I was holding the pencil on my grip securely, tapping the end on my chin in an uncanny rhythmic pattern as I reread the question. I erased my incorrect answer with the rubber on the tip, grunting at my third attempt to answer the problem correctly.
It's been more than a week since I last saw Steven. It's super weird since we live so close to him. But, he hasn't come to visit me, so I assume he's busy and I haven't visited him, not even a text. I never realised how dull it was without Steven around to keep me occupied. I guess I was starting to get used to doing exceptional things with him that now that I'm back to my original life, everything seemed lamer than before. I was, however, frustrated that my bracelet was taken. I chewed the inside of my mouth, thinking about it. Even though it was made of plastic, it still was an important accessory to me.
"Honestly (Y/N). You just started school and you already--", my mum fussed mid-sentence, scoffing at the Warning Letter she had scrunched in her hand. I was trying to hide it from her, for the first few days she didn't find it. Until she was inconveniently cleaning out my backpack and noticed the crinkled, folded paper at the bottom of my bag and, one thing led to another.
"If I get another letter from the school, you're--".
My mother's head perked up at the sudden pounding on the front door, as she wasn't expecting visitors. She arched a brow at me, as I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing who could be knocking at this time. She got up from her seat, making her way to the door.
"(Y/N)! Steven is here!", my mother called out to me. Speak of Devil. I made my way to the front door, where Steven stood, along with Sadie. He grinned at me widely. Oh my gosh, that pink hoodie.
"Hey, (Y/N)!", Steven waved at me, with his other hand in his pocket. I flashed a warm smile at him plus a bonus wave at Sadie, who returned it. Glancing up, I abruptly saw Lars, slouching indolently behind Sadie. I didn't even notice him. But, I did notice he awesome glow-in-the-dark earrings he had on.
"Hey, guys! What's up?", I asked the trio.
"We're going to a spooky-movie party", Steven grinned, wiggling his fingers in front of my face like a ghost from some cheesy cartoon tv show. "You want to come?".
I peered up at my mum, waiting for her approval. She tapped her finger on her chin, deciding whether or not I should go. "Don't you have homework to do?", she asked me.
I curved my lip up, "It's not due for a couple of days, I'll get it done".
"Where is this party?", she questioned, with her voice crawling with curiosity. Steven inaccurately pointed over his shoulder. "At the lighthouse", he explained, smiling up at my mum. "My friend Ronaldo is throwing it".
My mother was still not eager or nearly convinced. I never actually told her about the last party I went to with Steven and Lars. I figured its best if I didn't tell her, considering I never asked for her permission.
"How many people will be there?", she continued to ask.
"Just the four of us. Five, if you let (Y/N) go", Steven informed my mother. The movie party sounded more like a social hangout than an actual party. Either way, I wanted to grab a bowl of popcorn and watch Ghost Hunters 2. Mum hummed in thought, with her frown aimed at me. "She did get in a little dispute at school, and bad things shouldn't be rewarded...". I roll my eyes, jostling my mother with my arm, and narrowing my brows but not in a bitter way, but a pleading one.
She thought a little harder, gawking down at Steven who had his hands clasped together with his brown eyes glistening with hope.
"I want her back by 10 pm. Not a minute later, or you're all in trouble", she sternly and assertively reminded the three teenagers. Sadie and Steven nod in agreement, while Lars scoffed, glimpsing away. Going back to my room, I grabbed a modest, blue hoodie on the closest hanger and slipped it on. I walked back to the door, saying goodbye to my mum, as she rigorously reminded me of my curfew for a second time. I casually sent her an eye-roll after turning my back to her, as we all walked up the hill.
