Tragic Endings

Preview Book 1

I didn’t even have to turn my light on because I was still holding the glow stick. I probably should’ve left it in the Other World because now my room was filled with a super intense light. But, it’s not like I had any time to worry about that now. I went straight over to my bookshelf (to grab the books that I desperately needed), but they were gone. Oh man! I can’t believe I forgot them in the kitchen last night! Now I’m gonna have to sneak out there and get them without waking my grandma up.

I put the gigantic glow stick on my bed and covered it with a blanket (trying to hide the fact that my room really was a shining portal to another world). Then I opened my door as quietly as I could and tiptoed down the hallway. As I snuck into the kitchen, I walked right in on my grandma sitting at the table sipping a cup of tea and writing in a notebook.

“Oh Gia!” She said sounding startled. “I can’t believe you’re up at this hour!” Then she quickly closed the notebook and shoved it under the table.

“I guess I couldn’t sleep.” I replied trying to look tired by faking a yawn. “I was just looking for my books. I thought if I read for a while it would help me fall asleep. Why are you still up?”

She instantly had a guilty look on her face, like I’d just caught her doing something she shouldn’t have been doing. Then...in a daze, she took a slow sip of tea. “It seems we’re having the same problem. I couldn’t sleep either, so I came out here to have some tea.” She said without even mentioning that she’d just been writing.

“Oh.” I replied, hoping to avoid a lengthy conversation. “Well…I’m just gonna take my books back to my room and read for a little while.” I grabbed them off the table and turned around (thinking I’d made a clean getaway). I was feeling pretty good about getting out of there so fast (at least I did), right up until she asked me…

“Is Kacie asleep?”

I stopped dead in my tracks and realized she wasn’t gonna let me get off that easily. Slowly turning around, I answered, “Yeah, she’s totally out of it.” (So out of it that she’s out of my room!)

“You should sit down and have some tea with me. It has a special way of helping you to relax.” She said as she was already getting me a cup.

Dang it! Kacie was still in the Other World all alone with that crazy guy and here I am having tea! On top of that, if he decided to turn all angry and scary again, she wouldn’t even be able to get back because I have the key!

Grandma just sat there watching me. “Why don’t you sit down Gia, you seem tense.” I plopped down totally bummed because I knew I had no way to get out of this one, and Kacie was gonna have to be alone with him longer than we had planned. “Do you want some sugar?” Grandma asked.

Accepting defeat...I answered, “Yeah and some milk please.” While I scooped sugar into my cup, she got up to get the milk out of the fridge. “I thought you said you didn’t write anymore. It’s cool that you started up again.”

“Oh I wasn’t writing dear. I was just out here having tea.” She replied smiling at me, but I knew she wasn’t telling me the truth. I saw her writing! Why would she lie to me? I was starting to get that strange feeling about her again.

I drank my tea as fast as I could, totally burning the heck out of my tongue and just when I was about to get up, she poured me another cup! There was no way I was gonna stay out here any longer, so I said, “I’m actually feeling sleepy. I think I’ll just take my tea back to my room. Good night Grandma.” I got up with my books in one hand, my cup in the other and tried to, once again, make my escape.

“Okay dear. But if you still have trouble falling asleep, just let me know and I can fix you more.”

“Okay…thanks Grandma.” As soon as I left the kitchen, it sounded like she was turning pages to a book. So I took a step back to peek around the corner, and she was writing again! Dang! What was going on with her? Is she really lying to me or is she just so old that she doesn’t even know what the heck she’s doing anymore?!

I have to focus right now. First, I need to get back to Kacie, fix all the rest of the stories and then get back here before that creepy guy freaks out at us again. Then I can spend some time trying to figure out what’s going on with my grandma. Man! Talk about a lot to do for a girl my age!

I hurried back to my room and looked at the clock…four twenty-five a.m.! Ohmygosh! Grandma kept me in there for twenty-five minutes! I quickly put my tea down, grabbed the glow stick and went back through the doorway as fast as I could. I looked across the field where I’d left Kacie with him, but they were gone!

I ran over there as fast as I could, but they were nowhere to be found. I started yelling for her, but there was still no Kacie. Panic hit me as I stood in the middle of the field…all alone. I spun around, but the only thing I could see was that she was gone. I instantly took off running and could hardly breathe by the time I entered Secret Hollow Forest.