does when they¡¯re letting you in on a secret.


    My god, she sawAnnika and me having sex. She must have.


    ¡°But she¡¯s pure. I can¡¯t explain. But whenever she¡¯s around, itis not.¡± Angie smiles and skips towards Annika, waving her arms around dramatically. ¡°She¡¯s like an angel or something.¡± Angie bows for Annika and I can¡¯t fight back a smirk because she¡¯s acting silly again. ¡°And this angel here seems to love you very much.¡±


    ¡°I love her too, Ang.¡± I whisper, and that causes Davy to open his mouth, mouthing an ¡®ooh¡¯ in realisation, while Annika blushes and smiles, passing Angie to walk towards me.


    ¡°I love you too, Siddey.¡± Annika whispers back. ¡°You think you¡¯re going to be okay if Davy sleeps in his own room?¡±


    ¡°I will, whenever you¡¯re around.¡± I mutter, pulling her in bed, rolling around while she¡¯s giggling. ¡°I don¡¯t mind some alone time with you again.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m outa here. Angie, if you hear me, you better follow me and leave these two lovebirds on their own for a while.¡± Davy waves and leaves, causing me to smirk as Angie winks towards me, skipping out of the room to follow Davy.


    And as Annika dresses to get ready for bed, I overthink Angie¡¯s words about her, her strength, the fact she¡¯s like a shield and pure, I can¡¯t help but think Angie must be right.


    If there¡¯s demons, then angels do exist too, right?


    And I think I found my very own angel in Annika.

 Chapter 13 – Closer

    Tuesday, October 4, 2016


    I can¡¯t recollect having any dreams for the first part of the night. I shortly woke up around three a.m. because I had to pee ¨C I was too scared to actually go and eventually asked Annika to walk with me.


    It somewhat weirded her out, but she knows me well enough to know it¡¯s not a pervert kind of thing. It¡¯s because I¡¯m scared to be alone at night.


    So, she waited while I peed and then we went back to bed. I think I fell asleep before she did, but there¡¯s really no way of telling.


    The point is, I fell asleep almost instantly, and I dreamed.


    I had a freaking nightmare, that scared me to shit. I wasn¡¯t aware, I¡¯m sure of that, that I was in fact in a dream. And for the entire dream, I was being chased by the dark mass, trying to get to Annika, who was always on the other side of it.


    I had to pass through it, but I couldn¡¯t. I was too afraid, so I kept on running.


    It¡¯s Annika who woke me up when the mass cornered me, and I thought it would get to me. It sucked me in like it did when Angie shortly left me.


    There were no sounds anymore, no lights, just darkness and anger.


    I felt a lot of anger, hatred, I wanted to bash something in.


    And then Annika woke me up, desperately shaking me while she was on the verge of crying.


    I¡¯m trying to catch my breath while she sits back and takes in a couple of deep and collective breaths of her own, her hand on her heaving chest, eyes wide while staring at me.


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± She cries out. ¡°I thought you were going to choke yourself!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I stare at her confused, noticing I¡¯m all sweaty, with a sore throat and still out of breath.


    ¡°You were choking yourself, Sid,¡± She whispers with a shudder in her voice. ¡°Like, really badly¡­ and I couldn¡¯t wake you up¡­¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ choking¡­ myself?¡± I try to press out the words in between breathing, finally starting to regain control over it.


    ¡°Yes! Sid!¡± She slaps my shoulder. ¡°What was that!?¡±


    I stare at her, and then I see some movement in the far corner of the room and I scramble backwards away, as the shadow-like figure didn¡¯t vanish as I focused on it. ¡°I need¡­ Angie¡­¡± My voice trembles and my whole body starts to shake, as the mass moves forwards. ¡°Now.¡± I jump up from the bed, but then Annika pulls me back and in her arms.


    ¡°Calm down, Sid.¡± She whispers, grabbing my face to force me to look at her. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m here. There¡¯s nothing here, okay?¡±


    Oh, there damn well is something present in this room. But that very thing stopped moving as soon as Annika pulled me towards her.


    I scoot closer to her and let her hug me entirely, and when I dare to look behind me again, there¡¯s nothing there, and I¡¯m not just relieved, I¡¯m confused too.


    So, Annika really functions as a shield?


    She keeps me safe as long as she¡¯s with me?


    But then I instantly get worried about Davy and I just need to go and look in his room to make sure that the mass isn¡¯t aiming for him now. I know Angie is there, communicating with Davy in his sleep, but I¡¯m still not at ease.


    ¡°I need to check on Davy, right now.¡± I whisper, cupping Annika¡¯s face with one hand. ¡°Please, walk with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, yes, sure.¡± She nods, and together, we walk to Davy¡¯s room, finding him sprawled on his bed, deep in a peaceful sleep.


    Angie is right next to him, seemingly asleep too. Which is a weird imagery, since I didn¡¯t think ghosts would ever sleep. But then I figure this is just her way to get into our dreams. She might just be in some sort of deep trance, as she always takes a meditation pose right before I fall asleep.


    ¡°He seems fine.¡± Annika pulls me closer to the bed. ¡°So, she¡¯s talking to him right now? Just like she does with you too?¡±


    ¡°Uhu.¡± I nod. ¡°She¡¯s with him right now.¡± I chuckle, knowing this is the weirdest topic to talk about, ever.


    ¡°So, how come you¡¯re okay when you¡¯re with me, or with her, but not anywhere else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how she does it, or how you do it. But you¡¯re like a shield, according to Angie. When I didn¡¯t acknowledge her presence, tried to run from her, so when I wasn¡¯t open to communicating with her, she couldn¡¯t get to me whenever you were around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a shield?¡± Annika frowns for a bit, looking down towards Davy again. ¡°Then how is she communicating with Davy right now? I¡¯m right here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s open to it now, right? He invited her into his dreams. I think it¡¯s a matter of time until he will see her during the day too.¡±


    ¡°Can I open myself up to her?¡± Annika wonders out loud. ¡°Like, let her in so that we can have a conversation with the four of us?¡±


    ¡°She can only attach to people she meets in the woods. I think it might have to do with the place her body is right now. She told me so herself.¡±


    ¡°So, I can¡¯t meet her?¡± Annika seems genuinely disappointed over that fact.


    ¡°Anni, promise me you will never go into those woods. There¡¯s so much bad that happened in there.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t we going to find Angie¡¯s body?¡± She frowns surprised. ¡°How would that work if we¡¯re not going into the woods?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°What?¡± I pull her out of Davy¡¯s room and back to her own. ¡°Anni, you¡¯re not going in there with us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not safe.¡± I roll my eyes since that must be pretty obvious.


    ¡°So? It¡¯s not safe for you either! But you andmy twin brother are planning on going back in there. I¡¯m not leaving you two on you own. You need someone who¡¯s a bit smart.¡±


    ¡°Annika¡­ please don¡¯t do this. I don¡¯t want you there, I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble because of us and our stupid obsession.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting in trouble because of that.¡± She chuckles, pulling me towards the bed and laying down. ¡°I¡¯m want to go in there to help the guy I love.¡±


    * * * * *


    Davy yawns while he enters the kitchen, stretching his stiff muscles with one arm raised above his head, the other in front of his mouth.


    ¡°Morning, fools,¡± he mumbles as he slides onto the chair next to me, his mom instantly placing a plate with food in front of him.


    ¡°Morning, Dave.¡± His mom leans over to peck a kiss on top of his head and he scowls.


    ¡°Mom! I¡¯m not a kid. Sid¡¯s mom doesn¡¯t kiss him either.¡±


    I smirk, Annika rolls her eyes and their mother shakes her head with a small smile. ¡°I know for a fact she does, and Sid knows perfectly well I do too.¡±


    ¡°In fact, she nearly wanted to do the same to me not even a minute ago,¡± I tell him while leaning in his direction. ¡°I¡¯m like a son to her, and I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Davy huffs in disbelieve. ¡°Yeah, right. Mom, Sid wants a motherly kiss.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Mrs. Bray chuckles, and walks around the table to peck a kiss on top of my head and caress my hair in a motherly way. ¡°Morning Sid. Did you sleep well again?¡±


    ¡°Could be worse.¡± I shrug. ¡°But better then I did in a while.¡± I¡¯m lying, I sleep perfectly fine while Angie is there.


    Talk about her, she suddenly is seated in the empty chair in front of me, happily humming a tune, and I instantly notice Davy shortly sends her a look, before looking back towards his food.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one anymore, huh?¡± I whisper to him, leaning in his direction.


    ¡°Nope.¡± He answers plainly. ¡°You could¡¯ve warned me about the hyperactivity, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re in for something.¡± I chuckle, leaning back to the middle and smirk indirectly towards Angie, pretending to have some sort of inside joke with Davy.


    But at least I¡¯m no longer the only one who sees her.


    Now I¡¯m definitely sure I¡¯m not going crazy, seeing the ghost of a little girl.


    ¡°Well, eat your breakfast, all three of you. You need to go to school in ten minutes.¡± Mrs. Bray claps her hands while walking back to the kitchen.


    ¡°We have an hour in between classes, wanna go to the park, with Cory and Edward, and talk this over?¡± Davy suggests, poking his food around on the plate. He normally has a huge apatite, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s hungry today.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Cory wants to be a part of this,¡± I mutter unsurely. I know he doesn¡¯t want to go back into the woods and he thinks I¡¯m crazy for allowing Angie in the way I did. ¡°And I don¡¯t think Edward is up for it either.¡±


    ¡°Why not? We always did everything with the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Edward isn¡¯t carved from the right wood,¡± Angie tells him while shaking her head. ¡°I make him cry and pee his pants¡­¡±


    Davy¡¯s eyes widen and as he snorts, milk comes out of his nose, causing Annika to look back and forth between us, soon realizing it must be Angie who said something funny. ¡°What did I miss?¡± She asks with a frown. ¡°What did¡­¡±


    Mrs. Bray walks back into the dinning area, sending Davy a displeased look since his shirt is covered in milk, and so is his face. ¡°No playing with food.¡±


    ¡°Sid made me laugh.¡± He points towards me and Mrs. Bray sends me a disapproving look of my own. I want to protest, but how am I going to explain it wasn¡¯t me? She knows Annika doesn¡¯t fool around with us enough to make Davy snort out his milk.


    ¡°Yeah, sure¡­ blame it on me,¡± I grumble with a small smile on my face. ¡°Can¡¯t handle a little childlike humour.¡±


    Angie laughs out, Davy sends me an amused look and Mrs. Bray looks confused, but lets it go since we have inside jokes more often. She gave up in trying to understand our conversations long time ago and I guess it comes in handy now that we¡¯re trying to hide the fact Angie is partly having conversations with us.


    ¡°Sid?¡± Annika leans closer. ¡°I really, really want to figure out a way to¡­ get in on your inside jokes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how¡­¡±


    ¡°She wants in?¡± Angie perks up. ¡°Ooh, I would love to have another girl to talk to. One that doesn¡¯t scream hysterically just because I show up in her dreams every so often¡­¡± Angie frowns and I smirk, knowing she¡¯s talking about Kim. ¡°Ooh, can we please take Annika to the woods?¡±


    ¡°Davy?¡± I look at him shortly. ¡°Do you think we could let Annika in?¡±


    ¡°No, most definitely not.¡± Davy shakes her head. ¡°She¡¯s my sister, and I love her, even if she¡¯s annoying sometimes. But no.¡±


    ¡°Dave!¡± Annika cries out. ¡°This is really annoying and unfair and I don¡¯t know if you realize it but I could really be an addition to the little club.¡±


    ¡°Boys, Annika.¡± Mrs. Bray taps the watch on her left wrist. ¡°Time to go to school.¡± She gestures for us to move and we reluctantly do so. We grab our backpacks, put on shoes, and take out the bikes to go to school.


    At least we get to speak freely for the next ten minutes.


    Angie, who is capable of floating along with us, decides to pretend to sit down on the back of Annika¡¯s bike, causing Davy and me to chuckle, while Annika shudders a bit.


    ¡°She¡¯s close to me, isn¡¯t she?¡± Annika asks as she gets on her bike.


    ¡°You¡¯re giving her a lift.¡± Davy smirks.


    ¡°Angie, I know you can hear me. I want to hear you too, and I want to see you. So please, persuade the boys to let me in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Davy and I tell her in unison.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not.¡± Angie smiles at me. ¡°She¡¯s a shield, remember? I think it¡¯s safe to assume if she¡¯s there, you won¡¯t have much trouble in the woods.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty?¡± I shortly look towards Angie. ¡°Annika was right next to me this night, and Mr. dark shadow still visited me.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡± Angie shoots up, deciding on floating in front of me. ¡°Did he hurt you?¡±


    ¡°See, this is really annoying. What is Angie saying?¡± Annika asks, looking towards Davy annoyed.


    ¡°Something about you being a shield and how it might come in handy for you to be there once we go back in that damned forest.¡±


    ¡°And Sid doesn¡¯t believe it¡¯s true, because he saw the black mass last night.¡± Annika looks at me with a worried look. ¡°It made you choke yourself, didn¡¯t it? It¡¯s because of that¡­ thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Choke himself?¡± Davy frowns at me, and Angie stares at me with wide, scared eyes.


    ¡°Sid, is that true?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Annika was there.¡± Angie is now confused and decided to circle around Annika as if trying to find something. ¡°It never showed up whenever you¡¯re around her.¡±


    ¡°It left when she touched me.¡± I explain, sighing deeply. ¡°But otherwise, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a protection to me.¡±


    ¡°And it touched you?¡±


    ¡°It touched me in my dream, yes.¡± I¡¯m now solely answering Angie, not having an idea what Davy and Annika are talking about.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting closer, Sid.¡± Angie cries out, floating towards Davy. ¡°We need to rush things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Sid will be fine as long as he sleeps with Annika or you in the same room. He can go towards Annika and touch her if that helps, right?¡±


    ¡°Wake me up¡­¡± Annika suggests, not entirely sure what the conversation is about. And I¡¯m starting to understand why this must be frustrating to her. Half of the conversation passes her without her knowledge.


    ¡°Angie says it¡¯s getting closer and we need to rush things.¡± I explain to her. ¡°It¡¯s getting closer despite you being around me. So I¡¯m not sure if you really are that much of a shield to us.¡±


    ¡°I really need someone to explain what it means that I¡¯m a shield.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pure, innocent, strong¡­ and up until last night, that thing never got close whenever I was with you.¡± I steer my bike onto the bike path leading to the sheds behind school. ¡°That¡¯s what she meant when she called you a shield. She says you¡¯re an angel. I obviously already knew that¡­¡± I send her a smirk and she sticks out her tongue, but I notice the blush that crept onto her face right before she turns her face away from me.


    ¡°Cheesy, Sid.¡± Davy pats my shoulder while laughing out a bit.


    ¡°Okay, but, we¡¯re going to talk about this in between classes. After fourth hour we have more then an hour to sit.¡± Annika puts her bike in the shed, walking over to me to link our hands together. ¡°We¡¯re going to solve this and get back to our normal lives.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± But that thought doesn¡¯t sit well with me at all as I look how Angie is swaying around, waiting for us to put our bikes away.


    ¡°And Angie will get her well-deserved rest,¡± Annika whispers right before she pecks a kiss on my cheek.

 Chapter 14 – The entrance

    Wednesday, October 5, 2016


    I browse through a book that is about the history of Miller Town and might hold more information about the forest. So far, there¡¯s not much in there.


    In the mean time, Annika is doing research about cults, witchcraft and any other supernatural things she can find, that previously have been linked to the forest. She found out there was once a group that appeared to worship the devil in the woods called the Doe¡¯s. It¡¯s unsure if they wanted to remain anonymous and picked ¡°Doe¡±, after John and Jane Doe, anonymous bodies in murder investigations, or because they held their rituals in Deer Trial, and Doe¡¯s had been rare, but present in the woods back in the days.


    Though option two seems too sweet and nature-loving for a bunch of devil-worshippers.


    Davy is on my other side, still reading into all 25 missing kids, and focusing mostly on those who have never been found.


    He maps the locations they have all last been seen, trying to find a pattern. But some files aren¡¯t very helpful, and it means he has to dig in deeper in the early cases of disappearances ¨C like with Angie¡¯s ¨C to find out the locations and events surrounding the disappearances.


    It¡¯s endless of hours of work, all to try and figure out what is going on, if there¡¯s anything about sightings of a dark figure like the one haunting me ¨C I swear I saw it a handful of times today, always in the corner of my eyes.


    I grab hold of Annika¡¯s hand every time I either think I see it, or feel as if I¡¯m being watched, calming down instantly.


    Combining all information we found so far, we can conclude some dark rituals took place in the woods, all centred around Hunter¡¯s lodge or at least in Deer Trial.


    Another part of the forest that has a dark mysterious history is The Pits, where there is on particular ditch that appears to be large enough to hold a big group of people, and according to records, there always used to be camp fires in the middle of it, while later they uncovered traces of satanic worshipping in the forms of signs, carved into the ground so many times they¡¯re now permanently there.


    ¡°We should investigate this ditch, and Hunter¡¯s Lodge.¡± Annika taps on a map where the little red dots indicate locations of the last sightings of kids and those places seem random. There¡¯re green dots that indicate bodies of kids found, there¡¯s blue dots that indicate spots where worshipping found place, while dark blue means devil worshipping, and light blue is simply wiccan rituals of less evil backgrounds.


    The fact the wiccans kept busy with innocent worshipping, doesn¡¯t mean it never could¡¯ve unleashed something malicious.


    Most certainly because the wiccans, over the timespan of nearly 100 years, seemed to prefer the same locations to hold their rituals, as the darker ones.


    Annika found areal pictures of the ditch that hold the signs they uncovered and I stare at them, half fascinated, half shocked.


    ¡°I also found a picture that was famous about 70 years ago,¡± she tells me while shoving the printed picture towards me. ¡°It was in all papers because it supposedly contained a ghost, but there¡¯s nothing there¡­¡±


    I shrug, not watching towards the picture, still taking in the signs.


    ¡°Could you place a red sticker right here?¡± Davy taps the map and I do as he asks, shortly looking at the red dots, before looking at a sign of anti Christ again.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± I mutter, pulling the map closer. ¡°I think it isa pattern.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± Annika frowns, now leaning over, ignoring the photograph of the supposed ghost appearance captured in the early fifties.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Anti Christ sign¡­¡± I grab a red marker, dotting the pattern that I suddenly see, forming from red dot to red dot. ¡°The outer dots are the circle. These¡­¡± I tap the inner dots. ¡°Though a bit wobbly, are close to the stripes of the star.¡±


    As I finish up the lines, Davy and Annika are both leaning in to see that I¡¯m right. The dots represent the last locations the kids have been seen, not the actual place they ended up getting in trouble. But the sightings are all close to the lines of the Anti Christ sign.


    ¡°There¡¯s enough kids who gone missing to form the entire sign. Is that why it stopped?¡± Davy asks allowed.


    ¡°It never stopped.¡± Angie suddenly looms over us and Davy and I jump up surprised while Annika rolls her eyes. ¡°It just didn¡¯t have new victims.¡± She stares at me. ¡°If I wouldn¡¯t have followed you three in the woods, either one of you, supposedly you, would¡¯ve been the next.¡±


    I bite my lip nervously, knowing she thinks I was going to be the next because I¡¯m the one who¡¯s hunted by a shadow, not Davy or Edward.


    ¡°Hunter¡¯s Lodge is in the exact middle of the sign.¡± Annika taps. ¡°Everything keeps coming back towards Hunter¡¯s Lodge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been exploring the surroundings with Angie in my dreams for a while now. And it¡¯s clear that we will have to go there once we¡¯re going to try and solve all of this once and for all.


    Not that I¡¯m excited for that at all. I dread the moment we¡¯ll enter those woods again. Who knows what¡¯s going to happen in there? What if we become the next victims and end up at the bottom of a long list of kids who went missing in the woods?


    All because we couldn¡¯t contain our curiosity, having to trespass and go into the forest.


    If we wouldn¡¯t have been such thrill seekers, we wouldn¡¯t have been in this situation in the first place.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Why couldn¡¯t I just be interested in anything that has to do with kittens, or romance, or comedians? Why did I have to be born with an intense interest for the paranormal, the mystery, the thrill of horror?


    * * * * *


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Cory.¡± I follow him around through the library, where he¡¯s putting back some books he borrowed for a paper in literature. ¡°You should trust her. Talk to her¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a ghost that¡¯s been haunting my sister and me for years. I can¡¯t trust her. If she would be nice, then she wouldn¡¯t scare us to death half the times.¡± Cory eyes me suspiciously, while Angie sticks out her tongue towards him.


    ¡°When did I ever do anything to him?¡± She frowns, crossing her arms, awaiting me to re-ask her question so that he actually gets to hear it.


    ¡°Think about it, Cory! Did she ever harm you in any way? If she was malicious, she would¡¯ve killed both you and Kim by now, right?¡±


    Cory shrugs, putting back another book, again walking away from me. ¡°Why are you suddenly this invested in her anyway? How can I be sure she isn¡¯t taking over your mind to control you, trying to make me believe I should trust her? What if you¡¯re just her puppet?¡±


    ¡°Auch.¡± Angie¡¯s face turns into a snarl. ¡°Seriously, I will end him if he keeps talking garbage about me like this.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but chuckle over Angie¡¯s response, but I do understand why Cory is cautious about this. ¡°Just think about it. Think about giving her a chance. I promise, you won¡¯t be disappointed. Besides, she¡¯s been protecting me¡­¡±


    ¡°Protecting you, from what? Ghost¡¯s hunting you?¡±


    I pull up an eyebrow, knowing he¡¯s being a bit sarcastic because he can¡¯t see the bigger picture after years of night terrors and spending nearly two years in a psychiatric ward because of Angie. ¡°There is something evil, Cory.¡± I mutter, grabbing his wrist to prevent him from walking away from me. ¡°And it¡¯s been following me.Angie is keeping it at bay until we figure out a way to get rid of it in total.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, a ghost of a boy she hates?¡±


    ¡°No, Cory¡­¡± I whine, yanking his wrist in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m serious. There¡¯s a shadow following me around,¡± ¨C which is currently in the far back corner on my right side ¨C ¡°and it¡¯s been trying to get to me in my dreams. Whenever Angie leaves me, it¡¯s there to pull me in¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that why I haven¡¯t seen or heard Angie for a while? Because she¡¯s with you?¡±


    I slowly nod, sharing a look with Angie shortly. ¡°If she leaves me, I¡¯m unprotected. It¡¯s hard to explain, because Annika touching me is enough protection too, but none of us understand exactly whythat is helpful. Davy is in on this too, he sees and talks to Angie just as much as I do. Tonight, Angie is going to show us the tunnel¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Sid!¡± Cory calls out loudly, earning us a shushing sound from Mrs. Bell, the old librarian. ¡°Don¡¯t go into the tunnel, promise me.¡±


    ¡°Not in reality, in my dreams.¡± I chuckle awkwardly. ¡°Angie has been showing me the forest for a while now. She wants Davy and me to know how to walk, where to walk, and what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Sid.¡± Cory pulls out of my hold. ¡°I want nothing to do with Angie, The Miller Woods, or anything worse then Angie out there. I can¡¯t do it, not again. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He shakes his head, and while dropping the last book into my arms, he turns around and leaves me behind.


    Thursday, October 6, 2016


    Since Davy opened up to Angie and allowed her to talk to him, she suggested for us both to sleep in the same room so that she could talk to us in the same time in our sleep.


    She wanted to show us the way into the woods that she already previously showed to Cory.


    And that¡¯s where we¡¯re currently at; the old Mill just outside of town, in front of the main building.


    Angie already went inside, but I share a nervous look with Davy, unsure if we should do this.


    But then Davy takes in a deep breath, shrugs, and follows her inside.


    I reluctantly follow since I really don¡¯t want to be outside on my own ¨C even it¡¯s a dream and I know there¡¯s nobody else in this world.


    I still have a feeling of being watched and I can¡¯t help but think it is the black mass lingering in the background, awaiting its time when Angie isn¡¯t there to protect me.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Angie giggles and walks, or pretends to walk, towards the stairs, leading towards the basement.


    The stairs creeks underneath our footsteps as we decent into the darkness, still following Angie as she guides us through piles of unused wood and old materials.


    ¡°It¡¯s right here.¡± Angie gestures towards a wall where piles of boxes are stacked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a hatch behind the boxes. This is how it really looks. It¡¯s hidden behind the boxes and you have to look very careful to find the hatch.¡±


    ¡°You want us to move the boxes now?¡± Davy grumbles, staring at the boxes annoyed. ¡°This is child labour.¡±


    Angie smirks and chuckles. ¡°Close your eyes.¡±


    I hear her snap her fingers and giggle. ¡°And ta-da.¡± She cheerfully calls out.


    I frown as I notice a hatch is opened into a tunnel.


    She flies straight through the small hole; Davy and I crawl after her. The first two meters are tights and we can¡¯t do other then crawl. But then there¡¯s a ladder and the tunnel suddenly is two meters high, and enforced with wooden beams.


    ¡°Wow, awesome!¡± Davy stares into the tunnel fascinated and I feel impressed too. ¡°We should¡¯ve known about this sooner.¡± He shortly looks at me before he starts walking through the tunnel, following Angie¡¯s lead once more. ¡°Would¡¯ve saved us from community service and having to pay back the damage to the fence.


    ¡°Edwards parents are probably going to cover the damage to help the three of you out of trouble, and debts the rest of your lives.¡± Angie smiles widely. ¡°I overheard them talking when I was haunting Edward. He¡¯s really boring by the way. When he¡¯s not with you guys, all he does is watch TV.¡±


    ¡°What about hanging out with Amara?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot of times.¡± Angie looks at me amused. ¡°They¡¯re a dull couple. The only ever hold hands. I mean, I¡¯m nine and even I had a boy kiss me on my mouth once.¡± She giggles, but then looks sad. ¡°I miss him¡­ He was my best friend.¡±


    ¡°What was his name?¡± I curiously look at her, since she rarely talks about her life.


    ¡°Evert¡­¡± She sends me a sad look. ¡°Evert Laru.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Laru, isn¡¯t that one of the first kids that went missing in the woods?¡± Davy frowns and I¡¯m impressed by the fact he remembered some of the names.


    Angie clears her throat. ¡°I was looking for him¡­ He was the first that went missing.¡± She shrugs, and then she flies forwards faster, out of hearing range, but still in sights.


    ¡°I guess she doesn¡¯t want to talk about that¡­¡± Davy shortly looks at me and I shrug, as I walk further, picking up speed because I want to stay close to Angie. But as I try to find her again, she¡¯s out of sight.


    ¡°Dave, we need to catch up. I don¡¯t want to lose her out of sight¡­¡± I drawl, looking over my shoulder to find an empty tunnel behind me too. ¡°Dave!?¡± I call out, as my heartbeat picks up speed. A second ago he was here, and whenever I was looking over my shoulder, I could still see some light at the end of the tunnel, but now it¡¯s entirely black.


    And the darkness is getting closer as I stare at in, frozen in my spot. ¡°Dave!? Angie!?¡± I shout out in fear. As the darkness is closing in, I wake up from my stupor and before I know it, my feet are carrying me further into the tunnel, towards the woods. ¡°No, no, no.¡±


    Where did Angie go?


    Where did Davy go? Are they in trouble?


    I know I am, but are they too?


    I run as fast as I can, but then there¡¯s a feeling as if something is pulling on different parts of my body, as a darkness surrounds me like a whirlwind. I manage to break through the door at the end of the tunnel, stumbling into an old empty wooden cabin ¨C different from the one Angie showed me before.


    But as I fall to the ground, the cabin disperses into darkness, sounds disappear. As if there is nothing else but darkness, and anger that is rising deep inside me. I scream in anger and fear at once, as waves of wind are around me, and then I think I black out.

 Chapter 15 – Search

    Wednesday, October 6, 2016


    Davy¡¯s POV


    ¡°Davy!¡± I¡¯m heavily shaken by two hands and suddenly I¡¯m no longer in the tunnel with Sid and Angie as excitement was nearly getting the best of me for finding a way into the woods. ¡°Dave!¡±


    It¡¯s Annika¡¯s panicky voice that makes me open my eyes, to find her staring at me in horror, tears on her face.


    ¡°What?¡± I grumble, pushing her to get her to let go. ¡°I¡¯m awake, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Sid¡­ he¡¯s gone¡­¡± She looks backwards to the bed. ¡°I can¡¯t find him anywhere in the house¡­¡± She starts crying again and I search the room but am unable to find Angie.


    ¡°Angie¡¯s gone too¡­ Did they leave together?¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to know!¡± Annika hisses in anger. ¡°I don¡¯t get to see Angie, And Sid was already gone when I woke up. Dave, I¡¯m worried. He¡¯s been acting off ever since you guys went into the woods and that talking about the black mass¡­ that shadowy thing¡­ What if something¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I nod, telling her I understand why she¡¯s freaking out. Why did Sid leave? And he was in my dream and he was actively talking to me. That means he must have been asleep until Annika woke me up, or even still.


