Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I jolt forward and wrap my fingers around the door handle before he can say another word. As soon as the outside hits me, recognition falls around me and I breathe out a sigh of relief. There, four houses down, is my home. And here…where I stand…is Whisper Manor.
There’s a kind of freedom that comes from existing among a world that you never thought you could. There were warning signs over every step I took, but the deeper I fell into this hole, the more I knew I could never crawl out. They knew this.
I was trapped now, and for the first time in my life, I knew I only had myself as help.
Sparrow
I knew deep down that if anyone was going to disobey orders, it would be this one. There was something about the way she asked questions. She never panicked. Never cried. Didn’t so much as show an inkling of fear.
I glare out the windows that give a direct view of the ocean when the front door closes, and I shift over my shoulder.
“She’s cute.” Her voice always felt like nails on a chalkboard. “I have to admit, she impressed even me last night.”
“That’s not a compliment, Priscilla. You’re easily impressed.” I swallow the rest of my whiskey and leave the glass in the sink.
“Well, now that’s a lie,” she says distastefully, brushing dirt off the kitchen counter. “I’m very unimpressed with this hellhole of a haunted house.” Priscilla’s almond eyes rest on mine. “But I guess it will do for this heat.” She drops her Louis Vuitton bag onto the counter before hesitating and picking it back up again. “What room did it happen in?”
“Why do you care?” I ask, raising my brows. Swiping up my phone and the empty glass from the sink, I know that I’ll need all I can get with her here. “You’ve seen worse,” I mumble as I move through the foyer and back to the living room, where sliding doors open out onto a long patio with beach access.
“Curious is all.” She comes up beside me, and I hold my breath from inhaling her perfume. “Are you sure this is the last one you want to do?”
“Priscilla? Shut up.” I swipe up the bottle of whiskey and bring it back to the single sofa.
The front door slams closed again, and footsteps enter the room.
“Don’t really want to be back in this shithole of a town, so remind me—” Dion calls out, and I move my eyes from the security camera I have on my phone where Shiloh just entered her house onto my best friend. “Why the fuck did I let you talk me into this?”
“You know why,” I answer, and even though Dion is well acquainted with what we do, he’s still the one who protests the most. “I hate this place.”
“Mmmhmm,” Priscilla mutters, wrapping her fur coat around her body. “Me too.”
Dion kicks off his Air Jordans, taking the steps down into the living area. When he’s close enough, he swipes the glass bottle of whiskey out of my hand and brings it to his mouth. “Who’s the poor bitch this time?” He smirks around the top of the bottle, wiggling his brows at me suggestively.
I shut my phone off, resting my head onto the edge of the sofa. “A perfect little puppet.”
I ran across the sand, swiping my hair away from my face. I knew that they could find me if they wanted. It was as simple as a game to them. One I wasn’t sure I entirely knew a lot about.
I tore myself out of my daydream as the sun set over my skin. I knew what was coming, and every single Friday it was the same thing.
I shaded my eyes from the sun as I found the ship, rocking against the water. I thought about how this could end. Was it possible that this could very well be what put me in the ground? Probably. I couldn’t decide whether or not I was going to pay for this decision, but I knew it was coming. I knew they’d have me trapped.
And they did.
Shiloh
I stare blankly at the dashboard of the Jeep. Even though I can hear Cooper going off in the background, his words aren’t sinking into my brain.
“Shiloh!” He clicks his fingers in front of my face, and I snap back to reality, out of the daze from last night. “What else happened?”
“Um.” I shuffle in my chair, unsure of what I’m allowed to share with him. What was stopping me from doing something drastic like calling the police, or telling my mother? Well…The Game. “I don’t really know. I just woke up there.”
“That means you got in…I’m sure of it. You were gone for a week, girl!” Cooper whispers, almost to himself, as if he’s trying to figure it all out. “So you don’t remember anything else but waking up? Did you meet anyone?”