I finished my Twinkies rather quickly. I was hungry and I had no interest in continuing my conversation with Laura. It was getting too personal and she knew more than I wanted her to. When I looked over at her again, I saw that she had fallen asleep. I sighed and got to my feet. I knew that I was going to get bored very quickly, as I’d already finished the homework I’d been assigned for the day and the project was done.
I decided to have a look around this house. I wanted to know where every possible exit was just in case. I also wanted to be more familiar with the place if something were to happen. I walked out the door and was careful to be silent so no one would wake up. Then I was in a hallway and I decided to go right. I walked quietly down the hall and just looked at various pictures hung on the walls. I was good at being quiet. Sneaking around was something I’d become rather good at so my footsteps made pretty much no sound.
I thought that Laura’s house was quite nice. I don’t think I’d really ever been in a house this nice. I was used to just little one-story houses and small apartments. I was scared to literally touch anything. I just kept my hands in my pockets and continued to walk around. I was alert though. I was listening intently for footsteps or voices. I didn’t want to run into “Aunt Kate” again.
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I didn’t need that right now. It was hard enough keeping myself together as it was. I was still hungry and I’d eaten all my Twinkies. The clothes I wore were slightly too big for me. I’d found them at some charity thing for the homeless. They were simple so no one would really be able to tell. I was also exhausted but didn’t want to fall asleep because bad dreams were inevitable.
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I didn’t know how to get to my home from here so I couldn’t just leave and I didn’t want to wake anyone else up or be asked about it. Laura was giving me a hard time and I knew some of the things she’d said were true. She didn’t know everything but she knew a good amount. I wondered who her best friend was and the troubles they’d gone through. Maybe they were just as screwed up as I was but I figured that probably wasn’t the case. I eventually came upon a bookshelf and started looking over the titles. I couldn’t help myself. I loved books.
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“I’m sorry, can I help you?” A man, probably in his late-forties, asked.
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I turned and faced the voice. “I was here working on a project and I was looking for the restroom but I got distracted by the books.” I half-truthed.
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“Ohhh okay, I see. So are you Laura or Allison's friend?”
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“I just started at the school today but I’m in Laura’s group.” I explained. He slowly nodded and turned his attention back to the books.
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“These books have been in our family for centuries.” He commented, “But they’re super fragile, so all I ask is that you don’t touch them.'' He looked down at his watch, “Oh wow, it's pretty late. Do you need to get home? I can ask Kate to drive you, or you are welcome to stay here.”
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“No, I don’t have to get home and you really don’t have to go through the trouble. I already got permission to stay here anyway.” I replied, trying to keep myself from responding too quickly. I did not want to be near that woman again.
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“Okay, well there are extra blankets and sleeping bags in the closet. Feel free to use as many as you want. If you need anything, I’m Chris, Laura, and Allison's dad. And Kate, their aunt, is down the hall on the right.”
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“Thank you.” was all I could think to say.
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“Oh, and you wouldn’t happen to know if that guy is here. What's his name? Shawn? Stephen? Stewart? Seth? SCOTT!! Oh my god Scott, do you know if he is here?"
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“Uh yeah. He’s asleep on a chair with Allison, I think.” I told him. A look of disgust shot across his face.
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“I hate that kid.” He sighed
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“Oh, what about that other one Scotts friend? Who's dad is the sheriff?”
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I thought for a moment then it came to me. “Yeah, Stiles. He’s with Laura.”
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“Oh, really? Okay, I guess Kate called that one.” He shrugged and started heading off to his room.
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I turned and I remembered where the restroom was as I went. Once the coast was clear again I went back to the bookshelf. I couldn’t help but touch the books even though Chris had told me not to. I got a weird feeling as I ran my fingers over the book spines. All of a sudden, I could hear feet against the tile, at least 10 feet away. From the way the shoes clicked, I could tell that it wasn’t Chris again. It sounded like women’s shoes. Everyone else was asleep. A sudden rush of fear ran through my body but I forced myself to move.
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I quickly surveyed my surroundings and my eyes landed on a sofa. As the footsteps came closer, I practically dove behind it. I peaked my head out, as I watched Kate come into view, and step in front of the bookshelf. She yanked the top of the book that I was going to grab (before I knew she was coming), and using her other hand, pushed down on a little metal bear figurine a few shelves down. Then the bookshelf swung open like a door. I was confused by this, however, I did know what this woman was so I could make a few guesses as to what this room was. I wasn’t going to be satisfied with guesses though. I was a curious person so I wanted to know.
I decided that it would be much more beneficial for my mental health to remain hiding until Kate came out. However, after about twenty minutes (give or take) she hadn’t emerged from this hidden room. My curiosity had only worsened so despite my gut screaming at me not to, I went over to the bookshelf once again. I mimicked exactly what Kate had done and stepped back as the shelf swung open. I took a deep breath then walked inside.
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It was a dark-colored room, with bright white lights around the ceiling. Okay, nice and normal. I thought to myself. I spoke too soon. Gun racks were covering the whole room. Different types of weapons, shelves filled with bullets and knives, and all sorts of pointy things. To the right, I spotted an animal head, mounted on the wall. A wolf. I glance up, to see a whole wall of wolf heads, starting from the top of the fifteen-foot wall, down to where I am standing. Next to each one, was some sort of weapon.
I got an uneasy feeling as I continued to survey the room full of taxidermy heads.
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I look back down to what looks like the most recent head. It looks a bit dated, but it looks newer than the other ones. It's labeled: “The first kill of La Chasseresse”, the weapon next to it is a matte-black arrow. With the words “La Chasseresse” engraved into the side. I pull up a French translation page on my phone, and type the name into the search bar. I wait, as the phone pulls up all the information.
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The huntress.
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