    I¡¯m not sure how any of this works and I just like to go with the flow and let Angie tell us what we need to do to solve these issues.


    But now Sid is gone and that fact kind of freaks me out.


    Angie suddenly enters the room through the wall, kind of scaring the shit out of me. As I catch my breath and Annika follows my gaze, quickly understanding Angie scared me, she speaks up.


    ¡°Sid¡¯s not in the house and I can¡¯t find him¡­¡± She¡¯s on the brim of tears. ¡°I can¡¯t locate him and I always could¡­ I always knew¡­¡±


    ¡°Where do you think he went?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one logical explanation,¡± she whispers, her words heavy with fear. ¡°It happened once with Cory, and I was surprised about it¡­ I¡¯m not sure how I got him to do so, but he sleepwalked when I showed him the tunnel in his dream. He wasn¡¯t aware it was a dream¡­ What if Sid wasn¡¯t aware and he did the same?¡±


    ¡°No, Ang!¡± I call out, grabbing my hair in frustration. ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, Sid is in that tunnel¡­¡±


    ¡°And already underneath the forest¡­ we were almost at the end¡­¡± Angie¡¯s eyes widen.


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®Sid is in that tunnel¡¯?¡± Annika grabs my collar and shakes me angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Sid is actually in that tunnel! Don¡¯t tell me he is in the woods, all by himself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going there, right now.¡± Angie firmly speaks up. ¡°I have to protect him, I have to find him¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, we¡¯ll follow.¡±


    Angie shakes her head quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know. Give me a couple of minutes to explore the tunnel. If Sid is in there, I¡¯ll come and get you to guide you.¡±


    I swallow, but nod, and watch her vanish into thin air.


    ¡°Davy¡­¡± Annika cries out, and I pull her in a protective hug. ¡°Where are we following her to?¡±


    ¡°Angie is searching the tunnel right now¡­¡± I whisper, caressing her back to calm her down as good as possible. ¡°As soon as she located Sid, she¡¯ll bring us to him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared, Dave,¡± Annika whispers, pulling back from my hold to look at me. ¡°Things are getting out of hand¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to solve this. And Angie seems really invested in protecting Sid. I think she has a little ghost crush on him,¡± I jokingly tease Annika ¨C who is still insecure about Sid¡¯s feelings, even after three years. It¡¯s a futile attempt to lighten the mood a bit. ¡°We better get dressed so that we¡¯re ready when Angie is going to guide us.¡±


    Annika nods and while she gets dressed in her room, I headed to my own to put on the right clothes to crawl through a tunnel and head into the woods, yet again.


    And then we wait for what feels like hours, but in reality, it¡¯s no longer then ten minutes before Angie shows up again, shocked expression on her face.


    ¡°Where is he? Did you find him? I demand her to tell me what she found.


    ¡°He¡¯s in the cabin¡­ he made it through the tunnel. But he¡¯s unconscious or asleep, I¡¯m not sure¡­ but I can¡¯t wake him up, I can¡¯t communicate so I think he¡¯s actually unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Guide us there, Angie. Now.¡± I tell her, getting up from my seat and gesturing Annika to follow me.


    We sneak out of the house and I notice it¡¯s around five in the morning. We have to be back in two hours. But I¡¯m not going back until I found Sid and made sure he¡¯s okay.


    I don¡¯t care what the consequences are, I need to help my best friend.


    We don¡¯t talk while we¡¯re hurrying through town, leaving it behind to go over to the abandoned mill all the way on the other side of town and slightly outside of town. It¡¯s about half an hour walk and now I just wish we would¡¯ve taken our bikes.


    But Annika said we shouldn¡¯t because leaving the bikes by the mill could alarm people that we¡¯re in there.


    They could force us out before we got to the tunnel.


    Before we got to Sid.


    So, we decided on walking and Angie told us she would meet us at the Mill as soon as we get there, meanwhile keeping an eye on Sid.


    I wish she would report to me every so often, and I truly hope she will come and tell me once he wakes up.


    I haven¡¯t exactly told Annika about his current state and there¡¯s images flashing through my mind of his state.


    And I keep wondering why he went into the cabin while Angie and I were no longer there. Why didn¡¯t he turn around and get the hell out of there?


    As soon as we walk inside the building that Angie guided me and Sid to, Angie appears in front of me.


    ¡°He¡¯ snot doing great, Dave. We have to hurry.¡± Angie is again showing signs of fear and she¡¯s about to cry. I wonder what it looks like to see a ghost cry.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Though that shouldn¡¯t be my main focus right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I grab Annika¡¯s wrist and pull her towards the stairs, down into the basement and to the side where the boxes are supposed to be stacked in front of the hatch. But it¡¯s open and I assume it¡¯s because Sid already made his way through.


    ¡°Cory once left it like this¡­¡± Angie whispers as an explanation. ¡°Sid only had to open the hatch to get in. We should put the boxes back as soon as we get Sid out there. That way none of you can easily get in again¡­¡±


    I nod, and follow Angie through the hatch, crawling for the first two meters, descending the ladder to get into the actual tunnel. Annika follows close behind me.


    ¡°Do you and Annika get to connect as soon as we¡¯re in the woods?¡±


    Angie bites her lip and nods, though she doesn¡¯t seem as exited about that right now.


    ¡°Do we?¡± Annika asks while we¡¯re hurrying through the tunnel, her holding my arm constantly.


    ¡°She nodded, so I guess so.¡± I answer, picking up more speed because this is taking to damn long. Sid has been in there on his own for at least an hour by now.


    I know stories of some of the kids that went missing. Parents who lost track of them for even seconds and their kids never returned. Sid¡¯s been in there on his own for an hour, so I¡¯m not sure in what state we¡¯ll be finding him.


    ¡°Are we nearly there?¡± Annika nervously asks, jumping all of the sudden, grabbing her neck. ¡°Auch!¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Angie drawls awkwardly. ¡°We¡¯re below the woods now¡­ I have to attach¡­¡± She explains, and I smirk at Annika, before pulling her back into movement. ¡°We¡¯re halfway. Angie scratched you. She has to.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re in the woods?¡± Annika¡¯s voice trembles and she squeezes my arm painfully. ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡±


    ¡°Tell her she can¡¯t see me until I visited her in her dreams andshe¡¯s open to it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to dream first¡­¡± I tell her, feeling the need to run, suddenly noticing that the in dust covered floor, has a larger part that isn¡¯t covered in dust at all.


    And then, looking further, I find fabrics on the ground that seems like they¡¯ve been ripped off of some clothes. And they match the colour of the shirt Sid was wearing when we went to bed. ¡°Sid¡­¡± I whisper in shock, sharing a look with Annika, before we both start running as fast as we can.


    ¡°Sid!?¡± Annika cries out desperately wanting to hear a response coming from him, not getting one at all.


    I¡¯m completely out of breath once we get view of a door, and its merely adrenaline and worry over Sid that helps me to run even faster, calling out his name to alarm him we¡¯re here, to hopefully get a response.


    We bust through the door, stumbling out, staring at Sid, laying on the floor in foetal position.


    ¡°Sid!¡± Annika and I call out in unison, both kneeling beside him. There¡¯s indeed pieces of the hem of his shirt that got ripped, There¡¯s a large scratch on the side of his neck, and his breathing is seriously weak and raspy.


    ¡°Sid, please wake up¡­¡± Annika begs, moving to touch him, hissing and pulling back with shock dripping from every pour of her body. ¡°He¡¯s burning hot!¡± She calls out shocked.


    I frown, moving to touch him. He feels as if he¡¯s got a fever, indeed. But not in a way that makes me want to pull back my hand like she did.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a fever.¡±


    ¡°I burned my fingers, Davy.¡± Annika snaps, showing her red fingertips.


    ¡°What the¡­ are those blisters?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Dave! They are!¡± Annika calls out in anger. ¡°I can¡¯t touch Sid¡­ why can¡¯t I touch Sid?¡± She¡¯s frantically searching the room. ¡°Angie¡­ what¡¯s happening to us?¡±


    Angie keeps a sweet distance, staring at us shocked, scared, nervous. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s¡­¡± she chokes out. ¡°Dave¡­¡±


    I look down towards Sid, who still hasn¡¯t moved an inch, his breathing growing weaker each second. ¡°What, Angie¡­ What is he?¡±


    ¡°Possessed¡­¡± She backs away from us even further. ¡°ITgot to him.¡±


    ¡°What? We have to help him!¡± I call out, grabbing hold of Sid¡¯s face. ¡°Please, Sid, wake up.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not going to wake up soon.¡± Angie, now as far away from his as possible. ¡°And he needs¡­ medical attention. Or he will die.¡±


    ¡°What! No! No, we have to help him!¡± Panic is now in full control, and I frantically search the room, looking for something I don¡¯t even know what it is.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dave?¡± Annika is crying, constantly wanting to touch Sid, but not doing so. Every time her hand lingers close to his skin, she pulls back, sobbing worse.


    ¡°Sid needs to go to hospital,¡± I whisper, staring down at Sid, not knowing how to get him there. It¡¯s not like we can just call an ambulance to pick him up. We¡¯re in the middle of the Miller woods. ¡°He¡­ he might¡­ Angie said¡­ We have to get him to hospital.¡± I decide against filling Annika in on the truth right now. She won¡¯t get to see Angie until after she slept, she won¡¯t be able to hear her tell her exactly the thing she can¡¯t process right now.


    I know she loves him too much to cope with it in this situation.


    Once he¡¯s in hospital, I¡¯ll fill her in on the truth.


    The fact he¡¯s probably possessed, and there¡¯s a possibility he will die.


    ¡°Angie, is this what¡­ happened to you too?¡±


    She shakes her head, biting her lip. ¡°It happened to others, though¡­ I saw it¡­ he¡¯s¡­ you¡­ He either dies¡­ or¡­¡± She swallows and shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s not important right now. You have to find a way to get him to hospital, or he has to go to Hunter¡¯s lodge.¡±


    ¡°Why Hunter¡¯s lodge?¡±


    She swallows hard again. ¡°Forget I said. Can you carry him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to¡­¡± I frown, wondering what is up with Hunter¡¯s lodge, but shaking it as I know I have to help Sid, and we can¡¯t take him to Hunter¡¯s lodge. Even if we do so, we can¡¯t stay there until the end of days. We have to get out of here.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Annika sobs, watching me while I pill Sid onto his back. He limply rolls over, his breathing hitching shortly. As soon as he¡¯s on his back, we gasp in shock. His throat is black and blue, scratches going down to his chest, still bleeding a bit.


    ¡°What happened to him!?¡± Annika cries out loudly, covering her face, sobbing uncontrollably.


    ¡°Annika, get it together. We need to get him to hospital, now.¡± I start lifting Sid, but I already know I can¡¯t carry him bridal style all the way through the tunnel. But I have to try to get as far as possible.


    ¡°You should carry him on your back. That¡¯s way easier and¡­¡± Annika shuts her mouth, realising it is kind of hard to get 70 kilograms of dead weight to work along and pull him onto my back, while she can¡¯t help because apparently, she¡¯ll get burn wounds.


    I manage to carry Sid for a couple of meters, but as his breathing hitches more and more, I feel my muscles scream and burn, knowing I will have to put him down soon.


    I stumble and give into the need to put him back down.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to help you to lift him onto your back.¡± Annika shows up on Sid¡¯s other side. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the blisters, or the wounds. Sid needs to get to hospital, now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    She nods again, but I see the doubt in her eyes, knowing she will get burned, and she won¡¯t be able to properly use her hands if the blisters get worse then they already are.


    I don¡¯t even want to think about the reason behind her blisters, her not being able to touch Sid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lift him as far as possible. You¡¯ll might have to help me a bit, bit only a bit.¡±


    She nods, and then I push Sid up into a seating position, pulling his arms around my neck, rising back to my feet while lifting him up with me. He limply hangs by his arms, his legs not supporting any of his weight.


    ¡°Let her hold his hands.¡± Angie points. ¡°His sleeves. She might not get burned, and then you¡¯ll get to lift his legs.¡±


    ¡°Grab his sleeve to hold him up.¡± I mutter, putting most of my energy and strength into keeping Sid up, while Annika listens in silence, doing what I told her to do. She carefully grabs his sleeves, scraping a bit of skin, hissing as another blister forms.


    There¡¯s doubt, sadness, hurt in her eyes as she realises she really can¡¯t touch Sid. And I might not be the only one who¡¯s starting to get really worried about that little fact.


    If that shadow got to him, it might be the entire reason she can¡¯t touch him. She shielded the darkness away, and now it might be inside him. Now, she can¡¯t come near her boyfriend, as he¡¯s taken by a darkness that none of us can explain.


    I take in a deep breath, squatting, grabbing the back of his legs, and pulling them around my waist all in a quick move. As I stand, slightly leaning forwards, I lift him a bit more, getting him balanced on my back. ¡°Okay, move.¡±


    And that¡¯s what we do; walk fast but in a steady pace, as Angie keeps her sweet distance, hovering around us while keeping an eye on Sid too.


    But I didn¡¯t miss the fact she¡¯s staying away as far as possible from him right now, and that detail worries me to no end. If Angie can¡¯t get to him, there¡¯s nobody that is able to help him right now.


    He¡¯s fighting for his life, a battle inside his body, and I feel powerless, not knowing how to help him.


    By the time we reach the end of the tunnel, my phone has been buzzing nearly none-stop in my pocket, and Annika is ignoring hers too, while I send her out to find a piece of wood, large and strong enough to function as a stretcher for Sid, to get him through the narrow end of the tunnel.


    With a bit of struggle, we manage to push him through the end, through the hatch, and into the old Mill. Then, we carry him outside together, and as soon as we left the forbidden premises, Annika picks her phone to dial 911, while I get rid of the wood.


    ¡°So, we found him like this after we found out he was sleepwalking, agreed?¡± Annika speaks firmly, not accepting a no for an answer.


    I nod, and Angie nods too ¨C even though Annika doesn¡¯t know.


    The three of us agreed that nobody can know what happened, for they will lock us away in that ward, claiming we¡¯re crazy.

 Chapter 16 – Teaming up

    Friday, October 7<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Davy¡¯s POV


    Annika has been staring at Angie curiously ever since we woke up this morning and she found Angie seated at the window sill, staring outside and deep in thought.


    ¡°Is she always this quiet?¡± Annika leans towards me, whispering to not disturb Angie. It¡¯s too early to go to hospital to visit Sid, who hasn¡¯t woken up so far.


    After Annika called an ambulance, they also dispatched a police car since the whole story screams mystery and they assume Sid has been attacked.


    There¡¯re lashes all over his body and they needed to give him extra oxygen at first since his breathing was weak, but then it stopped overall, he went in to respiratory arrest, and they¡¯re now fully controlling his breathing through machines.


    I¡¯m surprised Annika isn¡¯t crying right now, because she has been crying none-stop ever since Sid¡¯s parents informed us about his poor physical state.


    She cried herself to sleep, and she woke up on several occasions throughout the night. After three times, she asked me why she still couldn¡¯t see Angie, scared, angry, upset all at once.


    And Angie simply told me she couldn¡¯t scare Annika right now. How she felt she couldn¡¯t bother her in her dreams.


    Annika ¨C in return to me explaining Angie¡¯s decision to hold it off ¨C demanded for Angie to appear, for she had questions that needed to be answered and she was sick of needing me to transfer answers from Angie to her.


    I guess Angie listened and is now fully attached to Annika, which made me nervous a bit.


    Especially because I already knew Sid is probably possessed by something really evil, and I knowingly withheld that information from Annika so far.


    Angie and I informed her about it together, and she took it surprisingly well. Just said we need to keep investigating to find a way to help Sid. But I know deep down inside, she¡¯s completely freaking out and scared to lose him for good.


    He wouldn¡¯t be the first one to die because of this, as Angie simply stated about an hour ago.


    According to her, every round of six kids gone missing, started with someone getting possessed by the dark entity that was haunting Sid. None of those ¨C who had all been adults, or teens, lived to tell the tale, but none went missing, but died through natural causes. Even though the natural causes couldn¡¯t be explained.


    They all died in their sleep, and no doctor has been able to explain whytheir hearts just stopped beating one night.


    ¡°She is usually hyperactive, but I think she feels guilty for what happened to Sid¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you think I feel?¡± Annika cries out. ¡°If I wouldn¡¯t have woken you up, she wouldn¡¯t have left him¡­¡±


    ¡°Anni, Angie and I would¡¯ve woken up at some point anyway. Sid wasn¡¯t here physically, so I guess as soon as his mind wasn¡¯t with Angie, he was vulnerable. It¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s not Angie¡¯s either. It¡¯s mine. I should¡¯ve never suggested going into those woods in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t blame ourselves and focus on finding a solution.¡± Annika whispers.


    ¡°Starting by getting Cory involved.¡± Angie is suddenly right in front of us, and I jump slightly, while Annika grasps for air in shock, covering her chest, staring at Angie in shock.


    ¡°O my god I totally get why you and Sid kept jumping because of her!¡± Annika scowls towards Angie. ¡°I nearly had a heart attack, it¡¯s bad enough one of us is in hospital, let¡¯s keep it at one, okay?¡±


    Angie scowls, but shrugs nonetheless. ¡°We need Cory.¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯m pretty sure Sid said Cory didn¡¯t want anything to do with this. And Sid was the only one of us who Cory really trusted.¡± Annika plucks the comforter of her bed nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t think Cory¡¯s going to jump in all of the sudden when we ask.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the whole reason he might,¡± Angie answers casually. ¡°The only one who really befriended Cory, really befriended him and even agreed to stay over the night so that Cory wouldn¡¯t be alone, is temporarily in hospital.¡±


    ¡°Temporarily? He¡¯s fighting for his life!¡±


    Angie pulls a face, telling me she hasn¡¯t told us everything she knows so far. ¡°He¡¯ll wake up once they remove the machine.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so!¡± Annika calls out angrily. ¡°We have to get them to stop the artificial breathing¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll get worse first, stops breathing, and then he¡¯ll be at his most vulnerable.¡± Angie floats circles around the room seemingly acting nervous. ¡°That¡¯s when it¡¯ll really take over. It¡¯ll take over the breathing, the beating of his heart, his mind¡­¡± Angie turns. ¡°He either stays in this vegetative state, or he¡¯ll be dead for a short time and then wake up becausethe entity took over. As long as he doesn¡¯t die, it won¡¯t be able to take over his body fully.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that he either stays like this forever, or he¡¯ll die, and wake up only to be taken, and then die again after the cycle is finished again?¡±


    ¡°Which might take a while, since the last cycle was two years ago¡­¡± Angie drawls. ¡°Or he has to finish the cycle, shifting them two years ahead. Maybe, if he is the one who¡¯ll be responsible for the next cycle, we have another eleven years to fix this before he starts.¡±


    ¡°Which would be the best case scenario?¡± I frown, staring at Angie in wonder. ¡°You know, for a nine-year-old, you do know a lot.¡±


    ¡°I was nine when I died. I¡¯ve been learning a lot ever since. I¡¯m not bounded to the woods, I¡¯m just not strong enough outside the woods to attach myself, or to haunt someone I haven¡¯t been attached to yet. But I got to observe for years and years. For starters, by following those who I came across in the woods, without attaching. Then, by following investigators, doctors, anyone who could give me information.¡± Angie shrugs. ¡°I may look like a nine-year old, but in my mind I¡¯m 63, which is how old I would¡¯ve been if I would still be alive¡­¡± She sounds a bit sad, but perks up again soon. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit Sid for a second¡­¡±


    We both nod and watch her vanish into thin air.


    ¡°So, does she know where to find us when we leave home and go over to find Cory?¡± Annika asks curiously. ¡°Or should we wait?¡±


    ¡°We can go, she¡¯ll locate us easily.¡±


    ¡°Cool¡­¡± Annika smirks, but then looks sad again. ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be for Sid in danger, I could actually get used to Angie¡­ or the fact ghosts actually do exist.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Same, Anni.¡± I nod. ¡°There¡¯s this scary, shitty side to all of this. But I can¡¯t help but think this is pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°But for now, we need to find a way to help Sid.¡±


    ¡°And for some reason, Angie thinks Cory could help us.¡±


    ¡°So, visit Cory?¡± Annika already got up, putting on a sweater that belongs to Sid, causing me to sigh sadly, yet get up nonetheless.


    ¡°Yes, and since he¡¯ll be in school, I guess we should head over there.¡±


    * * * * *


    As soon as people notice Annika and me, carrying our backpacks, ready to go to class, the whispering starts.


    We got a day of to process the events of this night, since we found our best friend and Annika¡¯s boyfriend after he got attacked. And we¡¯re the only ones who know how badly the attack is.


    As soon as those whispers reached our friends, all of them hurried over ¨C including Amber, who I haven¡¯t seen around for a while. Not ever since she claimed Angie was a fake and Cory was fooling us.


    Cory was the last to reach us, and until then, Annika and I didn¡¯t tell the rest anything. Angie joined us in the mean time, telling us Sid¡¯s situation didn¡¯t change so far.


    It¡¯s currently lunch, and we¡¯re seated at the same table as always, which now feels eerily empty without Sid and his witty comebacks.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Edward nervously fiddles with the string of his hoodie, Amara is biting her nail, and Amber seems uneasy. Cory is silent, and I can¡¯t read the expression on his face. ¡°Was it that ghost?¡±


    Annika and I both shake our heads.


    ¡°Why is everyone always blaming me?¡± Angie pouts, leaning over towards Edward to blow into his ear. ¡°Tell them I¡¯ll hunt those who blame me until they scare themselves to death.¡±


    ¡°Could you do that?¡± I chuckle, nodding towards Amber.


    ¡°Well, She can¡¯t hear or see me. But she can see the things I can do, like move things¡­ write on her mirror¡­¡± Angie lolls her head and smirks, Annika and me chuckling, while Edward, Amber and Amara stare towards the empty spot besides Edward, confused and curious in the same time.


    ¡°Annika too?¡± Cory¡¯s eyes widen, and he leans in to check out the scratch in her neck. ¡°You guys went back into the woods,¡± he hisses in anger. ¡°That¡¯s what happened to Sid. You were in the woods.¡±


    ¡°Now, hold the judgement until we tell you whywe were in the woods.¡± I hold up my hands defensively. ¡°A dream-trip went wrong, okay?¡±


    ¡°Dream-trip?¡± Amber sounds sceptic. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that Angie is visiting them in their dreams. It¡¯s why Edward and I haven¡¯t seen her in a while. Sid became besties with Angie.¡± Cory sounds mocking, and I frown at him.


    ¡°Jealous much?¡± I pull up an eyebrow, getting a scowl in return. ¡°Sid found out that Angie isn¡¯t evil. She¡¯s been helping us to get to the bottom of this. For starters, she showed Sid his way around the woods in his dreams. That way, he wouldn¡¯t have to physically go into the woods, but still knows where to find what¡­¡±


    ¡°And why is that important? We¡¯re never going back in there, ever again. So what¡¯s the use of knowing your way around a forest that is forbidden to enter anyway?¡± Edward sounds annoyed and angry. ¡°Was Sid planning on going back?¡±


    ¡°He was, and so are we.¡± I share a look with Annika, who nods encouragingly. ¡°Angie asked us to help her. Or mainly, she had a deal with Sid¡­¡±


    ¡°Help her? With what?¡±


    ¡°Locate her body, and bring peace to her parents, who are still alive and never found out what happened to her.¡±


    ¡°And why would we risk our lives to do so?¡± Amara frowns, and I notice she choose to address us as a group, not Annika and me as a duo, or with Sid as a trio.


    ¡°At first, we didn¡¯t really find a reason to do so, but Sid has been having trouble with another entity that followed him¡­¡± Annika¡¯s voice falters. ¡°He described it as a dark mass and it was drawing him in whenever Angie wasn¡¯t with him¡­¡±


    ¡°Or Annika.¡± I send her a look, telling her we need to tell them the whole story. ¡°Angie and Annika have been able to act as a shield between Sid and the entity.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Amber seems shocked and I stop her protest by holding up a hand.


    ¡°Let us finish the story and then ask the questions.¡±


    ¡°Right, let them finish.¡± Amara nods and Edward shuffles in his seat, shuddering because he feels cold by Angie¡¯s close presence, though he doesn¡¯t see her. I can tell he knows she¡¯s there.


    ¡°Sid and Angie made a deal. She would protect him, and he would start to help her to find her body.¡± Annika sounds calm, but I see her trembling hands. ¡°Davy decided on helping too, since he could connect to Angie in the same way, while I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°This is all nice and scary¡­¡± Amber drawls, lolling her head. ¡°It still doesn¡¯t explain what happened to Sid and why you suddenly see a ghost, that was haunting Edward for longer. He still doesn¡¯t see her, or hear her. This is bulls¡­¡±


    ¡°I swear I will scare her to death if she won¡¯t stop whining.¡±


    ¡°-hit.¡±


    ¡°Then let us finish.¡± I send her a stern look. ¡°And Angie says she will haunt you into believing she exists if you will interrupt us again.¡±


    ¡°I said scare her to literal death, but I guess this works too¡­¡± Angie chuckles, now flying towards Amber, sitting down next to her and leaning to her arm. The goose bumps on Amber¡¯s arm a physical sign of her presence.


    ¡°Angie was guiding Sid through the woods, and since a couple of days, I joined them. Last night, she was showing us how to get into the woods, via an¡­ -¡±


    ¡°-old tunnel.¡± Cory finishes my sentence before he sighs deeply. ¡°Sid sleepwalked, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Annika and I both nod.


    ¡°I was in the same room as Davy and Sid, and I woke up, not finding Sid next to me. Davy was still sleeping, and I went to see if Sid went to the bedroom. I couldn¡¯t find them, so I woke Davy up because I panicked.¡±


    ¡°At that point in our dream, Sid and I were already in the tunnel, and Annika woke me up. Angie was with us in the house, and Sid wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He was in the tunnel, for real.¡± Annika shudders at the thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we hurried over there. We needed to get him out of there because Angie went to look and found him there, unconscious. She wasn¡¯t able to connect or communicate with him in any way, so we needed to get to him physically.¡±


    They all stare at us in silence, shocked, sad, worried.


    ¡°So¡­ what attacked¡­ him?¡± Amber squeaks nervously.


    ¡°It¡¯s assumable it was the dark entity that was following him around. Angie wasn¡¯t with him to act as a shield, and neither was Annika.¡±


    The latter swallows hard next to me. ¡°When we found Sid, we saw clear signs of him being attacked by something evil. I tried to touch him¡­¡± She¡¯s mumbling now. ¡°But I can¡¯t¡­ because I¡¯ll burn myself¡­¡± She shows her hands, placing them flat on the table, showing the blisters on her fingers and palms.


    It creates a wave of gasps in shock, Amber covering her mouth while she stares at Annika in disbelief.


    ¡°I carried Sid out to the public road and we called an ambulance. We left the story at sleepwalking and finding him like that, in that spot.¡± I wrap up the story, while they stare at us confused, shocked, in disbelief still.


    ¡°And how is he doing right now?¡± Cory asks calmly.


    ¡°He¡¯ll either stay like this, or we allow him to die, so the entity gets to take over his full body¡­¡± Annika chokes over the last word, starting to sob as the reality of things seems to hit her hard.


    ¡°But then he dies?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll live¡­ until the next cycle is finished¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°Then he dies¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Amber stares at us with tears in her eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll die either way?¡±


    ¡°Not if we find a way to help him¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to help him?¡± Amara asks unsurely. ¡°If this had been going on for so long, then how are we going to stop things?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to figure out.¡± I sigh deeply, suddenly feeling exhausted. ¡°And Angie says we need Cory¡­¡±


    ¡°Why Cory?¡± Amara leans forwards, curiously searching the air around us. ¡°Why not any of us? Why not all of us? Sid is our best friend and he has been for ages now. I think we owe it to him to do everything we can to help him.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Edward nods, sending us a weak smile. ¡°We need to help him.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± Cory grumbles annoyed. ¡°Indeed, why not anyone else? Why not you?¡± He nods towards me. ¡°You already see her, and I guess Annika does too. Why not you two?¡±


    ¡°Because they never lost a family member, and Sid and you did.¡± Angie whispers close to his ear, surprising me and Annika.


    But then I remember I clearly saw the last name ¡°Hayes¡± by one of the kids who went missing during the second cycle. It¡¯s one of the kids who hasn¡¯t been found, and it¡¯s one of the three I so far haven¡¯t found the location they went missing at.


    Hannah Hayes, George Roberts and Marissa Smith.


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ever going to forget those names.


    Cory sits frozen in his spot, and I think, by the looks of it, this is one of the things he hears Angie say. He heard her, when she addressed him directly.


    ¡°So, why Cory?¡± Amber pushes us for an answer, and I suddenly realise only Annika, Cory and I heard Angie answer the question.