While making our way to the Lighthouse, I already noticed all the eerie decorations at the front. "Who is Ronaldo anyway?", I asked, breaking the silent tension. Lars ridiculed at his name, kicking a pebble near his feet. "He's a social napalm that sells fried potatoes for a living. I had better things to do than wax weird with Beach City's biggest bozo", he sneered, mockingly. I raised a brow at Lars, sticking my hands into my pockets. "Oh, don't worry Lars", I chuckled, tauntingly at him as he glared down at my smug face. "Nobody is going take your title as biggest bozo".
Steven lightly giggled under his breath, as Sadie copied him, but immediately covered it up with a gentle, fraudulent cough. Lars' eyes widened as a faint pink blush was spread across his face and his mouth curved into a mortified frown. However, he didn't say anything to regain his pride, so points go to me.
We finally reached the top of the hill, observing the scarecrows outside as the crisp leaves blow off the stems and travel through the breeze. Steven walked up to the door, gently knocking on the wooden frame. The door suddenly creaked open slightly as someone, wearing a ghoulish mask and a Halloween costume peeked through the gap.
"Steeeeeveeeeen...!", the boy, assuming is Ronaldo spoke dramatically, before fully opening the door. He grinned widely, bowing to look down at Steven who jittered excitedly. "Welcome to my Beach City horror club". He began to cackle maniacally but was instantaneously interrupted by Lars laughing aloud. But not like Ronaldo's scary chuckling, but more like a mockery laugh.
"More like comedy club", he taunted, as he proceeded to laugh his own head off. "Lars?!", Ronaldo exclaimed, as he attempted to take off his mask to make sure it wasn't playing tricks with his eyes. As he was in the process of doing so, he unexpectedly dropped his mask of the ground, causing it to break. "Oh! What are you doing here? Um...", his voice trailed off as he stepped aside to clear the doorway for everybody. Including Lars.
"C-c-come in", he stuttered, restlessly. Lars elbowed Sadie, jokingly, still chuckling under his breath. "I'm scared already", he smirked at Sadie as she smiled back at Ronaldo as an indirect apology for Lars' behaviour.
"Ronaldo, right?", she grinned, walking over to him to shake his hand. "Yeah. I'm Sadie. Nice to finally officially meet you". Sadie and Lars step past Ronaldo into the Lighthouse. Suddenly, Lars turned around shouting a taunting, "Boo!", startling Ronaldo. He laughed again as walked into the Lighthouse with narcissism. Steven and I were about to step inside when Ronaldo places a hand on his shoulder stopping him.
"Oh, Ronaldo! This is my best friend, (Y/N)", he introduced me to Ronaldo, pointing at me. I sent him a tiny and humble wave which he returned. But, he wasn't very interested in getting to know me. He was more interested in understanding why Lars was at his party. I'm assuming by the tension, the two don't get along. "Steven, you're friends with Lars?", Ronaldo questioned in dismay, scratching his hair.
Steven smiled and shrugged. "Yeah. Isn't everybody?", he asked, innocently. I curved my lip as I disagreed with Steven. "He has a point", I announced, pointing at Ronaldo. "You're such a kind, little cinnamon roll while Lars is nothing more than a jerk".
Steven frowned at me. Not very pleased with my adjectives to describe his friends. He crossed his arms to somewhat scowl at me. Although his scowl looked more like a pout. "(Y/N), we've talked about this", he warned me, in a more desirous manner than a stern one.
"You interrupted me!", I claimed, trying to dodge the bullet. "I was going to say Lars is a...a...jer--". I shrugged, huffing, amused at the position I pulled myself into. "I can't save myself from that one, he's a jerk", I chuckled softly.
Ronaldo breathes in deeply, then proceeds to stomp inside. "Oh, boy!", was all he muttered as he gestured Steven and me to come in.
Inside the lantern room of the Lighthouse, Steven, Sadie, Lars and I sat in front of a big TV. Steven was constantly nagging that I was hogging the couch. Which I was. But just because Steven was nagging me to move over, doesn't mean I will.
