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

For my parents and family: thank you for always being there and supporting my decisions.

  And to my teacher Mrs. Limas. Thank you for the confidence boost you gave me with my writing.

  1: BON(E) APPETIT

  I was having the worst day of my life! My leg was in shock, bleeding constantly, while I was sitting there worried about if a ghost was alive, when I could be worrying about my leg!

  The werewolf bit both my leg and her arm!

  "Careful, girl," I told myself, "Once a ghost, always a ghost, right?"

  I limped down to the door.

  "She'll appear in my room tomorrow," I calmly said.

  When I opened the door, my mom asked me, freaking out, why my left leg was bitten.

  "I don't know," I said stupidly. "A dog bit me."

  Of course I lied! What did you expect? "Mom, I got bit by a werewolf"? No. Nada! Zip!

  She quickly wrapped up my leg and talked while she did it, asking me what happened. I didn't know what to say so all I said was "I dunno."

  I limped to my room when she was done, but when I got there, I found a body of bones on my bed watching television and reading my diary. I couldn't keep my temper in too long so I closed my door, limped over to the bone-man and said, "What are you doing?"

  Suddenly, he pulled out a platter, pressed a button on the remote, and right there, out of nowhere, was a table the size of my bed and dresser put together!

  I gasped.

  "Bon app?tit!" He said.

  I jumped.

  Then everything turned silver, like the platter the bone-man?held. That's when everything went black.

  Pitch back.

  2: DEAD OR ALIVE?

  "Ughhh," I stretched.

  I realized I'd fainted. My leg throbbed, but worst of all, there was blood on my white carpet! My mom was so going to kill me! But something worse happened-I could see through my hand!

  "Ahhh!"

  My hand was solid again.

  "Maybe it's a dream," I told myself. "Yeah. It's probably just a dream!"

  I touched the dresser. Nope. My hand didn't go through.

  I looked in my mirror above the dresser, and jumped.

  I was all gray! Then, in a blink of an eye, I was solid again, and had my full color and everything.

  I let my breath out and I ran into the kitchen.

  "Mom?" I said shakily. "A-are you h-here?"

  No answer.

  "Dawson?"

  Music coming from his room.

  "Dawson?" I repeated as I stepped into the room. He was turned towards the back wall (the opposite side from the door). He twisted his head towards the door, then he quickly turned it back to his TV and continued playing his game.

  Something wasn't right here. I mean, why would my brother not whine about me talking to him while he's playing his game?

  I walked?back into the kitchen.

  "Mom," I said after I heard a bang.

  I saw a cat dragging a bowl down from the counter onto the floor.

  "Hey!" I managed to choke out.

  The cat froze. It stared at me with its deep yellow eyes. It?hissed, then disappeared into thin air.

  I stared at the bowl blankly. Forgetting about my leg, I trotted over to it and put it up.

  All of a sudden, pain shot up my left leg where the bite was.

  I jerked my head around just in time to see the cat clawing at the fabric that hid my wounds like it wanted to uncover them and rip my leg to shreds.

  "Get off me!" I yelled.

  I loved cats, but not this one! With one kick, the cat came off, but scratched me from the top of the bite to my ankles.

  "Ahhh!" I roared out in pain.

  I was bleeding half-to-death! I limped to the bathroom and saw-no reflection. I turned towards the tub, and looked back. Now I had a reflection.

  Then, everything went dark again.

  Was I dead, or alive?

  3: I'M ALIVE?

  ?The last thing I remembered was a werewolf biting me on the arm. I didn't remember being in my bed, or my sister walking in to wake me up. I didn't remember this day, or this morning at all!

  What about FuFu? I asked myself.

  "Meowwww!"

  "FuFu!" I said.

  She was inside my doorway. FuFu meowed one more time, licked her white coat, and then disappeared around the corner.

  "FuFu? I said to the spot she was standing. I looked at my arm. There was no bite.

  I walked to the kitchen and saw my mom getting my sister ready for the day.

  "Mom?"

  She looked up. "Yes?"

  "Can I-go for a walk?" I asked.

  She stared hard at me.

  "Just down the street!" I pointed out.

  "Alright. But you have to eat your breakfast first."

  "OK," I said.

  After eating, I ran to the end of the street, and there, in front of me, was a ghost! Was it-but it couldn't be, could it?

  Katelin was the ghost!

  "Megan? I-is that you?" She croaked.

  "Yes. But is that you?" I demanded.

  "Yeah. I don't know what happened. Everything went black. Twice." Her voice cracked.

  I couldn't believe it! It's like we switched places!

  "Hissssss!"

  The sound came from behind me. I slowly turned around. There, stood a vampire. It walked closer to me, hissing. He opened his mouth as he walked toward me.

  4: DECISIONS, DECISIONS

  Now, I knew I should help, but I had no idea how a ghost could help her. But I decided to give it a shot, whether the shot was fangs, or just a try at losing the vampire. Again.

  I ran up behind him and hit him in the head. His fangs-his only teeth-fell out.

  "Nooooooo!!" He cried out in fear, as he melted into a puddle of blood.

  I slapped Megan a high-five, then we ran into the eerie old Mansion.

  A werewolf was guarding the stairway.

  I looked at my bloody leg and looked at Megan's arm. The bite wasn't there anymore!

  "What did you do?!" I demanded.

  "Just a little-swappin'!" The creature said.

  "If you think you're funny, you're wrong!" I pointed out.

  It laughed. "My name is Keea."

  "So you're a girl," I said.

  "Yes. But don't assume that of my brother. He is?nicknamed 'The Wolf'."

  I stepped closer, my sketchers squeaking.

  "What did you do?" I said again, this time slower.

  "My brother, he did it."

  "Aren't you guys-well-twins?" I ask, thinking ahead.

  "Yes."

  "Then how can we tell you apart?" Megan asked.

  "See that?" Keea asked.

  "Yes." Megan and I responded.

  "Go get it and put some on my fur. Then you will be able to tell us apart."

  5: MIXED UP

  Katelin went to get the paint from a corner. When she painted it on the werewolf's back, it was blue, but it looked kinda dry.

  "Hey-what gives?" she said.

  "It-hasn't been used for a few years." Keea said.

  "Are you on our side?" I asked.

  "Yes," she responded. "Unless my brother threatens me again."

  Katelin and I looked at each other, confused.

  "Ooooookay," she said when she looked back at Keea. "So. How am I going to get back to being a human, while Megan turns back into a ghost?"

  "Hey-" I started to argue.

  "Walk into the Band Room, and you will return to normal."

  We walked, all three of us, to the Band Room. Something tickled my bones when I walked through the doorway. I jumped back. Katelin walked through.

  "If you don't go then you will never meet Katelin."

  I looked at Katelin. Her deep blue eyes were filling with watery tears. I knew I wanted to know her, and I wanted to stay human, but-I'm just plain mixed up!?

  "If I pick not to be a ghost, and I don't like my world without Katelin, will I get a second chance?" I asked.


  "Yes. But you will have to get through her. She has great powers of the mind." Keea said.

  "Whatever!" I said, frustrated.

  I walked down the stairs, away from the Band Room.