    ¡°Because I lost a family member in the woods, just like Sid.¡± Cory whispers, slumping down in his seat a bit. ¡°Because I¡¯m¡­ attached¡­ to the events.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about you¡­ but I¡¯m adamant to find a way to help Sid.¡± Amara sits up with a determined look on her face. ¡°We can do this, together.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Edward nods firmly. ¡°As friends.¡±


    ¡°For Sid.¡± Amber smiles weakly.


    ¡°Now what, group hug?¡± Cory scowls, but then rolls his eyes. ¡°For Sid, andall those who fell victim to whatever the hell is haunting those damned Miller Woods.¡±


    Angie smirks at him but seems pleased with the outcome. ¡°Amen.¡±

 Chapter 17 – History

    Saturday, October 8<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Davy¡¯s POV


    Sid is in a hospital bed, fed oxygen by a calm buzzing machine, while a tube enters through his mouth, causing his chest to rise and fall in a natural pace.


    Annika is sobbing in a chair slightly moved away from Sid. The closer we got to Sid, the more anxious so grew.


    And in front of the room, she told me she felt as if there was some sort of force that tried to push her away.


    I think it¡¯s safe to say whatever is going on right now, is way bigger then we thought.


    Annika pushed through, but only did so because Angie told her she feels the same whenever she¡¯s getting close to Sid, but she would stick by her side.


    It¡¯s painful to watch my sister break down in front of me, because I am able to touch the guy she loves so much, while she can¡¯t.


    She tried, again, but with her fingers hoovering over his arm, she said she already felt the burning pain caused by the heat that is radiating off his body.


    He hasn¡¯t got a fever anymore, and to me he feels perfectly normal, but I saw the struggle in Annika¡¯s eyes and as a twin, I could swear I felt the pain myself.


    We¡¯ve been in here for about an hour, at first accompanied by Sid¡¯s crying mother and stressed to the max father, but alone since half an hour.


    All three of his sister¡¯s have been here this morning, but we missed them because Annika kept postponing to go inside.


    And out of all friends, only Annika and I are allowed to visit for now. Which is mostly because we found him, and everybody feels like it would calm us down to see him in hospital, getting the help he needs.


    What¡¯s weird, is how quickly some of the lashes seem to heal. It¡¯s confusing most people.


    I said most, because one older doctor isn¡¯t surprised, and told Sid¡¯s parents he saw it before and how it wasn¡¯t rare.


    I don¡¯t know the full story he told them, but all I know is that I find it weird, and I would like to confront that doctor about it.


    What if he saw it before on other victims that got possessed by the same entity? What if he saw them, treated them, and knows that whatever happened to Sid wasn¡¯t a simple attack by another human being?


    ¡°You know¡­¡± I drawl, closing my mouth again as the door re-opens and Sid¡¯s mother walks into the room. Her eyes are still bloodshot after shedding many tears, but she calmed down in the last half an hour. She looks from Annika, to me, to Sid, sighing deeply while slumping in a chair on the other side of the bed.


    ¡°Anni?¡± She speaks with a shaky voice. ¡°I kind of assumed you would constantly hold his hand¡­ Are you okay?¡±


    Annika shakes her head in response, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.


    ¡°Is anyone going to explain what happened to my son?¡±


    ¡°We already told you¡­¡±


    Mrs. Hayes shakes her head, cutting my sentence short, Angie appearing by her side.


    ¡°I think she knows there¡¯s something weird going on.¡± Angie circles Mrs. Hayes. There¡¯re goose bumps on her arm, but she does not respond to it.


    I¡¯m not sure how to respond to either one of them. What if she knows there¡¯s more then we admit right now? Would she believe us when we tell her?


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened, Mrs. Hayes.¡± Annika whispers, but she sounds as if she¡¯s certain of her case. ¡°We found him like¡­ this.¡±


    And it¡¯s not even a lie. We did find him this way. We just moved him to publicly accessible grounds and we¡¯re holding back the info that we found him in the Miller woods. But what good would it do to admit that we¡¯re trying to find out what the hell is going on in there? She¡¯s probably going to keep us from going back in. She¡¯ll probably demand us to show the tunnel and then close it down.


    And all I know for sure right now, is that the answers to save Sid, lie in those woods. All the information we need is out here, in town. But we need to get back in there to help him.


    Mrs. Hayes nods, but I can tell, knowing her for years now, we didn¡¯t convince her right now.


    But getting anyone involved he didn¡¯t witness what we witnessed will put everything at risk, including, and most important, Sid¡¯s life.


    As long as Mrs. Hayes is in the room, we can¡¯t talk. And since it¡¯s clear she isn¡¯t going to leave any time soon, Annika and I eventually get up to leave.


    We say our goodbyes to Mrs. Hayes, and I lean over to Sid, whispering into his ear; ¡°hold on buddy. We will find a way to help.¡±


    I squeeze his hand shortly, and then we leave without looking at Mrs. Hayes to find out her response over the fact Annika did not kiss Sid goodbye.


    We remain silent and it¡¯s only outside that I notice Angie didn¡¯t follow us. But she¡¯s been spending most of her time away from us after we agreed with our friends that we¡¯re going to fix this, together.


    * * * * *


    Annika hurries into the library, where we agreed to meet with Amber, Amara, Edward and Cory, the latter acting grumpy and distant, but agreeing to help nonetheless.


    We find Amber and Cory already seated, bend over books that Annika and Sid previously went through already.


    I wake both of them up from their bubble of concentration, by slamming our folders with gathered files on the table.


    ¡°Holy¡­¡± Cory gasps for air, and then sends us an annoyed look. ¡°I¡¯m a bit on edge, would be great if you wouldn¡¯t give me a heartattack.¡±


    ¡°On edge? Because of what happened to Sid?¡±


    ¡°Because Angie visited last night.¡± He grumbles, slumping down in her seat. ¡°Where is she anyway?¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s still with Sid¡­¡± I frown, sitting down but sending him a questioning look. ¡°Wait, if you can¡¯t see her, how can you tell she¡¯s not here?¡±


    ¡°Because she visited,¡± he deadpans. ¡°And I listened.¡±


    ¡°You opened up.¡± Annika smiles weakly at her. ¡°Did you see her?¡±


    Cory sighs and nods, still not too happy about this apparently. ¡°She¡¯s annoyingly enthusiastic that I did so. Kept smiling because she has a new friend¡­¡± He rolls his eyes, pulling our files towards him. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°All the research we¡¯ve done so far.¡± Annika points to the map that Cory retrieved from one of the folders. ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to figure out what the exact pattern is in the activities. Ever 13 years, six kids went missing. Two years ago, one kid went missing and never was found, while Kim and you disappeared, but got out of the woods alive.¡±


    ¡°nothing happened after that. So, two years ago, the cycle wasn¡¯t finished.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you think Sid might be the one who has to finish.¡±


    ¡°We said next cycle, didn¡¯t we?¡± I share a look with Annika, confused because I don¡¯t recall telling them that there is a possibility Sid has to end the cycle still.


    ¡°Angie said there¡¯s a possibility he has to end the last cycle. Which means he has to kill another five kids.¡± Cory whispers with a voice full of disgust.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not sure and we need to find out if this happened before, and we need to figure out if others suffered from the same symptoms as Sid does right now. The lashes, the throat that is black and blue, the respiratory arrest.¡± Annika sums up.


    ¡°We need to research sacrificial rituals too.¡± Cory taps on the list with names of kids who went missing. ¡°And see if this happened before 1962.¡±


    ¡°So, divide tasks?¡± Amber asks, still acting a bit awkward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s work in groups of two,¡± I suggest, to prevent anyone from skipping important information.


    ¡°Can I work with Annika?¡± Amber looks at her. ¡°We haven¡¯t hung out a lot lately and I miss hanging out¡­¡±


    ¡°You left us because you didn¡¯t believe the guys.¡± Annika shrugs. ¡°But fine. Prove that you won¡¯t leave us again by helping me to find other people with the same symptoms and wounds as Sid, preferably shortly before a new cycle started.¡±


    ¡°Cory, you help me to find out if it happened before 1962,¡± I tell him, scooting over a chair to retrieve the file I was working on before. ¡°And I still need to figure out three abduction locations of the kids in the early cycles.¡±


    ¡°And us?¡± Edward sits down on the chair that I was just seated at, while Amara slumps down next to him with a tired look on her face.


    ¡°Find any sacrificial rituals that have anything to do with the number six, the Anti Christ sign and devil worshipping orwiccan rituals.¡± I shove the map to them that was previously Annika¡¯s part of the research. ¡°Let¡¯s get back here in two hours to see what we got. Until then, do what you want, wherever you need to do it to get the information.¡±


    We al nod, and head to work.


    For little over an hour, Cory and I focus on any historical information about missing kids, but there¡¯s not much information about the Miller Woods dated before 1959.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t always called the Miller Woods.¡± Angie is suddenly seated on the table beside me. Cory jumps in his seat, I send her an annoyed look.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t? I found news articles from 18-something that use the name.¡±


    ¡°Those are revised.¡± Angie smiles, hovering in front of him. ¡°Search Baywick Woods.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say before?¡±


    ¡°Some of us pay attention during history class.¡± Angie crosses her arms and smirks down on us.


    ¡°History class?¡± I frown, feeling a bit confused.


    ¡°Cory had history, yesterday. When I left you and Annika to keep him company? Mr. Brightwaters was talking about how Miller Town once started.¡± Angie floats to stand behind us. ¡°Baywick Woods, and a guy names Thomason Baywick.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do my next test in history class?¡± Cory asks curiously, typing in the name Thomason Baywick to Google his name.


    ¡°I can help you, yeah.¡± Angie shrugs. ¡°Did help Sid too, once or twice.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡± I call out with a smirk, getting a shush from the librarian. ¡°You helped during German.¡±


    ¡°I did, and once during Math.¡± Angie shrugs, pointing back towards the computer screen. ¡°Look, Baywick. He¡¯s the founder of this town.¡±


    Cory leans in, reading the information aloud, causing Annika to stop what she¡¯s doing and listening along, soon followed by the rest.


    ¡°Thomason Baywick, born in Scotland, was left homeless after his parents died. Without siblings or relatives to turn to, Baywick started to travel, looking for a place to settle on his own.


    Thomason wasn¡¯t a social or outgoing person and spent most of his times indoors or on hikes through woods. Baywick¡¯s hobby was hunting and he was known for it around his home town.


    Baywick settled in Miller Town around 1624 and build his own cabin in the midst of the woods that he claimed as his own; Baywick¡¯s forest.


    He bought the grounds for no more then five guilders, declaring parts of the woods as official hunting grounds, while remodelling parts of the woods to build small cabins for other hunters to stay in during their hunts.


    Baywick¡¯s forest was later renamed to Baywick woods, and proved to be ideal for hunting. More and more hunters came to provide food for their families and some decided to stay.


    It was Baywick¡¯s daughter Elizabeth Miller-Baywick who later officially founded Miller town, while her husband, Antony Miller, founded the mills, using resources from the woods to provide the local town in woods to build houses and furniture¡­¡±


    Cory groans, lolling his head annoyed. ¡°This isn¡¯t helpful¡­¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± Annika shoves me aside while grabbing a notepad. ¡°So, we have three names of important historical locals. Thomason Baywick, his daughter Elizabeth and Antony Miller, the founder of the mills.¡± She sounds enthusiastic. ¡°We now know the first resident moved into the woods; Baywick, and he build himself a cabin, and he started the cabins by the lake. At least, I assume they are the cabins he did build for hunters to stay over during the night.¡±


    ¡°And how is this helpful?¡± Amber frowns, siding with Cory now.


    ¡°Miller Town is founded shortly after 1624, Miller Woods was first called Baywick¡¯s forest and later Baywick woods. We can use all these names to find more about the history of the forest.¡± Annika taps the notepad. ¡°We¡¯re not getting further, and this might be the push we need.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll read further into this.¡± I suggest, pointing towards the screen. ¡°Cory helps me, and you four search for more about Baywick Woods.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to help?¡± Cory asks with a whisper, sounding annoyed.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, Cory? You¡¯re suddenly acting hostile and annoyed¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just moody a bit.¡± He shrugs carelessly. ¡°Go on, read. I¡¯ll write.¡±


    I shortly watch at him, contemplating on asking more about his sudden switch in mood, but decide on letting it slip. I¡¯m not close to being the friend to Cory that Sid was, so maybe it¡¯s not my place to bother him about it.


    I turn back towards the computer and for a while, all I do is read about Miller Town and how it got founded, how it grew, and why people started moving here.


    It¡¯s boring, useless like Cory claimed, until I read why Thomason Baywick wasn¡¯t the one they named the town after; which would¡¯ve been logical since it was his ground, and why they renamed Baywick Woods into Miller Woods.


    ¡°In 1637, Baywick reportedly lost his mind over the many hunters in his forest, lashing out on several residents of Miller Town, threatening them with death if they would enter the woods again. After a total of six weird hunting accidents resulting in deaths, locals hunted Baywick down, claiming he caused the accidents. The horde of angry people forced Baywick into his cabin, setting it on fire, as a revenge for killing their loved ones.¡±


    I share a shocked look with Cory, who stares back and forth between me and the computer with wide eyes.


    ¡°So, sixdeaths followed by the massacre of Baywick? Founder andownerof the Miller Woods?¡± He wraps the story up shortly, shock seeping through his words. ¡°Davy, this must be it. Baywick is the entity¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, let¡¯s not jump to conclusions. We need to investigate¡­¡±


    ¡°No, seriously.¡± Cory taps his paper. ¡°Look, 1624, Baywick arrived. 1937, Baywick¡¯s massacre took place. That¡¯s thirteenyears. I bet if we continue adding thirteen years, we¡¯ll get to 1962, 1975¡­ all the cycles will add up. I¡¯m sure¡­¡± He drawls, adding thirteen to the number over and over again, until the calculator mockingly shows us 1962.


    ¡°So, no cults, no rituals? Just the murdered owner of Miller Woods hunting people down¡­¡±


    ¡°Not just people, Davy.¡± Cory shakes me, waving to the rest to call them over. ¡°Residents from people in Miller Town. What if he hunts down people who are direct offspring of those who murdered him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that is about, but if that¡¯s the case, we need to find out who murdered¡­ Baywick?¡± Annika cocks her head and we nod to tell her that her guess was right.


    ¡°The numbers add up. There had been six accidents, and Baywick was murdered because they blamed him, exactly thirteen years after he moved over here.¡±


    ¡°That seems like too much of a coincidence.¡± Amara sits down, pulling the calculations towards her to go over them, while Annika rereads the part about Baywick¡¯s death.


    Edward taps my shoulder and I turn to look at him. ¡°What if we solve that¡­ the death of Baywick¡­ what if that will set him free?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but we need to investigate all of this. We will find out what exactly happened, and we¡¯ll save Sid, help Angie, and maybe even Baywick.¡±

 Chapter 18 – Awoken

    Thursday, October 13<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Davy¡¯s POV


    In the past couple of days, all of us spent every second of free time in the library to do research about Baywick and his sudden death.


    So far, we found out there had been 12 people who got prosecuted for his death and they all have been sentenced to death by hanging.


    Annika focused on finding their offspring, and she managed to connect 12 kids to them, so far. Some seem to be collateral damage. Kids who just happened to be in the wrong spot, in the wrong time. Those kids all disappeared in the same time as one of the offspring of the 12 men and woman who murdered Baywick and we assume they went missing together, to not leave any witnesses.


    I located Baywick¡¯s cabin, and it had been in the spot where Hunter¡¯s Lodge is now located. They rebuild the cabin about five years after he was killed and made it publicly accessible for hunters to take a break, while the cabins who originally were build for them burned down in a wildfire in the summer following Baywick¡¯s death.


    We managed to locate them in the Pits, all surrounding the main pit where we found the signs, and where most satanic worshipping took place.


    Everything we find, is somehow connected to the information we already found, and it¡¯s starting to form one solid picture.


    I¡¯m pretty sure Baywick is responsible for the missing kids, the deaths, and all other dark activities in the woods.


    Quite honest, I can¡¯t even blame him for going evil after being burned alive. We found short pieces of information in which it is stated Baywick claimed to be innocent, but nobody believed him since he threatened those who died in the accidents.


    If Baywick was indeed innocent, he was murdered, tortured by those he provided with a place to live, work, hunt for food, for all the wrong reasons.


    He was betrayed by those he gave everything, despite being socially awkward. Despite the fact he preferred his privacy, rather staying in the woods alone then move to a place where he would only have to live and work like regular people.


    But Baywick was ambitious, and thanks to his generosity, Miller Town was founded.


    But today, I couldn¡¯t drag myself to the library, for Sid¡¯s parents called that he was finally showing signs of consciousness. He started moving his fingers late last night, and throughout the night, he started fighting the breathing machine more and more, up until a point that they decided they will remove the machine to offer him a chance to breath on his own.


    And we wanted to stop them, but we didn¡¯t know how to persuade them into not waking Sid up.


    And then his father explained that Sid has a pneumonia and the antibiotics aren¡¯t helping him enough. He needs to breath on his own to get his coughing reflexes to start working again, so that he can get rid of the fluids caused by the pneumonia. If they don¡¯t, the infection might be the end of him.


    I¡¯m currently nervously fiddling with the hem of my sweater, Annika and mom seated next to me, while we are waiting in the waiting room until they allow us in.


    It¡¯s been half an hour since they removed the breathing tube.


    It¡¯s been half an hour since Annika and I know Sid is doomed, one way or another.


    We saw a doctor hurry in the direction of his room shortly after, we saw nurses, and I didn¡¯t miss the sounds of Mrs. Hayes crying as if her life just ended.


    It¡¯s all calm now, and Angie informed us that Sid, after they removed the tube, started breathing on his own for about five minutes, then stopped over all, only to start breathing with a huge grasp for air right before they wanted to intubate him again.


    It¡¯s exactly how Angie said it would be. Stop breathing, shortly die in some way ¨C his heart did stop for a couple of seconds ¨C only to revive and appear fine.


    And now it¡¯s just a waiting game to find out whether or not Sid has to finish the last cycle or will be responsible for the next.


    Either way, we need to stop him.


    But I¡¯m not sure if any of us can really stop him. I don¡¯t know if I would be capable of killing my best friend in order to save another six innocent kids. I¡¯m not even sure if we would be capable of killing him if he¡¯s indeed possessed by the dark entity that seems a remnant of Thomason Baywick.


    It¡¯s nerve breaking while waiting, but eventually, Mr. Hayes enters the waiting room with a small smile on his face.


    ¡°Sid¡¯s still asleep, but he¡¯s breathing on his own. You can see him now.¡± He gestures for us to follow and we reluctantly do so. I practically have to force Annika forwards.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it, Dave¡­¡± She whines softly, not wanting to alarm Mr. Hayes. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it feels like¡­ it¡¯s like wading through mud, or quicksand. It gets harder to walk towards him each step and the feeling is so much stronger then it was last week¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to. You have to try.¡± I mutter, grabbing her hand. ¡°Just hold on to me and I¡¯ll pull you through.¡±


    She visibly relaxes as soon as I grabbed her hand, smiling unsurely. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m Sid¡¯s guardian angel, and you might be mine?¡±


    ¡°No, I think I¡¯m your other half and together we are invincible.¡± I smirk. ¡°I get to touch him, be around him¡­ you don¡¯t. But maybe I can be the strength you need right now.¡±


    She nods, and together we walk further, and eventually into the room.


    Sid¡¯s still in the same position in the bed, but he is breathing on his own.


    And for someone who is possessed, he seems so peaceful it¡¯s hard to think there¡¯s something that took over his body and mind that is about to make him kill.


    It even gives me a spark of hope that we¡¯re all wrong and Sid isn¡¯t possessed at all. Maybe this isn¡¯t as bad as it seems.


    But as soon as Annika steps closer to the bed, forced by me, Sid starts stirring in his bed, pulling a painful face. His heartbeat rises, his breathing quickens.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    His parents both frown, and Annika is on the brim of tears, while I nervously bite my lip.


    ¡°Dave¡­¡± Annika addresses me, barely above a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s me¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ he¡¯s just¡­ waking up?¡± I try to explain his sudden activity, and then he does open his eyes. At once, without any further warning, surprising all four of us.


    ¡°Sid!¡± His mother calls out in surprise, already crying happy tears, hurrying forwards to hug him and peck kisses all over his face.


    Sid stares around confused, and then his eyes find Annika, shielding half behind me. He stares at her in horror, and I¡¯m glad his mother¡¯s hug prevents her and his father from noticing the horrified look.


    Annika steps back, but I hold her close to me by grabbing her wrist. ¡°Hey, dude¡­¡± I greet him insecurely. ¡°How ehm¡­ are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Get her out.¡± His voice is cold, and his eyes remain focused on Annika. The horrified look made place for anger, hatred.


    ¡°What? Sid?¡± His mother pulls back to look at him, pushing hair out of his face while staring confused. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see Anni?¡±


    ¡°Get her out.¡± He repeats, pointing to the door. ¡°Both, out. Now.¡±


    ¡°Sid, what¡¯s wrong?¡± His mother sounds as if she lost it, confused and shocked because he¡¯s not only sending his girlfriend out, but me as his best friend too.


    ¡°Want me to leave too?¡± I ask confused. I did not see this coming. Him sending Annika away doesn¡¯t really surprise me. Not since Annika clearly explained there¡¯s something between her and Sid that is forcing her to keep a bit of distance. But me?


    ¡°Yes. Get. Out.¡± He snaps, scooting away from us, further into his mother¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Right¡­ okay¡­¡± I nod, squeezing Annika shortly to reassure her I¡¯m on her side. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ come back later.¡±


    Friday, October 14<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    ¡°Mrs. Hayes called.¡± Mom looks at me as I slide into my seat to have breakfast. ¡°She told me Sid didn¡¯t want to see you or Annika. What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ He woke up and told us to leave.¡± I mutter sadly, feeling defeated because he told me to leave too, and I shortly spoke to his sister in the supermarket, who told me he didn¡¯t want Annika or me to visit him in hospital anymore.


    It confused me because apparently, he doesn¡¯t want to see me either.


    And then there¡¯s the fact Angie went over to see him now that he¡¯s finally awake, to see if she could connect to him again.


    She failed.


    She couldn¡¯t talk to him, he didn¡¯t hear her, he didn¡¯t see her. She lost her attachment and she warned me it¡¯s a sign that there¡¯s something more powerful that is shielding his mind away from her.


    She stayed, despite the fact she felt unhappy and scared in his presence, to see how he¡¯s behaving to others.


    He seems to act like his regular self, so there¡¯s a bit of hope we have another 11 years to solve this before the entity will force him to kill or sacrifice six kids.


    I¡¯m not even sure how things work now that the last streak hasn¡¯t ended, and now that the forest is off limits to everybody.


    All I know is that the need to go back into the woods grows by the minute because I¡¯m getting impatient, wanting to solve all of this.


    ¡°Can we not talk about Sid right now? It¡¯s putting me in a bad mood and Annika will be down any second and I don¡¯t want her to cry again¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± Mom nods, putting pancakes for breakfast in front of me. ¡°Did you finish your paper for history?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rough draft.¡± I shrug. ¡°We need to finish it in two weeks, but I¡¯m sure Mr. Brightwaters will be pleased with my start.¡±


    I¡¯ll be damned if he won¡¯t be pleased. With all the research we did on Baywick and the early years of Miller Town, I think writing a paper about the history of Miller Town will be a piece of cake.


    I think all six of us will ace the paper.


    I don¡¯t think any other student our age knows as much about Baywick as we do now. I¡¯m just not sure if he will be pleased about the fact both Annika and Cory decided on questioning Baywick¡¯s guilt in their papers, while the rest of us decided to stick with the known story.


    Annika is known for her rebellious papers, always questioning facts and history aloud. But so far, she always concluded those facts to be real facts instead of made up facts.


    I¡¯m not sure she will do the same now that it¡¯s becoming clear Baywick¡¯s death was unnecessary.


    We found witness reports that claim Baywick wasn¡¯t near three out of six accidents. We found out Baywick was out of town during one accident, and he was publicly seen in town during two others.


    Baywick was probably innocent until they decided on slaughtering him in a fire.


    More and more evidence seem to point towards the fact no devil worshipping ritual has awoken an evil spirit. Grieving, sad family members of those who died in what really seem to be accidents have caused the evil force to take over the woods.


    And if you think about that possibility, those 12 people are guilty on more then one charge of murder, for they caused the malicious entity to murder at least 25 others. And by the looks of it, a lot more in the years before the cycle in which Angie went missing took place.


    Because we found reported deaths in several of the other years in which we believe a cycle of sacrifice or murder took place.


    It¡¯s difficult to dig up those files, because the further we go back, the smaller the fountain full of information gets.


    Simply stated, in the late sixteen-hundredths they didn¡¯t really keep track of missing people or deaths as well as they do now.


    The filings about cases similar to those we found already start to become organized somewhere late eighteen-hundredths.


    Mom soon leaves for work, while Annika joins me for breakfast. Angie, I think, is with Cory right now, so we¡¯re with the two of us for the first time in a long time.


    ¡°I found something.¡± Annika sighs, handing me some papers. ¡°These are all people who died of natural causes that didn¡¯t match their age, shortly after a cycle ended. They all had been in hospital shortly beforethe cycles started.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s three¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to dig up medical information about people when you can¡¯t access their personal medical files. I had to dig deep into news articles and whatnot. These three, I think, are responsible for the cycles in 1975, 1987 and 2014.¡±


    ¡°2014? Cody Laru was responsible for the 2014 cycle?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but we should ask both Angie and Cory about this. Cory still hasn¡¯t told us what happened to him in the woods. We still don¡¯t know if he was abducted in the first place, and managed to escape, or that he managed to stay out of the hands of the possessed guy who tried to kill him.¡±


    ¡°So, Cory needs to open up.¡±


    ¡°And so does Angie. If she has a name of the person responsible for her death, we might be able to dig up that information too.¡±


    I nod in agreement. ¡°So, ask Cory and Angie about this after school?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And then back to the library to find more?¡±


    ¡°Is there really more we can find?¡± Annika sighs, looking at a shoulder bag full of files that she dragged down with her. ¡°We have tons of evidence that it happened even before 1962, we have evidence that Baywick was innocent. We just need to find out how to kill his entity, or at least get it out of Sid¡¯s body. I¡¯ve been trying to find an explanation for my situation, but that¡¯s really unclear.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll research what it could possibly be that you can¡¯t touch him, and if you are a key into solving this or not. We need to look into exorcism and people who can help us. It¡¯s time to call in people who believe in this stuff, that have a greater knowledge of things.¡±


    ¡°But we need to make sure they won¡¯t harm Angie in any way until she showed us where her body is.¡±


    ¡°Anni, she doesn¡¯t exactly know where her body is. She¡¯s been showing mostly Sid, and me lately, where she went missing and what she remembers. She showed Sid over and over how to get from Hunter¡¯s Lodge towards certain spots so that he wouldn¡¯t get lost and lose valuable time. But that¡¯s it. She doesn¡¯t know exactly where her body is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought she knew.¡±


    ¡°If she knew, she would¡¯ve guided Sid there, explained how to get there, how to retrieve her body, and tell him to keep you close as a guard for the dark entity. But things got a bit more difficult now that Sid is possessed and the dark entity possibly knows what he and Angie had been up to.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s going to try and stop us from finding Angie¡¯s body? They did retrieve multiple bodies before without trouble.¡±


    ¡°During day, with the army present and all. In official searches with tons of people searching the woods, dogs, helicopters, whatnot. I think that¡¯s a bit different from six kids and a ghost going into the woods secretly to find a body that we haven¡¯t located yet.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you kids have been up to?¡± Mom sounds¡­ calm. But her voice made both Annika and me jump up in surprise, shocked because she overheard our conversation.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Annika stares at her with wide eyes. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I had a feeling none of you kids would explain the truth to any of us, while Olivia,¡± ¨C Sid¡¯s mother, ¨C ¡°and I already figured something¡­ weird was going on. But weird doesn¡¯t cover the load, does it?¡± She looks serious, sitting down at the table in front of us with a deep sigh. ¡°You both need to tell me everything. And don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to surprise me, because I¡¯ve been your age too, and I grew up in this town too. I know the stories, I know the rumours. So, spill it.¡±

 Chapter 19 – Information overload

    Friday, October 14, 2016


    Davy¡¯s POV


    Annika and I are staring at mom in shock, while Angie seems impressed by her. As soon as mom confronted us by overhearing our conversation, she called school to call us in sick, telling the reuniting with Sid caused us both a lot of stress. Both Annika and I kept thinking hard, trying to call Angie over, in the hopes of reaching her while she was keeping Cory company.


    She came almost instantly, panicky because the both of us had been summoning her, and she thought we got into some trouble. She then went back to tell Cory we were safe, returning again to find out what was going on and why we needed her to come over.


