The Haunted Mansion Series: Books 1, 2, & 3 Read online

1. MAYBE THE END, MAYBE NOT

  Hi! Remember me?

  Yeah, I'm a ghost. So what?

  I bet you remember Katelin. You know, the one who saved me from a vampire? Well? let's just say this was probably the end. Let's refresh your memory.

  Katelin fiddled for the doorknob. She bumped her hand against it and slowly turned it. Bright light! Twelve werewolves pounced at Katelin, but after her short scream, everything disappeared.

  "What just happened?" I croaked.

  "I-I-I d-don't know," she replied.

  I gulped, "There has to be a solution."

  "Yeah. But what?" she asked.

  "I-I don't know."

  "Megan, if you say there has to be a solution, what is it?"

  I didn't answer.

  "Megan?!"

  I still didn't.

  "MEGAN!!"

  "What is it?"

  "I told you-"

  "Okay, now you're freaking me out with that disappearing act."

  "Not me-" I whispered.

  Then faded.

  2. FRIEND OF FAUX?

  You know I hate playing those 'games' right? Well I can kinda control my temper. Kinda not.

  I walked to the end of the street to the eerie old house and knocked on the door that looked as if it was about to come off of its hinges.

  I wasn't surprised when the white, clammy gloves greeted me.

  "Boo!" I shrieked.

  The gloves jerked back like they were startled.

  I laughed hard.

  There were now white, clammy, scardy-hands!

  "Katelin is not!" boomed a voice.

  "Hey! Do not look at me! It is not my fault!" shrieked another.

  "Yes. It is. You had responsibility of the girl. You have to do it!"

  I peeked through the door. There I saw a werewolf, a vampire, a bat, a black cat, a ghost, and the pair of hands. The cat was speaking.

  "It's still not my fault!"

  "Yessss!" the vampire hissed.

  "I know where she was. She was at her house. Now-"

  "I smell blood," the vampire said. "Human blood. It is familiar."

  He sniffed the air.

  "Yessss! Blood!"

  I held my breath and hid around the corner and in the darkness of the walls protruding from door just as he stepped out.

  He sniffed.

  "My ssscent isss gone."

  I peeked back in the room.

  "We can't-!"

  Megan? I thought.

  "She's my friend! I don't want her to end up like me!"

  3. I SEE YOU!

  "Megan?" I croaked in a low whisper. She and the cat cocked their head my direction.

  "Huh?"

  I gasped, and ran. Out of the spooky old mansion. The last thing I saw was Megan running out of the Band Room.

  I saw that my house came back!

  I sprung into my house and ran to my room, slamming the door shut. I jumped onto my bed and thought: How could she? I mean her! She just-!

  "Ughhh!" I groaned.

  I grabbed my diary, hearing my hermit crab wake up. I walked over to Gravity (my hermit crab) and wet his sponge. I changed his food, and moved his two loose shells from the sand. After I finished, I started to write:

  August 25, 2006

  Dear Diery,

  Megan betrayed me. I don't want to trust her anymore, but because of the way she stood up for me in front of a vampire, werewolf, cat, bat, a ghost, and a pair of floating hands, I kinda sorta still trust her. I'm confused. Help me Diery!

  Sinceraly,

  Katelin.

  P.S. WHAT SHOULD I DO!

  "I see you!"

  4. WHY?

  "Wh-wha-WHAT!" I said.

  I jumped and turned from my diary.

  "Why?" Megan asked, her eyes watery.

  "Why what?" I croaked.

  "Why did you go back?" she cried.

  "What do you mean? I went back because of you."

  "Yeah, but you-"

  A long silence fell between the two of us. Two girls. Ghost and human.

  "You-don't-trust me. Do you?"

  I ignored the question.

  "DO YOU?!" she screeched.

  "Barely." I whispered.

  "What?" She whispered back.

  "Barely," I said louder.

  "Thought so." She turned away, sniffling. "I now feel alone."

  "Why?"

  "No one trusts me anymore!"

  "Well I do!" I said. "Sort of."

  "See? You've changed!"

  "Sort of!"

  "Who you talking to, Kat?" my dad smiled as he walked in.

  "Um?" I looked at Megan, who was staring at me with wide-eyes. If I told him who I really was talking to, he would think I was insane! "Myself."

  "Well, keep it down, would ya?"

  "Sure dad," I said and he closed the door.

  I realized I was holding my breath.

  I released air out of my lungs, and breathed in, out, in, out.

  "You better not come back tomorrow," she said to me after a quick silence.

  "Why?"

  "Because that's where-when they will be making the plan." Her voice dropped down to a whisper, and I could barely hear her. She looked over her shoulders like someone could hear her.

  "So what's the plan?" I asked because she didn't tell me.

  "Just don't go back," She said sternly.

  "Okay, okay."

  She gave me a look like she didn't completely believe me.