Ronaldo walked out from the darkness, with a movie cover box gripped in his hand. "Our first film tonight is a rare classic that hardly needs introduction", he grinned, holding the movie box up for us to see the film. "Evil Bear 2: Bearly Alive!". Lars sat up from leaning on the sofa armrest. "What?! I've seen that. It's boring", he grunted, leaning back on the armrest in monotony. I wanted to tell Lars to stop with the commentary, but I didn't want to get another lecture from Steven, so I kept my smart mouth shut.
"And that stupid fake C.G. bear! Hardly looks like it's really killing anybody". Ronaldo scoffed, disgusted at Lars' continuous comments. "C.G.?! Blasphemer!", he called out, inching towards Lars. I had no clue what a "Blasphemer" is, but assuming Ronaldo just insulted Lars, I slightly grinned. "You saw the remake! I have the original. A true fan would accept nothing less".
"Whoa, man. Take it down a notch", Lars said, making Ronaldo cover his face in discomfort. Sadie stopped drinking from her cup as her mouth gaped open at the sight of the cover. "Whoa, wait. How did you get a copy of that?", she exclaimed, scooting forward slightly so she can get a closer glimpse of the film. "Can I see the box?".
Ronaldo walked over to Sadie, circumspect of it getting damaged. He proudly presented the cover box to her, without letting it get too close. "Woah! In this cut, you actually see Evil Bear eat the hermit's leg".
I hummed in interest, crossed one leg over the other. I was interested to see how this would escalate. I then remembered Steven sitting right next to me as I began to frown. There was no way Steven could watch a movie like that. He'd have nightmares and then, I would have to deal with phone calls in the middle of the night. "I think this might be a bit much for him", I explained, peering over at Steven. Steven shook his head, grinning widely.
"I can handle it!".
As I watched the bear slash and dice different victims up, I began to grow concerned for Steven. I peeked behind the couch, revealing Steven sitting facing it, completely unfazed by the sound of the bear growling and a woman screaming. "Steven, are you sure you comfortable there?", I asked as Steven glanced up at me. Before he could answer, the sound of a man in agony could be heard from the movie.
"You're... eating my... leg!".
Steven cowered in terror and fear, covering his ears with both his arms as his body tensed. I bestowed a pitiful glance at the frightened boy. As his best friend, it was my duty to ensure his safety from the fake, animated bear from an old movie. As stupid as it sounds.
I stood up from the sofa and crawled behind it, sitting next to Steven. In hysteria, he peered over at me, not removing his arms from his ears. Although his body did slightly relax at the sight of me next to him.
"Don't you want to sit on the couch and watch the movie", Steven asked tilting his head to the side slightly. I shook my head, cracking a smiled. "Nah! Here has a much better view", using my hands, I created an airbox, with Steven startled face inside. He blushed hastily, not knowing whether I was pulling his leg or if I was being serious. He giggled, cutely, as he copied me, making an airbox with my face inside. He shook his head, tsking.
"No way!", he countered, as his blush got a little more intense than before. "The view I'm looking at is way better". I chuckled lightly, as my face suddenly felt a little warm. Glancing up at Steven, I realised he was already staring at me. He developed a habit of doing that.
From behind the couch, we heard Lars groaning dramatically and slightly gagging. "Can you two stop flirting?", he said with a sickened tone, not glancing away from the screen, as the fear he would miss something. I rolled my eyes, frankly quite irritated, but at the same time, a little flustered. Steven and I weren't flirting. It was merely a joke. But, did it sound like we were flirting from someone else's perspective? "You know, I like you better when your mouth is shut. But then you open it and that horrible noise comes out and suddenly - I don't like you". Flustered, he sunk back into his chair, not saying a word. Steven playfully pouted at me. "That was cold", he muttered, loud enough for me to hear. I chuckled, although it did sound like a sinister chuckle. "This right here", I patted my chest which was hiding where my heart is supposed to be. "Is ICE cold".