    As soon as she lowered herself onto a chair ¨C even though she doesn¡¯t need one, it makes her feel alive ¨C mom said four words that shocked both Annika and me to the core.


    ¡°She¡¯s here isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Annika frowns, sitting up straighter after shortly looking towards Angie. ¡°How do you know¡­ don¡¯t you think we¡¯re crazy?¡±


    ¡°I most certainly do not. Olivia and I knew something unexplainable happened when the boys went into those woods. We were most of all relieved the three of you made it out alive¡­¡± She looks at me with a worried expression. ¡°But then the three of you suffered from nightmares, and Sid was increasingly getting more aggressive at home, angry, moody¡­ your little group of friends seemed to fall apart, Cory suddenly became a close friend¡­¡± She sums up while counting on her fingers to visibly show how many reasons they had to believe something was going on. ¡°And mostly, Sid started to talk to himself, or, we think, to something we couldn¡¯t see. He didn¡¯t notice we noticed, but his mother heard him talk to someone in his room. Then you started, and lately Annika and you seem to have conversations that I didn¡¯t catch big parts of.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been spying on us?¡±


    ¡°More watching over you.¡± She sighs again, a pained expression on her face. ¡°As soon as Sid ended up in hospital, we knew we had to do something. Things are rapidly getting out of hand and we don¡¯t want any of you to pay for what happened years ago.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ if you guys know something paranormal is going on, then why did they lock Cory away instead of helping him?¡±


    ¡°Because authorities don¡¯t know. They¡¯re too stubborn to realise it¡¯s real. Besides, Cory¡¯s parents didn¡¯t believe him either. And we had nothing to say.¡±


    ¡°Mom? Are they going to lock Sid away too?¡±


    Mom seems thoughtful over her answer. ¡°Well, honestly, we¡¯re not sure if they¡¯re going to let Sid go¡­ If he acts off, they will probably take him to the psychiatric ward¡­ Davy, Anni¡­ is Sid possessed?¡±


    ¡°Ehm¡­¡± I mutter, and suddenly Annika starts to cry, answering her question without a word.


    ¡°I need to make some calls, we¡¯ll need to get Amber and Cory here, Olivia, Maya¡­¡± Mom is now more talking to herself then to us, giving us time to exchange a weird look.


    Angie suddenly perks up, smiling widely. ¡°I knew it!¡± she calls out, bouncing around the dinning room and kitchen while waving her arms. ¡°I knew that this was all being swept under the rug! Those stupid adults know way more then they let out for people to believe.¡± She leans forwards, really close to me. ¡°They¡¯re going to help! We get more help to save Sid, find my body, end all of this for good!¡±


    ¡°Wait, did she say Amber? What has Amber got to do with this?¡± Annika looks confused and now that she brought up Amber, I feel confused too.


    ¡°This is getting weirder by the minute.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Annika frowns, grabbing the shoulder bag to pull it in her direction. ¡°It really does.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in over our heads¡­¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re going to help you out again.¡± Mom reappears in the dining room with the phone in her hand. ¡°They¡¯re coming over. Maya is picking up Amber, but I need one of you to call Cory.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get him!¡± Angie perks up. ¡°That way I¡¯ll get to him before school starts.¡±


    I nod in response, and mom pulls up an eyebrow, awaiting action. ¡°Well¡­?¡± She asks, gesturing towards my phone.


    ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± I scratch my head. ¡°Ehm¡­ Angie went to get him.¡±


    ¡°Angie? The girl of which you want to find her body?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ we¡­ ehm¡­¡± I share a look with Annika, who¡¯s wiping away a lost tear. ¡°We can see a ghost?¡±


    Mom swallows, but nods without exclaiming that we¡¯re crazy. How we lost our mind and how we need help, because ghosts do not exist.


    ¡°Mom, how come you believe us? Did you¡­ experience something yourself too?¡±


    Mom sighs in deeply, grabbing hold of her head. ¡°We¡¯ll explain everything once we¡¯re all here.¡±


    * * * * *


    Annika browses through a way to big book, while Cory and I stare at aunt Maya, my mom and Sid¡¯s mother in shock.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re wiccan?¡± I manage to press out, while Amber nervously shifts in her seat. ¡°Amber, did you know?¡±


    ¡°I had a hunch¡­¡± She shortly looks at me. ¡°And it¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to believe you guys. I was trying to pretend it wasn¡¯t real. That what I thought was a joke, was real.¡±


    ¡°And yes, to answer your question,¡± Mom tells me, while looking shortly towards Aunt Maya. ¡°We are Wiccan.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ why haven¡¯t you ever told us?¡± Annika asks casually, still curiously browsing through the book that mom gave to her. All it contains is spells, rituals, anything that has to do with the Wiccan belief.


    ¡°Because we usually not tell anyone who isn¡¯t an adult, and only to those who have the same powers.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Does Annika have the powers?¡± I ask curiously, knowing if the answer is yes, it could be the reason she acted as a shield, and can¡¯t come near Sid right now.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mom nods, now deciding on looking towards Annika. ¡°But she¡¯s¡­ different. Different from us.¡±


    ¡°Angie says I¡¯m some sort of Angel.¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all, you¡¯re my angel.¡± Mom chuckles over her own joke. ¡°But secondly, that is true.¡±


    ¡°What, she¡¯s an actual Angel?¡± Cory calls out in disbelief, his face a bit pale.


    ¡°As is Davy¡­¡± Mom smiles at me. ¡°Though boys usually develop their powers later on in life. Mostly around adulthood. You¡¯re just a late bloomer, like your father.¡±


    Cory chokes on his breath and I stare at her with my mouth slightly agape.


    ¡°Like dad?¡± I repeat the casual drop of information. ¡°An angel? What the hell mom? What is all of this?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s regular human beings,¡± she gestures towards Cory, ¡°There¡¯s Wiccans,¡± she gestures to all the females in the room, ¡°there¡¯s Angels, like you and Annika,¡± she points towards the two of us, ¡°And in Annika¡¯s case, she¡¯s both Wicca and an Angel.¡±


    I shake my head, trying to process the load of information about supernatural beings that I suddenly got presented.


    ¡°And there¡¯s malicious entities¡­¡±


    ¡°Like Baywick.¡± I finish Aunt Maya¡¯s sentence.


    ¡°And ghosts, like me!¡± Angie perks up with a smile, while she kept silent, reading along with Annika curiously until now.


    ¡°And ghosts, like Angie.¡± Annika repeats her words with a chuckle.


    Mom, aunt Maya and Mrs. Hayes all smile at Annika shortly.


    ¡°So, you three know about Baywick. Did the history paper cause you to find out, or the fact you guys went into the Miller Woods and Sid is now possessed?¡± Mrs. Hayes sounds calm, but I know the fact her son is possessed causes a great distress.


    ¡°The latter¡­¡± I mutter sadly. ¡°Is Sid going to die?¡±


    Mrs. Hayes swallows hard, and her eyes water at the thought.


    ¡°Can you help him?¡±


    ¡°We can¡­ give him time,¡± aunt Maya sounds unsure of her case. ¡°Time to find a way to help. But nobody ever succeeded in helping any of them in history¡­¡±


    ¡°We will.¡± Annika snaps at her angrily. ¡°Wewillfind a way to help him. I love him, and I¡¯m not going to lose him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s our friend and it¡¯s my fault he¡¯s in this situation. We haveto help him.¡±


    ¡°Right. Besides¡­¡± Cory shortly looks at Angie. ¡°We owe it to all who died to solve all of tis for once and for all.¡±


    ¡°We agree, but we need to buy ourselves some time to help Sid first.¡± Mom sits down next to Annika, pulling the book towards her. ¡°And for that, we need Sid to get fired from hospital first.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing good, and they want to keep him for another day, but if he¡¯s doing good tomorrow, they¡¯ll let him go.¡± Mrs. Hayes smiles weakly.


    ¡°This won¡¯t be easy, you know that, right Olivia?¡± Mom sends her a sad look. ¡°You know it¡¯ll fight back. The kids can¡¯t be there. They might end up hurt.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you going to do?¡± Annika sounds panicky, probably because they¡¯re talking about ¡®it¡¯ fighting back, and us possibly getting hurt if we¡¯re present.


    ¡°We will have to use a bit of our powers, to seal the entity away.¡±


    ¡°Seal it away? What does that mean?¡± I get up from my seat to walk closer to mom, wanting to know what she¡¯s looking for in the book.


    ¡°It will lock the entity away inside of Sid. But it will break out slowly. Sid will be himself at first, but sooner or later, the entity will break the seal and reveal itself again.¡±


    ¡°And how long before that happens?¡±


    ¡°It depends on all sorts of factors, including Sid¡¯s ability to fight it once the seal will start to break.¡±


    ¡°Sid will be able to resist the darkness for a while¡­¡± Mrs. Hayes takes in a deep breath. ¡°As a half-blood he at least has the blood to fight¡­¡±


    ¡°Half blood?¡±


    ¡°While you and Davy got Angelic genes from your father and me, Sid is a half-blood Angel as Harold is an Angel instead and Olivia is not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so confused¡­¡± I frown, feeling more confused every second. ¡°I have multiple questions that I need to be answered.¡± I hold up my hand, pinching the bridge of my nose.


    ¡°Same goes for me¡­¡± Cory mumbles, slumping down in the couch.


    ¡°We¡¯ll answer all of them, today. Because tomorrow we need to seal away the darkness in Sid.¡± Mom sighs deeply, turning to look at me.


    ¡°Okay, first question. Annika and I are both Angels, but only she is a Wiccan? Why am I not both?¡±


    ¡°The genes of an Angel are both given to boys and girls, while only girls carry the genes that hold the powers of witchcraft,¡± mom simply explains. ¡°You are wiccan, you just aren¡¯t capable of using the powers.¡±


    ¡°Right, sounds¡­ logical.¡± And a bit unfair. Why can¡¯t I be a wizard? ¡°What¡¯s the difference between Sid and us, for him being a half-blood, is it really because Mrs. Hayes isn¡¯t an Angel?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°And you do?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re an Angel, dad¡¯s an Angel, and neither ever told us?¡±


    ¡°Not until adulthood.¡± Mrs. Hayes speaks up. ¡°A child¡¯s mind is too underdeveloped to really do anything with the powers, so it serves no purpose to explain until we get to teach you how to control and use them.¡±


    ¡°Except honesty. Maybe if we would¡¯ve known about this sooner, we wouldn¡¯t have gone into the woods.¡±


    ¡°You would anyway.¡± It¡¯s aunt Maya¡¯s turn to sigh, shortly looking towards Amber. ¡°The two of you, and I mean Sid and you, have always been drawn to those woods, from when you were little. And that didn¡¯t change. For one reason, or another, you and Sid would¡¯ve gone in there anyway.¡±


    ¡°And you would¡¯ve let us?¡±


    ¡°We did everything to stop it, but we knew Sid¡¯s connection was too big, and you two are too close for you to let him go on his own.¡±


    ¡°But it was me who persuaded him to come along.¡±


    ¡°Which was a bit of a surprise.¡± Mrs. Hayes smiles shortly. ¡°And for a long period of time, or actually until we found out you already visited the woods, we thought the gates would be enough to keep you out until you two were adults.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting dizzy from all this information.¡± Cory mutters besides me. ¡°I¡¯m just a regular human being, so why did I have to be here today?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re connected to the Miller Woods in the same way as Sid.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m offspring of those who murdered Baywick?¡±


    Now all three of our mothers smile amused.


    ¡°You have to admit, they did their research.¡± Aunt Maya chuckles.


    ¡°Almost.¡± Mom sends him a reassuring smile. ¡°Because you, just like Sid, are a relative of someone who went missing, while not being offspring.¡±


    ¡°The collateral damage kids.¡± I mutter, since that¡¯s how we named the ones we identified so far, as not being offspring.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯d like to call them¡­¡± Mom nods. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So, who is my relative, and who¡¯s is Sid¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Hannah Hayes and George Hubbert. They went missing on September 3<sup>rd</sup>, 1975¡­¡±


    ¡°Along with Rob Laru¡­¡± I finish what she started telling. ¡°The younger brother of Evert Laru.¡±


    The adult women share a look, impressed by the knowledge we have about these kids. ¡°And born on October 6<sup>th</sup>, 1962.¡± They all send us a knowing look, but that¡¯s where I get confused. Why is that date important?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Angie turns to look at us shortly, but then stares at the women in front of us. ¡°That¡¯s the day I went missing.¡±


    ¡°The day Angie went missing?¡± I repeat Angie¡¯s words in shock.


    Mom nods, supported by aunt Maya and Mrs. Hayes. ¡°Every first child who went missing during a cycle, was born on the day the last child in the cycle went missing.¡±


    ¡°And who¡¯s going to be next?¡±


    ¡°That is yet to be decided, since the last cycle never ended¡­¡± Mrs. Hayes sounds¡­ afraid. ¡°It¡¯s why we need to act quick and seal the entity away inside Sid. As a half-blood Angel he has more strength that is needed to keep it inside as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°But the last cycle needs to end?¡±


    ¡°It does, and it will, if we don¡¯t do anything.¡±


    It¡¯s all too much to process right now. Just this morning we were fully focused on the fact there was a dark entity, a ghost girl named Angie, and tons of events revolving around Baywick, the Pits and Hunter¡¯s Lodge.


    I got all that, and since we gained that information slowly but steadily, I could process it all.


    But now I¡¯m told that I¡¯m an Angel, as is Annika who also happens to be a Wiccan witch. Genes we got from our parents.


    Sid is a half-blood Angel, Cory is a human, and I think it¡¯s safe to assume Amber is a Wiccan witch too, which would explain why she is present today while Amara and Edward are not.


    Of them I assume they are simply human beings too, but other then them, at least Cory is connected to the cycles, Baywick, and all that happened.


    It¡¯s the mere fact they have a connection that draws them to the woods that it is important to us. But it won¡¯t help us solve any of this.


    And for that, I think we will get more explanations, lessons and information on a later time.


    For now, sealing away the darkness inside Sid seems to be our priority.


    Even though I appear to be useless in that part.


    I just hope mom knows what she¡¯s doing, and they will be able to succeed in protecting Sid.

 Chapter 20 – Sealed

    Saturday, October 15<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Davy¡¯s POV


    It has been a nerve-wracking day, and a weird one in the same time. Because suddenly we know the true identities of our parents, and the fact they all have certain powers they never told us about.


    By now, mom and Mrs. Hayes explained they have been planning on talking to us ever since they saw Annika not touching Sid.


    They also told us they do feel the presence of something dark when close to Sid, but it¡¯s the fact Annika is an Angel, with developing powers, that she can¡¯t touch Sid. As soon as I will start developing my powers, I won¡¯t be able to come close either, as long as the entity is still inside him.


    Even the seal won¡¯t be able to prevent Annika from burning herself.


    It¡¯s simply because she is the purest of forms in existence, while whatever is inside Sid, is one of the most malicious, dark forms of energy there is known to earth. It¡¯s like fire and ice; and Annika is the ice that will melt.


    Amber has already been experiencing things that prove her to be a Wiccan, which is why she felt so uneasy. She never told her parents about the weird things she noticed, like the fact she every so often heard voices, that she now knows are people thoughts.


    If she would¡¯ve done so, they could¡¯ve explained her true identity, while now, she was trying to deny the fact she was different, simply out of fear of not having anybody that would believe her.


    Apparently, Sid¡¯s Angelic blood caused him to suffer from the haunting more, because the effects of it taking him over, burned his skin on several spots. The lashes are caused by the entity, as are the bruises on his throat.


    Sid being unconscious for a week has everything to do with the fact he¡¯s battling the darkness more then we thought he was. It¡¯s in his blood to fight the evil, and it caused his subconsciousness to struggle with the entity over the power of his body; a battle which he lost the evening he started moving his finger again.


    We know he lost, simply and only because Annika still can¡¯t get close to him, and because his parents, my parents, and Annika all felt a much bigger force surrounding Sid after he woke up.


    Simply stated, Sid is functioning as a shell for the entity to succeed in his mission to take revenge on those who burned Baywick.


    Simply stated, our parents are going to seal the entity in a spell, that will function as a shield between Sid¡¯s mind and body, and the entity.


    Or more so, they are doing it as we speak, while Annika, Amber and myself are outside in the park. We were told to leave, and not come back until we got a call to tell us it is safe.


    It¡¯s been two hours, we¡¯re all silent, and we¡¯re all eager to find out if it worked. I never asked what the risks are. What if the spell fails? What will happen to Sid when it does?


    I think none of us dared to ask that question aloud, since none of us knows what will happen if the spell doesn¡¯t work.


    Angie decided on staying close to Sid, as she is worried about his well-being. But mom clearly told us to tell her to not stay in the room, because she could be sealed away too as she is made of the same sort of energy; left-overs from a soul, trapped on earth with a mission.


    I just hope Angie listened to that warning, or she will be shielded inside Sid along with a very dark energy that scares her too.


    I jump as soon as my ringtone starts, not expecting the call right now, also being deep in thought about all that was told to us yesterday. I feel surreal and as if I¡¯m dreaming.


    And part of me hopes I¡¯m just dreaming and I will wake up the morning after the power-outage, to find out all of this was a dream.


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°Hi honey. You can come home. Sid¡¯s doing¡­ okay.¡±


    ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°We think it did, yes. But we think Annika will be the answer to that. If she¡¯s able to face him again, I think it¡¯s safe to assume it worked.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll come over.¡±


    Amber and Annika already got their bikes before I am able to hang up the phone. I shoot a quick text to Cory to tell him we¡¯re heading home right now to see Sid, and then I follow the girls who impatiently took of without me.


    There¡¯s another silence on the way home, filled with worry and fear for what we¡¯re going to find at home.


    We head over to the Hayes household, parking our bikes in the front garden. The door is already opened before any of us was able to ring the bell, Mr. Hayes smiling carefully at us to let us in.


    ¡°He¡¯s in his room, asleep. He¡¯ll be exhausted for a while, so best to let him sleep. But you can see him.¡±


    I nod, grabbing Annika¡¯s hand to offer her some much-needed support, as we head upstairs, towards the attic and into Sid¡¯s bedroom, all in silence, followed by a nervous Amber.


    I instantly find Angie, seated on the bed with Sid, with a content smile on her face, staring at him with a dreamy look.


    ¡°Hi, Ang.¡± Annika whispers, still sounding a bit sad. ¡°You¡¯re smiling, is that a good sign?¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± She nods happily. ¡°There was so much negative energy surrounding him that it made me sick and depressed¡­ and it feels nice to sit next to him without feeling that right now.¡±


    Annika let¡¯s out a breath as if she was holding it ever since we left the park, walking towards Sid with a pained look on her face. ¡°I get what you mean with that feeling. But I don¡¯t feel it either anymore.¡± Annika smiles carefully. ¡°He seems so¡­ peaceful.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°He¡¯s dreaming a very unimportant, simplistic dream. Must be nice for him.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean your connection to him is back too?¡±


    Angie bites her lip, and then shakes her hand. ¡°No, but he talks in his sleep, and he¡¯s dreaming about Anni.¡±


    Annika blushes at that statement, but soon smiles a wide smile, already pushing his hair back without overthinking her move.


    She instantly pulls back, but then stares confused towards her hand. ¡°It didn¡¯t burn my skin¡­¡± She whispers full of disbelief, and relief. ¡°I¡­ I can¡­ touch him¡­¡± There¡¯re tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks as she leans forwards to place a kiss on his cheek.


    * * * * *


    Annika refuses to leave his side now that she doesn¡¯t feel the barrier between her and Sid, so mom decided on informing us that everything worked out well. It did put up a fight, and it used Sid to verbally and physically fight them. I didn¡¯t miss the fact mom has a bruising on her arm and aunt Maya was holding a paper cloth to her nose when we came home.


    But Sid seems fine now that the spell worked, and the entity is temporarily locked away inside him.


    After that, all they do is search for ways to get the entity out of him without Sid¡¯s life getting in danger.


    So far, they found nothing.


    I¡¯m reading a book with ancient spells and information about possession, sitting on Sid¡¯s desk chair, every so often looking at him and Annika, curled up in bed, holding each other.


    Sid is weak, and he¡¯ll remain weak for another couple of days, but other than that, he will be fine for now.


    He¡¯s been quiet ever since his mother explained to him what is going on, and he¡¯s currently staring at Annika, who fell asleep in his arms.


    He suddenly turns around to look at me with tired eyes.


    I place my finger where I was reading, stopping to look back at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to die?¡± He asks with a whisper, words shaky and heavy with fear.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to do everything we can to not let that happen¡­¡± I tell him truthfully, knowing I can¡¯t guarantee anything right now. ¡°We¡¯ll find something.¡±


    He nods shortly and turns back around to look at Annika. ¡°So, Angie was right about Anni being an Angel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re one too.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, but I¡¯m not developing any powers yet. And you¡¯re a half-blood.¡±


    ¡°Can you imagine that our parents know magic and are Angels and all?¡± He again turns around, this time letting go of Annika to push himself up into a seating position.


    ¡°No, it feels like a dream. I can¡¯t help but feel as if any moment, I¡¯m going to wake up and it all turned out to be a bad dream.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just feeling like that, I¡¯m hoping it is¡­¡± he drawls, lolling his head, then staring at his hands. ¡°There¡¯s something inside me, Dave¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s going to make me evil, it¡¯ll kill me once I finished what should¡¯ve ended two years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll sop you from doing so.¡±


    ¡°At what cost, Davy?¡± He laughs, but it¡¯s pained. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been stopped before, so why would it stop now?¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t want to lose you. Because it¡¯s the first time it messed with an Angel.¡±


    ¡°Half-blood¡­¡± Sid cocks his head and looks at me. ¡°Which still feels weird¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me something¡­ our mothers are in a secret coven. Speaking of which, they¡¯re meeting the rest tonight.¡±


    ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°Not much are left¡­¡± Davy sighs. ¡°Some died by now, some never had daughters¡­ they¡¯re on the verge of getting extinct. Thank goodness you have three sisters.¡±


    ¡°Wait, my sisters are Wiccan too, right? And Angels?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and they know, since they all reached adulthood.¡±


    ¡°So, are they in the coven too?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± I shrug, sighing, deciding on putting the book aside. ¡°Do you feel good enough to go and get something to eat? Cory, Amara and Edward are dying to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Do they know? You know? About the coven, us being Angels?¡±


    ¡°Cory knows, Amara and Edward don¡¯t. We¡¯re not allowed to tell just anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then why Cory? Is he one too?¡±


    ¡°No, but you and he are connected through relatives who died while being innocent. They went missing on the same day.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I missed this much break-throughs¡­¡± he mutters sadly, suddenly gasping, grabbing his chest, taking in a deep breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong!?¡± I jump up, the book landing on the floor with a loud bang, waking up Annika, who flies up in shock.


    ¡°What!?¡± She calls out, staring around her frantically.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Sid grumbles, still holding a fist pressed against his chest. ¡°Mom said this could happen the first day¡­ it¡¯s fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°What happens during the first day?¡±


    ¡°The entity¡­¡± Sid and I tell her in unison. Sid gets up from his seat right afterwards, pulling jeans in his direction to put them on. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m going to be okay, while there¡¯s something inside me that is going to make me kill, only to kill me right afterwards,¡± he deadpans with an annoyed look on his face. ¡°This would¡¯ve never happened if I wouldn¡¯t have followed Angie that night¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t blame me,¡± she snaps at him, though he can¡¯t hear her. I decide not to tell him what she said, and so did Annika.


    ¡°Go out to get a pizza?¡± Sid suggests, since dinner passed while he was still asleep, and he hasn¡¯t eaten anything today.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± I nod, grabbing the book to put it on the desk.


    Annika frowns, but shrugs nonetheless, getting out of bed too, shooing me out of the room since she is wearing one of Sid¡¯s pyjama pants and needs to get dressed to tag along with us.


    I head downstairs, followed by Sid, who walks agonizingly slow, and I can tell it¡¯s costing him a lot of energy to descent the stairs. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re strong enough to go out for pizza?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going out for pizza, Sid,¡± his mother speaks up as soon as we enter the living room. ¡°I¡¯ll make you dinner, or we¡¯ll order pizza, but we need you to stay here for now.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡± He calls out in annoyance, staring at her, while I notice his three sisters are all seated at the dinner table that is covered with books. Amber joined them and mom and aunt Maya are in the kitchen, bend over papers that are spread across the cooking isle. Our three fathers are seated in the living room.


    Uncle Carlo is a human, but he knows about all of this since he married a Wiccan. He tries to help with his knowledge being a doctor, trying to come up with ways to help Sid once they get the entity out of him, to prevent him from dying of natural causes like many before him did.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit here, at home, locked away from any fun things, while I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to die!¡±Sid calls out in anger, swiftly turning around to barge out of the room and head back upstairs again.


    ¡°Sid!¡± Mrs. Hayes exclaims in shock, hurrying after him.


    ¡°Get away from me, mom!¡± he cries out as soon as she pulled him in a suffocating tight hug.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to die. We won¡¯t let it happen.¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡± He tries to fight her by pushing her away, and eventually she lets him storm off, back upstairs.


    Since Annika is still there, I guess I should leave him alone for now, let her comfort him, while I decide on helping to find a solution.


    It¡¯s really the only thing I can do to comfort and help Sid; find a way to save his life.


    But I know the stories, and I know that none who got possessed survived. Mom explained that over the years, the Wiccan¡¯s always tried to help those who ended up getting possessed, by locking the entity away to save time. It¡¯s why the missing cases, after the first one happened, always took about three months before the rest of the kids went missing.


    So, Sid might only have three months. It always was around three months until the entity broke free.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Amber speaks up, holding the papers that hold the list of missing kids that I was trying to fill up. ¡°What happened to the person who was responsible for Jordy Dane¡¯s case in 2014?¡±


    Everything falls silent and the adults share a look of sadness.


    ¡°He killed himself once he realised what he did. He started having blackouts more and more¡­ and then he realised he was responsible for Jordy. Instead of letting us help him, he killed himself.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not going to save Sid either¡­¡± His sister Lynn sighs deeply, sliding down in her seat a bit. ¡°This is hopeless. Over the ages, everything has been tried, nothing worked!¡± She calls out in frustration.


    She¡¯s the one who¡¯s reading through the book that appears to be some sort of log, in which every attempt of saving the kids and the possessed person are logged, with a short statement what happened and why not to use it again, or how it could help in some way.


    But none of this information is helping us.


    And since I don¡¯t hold any power or knowledge, I decide on texting the group, asking them to meet me in the library first thing tomorrow after they opened.


    I want to do something, and research in the library feels more useful then sitting around at home reading spells that I don¡¯t understand anyway.


    I owe it to Sid to do everything I can to help him.

 Chapter 21 – Different [S]

    Monday, October 17<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    Mom and Mrs. Bray are frowning as Annika is curled up in my arms on our couch, nuzzling her nose into the croak of my neck. I dread the day she will start burning herself again when touching me. I dread the day the malicious entity inside me will prevent us from getting close.


    I fear the day it will break free and turn me into a cold, heartless murderer.


    And I know, when it happens, I can¡¯t wait for the day it¡¯ll leave me again, and I¡¯ll die so I won¡¯t have to live with the consequences.


    After hearing the last possessed person killed himself, I¡¯ve been thinking about it as a simple solution too.


    Not that I want to, but they summed up the symptoms of itbreaking free.


    Nightmares, black-outs, feelings of anger and hatred, lashing out on people over nothing, hurting those who get in my way to succeed in the mission; sacrificing six kids. Or, five, since Jordy Dane already went missing.


    Annika won¡¯t be able to come near me, and neither will dad, or Mr. and Mrs. Bray.


    I asked about the possibilities of casting the spell over and over again until the day I day of old age, but then mom explained that every seal will use part of my energy to work, and it¡¯s such a strong spell that it used up half the energy they could use.


    Evidently, my condition will be crappy for a while. I will be able to do the same things as always, but the energy that is used will be gone forever.


    And the fact I¡¯m a half-blood Angel makes things less predictable. Because in some ways, mom thinks the spell is weaker on me then it is on humans, while in other ways, it is stronger.


    Which is why Annika, dad, all Angels, are able to touch me again, while that wasn¡¯t possible with humans.


    ¡°Have you eaten anything today?¡± Mom suddenly asks, causing me to cast my eyes from the TV to her, shaking my head.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t hungry.¡±


    ¡°You hardly ate anything since you are back home¡­¡± she sighs, taking a seat at the dinner table, but keeping her eyes on me. ¡°Saturday you were adamant about pizza, but you didn¡¯t order one, you didn¡¯t eat a single bite of what I cooked¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, I¡¯m not hungry.¡±


    Which is alarming, because I had to lie and tell her I did eat some of the bread she gave me. I threw it away, because in reality, I get nauseous when thinking about food.


    And the seal might work in some ways, I think the entity is still feeding off of my energy, and I¡¯m still being fed with his.