  "Promise?" She held her hand out for me to shake.

  I sighed and put my hand in hers, moving it up and down.

  "I promise."

  5. IT'S HORRIBLE!!

  The next morning, I woke up in my bed. I know I promised Megan that I wouldn't go over to the Haunted Mansion at the end of the street, but I had the guts and the thrills to go back and see what they'd planned.

  I walked into the kitchen to find my mom getting my six-year-old brother named Dawson cereal.

  I got down a bowl and a cup from the cabinets. Cereal made a clanging sound in the bowl as I poured it. The milk made them crackle.

  "Someone's in a good mood," my mom said to me.

  "Something like that," I smiled.

  "Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?" She joked.

  "Nothing," I responded to my mom.

  When I finished eating, I threw on some flip-flops and a different pair of clothes. I opened the front door, and the warm air greeted me.

  "Two. Days." I whispered, and then I walked out of the door.

  It took a few minutes for me to get to the end of the street, but I managed. I, once more, knocked on the eerie doors. The two gloves greeted me and I nodded, confirming that they were still there, and walked away. When the gloves were gone, I leaped through an open, rusty, broken window.

  I walked through the cobwebbed kitchen I had stepped into and headed up the stairs, stopping at the band room doorway.

  "We have two days until her birthday. I'd say, we'd better do it now, or else, she might find out how to defeat us. We need more power. Just enough to overcome her strength, to overcome her powers. Just enough to do just that."

  6. THE HORROR

  Powers? I thought. What powers?

  I thought so hard, I forgot about the ghosts and stuff.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the black cat looming around and I saw its ears perk up.

  "Oh no!" I sighed.

  I ran. I didn't care if they were following me, I didn't care if they were lunatics! I didn't care at all. All I was caring about right there and then was to get out of there!

  I ran to the door. I yanked it open; a soft, warm wind greeted me. I burst out the door and ran, without stopping, all the way to my house.

  I quickly and quietly opened the door to my entryway slowly. As my sketchers went clunk, clunk, I walked down the hall. I quietly opened my bedr
oom door and kicked off my shoes.

  I was flopping on my bed when Megan appeared.

  "Go. Away." I whispered.

  "Why?" she asked.

  "Just. Go. Away." I was pushing it!

  "But-"

  "I said, go away!"

  I could tell she was mad, but I know she was happy still, and shy, but brave.

  I knew she was always alone, and I knew she told me not to go back, I knew she was my best friend, I knew what she has to live with too, but I shouldn't trust her. 1) Because she tells me, well almost tells me, what to do. 2) She barely listens to me. 3) I ask her questions and she ignores them. 4) I don't know what else. I've only known her for five, maybe six days. I lost track.

  Megan disappeared into thin air. Why wasn't I used to it? I mean, YET?!!!

  7. DEAR DIARY

  Of course I disappeared, but that night, I reappeared and looked around Katelin's shelves.

  "Ah-HA!"

  Katelin moaned, and I quieted myself down, willing her not to wake up.

  I took her diary over to her desk and sat down, switching on the light. She didn't move or make a noise.

  I guess she's a heavy sleeper.

  I open the book, and staring back at me are block letters that say:

  KATELIN'S DIERY

  DO NOT READ

  I turn a few pages and find the date of today.

  August 26, 2006

  Dear Diery,

  Today Megan told me not to go over to the Mansion down at the end of the street. But today, I went over, and I found a cat lurking around, and I was startled. I ran as fast as I could, down the stairs, out the door, into the warm night. Before that, I heard someone say, 'I'd say we'd better do it now, or else, she might find out how to defeat us. We'd need more power. Just enough to overpower her strength, to overcome her powers. Just enough to do that."

  Or something like that.

  Anyway, I've got to go to sleep.

  Oh, and Megan is mad at me. It's not my fault though.

  LUV YA!

  Kat!

  I flipped back a page.

  August 25, 2006

  Dear Diery,

  Megan betrayed me. I don't want to trust her anymore, but because of the way she stood up for me in front of a vampire, werewolf, cat, bat, a ghost, and a pair of floating hands, I kinda sorta still trust her. I'm confused. Help me Diery!

  Sinceraly,

  Katelin.

  P.S. WHAT SHOULD I DO!

  8. TEARS, TEARS, & MORE TEARS!

  I wanted to cry.

  Why? I asked myself. Why, why, why, why, why?

  I felt a warm tear drip down from my eye. I pushed it away with my hand.

  I grabbed a pen from her desk and turned to the last page in her diary.

  Why? I read your diary. Just August 25 & 26 though? Why??

  I walked out of her room, but left the diary open to the page of yesterday. I was still crying when I walked out of her room and I turned back to look at her.

  She was asleep.

  I was crying.

  I was happy that she had gotten away from them, but sad (and mad) because she didn't listen to me!