Steven spent some time thinking. He was probably trying to find some goofy way to turn what I said into something more cheerful. "Cold...Like, like ice-cream!", he chirped, with a wide grin, making me huff in amusement, while bringing my knees to my chest. "Not exactly", I stated, despite Steven nodding in protest.
"Well, if I'm ice cream, that makes you a... biscuit! Because you're overly-sweet!". I squished Steven's cheeks in my palms firmly, making him let out an adorable giggle. He gripped onto my hands, trying to pry them off his face, but I didn't let go. "Yeah! And together we make Ice Cream Sandwiches", Steven twittered while managing to pry my hands away. I raised a brow trying to understand where the Ice Cream Sandwiches came from. Oh! Because of the ice cream and the cookie. Steven began to slightly bobbing up and down in excitement as I raised both brows this time, slightly curving up the corner of my lip at what got him so excited.
"We can be Cookie Pals!", he jittered, making me give him a judgemental face as the cheesy name he gave us, hoping everyone else was too involved in the movie to pay attention to what Steven said. "Cookie...Pals?", I repeated mockingly, before shaking my head in defeat. "Whatever floats your boat, Steven".
Our joke kind of reminded me of that stupid, repetitive, yet annoyingly catchy advertisement that used to pop up on TV that sold ice cream sandwiches. Cookie Cat, or something. Suddenly, the power in the Lighthouse goes out, leaving us in darkness. I stood up to see what caused the fuse to go off.
"Hey! It was just getting good!", Lars grieved, pouting slightly. Sadie was also on her feet as she observed the lightbulbs on the roof. "What's going on?", she stuttered in fear, backing into the couch. Lars rolled his eyes, with his butt firmly in the sofa. "Probably just a fuse", he grumbled in distress. Ronald grabbed onto the flashlight on the coffee table, shining a flashlight on his face like he was about to tell a ghost story. "Or maybe it's a gho-o-st?", he said, trying to use the flashlight to freak us out. It worked on Sadie and Steven, but Lars and I were both unimpressed. "Good one. Ronald", Sadie chuckled restlessly and shows him a faint smile. Ronaldo handed her another flashlight for her to see with.
" No, really. What if it's a gho-o-o-o-st?". Ronaldo walks over to a cabinet of old, untouched files and begins rummaging through it. "What are you doing?", I asked, in more of a mocking tone than a confused one. "As a skeptic of mortality, I've long suspected that this place might be haunted", he explained, looking through different paper binders. I rolled my eyes and let out an obvious scoff. Steven extended out his elbow to nudge my side and rigorously scowl at me. This boy is too nice. It's going to get him killed one day.
Ronald suddenly pulled out some sort of pendant from the cabinet, making me tilt my head. "Aha! Spirit, I beseech you", he says, making Lars uncomfortable with all this phantom talk. "Dude, cut it out", Lars scoffed at Ronaldo in almost apprehension. "You're being super-weird". Sadie, Steven and I gathered around Ronaldo's pendant. Sadie shined her flashlight on it, so we could all see it clearly.
"We wish to make contact", Ronaldo speaks into the air, as if we were all part of come Occult Club. If there is a spirit in here, I want to be able to witness it. Lars sluggishly stood behind Sadie, knowing that this was just Ronaldo being his nut brain self. "Please, spirit, send us a sign". I tilted a brow at Ronaldo's necklace, waiting for it to show some form of paranormal activity. Suddenly, the pendant began to swing around on its own. My eyes widened and I began to take a few steps forward to try and see if Ronaldo was trying to prank us. The pendant suddenly shoots out of Ronaldo's grasp, barely missing my shoulder and smacking Lars in the face. " Ow!", he complained, holding the area the necklace hit him. "Spirit, that was a good sign", Ronaldo called out to the phantoms. As Lars was grumbling in pain, I couldn't help but chuckle at him.