    Which is the only explanation I have for not eating three days in a row without feeling weaker.


    It is feeding me with energy, preventing me from needing food or drinks.


    I didn¡¯t sleep last night either, and mom knows, because she came to check on me on several occasions, always finding me wide awake.


    ¡°Just, let me know when you do get hungry, okay?¡± Mom whispers sadly, and I can tell she realises it¡¯s another part of the spell working differently on me.


    ¡°I will.¡± I nod in agreement, focussing back on the TV, Annika moving to pull her head up to look at me.


    ¡°So, no romantic dinners any time soon?¡± She smirks, and I chuckle, shaking my head, pressing a kiss on her lips. ¡°As long as I get to hug you, kiss you¡­¡± she whispers, staring right into my eyes. ¡°I love you, Sid. Please never forget that.¡±


    ¡°I hope I won¡¯t¡­¡± I answer with a soft voice, leaning in to kiss her again. ¡°I love you too, promise me you¡¯ll always remember that. Even if I claim I don¡¯t. Because Ido. And I¡¯ll be in here until the day I die¡­¡±


    Which might be sooner then later.


    ¡°I will remember¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I sigh in content, yet again pecking a kiss on her lips. ¡°If we¡¯ll beat this, we can beat anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to beat this. I wish I could go back in time to prevent you from going into those woods without me. If I would¡¯ve been there¡­ I could¡¯ve been your shield.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on the past but focus on the future.¡± Mom walks up to us, kneeling in front of us. ¡°Anni, we need to get going in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m meeting the rest of the coven¡­¡± Annika drawls, pushing herself up to sit and I follow her lead. ¡°Amber and I are starting our initiation tonight. It¡¯ll mean we¡¯ll be in training for a year and a day, but we will start exploring our powers. It could mean I could help you in more ways soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay!¡± I stare at her beautiful face, feeling nothing but admiration for her right now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back late tonight, and then I¡¯ll sleep here.¡± She smiles carefully. ¡°Mom agreed that it would be unfair to keep us apart since we might not have much time to spend in close presence.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± I smirk, digging this side of things, since Annika only used to be allowed to stay over during the weekends.


    At least I get to see her a lot more now that all this shit is going on.


    ¡°Are you going to school tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°No, because it will be really late. But on Wednesday I¡¯ll be going again.¡±


    ¡°Can I go to school on Wednesday too?¡± I turn to look at mom curiously, who instantly shakes her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sid. We don¡¯t want to risk anything. We want to know the full effects of the spell first, before we allow you to go to school. Besides, we need to talk to Mrs. Brand first.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Mrs. Brand?¡± Annika and I ask in unison, confused and wondering why talking to her needs to be done first. ¡°She isn¡¯t my mentor.¡±


    ¡°No, but she is Wiccan and she will be the one who¡¯s going to keep an eye on you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Wiccan too?¡± My eyes widen in surprise, but it does help me feel safe a bit more. At least I now know there¡¯s a small group of witches watching over our town, and now focussing on me and preventing me from becoming evil.


    It does feel good to have all these people fuzzing over my safety. Makes me feel at least a bit loved.


    My oldest sister Liza appears in the living room, smiling at me shortly, before flopping down on the other couch.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± Mom addresses just Annika, and I look back and forth between Liza and mom.


    ¡°What about Liza?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll stay with you to keep an eye on you. If anything is wrong, she knows enough to prevent you from leaving and doing anything to others. She¡¯ll be able to give us enough time to come here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow¡­ okay. So, you know magic too?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m quite a decent witch too.¡± Liza smirks and I chuckle softly. ¡°I¡¯m the best in my age group. Believe me, you¡¯re safe with me.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± I stare at her, impressed over the fact she knows magic too. It¡¯s as if I got to know my family on a completely different way in the past couple of days.


    Dad already took the time to explain that I will be able to heal people with my powers, as soon as they develop. Which is also a reason why mom thinks I¡¯ll be able to put up more of a fight against the demon; because I can heal myself.


    It¡¯s why all of my wounds are healed already, which is why my dad knows I have the same powers as he does. I can¡¯t control those powers yet, but when needed, it¡¯ll help me heal myself anyway.


    I just have to learn how to use them to help others too.


    But, rule one; I can not overuse the powers to prevent anyone from getting hurt. Sometimes people need to heal on their own terms. But, in case of a fight with evil, I should definitely use them.


    It¡¯s all a bit confusing, but mostly really exciting and I can¡¯t wait to explore my powers more.


    But then there¡¯s always the thought I might never reach adulthood.


    I fight not even reach my seventeenth birthday in December.


    Though, if the seal will break, it is been proven before that it might take three months before I finish the cycle and die. But what good would it be to become seventeen, only to die, after killing five innocent kids?


    I¡¯m deep in thought, thoughtlessly answering Annika¡¯s kiss, slumping down on the couch as she leaves.


    As soon as the front door closes, I turn to look at Liza. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to die?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She stares at me in horror. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let my annoying baby brother die.¡± She speaks firmly, pushing herself up so that she is sitting, watching me. ¡°Who would give me stupid but thoughtful birthday presents if I let you die? Who do I get to tease if you¡¯re not there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sappy. You have Lynn and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re my sisters. That¡¯s different.¡± She smiles weakly. ¡°Want me to show you what they¡¯re going to discuss tonight?¡±


    I perk up, staring at her excitedly. ¡°Yes!¡±


    * * * * *


    Liza retrieved a book from the pile of books that are in still on the dinner table, browsing through the pages until she found what she was looking for.


    ¡°Look.¡± She taps the page. ¡°It¡¯s a spell they haven¡¯t used before, because it is nearly almost always deadly to people. But they speak about Angels in this spell, and how this is helping them to fight evil.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m only half-blood Angel.¡±


    ¡°But, as a sixteen-year-old, you already healed yourself within a week.¡± She taps a red mark on my arm, that is still a leftover from a lash. ¡°You healed from your concussion in days, you are almost never sick for longer then a day¡­ you already have more power then dad had at your age, and that¡¯s a sign the power is strong in you.¡±


    ¡°The force is strong with this one.¡± I quote Darth Vader from Star Wars, causing her to roll her eyes, and me to smirk daringly.


    ¡°What I was saying, you¡¯re¡­ different. As always. Because you always did things your own way. But they think this spell might give you back some of the energy that was taken, and it will help you fight longer.¡±


    ¡°And if it fails?¡±


    She bites her lip. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re discussing it. ¡°You will lose more energy and in humans, that would result in death. They need to know for sure you will live, even if it fails, or this will all be for nothing. It¡¯s not going to save you from the entity, but it might give us even more time.¡±


    ¡°But, I want the entity out.¡± I grumble, slumping down in defeat again. ¡°I don¡¯t wantit inside me.¡±


    ¡°Well, inside you, at least we get to keep an eye on it¡­¡± Liza clears her throat. ¡°But we will need to get you into the woods to try and fight it without destroying half the town.¡±


    ¡°But you are going to try and fight it, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a discussion, because we need enough Wiccans with power to be able to stand a chance¡­ and as your sisters, Ellie, Lynn and I won¡¯t be allowed to help. Neither will mom, or Annika¡­¡±


    ¡°What, why? That¡¯s four adult Wiccans and a Wiccan who loves me to death!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And we can¡¯t be sure we will be able to fight, while the entity is inside you. We¡¯ll hold back, because it will use you to protect itself. I, for one, would never be able to cast a spell at my little brother, that will hurt him if the entity decides to leave your body before it hits. In that case, it will hit you, instead of it, and then you¡¯ll die¡­ for sure¡­¡±


    I swallow hard, knowing this is all to difficult, and it all comes with tons of risks, and all of which would result in my death.


    ¡°What if we solve Baywick¡¯s death? Cory and Annika believe he was innocent.¡±


    ¡°Baywick was probably innocent, yes. But how would we prove that? It happened nearly 400 years ago.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I drawl awkwardly. ¡°But we could try?¡±


    ¡°I think Davy and your other friends went to the library yesterday to follow that lead. They want to prove his innocence too. Since, you know¡­ maybe if we set him free from guilt, it will leave. Maybe if we clear his name, he won¡¯t feel the need to take revenge.¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°And then there¡¯s Angie¡­ mom told us you guys have been trying to help her to find her body.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I sadly mutter, staring to my trembling hands. ¡°I miss her, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Miss her?¡±


    ¡°I saw her, I talked to her¡­ but since I got possessed she¡¯s gone and I miss her. I was growing fond of her and her stupid humour and I really badly wanted to help her. She deserves peace, right?¡±


    ¡°Davy and Annika still see her.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, Cory does too.¡±


    ¡°So, three of your friends are still communicating with her. And we can help her as soon as we found a way to make sure you won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ helping me not to die does seem more important then helping her since she¡¯s already dead, right?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t compare¡­ she¡¯s been floating around on earth for years. She deserves some rest. But we need you and the information you already gathered to help her too.


    ¡°And we need Angie, since she knows every inch of the woods like the back of her hand.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t underestimate the knowledge of the coven. They have, after all, been keeping things at bay for ages now. They managed to prevent two cycles, they know the woods, they scared away the devil worshippers during the fifties¡­¡± Liza sums up. ¡°They have tons of information about Baywick, and what happened to him. They know any connection between people in this town. They know exactly where to cast spells in the woods to keep it at bay again¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder, Liza, why not lock me away? I won¡¯t get to end the cycle when I¡¯m locked in a jail or whatever, and that way you get all the time to find a way to save me¡­¡±


    She shakes her head, staring at me sadly. ¡°You¡¯ll be too powerful to keep in a jail. From what I know, once the spell breaks and the entity takes over, you will be drawn towards the woods and you¡¯ll stay there unless looking for a victim. It¡¯s our plan in case everything else fails; use a spell to lock you in the woods to gain time. With the woods inaccessible to others, you won¡¯t have a victim. But the thought of you alone in there¡­ knowing Baywick will become more powerful, use more of your energy each day, we know it will be your end if we do so. He will use up all your energy eventually.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not comforting me, you know?¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s the cold hard truth¡­¡± She suddenly pulls me in a hug. ¡°I know I never say it aloud, but I love you, Sid. And we¡¯ll do everything to help you.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡± I allow her to hug me, since it¡¯s a rare occasion for any of me and my siblings to show affection towards the others.


    It makes me feel loved, yet again. And feeling loved, reduces the uneasy feeling in my chest.


    Where there is a constant thumping that isn¡¯t cause by my own heartbeat. A constant reminder there¡¯s something, using parts of my energy to survive until it can break free.


    But feeling loved reduces the feeling and Liza holding me in a sibling hug, makes it go away shortly.


    I just have to put my trust in my family and friends and wait for them to find a solution.


    All I can do in the mean time, is fight the entity from breaking free.


    For as long as I possibly can.

 Chapter 22 – The highest protection

    Friday, October 21<sup>st</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    I¡¯m wading through shallow, dirty water, pulling my nose up because of the nauseating stench that is penetrating my nostrils.


    I can¡¯t describe the stench other then decomposing bodies, mixed with mould and a pinch of¡­ gas?


    I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s hell of a stench.


    My clothes are drenched, my body cold to the bone, and I¡¯m not even sure why I¡¯m wading through this mess, while my feet keep sinking into the muddy bottom, not wanting to know what the hell I¡¯m actually walking on.


    Dead bodies?


    A with mould covered bottom of a lake?


    Mud?


    Please, let it be mud.


    Let it be mud or I am definitely going to throw up.


    But, trying not to think of whatever the hell is in this water, that is black as the darkness that haunted me for weeks, that took over.


    It¡¯s the blackest of black, in strong contrast with the heavenly white fog that is floating on top of the water surface, quite not touching each other, but still somehow mixing.


    The top layer of water mirroring the cleanest of white, while the lower parts of the mist reflect the darkness beneath it.


    All the while I keep wading forwards, wanting to get the hell out of this water.


    I didn¡¯t even want to get into the water in the first place, but I was on the banks of a small river, and a faint whisper is calling out my name, almost begging me to come. It¡¯s like a little kid¡¯s cry for help, a whiny sort of voice, over and over repeating my birthname.


    Not my name that everybody uses, but the full name;


    Sidney¡­ Sidney¡­


    Sidney¡­


    A name only my parents use when they are really, really angry with me.


    And while it¡¯s a whiny cry for help, it is also sort of enchanting to listen to the call, dragging me forwards, forcing me forwards through this disgusting water.


    The annoying part is that I don¡¯t seem to come closer, as the whisper of my name remains as faintly present as ever.


    I groan, splashing and trudging forwards while I grow more tired by the second.


    My breathing is heavy, with deep raspy inhales to get as much oxygen in as possible, while my heart thuds loudly in my chest.


    My surroundings become darker by the minute, the fog rising higher and higher around me, suffocating the light that was shining around me just a second ago.


    I contemplate on turning around, getting the hell out of this water, wondering which direction is closest towards land, when the fog suddenly darkens all around me, waving tauntingly as if it grew tentacles, that are turning circles around me. I stop moving, staring enchanted at the phenomena as the tentacles become like a whirlwind, waving my shirt, messing up my hair. The hairs on my arms rise as a chilly wind is suddenly sweeping up, the whisper gone, the heavenly white engulfing the black of the water.


    Until there¡¯s only darkness, and I get an eerie feeling. Flashes of the tunnel flash in front of my eyes, the forest, a cabin that seems familiar, yet not familiar at all.


    There¡¯s a heart-breaking scream that suddenly sounds right behind me, causing me to swirl around in the waving gulfs of darkness, finding Angie¡¯s face right in front of me, tears streaming down her face, while there¡¯s blood gushing from stab wounds in her stomach. Her hands covered in blood, her skin pale, but more colourful then I¡¯ve ever seen.


    She reaches a hand towards me but is too far to touch me.


    I stare at Angie in shock, wanting to help, but frozen solid in my spot. I can¡¯t lift my arms, I can¡¯t move forwards. I feel as if something has a hold of my entire body, as beside Angie, there¡¯s more and more children showing up vaguely visible in the dark fog.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault¡­¡± Angie cries out, as blood colours her white dress red. ¡°You killed us.¡±


    I stare at her in horror, wanting both to move towards her to hold her, and get the hell away from these kids. But as I spin around, suddenly able to move again, I¡¯m surrounded by children of all different ages, all bleeding to death right in front of my eyes. But all I can do is turn and watch powerlessly how they¡¯re getting closer and closer.


    As I turn towards Angie again, she is right in front of me, her face inches away from mine.


    ¡°Your fault, Sidney Hayes,¡± she whispers with a cold, hateful voice. She stares at me with cold eyes, while there¡¯s suddenly water starting to bubble up from her throat, soaring out by the tons.


    Thick, disgusting black water coming out of every kids mouth, mingling with the blood in their clothes, the blood that¡¯s still seeping from their wounds.


    I start crying, I start screaming, and they scream right back at me, as they all start to pluck my clothes, yank my arms, my hair. Hands are everywhere, tearing up my clothes angrily, pulling me in all directions.


    My legs give in, as they pile on top of me, all wanting to scratch me, grab me, pull me apart.


    I scream, and as I sink below surface of the black water, I swallow in large chunks of water, wanting this to end. Wanting to die, give up, stop this madness.


    I stare upwards, as the shallow water suddenly became too deep to stand. Deep enough to sink further down as the surface quickly vanishes into darkness.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    I cry out once more, swallowing more water, and then there¡¯s a flash of light, followed by a calm, silent darkness.


    I grasp for air, waking up in bed with a scared to death Annika next to me, holding my wrist. My mom is on my other side, my dad right in front of me, both looking bewildered and shocked.


    I grasp in the air, grabbing my shirt, pressing a with fabric filled fist against my painful chest, gagging, once, twice, and then throwing up a dark substance that seems way too familiar.


    And smells disgusting, like dead corpses, mould and¡­ gas.


    * * * * *


    ¡°How is this possible? It¡¯s been a week!¡± My mom sounds worried, scared, angry, because I had the worst nightmare I ever had, ending up throwing up the same disgusting water I was wading through in my nightmare.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mystery to us all,¡± Mrs. Grayson answers tiredly. ¡°All of it seems as if it¡¯s in fast forwards with Sid. The nightmares within a week, instead of a month¡­¡±


    ¡°His wounds heal three times faster¡­¡± Mrs. Bray adds with a just as tired voice.


    ¡°We have to take him there¡­¡± Mrs. Brand¡¯s voice sounds calm.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Mom now sounds as if she¡¯s on the edge of crying. Ever since they woke me up last night, she¡¯s on the verge of a mental breakdown.


    ¡°We can¡¯t risk anyone¡¯s life, Olivia.¡± A strange voice speaks sternly. ¡°If everything develops at least trice as fast, he won¡¯t be your son by the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Mom stutters, and I think she¡¯s now sobbing. ¡°He¡¯s my son¡­ I can¡¯t lock him away in there¡­¡±


    Lock me away where?


    ¡°What if the nightmare was a one-time occurrence? Can¡¯t we wait until he gets at least one more?¡± Mrs. Bray suggests. ¡°He¡¯s been through a lot, he has to process finding out about the coven andbeing a half-blood angel, knowing way more then any previous victim¡­ Maybe it¡¯s a stress-induced nightmare?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because stress-induced nightmares cause him to throw up the black slurry. We knowit¡¯s the start. The shell is breaking already, and we can¡¯t wait until the first child goes missing.¡±


    ¡°But, how is it possible it¡¯s breaking? Annika is still able to touch him.¡± Mom tries to defend my safety.


    ¡°She admitted to me she felt the barrier, and she admitted it did hurt. It didn¡¯t burn yet, but it will soon.¡±


    ¡°I vote to wait until the next nightmare occurs. We¡¯ll keep a close eye on him and make sure he won¡¯t ever be alone. If he starts lashing out against people, we need to step in and¡­¡±


    It remains silent and I press myself closer against the door, wanting to hear what they say next. But there¡¯s complete silence. And what!?


    ¡°Mom?¡± Liza sounds unsure and doubtful, but a silence tells me they¡¯re willing to listen to whatever she has to say. ¡°Why¡­ don¡¯t we try the spell¡­ we talked about on Monday? Maybe it¡¯ll buy us a bit more time¡­ maybe we¡­ get to spend a bit more time with him first¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying goodbye to my son.¡± My mom firmly speaks up. ¡°We will save him.¡±


    ¡°Olivia. You have to be realistic. The chance he will make it out alive is close to zero. Nobody ever found a way to save the carriers¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to speak of my son as a lifeless carrier!¡± Mom now sounds angry and I can¡¯t help but feel shitty, useless, and given up on.


    A lot less love coming my way right now. I degraded from half-Angel, beloved son and boyfriend, to a carrier.


    ¡°It¡¯s all he¡¯ll be soon, Olivia¡­¡±


    ¡°Not if we cast the spell to give him back some much needed energy.¡± Liza suddenly sounds a lot more sure of her case. ¡°If he¡¯s going to become a lifeless puppet to that goddamned fucking Baywick, then we should at least try! We deserve to¡­ to¡­¡±


    ¡°Say goodbye¡­¡± Mrs. Grayson sounds emotional right now. ¡°They¡¯re right, Carla. They deserve a bit more time.¡±


    So, that¡¯s it? They¡¯re giving up on me after one freaking nightmare?


    Why did it have to be me!?


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you leave me alone!?¡± I cry out softly, slamming my own chest. ¡°Get the fuck out of me, fucking pathetic Baywick¡­¡±


    I grasp for air as a jolt of pain shoots through my chest, knocking me off my feet.


    My breathing becomes ridged, the pain not for a second subsiding. But it¡¯s a different pain from what I felt yesterday, and suddenly my entire chest starts burning.


    I pull my shirt up to find some sort of sign forming on my chest, while a bright light fills the entire hall, so bright it¡¯s blinding me. The sign is growing redder by the second, and I squeak out in fear, kicking the door to the living room to alarm my mom something seriously weird is going on.


    The burning pain is almost too much to bare, causing me to see lights in front of my eyes, having trouble to stay conscious, as the door of the living room flies open and my mom and Mrs. Bray rush into the hallway, shock filling their eyes as they find me on the floor, pressing my fists against my chest, surrounded by a blindingly bright light.


    The pain ¨C for about three seconds, subsides ¨C only to return more intense right afterwards, a new burning sensation marking my skin, as I cry out and curl up to a ball at my mother¡¯s feet.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­ happening?¡± I squeak out, as she kneels beside me, grabbing my hands to pull them away.


    Mrs. Bray kneels beside her as the rest of the women are staring down on me with worry from the dooropening.


    ¡°Help¡­ me¡­!¡± I cry out, clenched jaws to bite away the pain, as I lift my shirt to show them the sign¡­ which mixed with another, possible leaving burn marks.


    ¡°Sid¡­¡± Mom cries out, cupping my face, tears dripping down her face.


    ¡°Olivia¡­¡± Mrs. Bray traces a sign on my chest, me whimpering as she touches the burn wounds with a feathery light touch.


    ¡°Michael and¡­ Raphael¡­¡± dad¡¯s voice sounds close behind me.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Mom cries out, as the pain yet again subsides, this time long enough to allow me to catch my breath.


    ¡°I asked¡­ for help¡­ for protection¡­¡± Dad whispers, kneeling down beside me, carefully leaning in to touch me. As it doesn¡¯t appear to hurt him, he pulls me in his arms. Cradling me protectively. ¡°You¡¯re safe¡­ for now.¡± He whispers, rocking me back and forth, calming me down.


    ¡°Harold, what do you mean!?¡± Mom demands an answer, as she cups my face to peck kisses all over it. ¡°He¡¯s safe?¡±


    ¡°Raphael and Michael, they¡­ they marked him¡­ they¡¯re now protecting him¡­¡± Dad is still whispering, seemingly a bit shocked, or surprised. ¡°I told the Archangels about Sid. I begged them to save my son.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so confused¡­¡± I mutter, though I start feeling more energetic then I did in a while.


    ¡°Raphael¡­ we have parts of his power. The healing powers¡­¡± Dad cups my face, forcing me to look at him. ¡°He¡¯s now helping you to heal faster¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Michael?¡± I whisper, not wanting him to let me go right now, because dad hasn¡¯t held me like this in a long time and for some reason it makes me feel safer then anything else.


    ¡°Angel of justice, strength and protection¡­¡± Dad shows a weak smile. ¡°He¡¯s now giving you strength, and protection¡­¡±


    ¡°Does this mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The seal won¡¯t break, as long Sid¡¯s energy is strong enough to keep a connecting with the Angels. But¡­¡± dad looks back and forth between us, before settling on me. ¡°The forest is off limits to you, until we get Baywick out of you. Because the forest is such a dark place, even Archangels aren¡¯t at their full strength. If you step foot on that ground, they won¡¯t be able to feet you with the needed energy.¡± Dad taps my chest. ¡°And they might do this again if needed.¡±


    ¡°That hurts, damn!¡± I groan, rolling over a bit to rest my head against his chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re repairing the small cracks in the seal, coming in direct contact with evil. It¡¯s the same reaction Annika and I get when we touch your skin¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I take in a couple of deep breaths. ¡°Thanks, dad¡­ for asking help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure why they helped. They normally do not intervein unless absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is necessary¡­¡± Mom tries, but dad cuts her sentence short with a firm look.


    ¡°Sid¡¯s our son, and therefor we find this necessary. To them, he¡¯s one of many. If they prevent each human from dying, the world would¡¯ve been over-populated by now. So¡­ I don¡¯t know why they answered my call for help. All I know is that we have more time on our hand to fight back. To save Sid.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s make good use of that time.¡± Mrs. Brand claps her hand, sending me a sad smile. ¡°We need to find a way to get the entity out of Sid. Even with the protection of Archangels, the seal could still break, setting it free.¡±


    ¡°It could?¡± I ask shocked, since I kind of hoped I could keep going like this until we figured out a way to get it out without me dying.


    ¡°It¡¯s still magic. And I think you should be at your best behaviour to prove to the Archangels you deserve their protection. If they end the protection, the bond, it will break.¡±


    I swallow hard, and nod in understanding.


    I just have a lot to process right now.


    Like the fact two freaking Archangels decided to intervein with this entity trying to kill me. Or make me kill.


    Maybe they decided to intervein because it¡¯s not just my life that is at stake, but those of five innocent children too.


    I don¡¯t know why I deserve such great honour. All I know is that I should do everything in my power to prove to them I¡¯m worthy of their effort.

 Chapter 23 – Pretending

    Tuesday, November 1<sup>st</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    For little over a week, all I was capable of, was lay in bed or on the couch. I was feeling better, but still felt exhausted physically.


    But ever since Raphael and Michael decided to intervein and help protecting me, I haven¡¯t had a nightmare, I haven¡¯t experienced any fear, anger, or feelings of hatred towards anyone or anything.


    Annika is able to touch me, to be with me without feeling a barrier, so it¡¯s evidently sure their protection is helping to keep the entity locked away ¨C for now.


    Dad hasn¡¯t been home since last Friday, as he ¨C along with Mr. Bray, went to meet up with other Angels, to discuss the situation and find a solution.


    I¡¯m just wondering why me being possessed got Wiccans, Angels and even two Archangels to step into action, while they haven¡¯t intervened with the events in the past, for nearly 400 years.


    And now that Annika, Davy, Cory and I have this much more information, we started exploring the history, using those search terms to find more information.


    Angels and Archangels as a search term, along with Baywick, Baywick¡¯s forest or Baywick Woods, doesn¡¯t give us any results ¨C which we kind of expected.


    Wiccans and Baywick gave us tons of results to read.


    Most articles are about Wiccans and their rituals in the woods, claiming they¡¯ve been there for years and years in a row, arriving ¨C coincidentally ¨C exactly 13 years after Baywick¡¯s death, halfway during the first cases of missing persons. We¡¯ve collected evidence ¨C me from the couch and the rest in the library ¨C to prove that the firs cycle too place in 1650, 13 years after Baywick¡¯s death.


    Six hunters died in the woods in 1950, and all were found by others. They were murdered, stabbed to death and left to die on the banks of the lake.


    That lead us to research the lake some more, finding out that locals used to call it ¡®The Blood Lake¡¯, since lots of blood was shed in the lake.


    It leads me to believe that my dream, about wading through the black slurry that I thought was water, was the lake, and the children I saw, must have all been victims.


    I already figured so, but now I¡¯m certain I was right.


    It¡¯s an image I can¡¯t get out of my mind; the bloody hands of children groping me, blaming me for their death.


    Angie¡¯s words, and her beautiful and innocent face draining from it¡¯s colour while blood kept seeping from the wounds in her stomach.


    I feel guilty, yet I know it wasn¡¯t my fault at all. I¡¯ve only been alive during one cycle.


    But somehow, I feel like I¡¯m more important in all of this then I originally thought, or then anyone let¡¯s me out to believe.


    I already know Cory and I are linked to previous cases, but that means our families are too.


    I¡¯m not the only relative of Hannah Hayes, who I found out to be a distant family member. Her great grandmother was my great grandmothers sister.


    It does not explain what Cory and I have to do with this, while none of my sisters have anything to do with it.


    It¡¯s frustrating to not know all secrets behind all events that happened and are still happening.


    And I still lack most energy to fuzz over it too much. I sleep half the day, and with that, I mean during day, while I sleep at night too.


    But today, since mom ran to the supermarket to get some groceries, I decided on leaving the house for the first time since I came home from hospital.


    I grabbed my schoolbag, and don¡¯t get me wrong because I¡¯m not excited about going to school. But I can¡¯t show up in school without school supply and sit down in class because I miss hanging out with my friends.


    Even if it¡¯s during class.


    Today is the best day of the week, since I have two hours in arts class, two hours in P.E. and an hour of history.


    The latter has never been my favourite class, but it became significantly more important now that we¡¯re going over the history of Miller Town, and the papers that we were supposed to hand in seemed to be only the start. We have to do a project on the history of one of the more important parts of Miller Town. Cory, Davy and Annika are in a group ¨C leaving a spot for me ¨C and picked the old Mill, and it¡¯s start back in 1631.


    I leave a note behind to inform mom I¡¯m in school and not to worry. I tell her I will call if something is wrong, and I¡¯ll visit Mrs. Brand to inform her of my presence, so she can keep a closer eye on me.


    And then I leave, missing Math, right in time for Arts class if I hurry a bit.


    * * * * *


    As soon as I enter school, I come in contact with students. At first, nobody really notices me, but soon, whispers start, and people notice me simply because they¡¯re being nudged by their friends, shamelessly pointing in my direction, probably spreading rumours about what happened to me.


    It¡¯s another disadvantage of staying home for so long; people had time to come up with their own stories about what happened.


    Most popular story is truth, sadly; I was in the woods yet again. The part that is furthest away from the truth in that story is that they claim I was attacked by wolves, just like the one who supposedly hunted Cory down.


    Now I know how he felt, and it feels shitty.


    I ignore them with the best of my abilities, shortly stopping by Mrs. Brand, who¡¯s behind her desk, waiting for the next class to sit down.