  A thick mist appeared around me. My feet disappeared, knees, legs?

  I looked at her wadded up under the covers, tossing and turning. Her hair was stuck to her neck with sweat.

  My final words:

  "Good luck without me. You and I are now, not friends, enemies. ENEMIES YOU HEAR ME?!"

  9. A PUZZLE TO SOLVE

  At least my "Dream of Horrors" was over!

  I threw on some clothes and walked out the door. I wasn't hungry for breakfast.

  I ran to the Mansion and jumped through the window. Again, I snuck through the kitchen all the way to the Band Room. I strained my ears to listen.

  "We have to-defeat-her."

  "I certainly agree!" The ghost said.

  "Wait 'til she finds out what powers she has," The hands spoke. Somehow. "Y'all too. Her power she has is belief. Myths, anything! All she has to do is believe she can, and it will happen."

  I opened my mouth, gasping.

  When I closed it again, I accidentally? BURPED!

  "Oh-no!" I whispered.

  I ran. Or not. I tripped over NOTHING!

  "Ughhhh!"

  I struggled to get up. When I finally did though, I ran towards the door, there it open, ran out and-where were the trees, flowers, people, cars, towns, cities, EVERYTHING!!?!?

  I took a step forward.

  Where there used to be a city, stood a hundred foot drop from the front steps leading to the door. The world around it was black, and there was nothing but me and the Mansion, with all of those creatures inside.

  The "gang" stepped out and the hands said, "Alone. You are the only human, now ghost!"

  I stepped back, back, back, back-my foot slipped of the edge, and I almost fell off the cliff! I cried out in horror as they stepped closer, the werewolf pouncing out from behind them. It snarled, showing its teeth. The wolf took a step forward, another, another!

  Suddenly, it plunged its enormous head forward, its snout pushing me off. I fell, catching my hands on the side of the cliff.

  "Megan!" I cried. When I looked down, all I could see was darkness.

  "Sorry, Katelin. I'm now against you, not with you!"

  With that, she stepped on my hands, making me let go of the cliff, and I fell.

  I was teen feet from the ground when I woke up.

  10. SAY HI, THEN BYE BECAUSE YOU WON'T AGAIN!

  Drenched in sweat, I got dressed.

  I skipped my breakfast, but OH WELL!

  I ran to the Mansion and climbed through the window, like the last time, and like in my dream. My shoes squeaked on the tile of the kitchen and the stairs as I headed back up to the Band Room. I peeked in through the partially opened door.

  "We found her like this this morning."

  The vampire pointed to the floor.

  I saw Megan lying there.

  "Megan?!" I blurted out stupidly.

  "What the-"

  "Great!" I muttered under my breath.

  I ran back through the Mansion and out the window. I squatted down below it, so no one could see me.

  The vampire poked his head out of the window. He looked around, then went back inside. I saw glowing white/yellow teeth from the darkness of the bushes in front of me. A muzzle emerged from the leaves, then its glowing yellow eyes, next its body.

  The creature pounced forward. Its jaws opened and clamped down on my leg as easy as tearing bread.

  "Ahhh!" I screamed as the werewolf bit harder.

  "Grrr! GURRR!" It growled, pulling my leg back and forth.

  The wolf bit so hard, blood was gushing from my leg!

  It finally let go, smiled its bloody ugly smile and howled to the sky. It disappeared into the Mansion, jumping over me with ease. A drop of blood hit me in the face.

  I heard it disappear into the Mansion as it ran.

  I struggled to get up, but my leg failed. I laid there in pain, in horror, trying, struggling to get the pain numbed, but nothing was working.

  Carefully, I pulled myself up to the window, looking into the kitchen. I pulled with my arms and pushed with my good leg to help me through the window.

  Tumbling into the room, I dragged myself up the stairs and tried to stand up at the top. The door opened easily as I pressed against it, and I stumbled in. I fell to the ground by Megan.

  The first thing that caught my eye about her was the long line of teeth marks down her arm in the shape of a snout.

  "The werewolf!"

  TO BE CONTINUED?

  Afterwards?

  I wrote this series in third grade, and I felt like I should keep it the way I wrote it. I really think it portrays the thought processes of ten year olds, and it's actually really short. I added in a whole bunch of things, and I'll be making more books to go along with the se
ries, so I hope you enjoy them! Thank you for reading!

  This book in particular, I remember making, and creating all these loose ends for the next book. I like how I portrayed the girls and their relationship, because, at that age, that's how it is. And going back over this book and typing it up is helping me learn, believe it or not. There are so many things writers miss because they're so worried about having the most structured sentences. What I'm concerned about is, does it feel real or not? And I feel like these books, though I've changed a few things, really do feel real.

  The next book is called Revenge. Look for it in iTunes, or in iBooks.

  Thanks again!

  THE HAUNTED MANSION #3

  REVENGE

  K. WEIKEL