"Can you send a couple more like that just to be sure?", I asked the ghosts roaming the Lighthouse. "And, can you aim for his stomach this time?". Steven glared at me, jostling me gently, which didn't stop the chuckles from coming out of my mouth.
Then, faint whispering was heard from all of us, although none of us knew where it was coming from. The drawers of the cabinet suddenly burst open as files and paper stacks came flying out at a high rate of speed. The files began swirling in circles above all of us, as the others began to shriek in shock. I pressed my lips into a thin line, which sooner curled into a delirious smile as I turned to face Steven in amusement.
"This is way better than Ghost Hunters 2", I grinned, earning bewildered expressions from Lars and Sadie. Ronaldo, in an attempt to calm the spirits down, stepped forward slightly.
"That's— That's okay, spirit. You can rein it in a little!", he yelled out, trying to be louder than the files flying around the room. But, that didn't seem to be enough. Sadie's cup of coffee floated off the table and flies towards us before smashing down the floor.
"How is this happening?!", Lars stammered, trying to avoid being cut by the papers and files flying around. "This... is amazing!", Steven grinned, curling his hands into a fist and throwing them in the air. " A real-life haunted house!". I was about to join in on his celebration before I noticed something hurling towards Steven. My instincts kicked in as I gripped onto Steven and hauled him towards me. A barrel smashed on the ground next to us, barely missing Steven.
In a state of shock, Steven gripped onto me tighter, slightly digging his face into my jacket as he embraced me tighter for comfort. "Are you ok?", I asked him, as he moved from my chest to nestle just below my shoulder. I felt him nod against my attire, as his grip loosened, but he didn't release me. Another cup of coffee floats up and hovers in the air, flying towards Lars. Sadie's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. "Look out!", she calls out to Lars, before tackling him to the ground just as the coffee cup misses him.
"Let's get out of here!". We rush towards the open front door, as it suddenly slams shut. Ronaldo grips onto the doorknob and pulled on it, with no luck. "It won't open!", he says, with his voice cracking in fear.
"Classic horror movie shenanigans", I grunted under my breath, looking over my shoulder for another exit. The rest of the group slammed themselves through the door, successfully forcing it off its hinges and breaking it down. We exited the lantern room, only to notice the door beginning to mend itself from the broken pieces.
"I'm so sorry! I had no idea there was this violent of a presence here", Ronaldo deeply and sincerely apologised to us for the most haunted night we've ever experienced. Steven shrugged, mildly. "It happens", he stated, comfortably. Lars scoffed, crossing his arms. "No, it doesn't!", he yelled back at both Steven and Ronaldo. "It's not a ghost!".
Sadie huffed, not tolerating Lars' tantrum for not being correct. "Who cares what it is? We need to get out", she firmly asserted. Everyone nodded in sync as we all followed Sadie.
We began descending down the spiralling staircase Lighthouse. Not knowing where it's taking us or what is down there. We just hoped there was some sort of exit that could get us out of the Lighthouse. While stepping down the stairs, Steven and I caught each other's glance.
"Thanks for saving me back there", he smiled at me, brushing his fingers at our nearly intertwined hands. Almost as if he was indirectly asking if he could hold my hand. I ridiculed, shrugging modestly and moving my hand away from his. "Don't make it a big deal", I shrugged, humbly, peering down at the wooden floor.
I couldn't see it, but I could tell Steven began stepping closer to me. Not sure how I thought we were close enough. He suddenly wrapped his pinky finger securely around mine as I flinched at his cool touch. I peered down without moving my head from its position, vaguely seeing Steven's pinky laced with mine. I should've pulled away, but...
Steven obviously knew that I didn't feel comfortable holding hands with him, which he respected. But what continuously flashed through his head was the way I held him in my arms in such a comforting manner. He felt so warm, and despite my menacing demeanour I had bestowed upon him, my touch was so gentle. What was this sudden desire inside his chest that made him crave my touch? He didn't know, but he knew it wouldn't be satisfied unless he found some sort of loophole. An idea popped into his head. It was risky, but it might work.