    ¡°Mr. Hayes!¡± She frowns, looking me up and down. ¡°How are you feeling? You¡¯re back in school?¡± She sends me a knowing look, since they agreed on keeping me home for at least another week.


    ¡°I was getting restless¡­ and getting really behind on my schoolwork.¡±


    She rolls her eyes, knowing I couldn¡¯t care less about school. ¡°I¡¯m keeping an eye on you, young man.¡±


    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I dropped by to tell you I¡¯m here.¡±


    She seems taken aback by the fact I was wise enough to inform her, but smiles after a short silence. ¡°Good, go to your class and let me know if anything is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Mrs. Brand.¡± I nod courtly, and leave to hurry towards Arts class. Most students in my class are already seated, and Cory and Davy are bend over a paper, but not looking towards it. They¡¯re whispering about something, and then I stop dead in my tracks, as I notice the familiar face of the girl I started to miss hanging out with; Angie.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I stare at her with wide eyes, and for a while, she¡¯s dreamingly staring into depths, but then her eyes focus, and they find me. She stares confused before she ducks down to alarm Cory and Davy, who both look at her at first, but then turn to look at me.


    ¡°Sid!?¡± Davy hurries towards me, pulling me inside the classroom. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I was bored¡­¡± I stare at Angie and slowly, Cory and Davy both look at her too, before looking back at me.


    ¡°Hi¡­ Sid?¡± Angie insecurely asks, waving a hand while seemingly lost at how to react. ¡°You¡­ see me?¡±


    ¡°Hi Angie¡­¡± I mutter, staring down because I don¡¯t want to alarm other that I¡¯m talking to an invisible person.


    Apparently, I wasn¡¯t careful enough before, and my parents overheard me talking to her on several occasions.


    ¡°You see her again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t know I would¡­¡± I sit down in between Cory and Davy, while Angie floats around in front of us. ¡°Where¡¯s Annika and Amara?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re helping Mrs. Fletcher to get some supplies.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you here, Sid? You needed to keep calm¡­¡±


    ¡°I get to see Ang again,¡± I deadpan, annoyed because they¡¯re acting like I¡¯m going to break down any second now. ¡°It was my search to begin with, and it¡¯s most of all mybattle. It¡¯s inside me. I should at least get to decide what to do with my time while I¡¯m still alive and not¡­ completely possessed.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Cory agrees with a nod and a small smile. ¡°Good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you too.¡± I smile at him gratefully for not bitching about my presence.


    Since Amara is seated at our group of tables, we can¡¯t acknowledge Angie¡¯s presence during class, and I can¡¯t inform Annika about this development either.


    But it does cheer me up to have Angie back in my life, and to find out we didn¡¯t lose our connection for good. We just had a barrier that prevented us from communicating.


    At least I have another thing that will warn me that the seal is starting to break again; Angie disappearing.


    Annika jumped me happily as soon as she found me in the class, and Mrs. Fletcher greeted me with a wide smile, telling me to just help my friends during this project and let her know if something was wrong.


    I think the entire school knows I haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. It¡¯s just a hand full of people that know I¡¯m not going to recover any time soon, or maybe not at all.


    But for today, I want to pretend to be okay.


    As if there isn¡¯t a malicious entity feeding off of my energy, trying to break out of me to harm innocent kids to revenge a death that happened 400 years ago.


    * * * * *


    We¡¯re practising flying rings during P.E. and while I want to participate, it took a lot of effort and discussion with Coach Berners to let me.


    I told him I was fine, had enough of a break, and how flying rings wouldn¡¯t cause too much trouble, as long as I didn¡¯t have to run laps.


    And how I promised I would stop as soon as I got tried.


    I just didn¡¯t tell him I feel physically tired all the time, while mentally I could run a marathon.


    He eventually told me to get dressed and join, probably mostly because I wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer and was delaying class while everybody was waiting.


    And now I¡¯m waving back and forth, trying not to give into my tired arms, that seem to drain from it¡¯s energy fairly quickly.


    I am supposed to turn upside down right now, but instead of doing so, I slide my feet over the floor in a backwards motion, to slow myself down enough to not plunge down from that high up. I try slowing down more in my forward movement, but as I do so, a painful thud in my chest causes me to let go of the rings a bit too early, sending myself flying forwards.


    I drop myself on the mat, curling up as another painful jolt is coming from my chest, temporarily knocking me out of breath.


    ¡°Sid!¡± Edward is the first to reach me, kneeling down beside me, Davy and Coach Berners following suit.


    How is it possible that this is happening? Am I not supposed to be under the protection of two freaking Archangels?


    Isn¡¯t that supposed to be enough to keep the entity to stay silent? If Archangels protecting me isn¡¯t enough, then what will be?


    ¡°That¡¯s it, you¡¯re going home.¡± Coach Berners tells me firmly.


    ¡°Or hospital?¡± Joey, a classmate suggests from close by.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡± I mutter. ¡°Just a stab¡­ bad condition¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re going home. I¡¯m calling your parents.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± I roll over to my back as soon as the pain reduced and I¡¯m able to breath again, staring up in agony.


    It¡¯s the pity in Davy¡¯s and Edward¡¯s eyes that I hate most. And while Edward hasn¡¯t got a single clue what is going on right now, Davy knows it is a bad sign that the pain won¡¯t stay away.


    But all in all, I do manage to stay true to myself for almost a month already, which is something.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you to the locker room, while I call your parents,¡± coach Berners offers me a hand to pull me up, but I ignore him and get up myself, sending him an annoyed look.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a freaking baby, okay? I decide whether or not I¡¯m going, and I¡¯m not going.¡± I feel annoyed, mostly because mom has been calling me none-stop, texting me to come home and take more rest. And I¡¯m fed up with always being surrounded by people who are keeping an eye on me, while I wouldn¡¯t mind being alone for once.


    This whole thing is starting to anger me, and I wish people who know what is going on, would start realising these might be my last days on earth.


    I do not want to spend them locked inside a house because something might happen any day.


    It¡¯s going to happen eventually and staying at home isn¡¯t going to prevent it from happening.


    More so, this is my body, and my life. And for once I want to be at school while I always rather stayed home, and now I¡¯m not allowed?


    What kind of logic is that?


    I eventually barge out of the gym, fed up with everything and everyone.


    And thank god, for once, nobody decides to follow me.


    For the next hour or so, I hide away in the library at school, wanting to find more information about exorcisms, and how often they go wrong.


    I want to know more about Michael and Raphael, and what their powers supposedly are, and how Archangels and Angels are different from each other. I want to know what it might mean to me that I¡¯m half an Angel and how this might affect the developments while being possessed.


    I search for information about the people who died under weird circumstances right after a cycle ended, and shortly before lunch, I find what I was looking for;


    They all got ill, and had respiratory arrests just like me, shortly before a kid went missing. I already know those kids are the ones that had been born on the day that the last kid of a previous cycle went missing.


    But now I know, those people all got ill, got better, and disappeared about a month after the kid went missing. They¡¯re off grit for about a month or two, and all resurfaced shortly before the rest of the cycle took place.


    They all die three weeks after the sixth kid was taken; the exact amount of days it took for the people to kill Baywick after the sixth supposed hunting accident.


    This isn¡¯t a coincidence. I¡¯m looking at the names and information of people that had been previous ¡®carriers¡¯ as the wiccans and Angels like to call the possessed people. These are the people who killed six innocent kids each, all before they died themselves.


    I¡¯m going to be the next on the list, if I don¡¯t find a way to get this entity out of me.


    And for starters, I need to find out what exactly happened to the hunters who did die in the woods.


    Which is going to be one hell of a job, since reports of the accidents are old, incomplete and very vague.


    One thing I do find, is the locations the accidents happened, because they held memorials for several years in a row, to honour those who died during the accidents, in the same spot they were found.


    I need to request Angie to take me to those spots in my dreams, ifand only if Angie is still capable of controlling my dreams.


    ¡°I still think I am.¡± Angie sounds¡­ scared, showing up beside me.


    Since I¡¯m surrounded by people, I know I can¡¯t talk back, so I decide on writing down my responses.


    Can you take me to these spots?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what good that would do¡­¡± She seems hesitant and¡­ unwilling to do so.


    I need to go there, and you need to help me.


    ¡°I¡¯m really busy with guiding Davy, Annika and Cory through the woods¡­¡±


    Don¡¯t you want me to figure out what happened?


    Angie bites her lip, still keeping a bit of distance between us, nervously waving back and forth. ¡°Davy is helping me¡­ you don¡¯t have to¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    You mean you don¡¯t want to help me anymore.


    ¡°I can sense it, and it scares me.¡± Angie admits with a soft whisper. ¡°It killed me, you know?¡± She takes in a deep breath, staring towards the computer again. ¡°But¡­ there¡¯s one thing I need you to search for.¡±


    I¡¯m not going to take any requests coming from you, if you¡¯re not willing to help me.


    ¡°It will help you, Sid¡­ because I think it¡¯s what explains why it¡¯s so much more powerful inside you then it ever was before.¡±


    What is it?


    ¡°Baywick¡¯s lost daughter.¡±


    Baywick had a lost daughter?


    ¡°There were rumours about it. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s true though. But there are documentations that he had a second daughter. Edward came across it, but since I can¡¯t communicate with him outside his dreams, he dismissed it as unimportant. I told Davy about it but they¡¯re really busy trying to find a solution to your¡­ problem.¡±


    So, Baywick had another daughter? At least, there¡¯s a possibility and rumours about it? I stare at Angie for a while, contemplating on demanding her to do something in return, but then again, if this might help figure out why I¡¯m this much more affected, then I should do some research on the topic, right?


    And, so, I google for any information about a possible second daughter of Baywick.

 Chapter 24 – Bloodline

    Tuesday, November 1<sup>st</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    I search for more information about Baywick and a possible bastard child for the duration of lunch. I¡¯m still not hungry and I haven¡¯t eaten much in days. Dad explained I might be feeding off of the entity, and vice versa, despite the seal to lock it away.


    It would explain why I don¡¯t feel the need to eat but have a more urgent need to sleep a lot.


    All I find about Baywick, is that he had a wife and they were married for 4 years, until she died of what they now assume could have been a form of cancer.


    They had one daughter, Elizabeth, who lived with Baywick until the age of eighteen, and then moved into the early parts of Miller Town, before it had a name. There she met Anthony and soon after, they got married and had kids of their own.


    They had three; Thomas, Anton and Lisa.


    There¡¯s information about Baywick having an affaire, but I can¡¯t find more about the woman in question. Al it says, is that Baywick and his wife had arguments and fights, and that she, Lucia, spoke about it with her friends.


    They carried on the gossip that Lucia wanted to divorce Baywick because he got another woman pregnant.


    I¡¯m reading the story, but there¡¯s no intel about the second wife, or about the child they had together, when the bell rings and I jump in my seat a bit, noticing I¡¯ve spend more then an hour in here without being interrupted.


    The one class that I went to school for is now starting in five minutes, and the timing couldn¡¯t be more perfect.


    I scramble all the information I got together, put it in a new folder, and head over to class, wondering why nobody bothered me for this long, while they are adamant about not leaving me alone.


    I shrug the weird feeling of, since I didn¡¯t realise I was in here for so long, and hurry towards class, taking my seat in between Davy and Annika without saying a word.


    I notice the look the exchange but am thankful for them not to ask how I¡¯m doing.


    Because I haven¡¯t been doing great in a while now, and I¡¯m getting sick of having to pretend I¡¯m fine.


    ¡°Welcome back Mr. Hayes.¡± Mr. Brightwaters greets me with a courtly nod and a small smile, before turning to the board to write something down. ¡°We¡¯ll have today¡¯s class to discuss all topics that each group picked and see if there aren¡¯t any overlapping files coming my way.¡± He turns to look at the first group, writing their subject ¨C the hunters as the first habitants of this area ¨C on the board. He writes down how we¡¯re going to do research on the Mill, while the third group is planning on discussing the developments of traffic, including the old railroad.


    The fourth group names a topic that wakes me up from a daze.


    ¡°Elizabeth Baywick-Miller and the school she started.¡±


    I cock my head, knowing the first elementary school in Miller Town ¨C closed years and years ago ¨C was founded by Elizabeth, but surprised they consider it a good enough topic. But, I think this is where I should jump in.


    ¡°Mr. Brightwaters?¡± I ask, as he writes down the topic. ¡°Do you know anything about Baywick¡¯s second daughter?¡±


    Davy smirks knowingly at me, before he looks over to Angie, who shrugs. Annika frowns, as do most others in our class.


    ¡°Baywick¡¯s second daughter?¡± Amara sounds confused, looking at her notes. ¡°Baywick only had one daughter, Elizabeth.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s tons of rumours that he had an affair, a bastard¡¯s child. Do you think it¡¯s true, Mr. Brightwaters?¡±


    He smiles at me, though it seems forced. ¡°I know there are tons of stories out there that claim Mr. Baywick wasn¡¯t true to his wife after she got sick.¡± He nods in agreement. ¡°It is never proven he had a child, but Lucia Baywick herself started up the stories about his affair, yes.¡± He nods again. ¡°This is not important¡­¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡± I perk up a bit. ¡°If he had another daughter, I think it¡¯s part of history, that we need to know as complete as possible during our tests, right?¡±


    ¡°I can assure you, Baywick¡¯s affair isn¡¯t going to show up in tests.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it part of history?¡± I frown, cocking my head again, knowing I¡¯m getting on his nerves. ¡°Or are we going to sweep all bad things under the rug, as always?¡±


    ¡°As always?¡± Mr. Brightwaters stops moving towards his desk to continue class.


    ¡°The fact Baywick might have been innocent in those accidents, the fact twelve people decided on taking faith into their own hands and kill him in a horrible way. If you think about it, people of this town almost literally swept that one under the rug by placing Hunter¡¯s Lodge on top of the remnants of his burned down house¡­¡±


    That causes some people to chuckle, Davy to laugh out shortly, and Annika to grin. Because let¡¯s face it, witty answers fit me.


    ¡°Someone has done his homework while being at home¡­¡± Mr. Brightwaters seems pleased over the fact I know plenty on this topic and didn¡¯t fall behind. But he doesn¡¯t know why it¡¯s important for me to now more about Baywick.


    ¡°Can you reward it by telling me what you know about his affair?¡± I smirk, and Mr. Brightwaters sighs. ¡°There¡¯s a group that wants to research Antony Miller, and we want the Mill. Maybe if we switch and do research on the effects of his affair on the developments of this town¡­¡± I shrug. ¡°Maybe even find out if he indeed had a second daughter who might have done great things for this town¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we going to switch?¡± Cory leans in. ¡°Because I already have a lot on the Mill¡­¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°We also have a lot on Baywick¡¯s family.¡± Davy shrugs. ¡°And I¡¯m curious if Sid is right and he had a second daughter.¡±


    ¡°Right, okay,¡± Mr. Brightwaters answers, clapping his hands. ¡°A short summary, if you want to know more, you can find out in research.¡± He looks at me with a weird look, as if he knowswhy I¡¯m asking this. ¡°Thomason Baywick supposedly had an affair during the last three years of Lucia Baywick¡¯s life, when she was ill. When she told her friends that he got his girlfriend knocked up, the rumours started. In that time, three ladies had been pregnant, so the people in Miller Town suspected one of those three to be the woman he slept with. Let¡¯s be clear that outsiders, due to long distances, didn¡¯t pass by very often at that time.¡±


    ¡°Are there names of those woman?¡±


    ¡°Corina Middleton, Jessabelle Conrad and Morena Fernandes.¡±


    I scribble down the names in haste.


    ¡°They all gave birth around the same time and they all had a daughter.¡±


    ¡°Were they married too, sir?¡± Annika asks curiously. ¡°I mean, if one wasn¡¯t married, then she would most likely be the one, right?¡±


    ¡°We can only guess, as all three hadn¡¯t been married. They were considered unworthy, as pre-marriage sexual intercourse, at that time, was considered cheap and wrong. They all left Miller Town shortly after giving birth, not wanting to be confronted with their mistakes every day. Two gave up their babies for adoption, while the third, Corina Middleton, took her daughter with her.


    ¡°And one of those three daughters is supposed to be Baywick¡¯s second daughter? Did they ever find out which of them? Or did any of the three claimed to be the daughter?¡± Eveline, a girl in our class, seems to be curious to the outcomes of this story too.


    ¡°Well, Baywick was eventually murdered since lots of people thought he was guilty of killing six hunters he previously threatened to kill if they would ever step foot in the woods again. I don¡¯t think any of the three, even if they knew they were Baywick¡¯s kid, would have proudly claimed.¡± Mr. Brightwaters shrugs for a bit.


    ¡°I think on the contrary,¡± Kim speaks up too. ¡°If I would know I was the daughter of a killer, I wouldn¡¯t come forward with that either.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t the killer.¡± I snap at her, suddenly angry an annoyed. And the looks I get from classmates annoy me even more so. ¡°They claimedhe was, but he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And how can you be so sure, if in 400 years, nobody was able to prove his innocence?¡± Kim sends me an angry look back. ¡°Besides, why would you take his side? He killed six people¡­¡±


    ¡°I said he didn¡¯t.¡± I cut her off with a snap. ¡°Maybe nobody ever proved his innocence, but they never proved he was guilty either. They just assumed¡­¡±


    ¡°Because he said he would do so if they would step into the woods again.¡± Timothy takes her side, pissing me off to no end. Can they be any more ignorant?


    ¡°Baywick wasn¡¯t even in town during one of the incidents¡­¡±


    ¡°So he says, but nobody confirmed...¡±


    ¡°¡­and he was seen in town during two other incidents!¡± I raise my voice a bit to overpower their counter-arguments, which are weak and useless.


    ¡°Who would provide a killer with an alibi?¡± Kim wonders aloud, sending me a daring look because I guess she notices I get angrier over the fact she calls Baywick a killer.


    And I¡¯m not even sure whyI¡¯m getting this angry over this. Maybe because Baywick¡¯s soul merged into something malicious that is now inside of me? Am I taking a stance for him, because he¡¯s making me?


    ¡°If he was in town during two incidents, and someone saw him, doesn¡¯t that prove he was innocent?¡± Cory, with a passive aggressive attitude stares at her as if she¡¯s the most stupid girl he ever came across.


    ¡°Then why did half the town believe he was guilty?¡±


    ¡°Because Lucia was a well-seen guest all over town and he had an affair?¡± I form my answer into a question, but it¡¯s merely to inform her that the town might have been after Baywick for hurting his wife.


    But where did I get that piece of information? Did I read about it?


    Or is Baywick now feeding me with information?


    Crucial information, that is.


    * * * * *


    Davy has been researching spells and ways to extract the entity, while Annika is mainly staring at me in wonder and worry.


    We¡¯re at my home, and they¡¯re having dinner with us. In the mean time, I¡¯m researching the three names given to me by our history teacher.


    He closed the discussion shortly after I gave a motive for half the town to hate Baywick¡¯s guts, and ever since I did so, I feel as if I¡¯m on the right side of things; Baywick was innocent.


    He was a victim himself.


    I¡¯m currently searching for information about Jessabelle Conrad¡¯s daughter; Natasha Conrad-Yates. She was put u for adoption and grew up one town over, Greenville. She married young, had four kids of her own, and helped Elizabeth Baywick-Miller by founding the school of Miller Town.


    And while Elizabeth got wrapped up in scandals all over town since her husband appeared to be in some shady business, Natasha did everything to turn the school into a success. She later started an orphanage in Greenville to create a safe-heaven for kids like her; abandoned by their parents.


    The orphanage is still in operation today but isn¡¯t as needed anymore as it was back in the days. There¡¯s not that much kids staying in there, but with the funding¡¯s of Natasha¡¯s rich husband they managed to secure the future for years to come, causing the building to still be in place, while the orphanage moved to a newer building. The old building is now a museum about Greenville. It¡¯s still protected by the offspring of Natasha and her husband Gregory.


    One of the offspring¡¯s names catches my eyes; Lucas Hayes and his wife Lorette Lexington-Hayes.


    Does that mean my family is related to Natasha Conrad? Or is it purely coincidental that they¡¯re called Hayes too?


    I pounder over it a few seconds, deciding on looking further into it, wondering if I might be a possible relative of mister Baywick himself.


    I use national and local databases to track down distant family members, connecting my father¡¯s great grandfather, to Lucas Hayes¡¯ great grandfather as a brother.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m¡­ on to something.¡± I mutter, needing some opinions about the coincidental information I just found.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Davy leans forwards, while Annika leans her head onto my shoulder to look what I¡¯m doing.


    ¡°I¡¯m related to Jessabelle Conrad.¡±


    ¡°What, isn¡¯t that one of those three¡­¡± Davy stops talking as he realises that¡¯s exactly who I¡¯m talking about.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I tracked it, I checked it¡­¡± I mutter, shoving my papers towards her. ¡°Jessabelle gave birth to Natasha Conrad, she founded the orphanage in Greenville, and the old building is still taken care of by her offspring, her relatives. Lucas Hayes is one of them and his great-grandfather is my great, great granduncle. Or whatever that¡¯s called.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Davy stares at the notes with shock in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re possibly related to Baywick? IfJessabelle was the woman that he was having an affair with.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it explain why his malicious remnants are affecting me this much?¡± I mutter, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. ¡°If I¡¯m in a direct bloodline with Baywick¡­¡±


    They fall silent, both staring at me with expressions on their faces I cannot describe.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that mean he was an Angel of some sorts too?¡± Davy wonders aloud.


    ¡°Every now and again, someone who only has one parent with Angelic blood, will be a full Angel too, despite the lack of genes from one of the parents. So, it doesn¡¯t mean all of our ancestors were Angels, and neither are Sid¡¯s.¡± Annika shortly looks at me. ¡°They think you¡¯re one of those exceptions.¡±


    ¡°What, a full Angel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, since your healing powers are extraordinary at your age.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean they will be even stronger once I¡¯m an adult?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, yes.¡± She smiles and pecks my cheek with her lips. ¡°And thanks, for still thinking about a future, not giving up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, for reminding me I might not have a future,¡± I deadpan, slumping down in my seat.


    ¡°Okay, different topic. Hannah Hayes, where does she meet your family?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s was dad¡¯s cousin.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Davy nods, taking in all my ancestors. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you managed to find all of this.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m possibly related to Baywick, founder of this area.¡±


    ¡°You know?¡± Annika taps the screen of my laptop, where the museum website is still open. ¡°We should visit this place and see if we can find out if Natasha ever gave away who here father was.¡±

 Chapter 25 – Natasha Conrad

    Saturday, November 5, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    It took a lot of begging for my parents to let me go and visit the museum with Annika, Cory and Davy. But eventually, after I told them we think we as a Hayes-family, might be related to Baywick, and we¡¯re trying to find it out, they allowed me to go.


    They even wanted to join us, but we assured them we were fine. Mom insisted on driving us and staying in Greenville for the duration of our visit to the museum, in case something was wrong with me.


    I get why she¡¯s a bit nervous about losing track of me. I¡¯ve been feeling good ever since Tuesday, more energetic and well-rested. But I do have weird dreams, and I tend to daydream ¨C as she likes to call it ¨C a lot more.


    I experience the daydreaming as zoning out. Because I¡¯m not really daydreaming about anything in particular. I just don¡¯t pay any attention to my surroundings and I can never recall what my mind was taken by.


    Perhaps the malicious entity.


    Who knows? It is breaking out slowly. It¡¯s been two weeks since the Archangels strengthened the seal, but I feel as if their hold on it is slowly fading.


    Angie has been giving me warnings that she feels the entity growing stronger again, and she told me she¡¯s afraid to yet again lose her connection to me.


    It got me thinking, that maybe once this entity breaks out, we will lose the connection, and I won¡¯t ever see her again.


    At least, not as a living person.


    Maybe we can haunt Annika, Davy and Cory together.


    But then again, I wouldn¡¯t want to haunt Annika, because it would be too painful not to be able to touch her ever again.


    No more hugging, no more kissing, never making love to her again.


    It would break me, and it would break her heart too.


    I don¡¯t even want to think about the fact she might eventually move on with someone else, and I would witness her falling in love with someone else.


    ¡°Earth to Sid,¡± Annika addresses me with a nervous giggle. ¡°Is this what your mom means with the daydreaming?¡±


    ¡°Eh, no¡­¡± I drawl, lolling my head a bit. ¡°I was thinking about us.¡±


    That makes her smile, though it¡¯s a bit of a sad smile. ¡°About how we might¡­ not have a¡­ future?¡±


    I nod to confirm her suspicion is right.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to solve things, right?¡± She smiles, grabs my hands, squeezes it shortly and let¡¯s go again.


    Annika is feeling the presence too, and it¡¯s putting a barrier between us yet again. She¡¯s uncomfortable and restless whenever she touches me for too long.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± I suggest, merely in an attempt to get rid of the awkwardness because we both know what is happening.


    She nods, and Davy and Cory wait for me to enter first.


    As soon as I step inside, there¡¯s a weird warmth inside me. As if I¡¯ve been here before and it feels like home.


    The suspicion of being a relative to Baywick grows by the minute.


    What else would explain feeling so at home in a place I¡¯ve never been to before myself?


    Right¡­ the entity might feel at home, and I might feed off of that energy.


    I wake up from a stupor, as an old lady greets us with a warm smile.


    ¡°Oh, hello dear.¡± She looks directly at me.


    ¡°We eh¡­ were wondering if we could have a look around the museum,¡± I¡¯m stuttering a bit, suddenly nervous. What if she¡¯s closed for some reason?


    But then the door wouldn¡¯t be open, right?


    ¡°I called last week,¡± Annika takes over the conversation, addressing the old lady. ¡°About a tour?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± The old lady smiles widely. ¡°It¡¯s good to see some youth being interested in our towns history.¡±


    The four of us smile politely, knowing we don¡¯t give flying fuck about the history other then finding a solution to my problem.


    Though I always liked history in general, so digging through local history isn¡¯t that bad. It could be worse.


    Like having to solve tons of mathematical problems and difficult riddles.


    That¡¯s not my cup of tea.


    ¡°If you guys want, I could give you a tour. We have audio guidance too, but those are a bit outdated¡­¡± She shortly looks to a couple devices in a box, that seem really outdated.


    ¡°A tour would be good.¡± Annika nods happily. ¡°That way we get to ask questions too, hard to do that to an audio guide, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The woman starts smiling even wider, and for a second I think her face will split in two if she smiles even wider. ¡°Let me get the papers, and we¡¯ll start right away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to way, perhaps others are joining?¡± Cory awkwardly looks into a deserted room on our right.


    The old lady giggles and shakes her head. ¡°The only reason we¡¯re still open is thanks to the family of our founder. We don¡¯t have that many visitors ever since they opened an exhibition in the town hall for people to learn about the history. It¡¯s sad¡­¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re here.¡± Davy smirks at her, probably to get her to like him more so she won¡¯t be constantly flitting around us like a hawk, making sure we won¡¯t touch anything.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Right, and I¡¯m going to show you every part of the house, and make sure you young ones learn the right history. Sad parts included.¡± She shortly looks sad, but then smiles, as she goes into a backroom, retrieving some paper booklets to hand to us, one each.


    ¡°In here you¡¯ll find basic information about the rooms, what they were used for when this was still the orphanage, how things went down here.¡±


    Annika browses through the booklet, finding a map of the house, which has four little maps of four different floors; the basement, the main floor, the upper floor and the attic.


    The first and last are practically empty and only the other two maps address information in the books.


    We follow her into a large room, where a bunch of showcases are against the walls and in the middle of the room. In the far end, there¡¯s a little cosy living room behind ropes, telling people it isn¡¯t meant to take a seat, just to look.


    She explains this originally the reception room, where families would wait until they could meet with personnel or kids they were thinking to adopt.


    She gives out more information about the course of events whenever a family would come to adopt a kid, or, in some cases, single mothers who were looking for a place to leave the kid they could not take care of. She then show¡¯s us a small side room, where there is a hatch in the wall.


    ¡°This used to be the baby hatch, where desperate mothers could leave their kids to be taken care of, whenever they wanted to remain anonymous. Natasha Conrad, the founder of the orphanage, was an orphan herself and was left behind in the streets. If the old couple who found her, wouldn¡¯t have, she would¡¯ve died. So, she introduced the hatch, that she learned about in Europe, to make sure kids could be left behind safely. There was a bell, mothers would ring the bell to alarm the nurse there was a kid in the hatch.¡± The old lady tells us with a sad smile on her face. ¡°They would wait an appropriate amount of time so the mother could leave without being seen, before getting the baby. This room was filled with supplies to help the baby with any needs. They would measure and weight the baby and then, if no information about the birth was given, they would come up with an approximate date of birth.¡± She gestures for us to follow us, heading through another door, which tells us we¡¯re entering the nursery. On our right side, there¡¯s still six baby beds, while on the left another bunch of showcases are placed, mostly containing pictures of later years of the nursery.


    She tells us babies would be kept here to be taken care of by two nurses who were only taking care of the babies. She shows us some pictures and then takes us back to the hallway.


    She shows us the kitchen, she shows us the yard, and explains the house originally wasn¡¯t as big as it is now. From outside, she shows us the original building, that has been rebuild in later years, but in the exact same way, and the build-on part, which is the biggest part of the house.


    Then she takes us upstairs, and the warmth inside me grows, as if I¡¯m getting closer to home. She shows us the bedrooms, tells us each room held two to four kids, before showing us the bathrooms and two playrooms. Then she takes us back downstairs, skipping the attic, annoying me because the two times we passed the door to the stairs, my heart started beating erratically.


    ¡°What¡¯s in the attic? Or what used to be there?¡±


    ¡°It used to be where the staff had their rooms. Some would sleep in the first floor to keep an eye on the kids, the rest could always stay over during the night if they wanted to.¡±


    ¡°And why not show us how they used to live?¡± I asked with a bit of annoyance seeping through my words.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, just empty rooms. The family placed belongings of Natasha, her husband, two sons and two daughters in there. I believe even things that belonged to the grandkids of Natasha and Gregory is up there, but I haven¡¯t been there in a while¡­¡± She walks further, wanting us to show the laundry rooms and whatever else is in the basement, when I pull Davy to the side.


    ¡°The attic, I need to go to the attic.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something there¡­ I feel it. We have to find a way into the attic.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Mam?¡± Davy calls after her, winking at me. ¡°Is there a bathroom we could use?¡±


    ¡°Oh, why, yes. The second bathroom on the first floor is in use for our guests. I¡¯ll show you the way back¡­¡±


    ¡°No need, ¡®mam¡­ we¡¯ll head there and wait for the three of you at the reception.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see the basement?¡±


    ¡°My friend here has been in hospital recently and he needs to rest. But I¡¯m sure Anni and Cory will inform us about the basement once we¡¯re home again.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well.¡± She looks back and forth between Davy and me, before she nods. Davy and I wait until she turned around, gesturing Annika we¡¯re going up to the attic.


    ¡°Keep her down with tons of questions.¡± I whisper as we pass her, heading back upstairs.


    She nods, shortly looks worried, but then hurries after Cory and the old lady.


    * * * * *


    I¡¯m thankful Davy and I know how to pick a lock, so that it didn¡¯t take too long to get the door to the attic to open. We¡¯re currently searching the dark rooms ¨C because most windows are closed from the outside with wooden hatches ¨C to find what I¡¯m supposedly looking for.


    ¡°Just follow your gut feeling,¡± Davy tells me, trying to encourage me to lead the way.


    And it¡¯s what I¡¯m doing; following the warmth that is growing the closer I get to whatever I¡¯m going to find.


    Whatever it is, it¡¯s in the last room down the hallway, which is left ajar by the last person who was up here.


    I carefully push it open, finding boxes and boxes piled on top of each other, all with names written on them.


    I trace the names, until I find Gregory, and soon after the name we¡¯ve been looking for; Natasha Conrad-Yates.


    I open a box in front of me, finding old clothing¡¯s, impressed by how well preserved it is after 400 years.


    ¡°Look, an old desk.¡± Davy lifts a box off a desk, and I¡¯m immediately drawn to it. There¡¯s cabinets in it, small, and the back is filled with small books that are worn out and would probably fall apart as soon as you open them.


    I trace the backs of the books, but my mind is screaming at me to check the drawers and cabinets, so I reluctantly do so.


    There¡¯s a hidden drawer.


    I know there¡¯s a hidden drawer that I need to open.


    I trace the flowery pattern that is framing the desk, I search corners, gaps, and I open the main drawer, until I find a small lever, pulling it while holding my breath.


    Suddenly, there¡¯s a gushing wind that causes Davy to yelp in surprise, causing papers to fly all over the place. The window close by flies open, the door slams shut behind us, causing Davy to panic, while I think it¡¯s me who is causing this. I think my excitement caused it to happen.


    ¡°Dude, we need to get out of here!¡± Davy hisses. ¡°I¡¯m not comfortable right now.¡±


    ¡°Relax, pussy. It¡¯s me, I think¡­¡± I drawl, pulling open a compartment that jumped open at the pull of the lever, retrieving a black leather book with Natasha¡¯s name on the front. I hurriedly put it in my backpack, turning to face a scared to death Davy.


    ¡°It¡¯s you? You think?¡±


    ¡°I got a bit excited¡­¡± I shrug, trying to play it off as something natural.


    I know it¡¯s weird to tell him I might have caused that wind to start blowing, but I really feel like I did that. Or more, my excitement.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Davy drawls. ¡°What did you take?¡±


    ¡°A book with her name on it. I think this is what was calling me¡­ or something. Can we not discuss this? I have no explanation either.¡± I brush past him since the look in his eyes is making me feel uncomfortable. ¡°Let¡¯s find the rest. We¡¯ve been gone too long.¡±


    Davy stares at me in silence for a couple of seconds, still staring confused, but then moving to follow me back downstairs. We put the lock back in place, and hurry downstairs and towards the reception. Right as we enter it, we hear the rest coming back up.


    ¡°Right in time,¡± Davy whisper. ¡°But we are going to talk about what happened when we¡¯re home.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to take a nap first, once we¡¯re home.¡± I lie, not feeling tired at all. But since he doesn¡¯t know any better then me needing lots of rest, he doesn¡¯t protest it, though he does seem annoyed because I¡¯m shutting him out.


    But I can¡¯t explain it, and the looks he gave me made me feel as if he disagrees, while I can¡¯t control it.


    I surely wasn¡¯t planning on slamming a door shut that could¡¯ve alarmed the old lady about our true whereabouts. And when I look up to the house once we¡¯re outside, I see that the window is closed again, even though Davy and I didn¡¯t close it. But looking at it, I swear I see an old lady staring at me with a small smile on her face, nodding politely as I stare back, before Davy pulls me away and I have to turn around to see where I¡¯m going. Once we¡¯re in the car, I look back again, but there¡¯s nothing there.


    Did I imagine it, or did I really see another ghost?


    Nothing could surprise me anymore at this point. I¡¯ve been under the protection of Archangels, I turn out to be a half-Angel, maybe even a full Angel, while Davy and Annika are too, and the latter is a witch too.


    Mom¡¯s been in a coven for as long as she is an adult, and well, I talk to Angie, so the possibility of seeing another ghost in that house wouldn¡¯t be that weird.

 Chapter 26 – The diary

    Sunday, November 6<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    Dear diary,


    And whoever is going to read about my boring life,


    Today I turned twelve! My parents, Marie-Anne and Peter Jarvis, threw me a huge birthday party, inviting all my friends. As a gift I finally got the Dory doll I have been begging to get for about two years now, but money had always been tight. And off course this diary, that I wanted because I love to write.


    It all changed last week, when dad got promotion at work!


    Which means we actually had two things to celebrate today. I am no longer going to be the pour girl who got adopted by a pour family.


    What excites me most, is that I am now twelve, and allowed to find out who my birth-parents are. Although, daddy warned me that they might not have the information, which would mean I would never find out who they are and why they left me.


    But I want to know who they are and why I cannot live with them.


    I am going to go to the church down town with mom tomorrow, and I will let you all know who my parents are.


    Love, Natasha


    I smirk at the diary, as this is obviously written by a young girl. I have to handle the book carefully, because the binding is weak, and the letters are hard to read after 400 years, but it feels like a treasure.


    I browse further, carefully, and notice Natasha started adding dates of her entries after a while. The first bunch of entries are about little kid¡¯s stuff, but then the date jumps a couple of years, and Natasha should be around sixteen years old.


    March 17<sup>th</sup>, 1637, Greenville


    Dear diary,


    I feel very restless and afraid and I felt the need to write my thoughts and the feelings that come with these thoughts down. I found my birthmother now a year ago. She finally came to the church and they gave her the letters I have been leaving for her to read, and to request her to visit.


    My mother is the most beautiful woman on this whole wide earth. Even daddy was enchanted by her beauty and mom got jealous.


    We are now a year ahead in time and I have learned a lot about my mother, and why she left me at the church. She was not married to my father and her pregnancy was looked down upon. She wished me no such life, as the bastard child of who she claims was a good and strong man she fell for the first second her eyes found him in the mass of church.


    She wished me not to know who he is, but I have found out his identity myself.


    My father, I am sure of, is none other then Thomason Baywick, the great, great, Mr. Baywick that visited our town two weeks ago.


    He is the founder of a tiny town a few miles away from here. It has no name, but Thomason Baywick bought the forest that stretches as far as Greenville and called it Baywick¡¯s forest.


    It is called Baywick Woods around town and the men in town are always going over for several weeks to go hunting for food.


    The great Baywick is my father, I am sure of.


    I have his eyes, and his smile. He was said to have an affair with a beautiful woman he conceived a child with.


    Who would be me, Natasha Conrad, daughter of Jessabelle Conrad and Thomas Baywick.


    I finally found my birthparents, and it fears me to know my true father.


    For my father, Thomason Baywick, is said to have murdered a hunter he had a dispute with not too long ago.


    Stories about him, the hunters and Baywick Woods are talk of the town of Greenville. This while we as young women are told to not lower to standards such as ordinary talk about other¡¯s failures or disputes.


    Thomason Baywick fell out of grace, but I know he is not the guilty person. But who would believe me when I would tell them that Thomason Baywick was with my mother on the night of the horrible hunting accident that resulted in the passing of a young father of two?


    None, I tell you. None will believe me, the daughter of a mineworker, as I am of simple, pour decent.


    I fear for my father¡¯s life, dear diary, and I hope I fear for nothing¡­


    Natasha


    * * * * *


    Annika is reading the entry over and over again, still not comprehending the fact I found proof that Baywick was innocent for the first accident. It also is proof that I am indeed related to Baywick, Jessabelle and Natasha.


    I am a distant relative to Baywick, the true founder of Miller Town.


    ¡°He really is innocent.¡± Annika looks back and forth between me and Davy. ¡°And you truly are related to him!¡± She gestures towards the diary with wide eyes. ¡°This is huge, Sid!¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    ¡°We need to tell your parents. We need to tell the coven. Blood-bonds always make things more complicated and difficult. Maybe they will now know what to do, or why the seal isn¡¯t holding on as long as it¡¯s supposed to!¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Did you find more about the accidents?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t read on. I texted you two as soon as I found this. The first entries she wrote when she was twelve, and she stopped around the age of thirteen. I saw a huge jump in time and the fact it was written in 1637, the year Baywick was murdered.¡± I shrug, gesturing for Annika to move away from the diary.


    ¡°No, wait, I want to read more¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mine, Annika,¡± I deadpan coldly, suddenly feeling possessive over the diary. ¡°It belonged to my ancestor, not yours.¡±


    She pulls up her eyebrows, opening her mouth to talk back, but as she looks at Davy she backs out and steps aside.


    I carefully close the diary, putting it in the plastic bag I use to protect it from too much air, before I place it in a box to keep it away from light.


    ¡°We need to tell your parents¡­¡±


    ¡°And we will!¡± I snap at Davy, who comes across as impatient, annoying me. ¡°Jeez can you be any more impatient?¡±


    ¡°I was just saying¡­ Never mind¡­¡± He sighs, rolling his eyes annoyed, leaving my bedroom to go back downstairs.


    ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± Annika asks unsurely, as Angie suddenly appears beside me, causing me to jump in my spot.


    ¡°Stop! Sneaking up on me!¡± I snap at her in anger, sending Annika a look. ¡°I am fine, I¡¯m just tired.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then maybe taking a nap isn¡¯t a bad idea¡­¡± She speaks sadly and I want to comfort her, but as I reach out to grab her hand, she pulls away and shakes her head. ¡°It¡­ hurts.¡±


    ¡°It hurts?¡± I frown confused. ¡°Like¡­ burning?¡±


    ¡°No not any burn wounds but¡­¡± She bites her lip, looking down sadly. ¡°You feel really hot and I get little jolts¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She takes in a deep breath. ¡°I feel it better whenever I¡¯m sad, and I really don¡¯t feel happy right now.¡±


    ¡°How come¡­? I wanted to comfort you¡­¡±


    She scoffs, shuffling a foot. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ you keep snapping at us and it hurts me because we¡¯re just trying to help.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m tired¡­ I¡¯m the one who¡¯s dying, yet I hardly get a say in anything these days.¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t know if you are affected or not, and we don¡¯t know¡­ if whatever you know, the entity knows too¡­¡± She swallows. ¡°We keep you out because we¡¯re protecting you, okay?¡± She hesitantly reaches my wrist, grabbing it after her hand lingered above it shortly, but then she squeezes it and pecks a quick kiss on my cheek. ¡°Never forget that I love you very much.¡±


    I swallow hard, sad because she pulled away quickly, knowing the barrier is growing and soon she won¡¯t be able to show any signs of affection anymore.


    And neither can I.


    I bite my lip as she leaves my room to follow Davy, and after putting the diary away, I follow them to go on and inform my parents about what I just found out. But I¡¯m not going to show them the diary, because that belongs to me, and not to them. They will surely take it away, so I made sure to use a box with a lock on it, so they would not be able to. I keep it hidden under my bed for safety measures.


    As soon as I enter the living room, my parents look up curiously.


    ¡°Davy said you have important information?¡± Dad gestures me to sit down, but I feel angsty to step into the room, not exactly knowing whyI don¡¯t want to. So, I lean against the doorpost, casually, trying to play it off as if nothing is wrong.


    ¡°I do, yes.¡± I nod, biting my lip shortly, standing up straight again. ¡°We are indeed related to Baywick. His lost daughter is our ancestor.¡±


    His eyebrows fly up, and so do mom¡¯s.


    ¡°We really are related to Baywick?¡±


    ¡°Baywick had a lost daughter, Natasha Conrad. She founded the orphanage, which is why we went there yesterday.¡±


    ¡°And how did you find out we¡¯re related?¡± Dad asks curiously.


    ¡°I found Natasha¡¯s diary.¡± I shrug. ¡°No, you can¡¯t have it, because I need to figure some things out.¡±


    ¡°Like what? It could contain information we could use to solve this!¡± Mom starts her protest, but I stop her by holding up a hand.


    ¡°The fact Natasha is sixteen in the year Baywick was murdered. She was conceived before he settled in the forest.¡± I¡¯m not even sure when I figured out that the timeline is off, but all I now is that Natasha writes as a twelve-year-old in 1633. Which means she was born 3 years prior to Baywick moving into the woods.


    ¡°We can figure that out together.¡± Mom suggests.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine, and you¡¯re not going to take the diary away. You just search your books, I¡¯ll read the diary. It¡¯s fragile and I done want any of you to break it.¡±


    Mom swallows, dad sighs, and Davy and Annika share a look, right before I turn around to head back upstairs. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know once I found out more.¡±


    Monday, November 7<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    As I get home from school ¨C half a day as a compromise ¨C I hurry upstairs as soon as I got home. Mom isn¡¯t there while I expected her to be there, while Liza smiles unsurely when she saw me in the hallway. As always, dad is at work, so him not being here isn¡¯t weird. It just annoys me that mom got Liza to babysit me while I¡¯m old enough to stay at home by myself.


    But I don¡¯t care, because all I want to do is lock myself in my room and read more in Natasha¡¯s diary.


    But as I duck to grab the box, it¡¯s not in the same spot I left it.


    I frantically search the void space, not finding the box anywhere under the bed. I search my room, making a complete mess off it as I start to realise they took the box, with the diary, without my permission.


    ¡°They¡¯ll ruin it¡­¡± I whisper in shock, staring around the room, turning circles, as I start to feel angry, upset, and betrayed all at once. ¡°No!¡± I scream in anger, as I really can¡¯t find the box or the diary. ¡°It¡¯s mine! Goddamn it!¡± I knock over my chair in anger, I throw my books around, hoping to find the diary in the pile, but never finding it.


    ¡°Sid?¡± Liza sounds scared and shocked, as she knocks on my door.


    ¡°Get the hell away from me!¡± I shout at her, kicking the door, causing her to yelp in surprise.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Get! Away! From me! You filthy little thieve!¡± I pull open the door, staring at her in disgust and anger. ¡°You¡¯re in on this, aren¡¯t you!?¡± I barge towards her, pushing her backwards, not overthinking any of my words or actions.


    It¡¯s just a raging anger, it¡¯s hate I feel growing, and I stare blankly as she nearly falls down the stairs, hardly capable of catching herself.


    ¡°What the hell, Sid!¡± She calls out, now angry herself. ¡°Why would I be a thief? What am I in on!?¡±


    ¡°You helped them steal it!¡± I step towards her again, and run after her when she flees down the stairs. ¡°Give it back you bitch!¡±


    ¡°Sid, I didn¡¯t steal anything! Mom called and asked me to wait for you to get home and cook you something to eat!¡± She calls out, running down the second stairs while I¡¯m closing in on her. ¡°Stop it Sid! You¡¯re scaring me!¡± She cries out in fear.


    ¡°Give. My. Diary. Back!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have it!¡± She cries out, as my hand almost as if on auto-pilot, reaches towards her throat.


    ¡°Get back!¡± She calls, holding out her hands, sending me flying backwards, landing on the stairs painfully.


    It¡¯s not helping to calm me down. On the contrary, the pain in my back is only making me more angry.


    ¡°The fuck, you bitch! Did you really use your magic against me!?¡± I demand her to answer, pushing myself up as she runs into the living room, snatching her phone from the table, running towards the kitchen. ¡°You pathetic little witch!¡±


    ¡°Sid, please!¡± She is crying, and I smirk devilishly until she waves her hand as soon as I got to close, causing me to fly backwards yet again.


    She keeps her hand in front of her, a bit shaky, but I think she¡¯s restraining me as I¡¯m on the ground, struggling to get up but not succeeding.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Liza cries out into the phone, while I scream out in anger because she won¡¯t let me go.


    ¡°Fight me fair, bitch!¡± I call out, anger raging through me.


    ¡°Mom, I think it broke¡­ It¡­ Sid¡­ he¡¯s going crazy¡­ I can¡¯t hold him much longer.¡±


    And with one more scream in anger, a wave of anger bursts out, now causing Liza to fly backwards, while a high-pitched scream leaves her throat.


    Not just Liza moved, but the couch, the dining table and the chairs did too. It all slides away from me, as Liza¡¯s hold on me falters and I am able to move again.


    But I am that exhausted, and the anger is gone in the blink of an eye. All that is left is my body, drained from its energy. I roll over, crossing my chest with my arms, as a burning sensation causes my breathing to become erratic, oxygen harder to breath in.


    ¡°Sid?¡± Liza sounds scared to death, upset, and she¡¯s definitely crying. ¡°Mom, you need to come home, right now.¡±

 Chapter 27 – Breaking

    Monday, November 7<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    I find myself in a wooden cabin, a cosy one, with a comfortable fire burning in the firepit, while the smell of food reaching me through my nostrils. It causes my stomach to rumble, while I¡¯m not experiencing the hunger that should go along with it.


    The soft singing voice of a woman reaches me, making me smile automatically. The birds are singing their own song, while the wind ruffles the leaves. The night is rapidly nearing, the trees outside casting darkness onto the cabin sooner then the sun goes down.


    And there¡¯s silence all around the cabin that has a calm, soothing effect.


    ¡°Oh, honey? Could you set the table?¡±


    ¡°Yes, darling, anything for you.¡± My voice isn¡¯t my own, and my reaction isn¡¯t mine either. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m a passenger inside another person¡¯s body, who is now getting up from the seat he sat on, turning around to walk around the chair, towards a small kitchenette, where a woman with long wavy ginger hair is standing with her back towards me. As I near, my hands ¨C which aren¡¯t mine either ¨C grab her waist while I lean in to kiss her cheek and neck.


    ¡°It smells great, darling.¡± The heavy voice of a man tells her, while I feel weird since I¡¯m supposedly in his body.


    What kind of dream is this? Is Angie messing with me again?


    I follow the guy around the cabin, while he sets a table for three.


    ¡°Call Ellie, because dinner is ready.¡± The woman turns around to face me, and all I can see is beauty in her. Her flawless skin seems to shine in the last rays of sunlight, combined and coloured by the fire in the fire pit. Her long ginger hair frame her face, while every movement makes it seem as if her hair is waving over her shoulders in slow, gulfs of silky soft hair.


    Her eyes are a bright green colour and her lips a tint of pink, while a blush colours her cheeks in a natural way.


    ¡°Will do,¡± the guy answers, before heading over to a door, pulling it open. Right in front of a small deck, a girl is laying in a wood area, green grass growing in the small open spot in front of the cabin. She¡¯s surrounded by flowers.


    ¡°Elizabeth, honey, dinner is ready.¡±


    She looks up and smiles, raising to her feet, dusting off her dress. ¡°Are we eating the rabbit I shot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I nod and usher her inside. ¡°And I wish you would wear a bit more clothes. It¡¯s not that hot outside anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, dad.¡± Elizabeth smiles. ¡°Jess, do we have enough water?


    ¡°Oh, good thing you said so, I¡¯ll go and get some right after dinner. We¡¯re running out.¡±


    ¡°I can get it right now?¡±


    ¡°No, Elizabeth, eat your dinner first.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m going over to the cabins right after dinner. ¡°Jocelyn and Anna are there.¡±


    ¡°Who says you are allowed to? It¡¯s almost dark!¡± I firmly speak up, though I would never say such a thing myself. It makes me feel old.


    By now, I realise I must be in Baywick¡¯s body, seeing his daughter Elizabeth, and who I assume is Jessabelle, Natasha¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Oh, let her go!¡± Jessabelle nudges me with a smile on her face. ¡°I think she deserves it. She¡¯s been helping you all week. Let her spend some time with her friends. Who knows, maybe she¡¯ll even find herself a handsome young man¡­¡±


    I chuckle over Jessabelle¡¯s smile and dreamy look. ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m coming to pick you up because I don¡¯t want you to wander these woods by yourself in the dark. After those accidents, I¡¯m not sure if anyone is safe out here¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t give up on your dream!¡± Elizabeth calls out shocked. ¡°You always kept telling me you would turn these woods into a paradise for those who love nature. No mining, no cutting trees, pure nature!¡±


    ¡°Well, I might give up on that for now. It¡¯s not safe. But, we¡¯re not leaving any time soon because we need to find ourselves a safe home first.¡±


    ¡°What about¡­¡± Jessabelle suddenly seems less happy, swallowing back what seems upcoming tears. ¡°Natasha is close by¡­ I get to see her¡­¡±


    ¡°Natasha deserves a good life, honey. If anyone will find out she¡¯s my daughter, they will treat her the same way they treated you. Is that what you want? For her to be shunned out?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Jessabelle shakes her head, taking in a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯ll take the secret to our graves, right?¡±


    ¡°Anything to protect my sister.¡± Elizabeth smiles happily. ¡°But can¡¯t we move to the other side of Greenville, away from here, but still close enough to Natasha?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll look into¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Sid!?¡± Two cold hands cup my face, and I snap my eyes open, staring into my mother¡¯s teary eyes. I notice Liza standing slightly behind her with wide fearful eyes, while dad is seated at the floor, hands in his hair. ¡°Oh, baby¡­ thank god¡­¡± Mom cries out, pulling me in her arms, pecking kisses all over my face.


    ¡°Mom¡­ let me go¡­¡± I mutter, trying to push her off. She instantly let¡¯s go, surprising me at how soon she gives up.


    And as I look at a horrified Liza, memories come floating up.


    And anger resurfaces too. Not as intense as it did before I blacked out, but there nonetheless.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the diary?¡±


    ¡°Sid¡­¡± Mom starts, and I did not miss the fact she scooted away a bit. ¡°We need answers. We need to find a solution¡­¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine, and I want it back.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get it back, but we need to read it fi¡­¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± my voice sounds as if it¡¯s a stranger¡¯s voice, low, cold, distant.


    Mom and dad share a look, and Liza walked further away towards the kitchen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and get it, as soon as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I push her aside, getting up, staring at both of them shortly, ¡°Really.¡±


    * * * * *


    ¡°Apparently, he attacked Liza¡­ she used her¡­ powers¡­¡± Annika sounds afraid a bit. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, what if he attacks any of us?¡±


    ¡°We have to remember it¡¯s not Sid who¡¯s snapping at us¡­¡± Davy sounds unsure about his words. ¡°And we need to stay off his belongings. Or at least, the things that have a connection with Baywick. I think that¡¯s why he got that angry.¡±


    ¡°Because they took the diary away. If it¡¯s true and Baywick lead him to it, he wanted Sid to have it. If we take that away, is it that weird Baywick lashes out?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my point exactly.¡±


    I sigh, taking in a deep breath, knocking on the door to Davy¡¯s bedroom to tell them I¡¯m here, warning them to not¡­ gossip¡­ about me.


    Or the fact I lashed out completely, and it took hours for me to go back to normal.


    To feelnormal.


    And I still don¡¯t feel completely normal. Something inside me snapped yesterday an I know it¡¯s the sea that is crumbling apart, and the entity of Baywick getting to me. I still feel drained from most of my energy after I had an outburst of anger that caused everything around me to move.


    Like some sort of power-wave.


    And if that is how the entity reacts when Liza holds me down with her powers, I do not want to know how it feels for being trapped inside me for weeks already. It¡¯s been nearly a month since it got trapped, and I think it¡¯s taking over my body by now.


    My breathing is shallower, my heartbeat weak, my mind occupied by thins I can¡¯t remember.


    Just like now, I can¡¯t remember greeting my friends, entering Davy¡¯s bedroom, yet still I¡¯m now seated on the bed, leaning against the wall with my kneels pulled up.


    Annika smiles weakly, and the three of them are looking at me expectantly.


    ¡°What?¡± I mutter confused since they seem to await an answer of some sorts.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Annika frowns, asking a question she probably already asked me.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ tired.¡± I admit with the shrug of a shoulder. ¡°Like things are spiralling out of control.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do think they are.¡± She nods in agreement, sitting down on the bed carefully.


    ¡°Can I hug you?¡± I ask her sadly, knowing she didn¡¯t even want me to grab her hand on Sunday.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Annika bites her lip, but eventually scoots closer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± She reaches out to me, but her hand stops moving closer, lingering over my hand.


    ¡°Is it that bad?¡± I stare at her in agony, since she isn¡¯t making any more moves to connect her hand with my skin.


    She stares at me shortly, and then nods. One finger taps my skin, she hisses, pulls back and shows me a small blister forming on her finger.


    ¡°The seal is broken¡­¡± she whispers, barely hearable.


    I stare at the blister in shock, knowing I might never touch her again now that the wiccans, and the Archangels both tried to help me, not succeeding.


    This entity is simply too powerful.


    And it¡¯s feeding off me, causing me to feel weaker every day.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡± I unsurely ask her, drawing circles with my hand on the bed. ¡°In private?¡±


    ¡°Eh, sure¡­¡± She nods and pushes herself of the bed. ¡°My room?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good¡­¡±


    I notice Cory and Davy taking everything in, not knowing how to react right now. As I pass them on the way out of the room, Davy slightly cringes as I near him, and I wonder if he starts to feel the barrier too.


    Soon, maybe only Edward, Amara, Amber and Cory are capable of nearing me close. The two people that are most important to me are not.


    I silently follow Annika to her room, where she sits on her own bed, and I slump down in her desk chair.


    ¡°I think we should break up.¡± I drop the bomb, fighting the need to cry. I¡¯ve been thinking about this ever since I found out Annika wouldn¡¯t be able to come near me as soon as the entity breaks out.


    Neither won¡¯t my dad be able to, and I could really use one of his strong, warm, protective embraces right now.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Annika stares at me in shock. ¡°Is this the entity¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± I shake my head to deny her accusation that the entity might be doing this. ¡°You already can¡¯t touch me, and soon, you won¡¯t be able to be close to me for long. If we break up, at least outsiders won¡¯t start to think weird about us¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re doing this because of outsiders?¡±


    ¡°What would you think if one of the cuddliest couples in school suddenly wouldn¡¯t come near each other, still claiming to be dating? I don¡¯t want people to start bothering us with questions. You know what the girls are like¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about them.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t care much about them either, but¡­ I can¡¯t do this either.¡± I stare towards my feet, pushing the chair from left to right and back a bit, swaying gently. ¡°I can¡¯t watch how you hate to be around me, how you can¡¯t touch me¡­ I can¡¯t stand the idea of losing you slowly¡­ I don¡¯t want to break your heart.¡±


    ¡°Which you are doing right now,¡± she whispers with a croaked voice. ¡°We could try, right? I mean¡­¡±


    I scowl and shake my head. ¡°You¡¯re burning yourself when you touch me, and the entity isn¡¯t even fully out yet. How do you think this is going to feel when he is out?¡±


    ¡°Painful¡­¡± She swallows, shortly before she starts sobbing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you Sid.¡±


    I swallow back my own tears as hers start to roll down her cheeks. ¡°but you might,¡± I tell her in all honesty. ¡°And you should stay with me, because soon, I won¡¯t be me.¡±


    ¡°I love you¡­¡± She sobs, covering her face. ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Anni, you know this needs to happen. You know I will probably hurt those who are closest to me, the most. I don¡¯t want that to be you. I have to break up.¡±


    She sobs louder, shoulders shocking at every breath she takes, rigidly, upset.


    ¡°We¡¯re done, for now.¡±


    She throws herself onto the bed, wanting to hide the sadness that is coming out, probably because she knows we have to do this.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Anni¡­ I love you¡­ but we can¡¯t be together.¡± I tell her, wishing I could at least kiss her one more time, hold her in my arms, feel her fitting into my hold completely. But instead, I turn around and leave, heading downstairs because right now, I can¡¯t face Davy.


    I broke his sister¡¯s heart and I clearly remember the day I started dating Annika. He was clear that he would break my neck if I would ever hurt her in any way. And I think I just did that.


    I actually broke up with the girl I love so much I can¡¯t imagine my life without her by my side. I wanted to marry her, have sweet little mini-Annika¡¯s, grow old together.


    But I don¡¯t think I will get to grow old, and Annika shouldn¡¯t feel held back because of that.


    Suddenly, I¡¯m already back at home and I wonder how I got here that fast. And as I¡¯m opening the front door, a flash comes to mind of me opening a wooden door to a cabin in the woods.


    It¡¯s faint, but it¡¯s there, and it¡¯s confusing me like hell.


    It¡¯s as if I¡¯m back in the dream I had when I blacked out after the outburst of energy. To go back inside for dinner with Elizabeth following after me shortly.


    I almost expect to find Jessabelle in the kitchen, but it¡¯s mom and that throws me off for a few seconds.


    I greet her with a mumble, heading upstairs to grab Natasha¡¯s diary, because ever since I got it back, all I do is read in it.


    The coven is looking into the blood-bond and how it could affect the seal, while I overheard mom and dad talking about him meeting with Angels and Michael to discuss the possibility my Angelic blood is causing it to disfunction.


    The spell was obviously meant for humans, not Angels. And since I might be a full Angel, my genes developing in a different way then my sisters¡¯ genes, it might be causing them a hard time to constrain the entity.


    It¡¯s feeding directly off my energy right now, and that¡¯s taking its toll on me.


    Because as soon as I¡¯m upstairs in my room, I¡¯m out of breath and I need to sit down for a while, before I¡¯m able to grab the box with the diary.


    I wonder if this entity knows I¡¯m physically not even capable of slapping a kid, let alone kill one. My body is practically useless to it in this condition.


    And then again, I know it¡¯s going to give me enough power once it breaks out. I felt the energy when I got angry at Liza on Sunday.


    I felt the overload of mental and physical energy, until the outburst drained me from all of said energy and I couldn¡¯t even get up anymore.


    I couldn¡¯t even stay awake after that.


    Which might explain why the missing kids never went missing within days off each other. What if the energy is temporarily, and it needs to recharge after using it for one reason or another?


    Then maybe I can prevent it from killing again, simply by using up all energy before it succeeds.


    And becoming extremely angry seems to be doing the trick.

 Chapter 28 – Nightmare

    Wednesday, November 9<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    June 29<sup>th</sup>, 1637, Greenville


    Dear diary,


    I have not been writing a lot lately, for I have been busy. I visited my parents at home after my mother took me there to introduce me to father. I have never felt that honoured before in my life.


    To meet with such a great man, and meet his first daughter, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, as soon as we had been introduced, told me we would become best friends. She had always wanted a sister, and the fact we do not share the same mother does not make a difference to her.


    She showed me Baywick Woods and told me how father wants to build more cabins alongside the lake to house the families of hunters who travelled far to provide their families with food.


    Elizabeth would like for her father to succeed but confined in me they might leave the woods soon. She did not seem too pleased about that.


    I still fear for my father¡¯s life and meeting them did not help to ease the feelings inside my stomach that something bad is about to happen. The very fact my father, a once brave and individual person, now wants to leave his home and move away, tells me he has reasons to be concerned about his life too.


    By now, three hunters died in horrible accidents, and more people in Baywick¡¯s village are blaming father for their deaths. Elizabeth, mother and I seem to be the only ones who believe his innocence.


    But we are the only three living persons who know father wasn¡¯t near the accidents, but in the company of mother.


    I asked Elizabeth if she was with them, but she confined in me that she has a cabin of her own, closer to her friends, now that she is eighteen.


    And then again, none would believe Elizabeth. None would believe any of us, as we are of wrong descent, or Baywick¡¯s known flesh and blood.


    Yet, my dear diary, there is something about Elizabeth that I can¡¯t put to words right now. My body grows restless whenever I¡¯m near her, and mother seems to feel it too.


    I will attend dinner with my parents tonight and wonder if Elizabeth is going to accompany us during dinner too. I just hope the nerves in her close surroundings will soon settle, for we are sisters and I think I just feel a bit threatened by her close bond with my parents.


    Natasha


    I write down the useful information about the entries in a notebook that holds my history homework. I¡¯m not allowed to go to school right now, as I blacked out during Arts class yesterday, and mom came to pick me up to take me home.


    By now I know people in school don¡¯t know any better then that I¡¯m still recovering from the supposed attack over a month ago, and that the black outs are caused by stress and trauma.


    I hate how everyone now looks at me with pity, and I heard the whispers in the hallways. People wondering why I wasn¡¯t put in a mental facility like Cory, if Cory and I became friends and he lured me into a trap, if Cory and I are friends because we experienced the same ¨C whatever that might be ¨C and all other stupid rumours about what happened to me.


    It¡¯s angering me more each time I here the whispers and I have to keep myself from lashing at them for gossiping.


    I would really like to just spit the truth in their faces, warn them that any of them could be my first victim if they act like little bitches or assholes to me, and see what happens then.


    What would they do once they find out there¡¯s some serious paranormal, super-natural things going on around them, that they are too blinded for to see.


    Supernatural might hold some forms of truth. Who knows, maybe the screenplay writer is paranormal himself and this is his way of explaining to people what the hell is going on behind their backs.


    * * * * *


    Mom sets up the dinner table, just as I enter the living room to get myself a drink. Not that I¡¯m thirsty or hungry, but I try to push down some nutrition¡¯s down my throat in the hopes of gaining some much-needed energy.


    ¡°Sid, could you get the cutlery now that you¡¯re in the kitchen anyway?¡± Mom calls out after me, and I roll my eyes in annoyance for having to help her.


    I grab the cutlery nonetheless, throwing it on the table carelessly, getting a weird look from mom in the process.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m helping, ain¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are¡­¡± She sounds worried and tired, and I hate how everything is affected and weird and different lately.


    I really just want to go back to my regular life, before I ever entered the woods, and never find out about any of this.


    But then again, the cycle needed to end anyway, and at least I¡¯m now sure of my faith, while others have to wonder if their kids are going to be next.


    I just wish I wouldn¡¯t feel a barrier grow between me and the people I love and care about.


    Annika and dad can¡¯t touch me, Davy feels uneasy around me, Liza is scared shitless to be in the same room as I am. I can¡¯t help but to lash out on them whenever they get on my nerves.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    * * * * *


    ¡°I¡¯m sitting there.¡± Mom smiles, gesturing for her to sit next to Ellie, which she reluctantly does.


    A little to quickly, moving away from the chair next to me.


    ¡°Do you all feel it?¡± I wonder aloud, staring back and forth between Ellie and Lynn. ¡°Is mom really the only one who¡¯s able to come close?¡±


    They share a look with each other, before they both stare at me and slowly nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s just this¡­ There¡¯s this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Energy¡­¡± Lynn fills in the blank that Ellie left. ¡°And it¡¯s like it¡¯s pushing us away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair¡­¡± I mutter, slumping down further. ¡°I¡¯m an Angel too, so why did it possess me in the first place? How was I not affected by that spirit? It wouldn¡¯t come near Annika, so why did it come near me?¡±


    ¡°Because you haven¡¯t developed yet?¡± Lynn tries with a squeaky voice.


    ¡°But I did heal myself!¡± I cry out, leaning my head onto my hands in desperation. ¡°I healed, quicker then humans would. I have powers already.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re not part of you yet. You¡¯ve always had powers, we all did. But you need to learn how to use them before they¡¯ll be part of you. Now¡­ it¡¯s just inside you, waiting to connect.¡± Ellie explains calmly, sending me a reassuring smile.


    ¡°We believe, in Sid¡¯s case, he might have already made a connection, a bit early.¡± Mom sits down next to me with a tired expression on her face. ¡°It wasn¡¯t powerful when it attached itself to you. It¡¯s feeding off your power and that¡¯s why your father, your sisters, Annika, are now affected by it. Annika first didn¡¯t feel the presence either, right? You had to tell her about the black mass.¡±


    Right, that sounds logical. It only started to become powerful after it took over. Until then, I was the only one who felt it, saw it, knew it was there.


    And Angie, but she¡¯s a ghost and I guess she senses things differently anyway.


    Speaking of Angie, she¡¯s been jumping in and out of my life erratically, and I had a fight with her about constantly surprising me.


    She claims she isn¡¯t doing that, but I swear she keeps popping up when I least expect her to.


    ¡°When is dinner ready?¡±


    ¡°Now, but I was hoping your father would be home already.¡± Mom shortly looks at the empty seat on her left, before she gets up. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just eat before it goes cold, and your father can eat as soon as he¡¯s home.¡± She heads into the kitchen, followed by Ellie.


    Lynn leans over the table a bit, and smiles at me. ¡°I heard you found Natasha Conrad¡¯s diary, and you found out we¡¯re related to her, and Baywick was her father?¡± she curiously asks, still smiling.


    I nod in confirmation, not feeling at ease to talk about this topic.


    ¡°You know, maybe that¡¯s a good thing. I mean, if there¡¯s any decency, anything left good in Baywick¡¯s malicious left-over soul that is haunting you¡­¡±


    ¡°How is any of this good? It only affects me worse then it did to others.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ask me, he¡¯s just impatient because the cycle wasn¡¯t finished and we¡¯re keeping him from doing so. But then again, if you¡¯re related to his precious daughter Natasha, don¡¯t you think he wants you to be left unharmed?¡±


    ¡°It killed Hannah Hayes too. She was a relative too.¡±


    ¡°It mostly aimed for offspring of those who killed him. That¡¯s not us. Andyou¡¯re a relative, a strong one. You¡¯re offspring he could¡¯ve been proud of.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s harming me. He¡¯s draining my energy. He doesn¡¯t care I¡¯m his blood. He just cares about revenge.¡±


    She silences again, staring at me intently for a while, until mom and Ellie are seated again, and we start dinner; me not eating a single bite.


    * * * * *


    I¡¯m yet again surrounded by kids, while I¡¯m curled up in the middle of a huge pit in the forest, kids nearing from every side, bloody, muddy, angry at me.


    They¡¯re all reaching forwards, inching closer and closer while I¡¯m trying to sink through the ground and disappear, not wanting them to touch me again.


    The ground is soaked, muddy, pitch black and stinky. I tried running, but there¡¯s too many kids, and the ground was too slippery to speed up enough and dodge their groping hands, and now they start to pull on my clothes, tearing them, pulling me in all directions, scratching my skin, squeezing my arms and legs, pulling harder.


    ¡°Get off!¡± I cry out in desperation, while blood and the stinky black slurry from their clothes start to drip onto me, the mud becoming heavier to move in, while I feel as if I¡¯m sucked down into it, soon surrounded by darkness as I¡¯m drowning in the mud, still feeling as if I¡¯m pulled from multiple directions until I feel as if my soul is being torn apart.


    I grasp in shock, as a burning sensation starts to engulf me entirely, as if I¡¯m melting in their hands and under their touches.


    ¡°NO!¡± I shoot upright, sitting in my bed, soaked in sweat and... mud? And is that blood on my arms?


    I stare at it shocked, nauseous and confused as I find my arms full of scratches, covered in blood and traces of a thick black substance.


    The room spins around me, and I feel hardly in control of my body, as I start to gag.


    ¡°Mom!¡± I cry out, chocking over the gagging that I can¡¯t control, soon throwing up the same black slurry that I threw up before. That I¡¯ve seen in my nightmares before. I cry out as it burns in my throat, while my body feels sore.


    I drop out of bed, wanting to go to the bathroom to throw up more, reaching to open the door as mom does it for me, staring down in shock and fear.


    ¡°Mom¡­ help me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Sid¡­¡± she ducks down, engulfing me in a warm hug. ¡°Sweetie¡­ calm down, it is just a dream¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± I cry out, feeling desperate. ¡°And I want it to be over!¡±


    ¡°You have to stay strong a little longer, honey.¡± She whispers, rocking me back and forth as if I¡¯m still a baby, comforting me, calming me down. ¡°I love you so, so much¡­ If I could, I would take your place. But I can¡¯t¡­¡± She cups my face to force me to look at her, while tears stream down my face. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll fight it longer. I can¡¯t lose you. I refuse to. But we need time to find a way to help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired¡­ I can¡¯t sleep, I¡¯m confused, I¡¯m scared, mom¡­¡± I cry out, burying my face in the crook of her neck. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°And we won¡¯t just let you die. We¡¯re doing everything we can to help.¡±


    I know they are. My dad even quit his job because he¡¯s constantly meeting with people who might be possible to help me, and he was out of days off.


    Everybody spends all their available time into finding any possible way to get this entity out of me without it meaning I would die.


    ¡°Go and lay in our bed, I¡¯ll clean up here with dad and check in on you every now and then.¡± She pecks a kiss on my forehead, helping me up and supporting me ¨C as my whole body is shaking ¨C to get down the stairs and to their room.


    Dad is seated on the edge of the bed, staring towards the wall, deep in thought.


    ¡°Harold, could you get the beddings off Sid¡¯s bed? I need to wash them.¡± She grabs my arms to check out the scratches, sending me a worried look. ¡°These need to be cleaned first. You¡¯ll be healed in no time, but I don¡¯t want it to infect.¡±


    I nod, following her to the bathroom. She sits me down on the edge of the bathtub, grabbing the medical kid to clean the scratches from the left-overs of the slurry and the blood, wrapping bandage around it as soon as she¡¯s done.


    ¡°Let your blood do the work, but in the mean time, the bandage will prevent it from getting dirty again. I think it¡¯ll be fine in the morning. They¡¯re superficial and your dad always heals over night whenever he has a scratch.¡± She smiles, grabs my head and pecks another kiss on top of my head. ¡°Go to bed, you need to rest.¡±


    I nod, heading over to their bedroom, tiredly sliding under the duvet on mom¡¯s side of the bed, nuzzling my face into her pillow.


    A pinch of camomile-scent from her hair is still there, instantly calming me further down, soon causing me to feel drowsy, sleepy, drifting off to sleep. But every time I¡¯m about to fall asleep, I start to feel scared or something, waking myself up again.


    It¡¯s not until half an hour later, when mom lays down in bed with me, pulling me in her arms protectively, that I manage to really fall asleep.


    And for the first time in a very long time, I think I didn¡¯t dream about anything at all.

 Chapter 29 – Angela Donna

    Saturday, November 12<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    Sid¡¯s POV


    I think I¡¯m guided through the woods by Angie, for the first time in a very long time. But something about the dream is different, as Angie is playing with a bunch of other kids, playing hide and seek.


    They¡¯re giggling, laughing, calling out to each other while obviously enjoying themselves. Compared to the forest as I know it, it is a lot more colourful and alive. Most trees are dropping their leaves, a colour scheme or red¡¯s oranges and yellow¡¯s creating a fall-like impression.


    The colours mix beautifully with the bright blue water in the lake ¨C a lot different from how I¡¯ve been seeing the lake lately; a rotting, black, stinky substance.


    I smile as Angie giggles, running past me to find a spot to hide. I follow her, not because I want to, but because my body does.


    I¡¯m not in control of this dream, and I think neither is Angie.


    And I¡¯m starting to dread the outcome, as Angie is clearly wearing the dress she is wearing as a ghost, bright white with a bit of dirt on it from all the playing.


    She runs deeper into the bushes, and I dread where she¡¯s going; nearby Hunter¡¯s Lodge, now certain this dream isn¡¯t a dream, but a nightmare.


    I want to call out for her to stop, but there¡¯s no sounds leaving my throat and I feel as if right now, I¡¯m the ghost instead of Angie.


    And she can¡¯t see me.


    I follow her further, until she decided to lay under bushes, giggling still, covering her mouth to smother the sound as to not be found soon.


    It¡¯s when I see young man, standing in the distance, taking in the scene of playing kids.


    When things go silent, only the seeker¡¯s voice calling through the woods, counting up to twenty, when I look back to Angie, the guy now close behind her.


    He moves quickly, grabbing her, covering her mouth to smother the scream, pulling her further backwards and into the woods, Angie screaming and fighting to get out of his hold.


    And I want to help her, but I¡¯m helplessly floating after them, as the guy easily lifts Angie off her feet, dragging her further towards Hunter¡¯s Lodge.


    She¡¯s in complete panic, kicking her feet, scratching his arms, biting his hand, not affecting him in any way. It¡¯s when we¡¯re inside Hunter¡¯s Lodge that I am able to look straight into his eyes; which are pitch black.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Angie screams, running towards the door.


    But one moment, the guy is heading towards a bedroom, while the next, he is in front of the door, pushing her backwards with the same amount of force I used when I fought Liza.


    This isn¡¯t good, and I don¡¯t even want to see this.


    Angie is thrown into the corner of a bedroom, the guy slamming the door shut behind her, locking me inside it with her.


    Angie is frantically searching the room until her eyes land on the window. She scrambles up, heading over to try and open it.


    It doesn¡¯t bulge, and eventually Angie settles in finding a spot to hide.


    She eventually hides in the closet, making herself as small as possible, trying to keep her sobbing sounds to a minimum.


    I wait and wait, but nothing happens for a while, then, the door opens, and the guy reappears, instantly moving over to the closet after taking a look around. He pulls the closet open, and Angie screams a bone chilling scream as he drags her out of the closet and out of the room.


    I unwillingly float after them, into the other bedroom, where the closet is opened, the floorboards of the closet are gone, and a staircase is visible, leading down.


    It has to be the old basement of Baywick¡¯s cabin.


    And Angie is thrown down the steps, her cries in pain and fear silencing as she hits rock bottom; literally. The floor of the basement is paved with old big rocks, and Angie tries to push herself up to crawl away from her attacker, crying, whimpering, sobbing uncontrollable.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± She cries beggingly, her eyes full of fear. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me¡­¡±


    The guy does not speak, simply pulls her up by her hair, holding a knife in his free hand.


    I want to look away, and I focus on the surroundings, not able to turn around, but able to cast my eyes sideways, finding something that seems like¡­ bones. There¡¯s a rotting body of another kid in the corner, and then the scream of Angie, high, full of pain and agony.


    She continues screaming until her voice becomes too weak.


    I keep focusing on the wall, incapable of looking anywhere else.


    When everything goes silent, the room starts to go darker then ever, and right before I can¡¯t make out different forms or shapes, I look in Angie¡¯s direction, finding her lifeless body on the floor of the basement, the guy leaning over her with his face close to her body.


    I can¡¯t see what he¡¯s doing, as the darkness takes over, everything shifts, and I wake up, bathing in sweat, laying on a hard floor.


    I instantly throw up as I remember Angie¡¯s bloody and lifeless body, and again it¡¯s merely black stinky slurry that leaves my stomach.


    I scream out in frustration in between grasping for air, tears streaming down my face, as my eyes adjust to the darkness and my heart drops as I start to recognize my surroundings.


    I¡¯m inside Hunter¡¯s Lodge.


    It stinks awfully familiar and it looks as if the cabin might break down any moment now. The roof is leaking after today¡¯s downpour, causing a smell of wet, rotting wood to fil the air, among with the smell of mould and¡­ decomposed corpses? I don¡¯t even want to know.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I need to get the hell out of here.


    I haven¡¯t felt as strong as I do right now in a long time, and I happily use the energy to scramble up, and run out of the door and into the woods.


    There¡¯re no bright beautiful colours of fall. No red¡¯s, oranges and yellow¡¯s. It is pitch black, the only light coming from a waxing crescent moon, leaving awfully little light to see where I¡¯m going.


    But I know these woods like the back of my hand, thanks to Angie.


    Thanks to the girl I just witnessed dying right in front of me.


    And therefor I don¡¯t need a lot of light, and even less motivation to get to the Guards cabin, through the closet and into the tunnel where everything went to hell little over a month ago.


    I run for as long as possible, but as I¡¯m nearing the end of the tunnel, my energy is running low again, the energy suddenly gone, and eventually I have to catch my breath.


    * * * * *


    I wake up in my bed, confused, and noticing there¡¯s dirt in my bed that could only come from the forest, the cabin, or the tunnel.


    I¡¯m not even sure how I got here in the first place, only remembering closing my eyes for a second while resting in the tunnel.


    Far away from that place where I witnessed a murder.


    And as I wake up, I wonder if Angie knows what I saw, and I search to room to see if she¡¯s here to tell me it¡¯s okay, she isn¡¯t in pain anymore, and she accepted her faith, now solely trying to get someone to find her body.


    Her body, that might still be in that basement.


    A basement I do not ever want to enter again. But then again, if Angie¡¯s body really was left in there, I could find her remnants and keep my side of the promise; seek her body and get her home.


    She did everything she could to keep me safe, the least I could do is try to keep my end of our deal too. I might not succeed in the end, but it¡¯s something to at least try.


    I try calling out for her, but she still isn¡¯t showing herself, and I grumble in annoyance, rolling out of bed while the first rays of sunlight peek through the curtains. I need a shower first and clean my bed later.


    Nobody needs to know I was in Hunter¡¯s Lodge in the middle of the night, right?


    But as I get down, I notice my parents are already up, out of bed, and I hear them talk downstairs. It¡¯s to vague to make out what they¡¯re saying, but my mom sounds stressed out, so instead of heading straight to the shower, I sneak down the stairs to try and eavesdrop in on them.


    ¡°He¡¯s wandering around, Harold,¡± my mom deadpans coldly. ¡°We know we¡¯re losing him and we¡¯re not doing anything to stop it from happening! He¡¯s our son!¡±


    ¡°We aredoing everything we can.


    A flash of Hunter¡¯s lodge flashing in front of my eyes, as if I¡¯m back in the basement.


    I shake my head to get rid of the image, focusing back on my parents bickering about me, or helping me.


    ¡°Where do you think he went?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Dad sounds sad and really tired. ¡°But there¡¯s no news about a missing kid¡­¡±


    ¡°It was night! Off course he didn¡¯t abduct a kid! They¡¯re safe in their beds. All kids went missing in broad daylight.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ But we need to keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°Davy reassured me Angie is following Sid around, warning him, Cory or Annika as soon as Sid does something that isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Angie is following me?


    Another flash of a cabin flashing in front of my eyes. I¡¯m outside, and there¡¯s people yelling in front of it, with torches¡­


    Not now.


    Angie is supposed to be with me, but she isn¡¯t here. I search the hall, and the staircase, still not locating her.


    Did I lose my connection again? Is the entity getting too strong? Is he taking over my body as we speak?


    I sudden burning sensation spreads across my skin and I bite down, fighting the need to cry out as the burning intensifies.


    I hurry back upstairs, turn on the shower and strip out of my clothes. I jump under the cold shower beam, but the burning sensation only slightly lessens at first.


    Jolts of pain start to spread through my chest and I sink down in the bathtub, fighting the need to scream, as the pain grows stronger every second. I sit under the stream of water, taking in deep collective breaths, fighting the pain, fighting the weak feeling that makes me want to close my eyes and tune out of life for a couple of seconds.


    As I stare to my trembling hands, I notice my chest is completely void of marks.


    The marks Michael and Raphael left on me are gone.


    A new jolt of pain ¨C way worse than before ¨C shoots through my body, causing me to groan, throwing my head backwards in agony.


    What¡¯s happening!?


    Monday, November 14<sup>th</sup>, 2016


    I watch as Davy and Annika sit down in class, while I requested the teacher for a spot close to the door, lying how I¡¯m still feeling sick and might need to run to the bathroom every now and then.


    I merely came to school because I wanted to see for myself that I can no longer see Angie. She has to be here, but she isn¡¯t.


    She¡¯s either with Cory, Davy, Annika or me.


    We¡¯re all here, but I can¡¯t see her.


    The other reason I came to school, is for some much-needed distraction from the whole situation. The diary is safe in my backpack, wrapped in a small towel to protect it. But I worked on my part of our history project, that is now focusing on the lost daughter of Baywick; Natasha.


    And the fact she claims she¡¯s his daughter is in the diary.


    The fact Baywick knows she¡¯s his daughter is in there too. So, if Mr. Brightwaters won¡¯t believe us, I can show him the prove we found. It also contains proof of Baywick¡¯s innocence, which is something I am going to show to him too and ask him how we could possibly change the statements of him being guilty, changing the history of this town and making sure Baywick no longer will be looked down upon as a bad influence on the town.


    Nobody needs to know he¡¯s currently haunting the town through me and killing innocent kids ever thirteen years.


    He wouldn¡¯t have done it if he wouldn¡¯t have been murdered.


    I wonder how Mr. Brightwaters is going to respond, and if he knows a way to set facts straight.


    It¡¯s one of the few things I want to do before I completely lose control over my body and mind. It¡¯s one of the few things I feel like I needto do.


    Maybe Baywick will have mercy on my soul if I help him to prove his innocence. If I take a different revenge for him.


    Who knows, maybe Natasha managed to find out who was the actual killer. And maybe if I find that out, I get to set that straight too.


    The last thing I really want to do before I die, is find Angie¡¯s body, but I¡¯m not sure how to fix that.


    So, I will ask Davy if he¡¯s willing to take that on himself if I won¡¯t be able to succeed myself.


    It all sounds final, but that¡¯s what it feels. The entity is breaking out, it¡¯s showing me memories that aren¡¯t mine. It¡¯s showing me how Baywick used to live, it¡¯s showing me how his entity forced others to kill kids.


    I have black outs almost constantly now, I don¡¯t sleep well, and I¡¯m afraid all the time.


    This whole thing is wearing me out and I need to do as much as I can before I give up for real.


    Which might be soon, since I¡¯m in constant discomfort because my skin keeps heating up, every so often burning to a painful degree.


    My chest every so often feels as if it¡¯s being ripped apart, knocking the air out of my lungs and I think I¡¯m spiking a fever.


    Not that I feel sick, I feel deflated and weak, but not sick.


    If you don¡¯t look at the countless of times I threw up the disgusting slurry that is almost leaving a permanent disgusting taste in my mouth that I can¡¯t seem to get rid of.


    ¡°Mr. Hayes?¡± Mr. Garner looks at me worried.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I pull up my head, noticing I placed it on the desk.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Am I okay? No, I¡¯m not; I¡¯m dying. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You look¡­ sick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really.¡± I hate how I feel all eyes in the classroom focus on me, including those of my worried friends. ¡°Just continue class.¡± I wave him off dismissively, ignoring the need to send a cold look to each and every of my fellow classmates for staring at me shamelessly.


    ¡°Well, maybe you should consider going ho¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± I snap, now annoyed because he¡¯s attempting to send me home. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here if I wouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    He sends me a disapproving look for snapping at him. ¡°Sick or not, I need you to show a little more respect¡­¡±


    ¡°Respect is earned, not demanded. And those who get on my nerves, will be snapped at,¡± my voice is cold, not entirely mine, and I notice from the corners of my eyes how Cory and Davy share a look that tells me this isn¡¯t good.


    And I¡¯m hardly capable of controlling my words. It¡¯s like I¡¯m not talking, for I would never talk back to a teacher like this.


    ¡°Mr. Hayes, I do not tolerate such behaviour¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re provoking it yourself. Deal with the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Garner, I think Sid just wants to stay, and he¡¯s sick and tired of people telling him what to do.¡± Cory got up from his seat and walked over to me. ¡°He¡¯s the one who was attacked, and I know how annoying it is to have everyone treat you as if you¡¯re made of glass.¡± He puts a shaky hand on my shoulder, which my body ¨C not me, my body ¨C shakes off nearly instantly.


    Mr. Garner is intensely looking towards me, still visibly disagreeing to my behaviour, but while I want to apologize, something is holding me back. ¡°You¡¯re warned, Mr. Hayes. One more disrespectful comment and you¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°Whatever¡­¡± I shrug, wanting Cory to stay because I liked the fact he stood up for me, but instead watching him as he walks back to his seat with a sad look on his face.


    Him and Davy lean towards each other and Davy whispers something to him, causing me to feel irritated because they¡¯re probably talking about me.


    I just need to get through this day, make it into history and show Mr. Brightwaters the evidence.


    Let¡¯s hope the entity will let me without getting me in trouble.