He scooted closer to me, feeling his heart thump against his ribcage relentlessly. Almost there. He extended out his hand towards mine at a gradual and moderate pace so I wouldn't notice, then he wrapped his pinky finger around mine. He felt me flinch at his sudden touch, and almost immediately wanted to pull away and apologise relentlessly. But then, he felt me relax into it as I glanced forward, pretending I didn't notice it. He began to smile. Not the exact reaction he was hoping for, but I didn't beat him up either.
So, he'd say it was a win-win.
Ronaldo and Sadie began chuckling together at their own little joke as Steven noticed something off about Lars. He looked like he was getting unrest. "Something wrong, Lars?", he asked, only to have Lars hushing him and covering Steven's mouth with both hands. Suddenly, I began to hear something. Eerie laughter of children, couldn't tell where it was coming from. But, I heard it.
Ghost children?
Sadie glanced back at Lars in confusion. "What is that?". Lars instantly removed his hands from Steven's face, digging both his hands into his pockets. He wouldn't admit it, but I know he heard the children too.
"Oh, it's nothing!", he scoffed, letting his ego overtake him. "We're all just hearing things, and seeing things and feeling things that aren't real".
Lars ran ahead towards the door when it suddenly swung open and smashed him in the face. The impact knocked him off his feet, sending him tumbling backwards. I covered my mouth with my hand, letting out a few weird noises that were supposed to be laughter. I suddenly felt a warm sensation leave my hand, leaving me with a cold mark. Steven must have let go of me. I think I got a little too comfortable with it.
The decorative scarecrows that were previously outside we're now animated and creeping towards us, like undead zombies. Sadie and Ronaldo promptly leaned themselves against the door, pushing forcefully against it. They were trying to force it to shut from the scarecrows trying to claw their way in.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, a few bats and a scarecrow managed to slip through the door, instantly swooping down to attack Lars. I'm not sure what's with this Haunted House, but it seemed to have some sort of beef with Lars. Steven rushed over to Lars and manages to pry the scarecrow and bats away from him. Steven struggled to keep the wriggling bat in his grasp, he looked up at me as if he was indirectly asking me for help. I grabbed onto the bat, ripping it out of Steven's grasp and flung it out the door. Sadie and Ronaldo finally managed to shut the door.
"Have you ever seen a haunting this bad?!", Sadie exclaimed, turning to face Ronaldo. "This is no run-of-the-mill haunting!", he revealed, shining the flashlight onto his own face once more. "A ghost only haunts a house. A poltergeist haunts a person! They're usually attracted to the terrifying inner world of the emotionally disturbed". Then, Ronaldo pointed the light onto Lars. His eyes widened, as his eyes darted to everyone standing in front of him.
"You think stuff is coming after me?!", he responded, sharply, yet beads of agitated sweat was dripping off the side of his face. "How can you listen to this...weird guy?! He practically lives in a haunted house. Don't you think maybe he had something to do with it?".
Steven furrowed his brows, crossing his arms and stepping forward to Lars. "I think you can stop being such a dink to Ronaldo", he grunted, huffing at Lars.
Lars rolled his eyes, baffled as he began to stomp up to me. I put my hands behind my back, gripping them onto each other intensely. "What about your girlfriend?", he pointed down at me, making me softly slap his hand away from my face. "If I have to repeat it...", I mutter beneath my heated breath. " Listen, I'm whatever side Steven is on, we're a duo".
Steven couldn't hold back his smile that made its way on his face, which instantly made me wish I didn't add that.
That answer did not please Lars at all. He groaned in frustration, approaching the last person in the group that didn't choose a side. "Sadie, you're not an idiot!", he said, gripping onto her shoulders tightly, forcing her to stare in Lars' desperate eyes. " Hey!", Ronaldo, Steven and I all complained, offended.
"Do you believe all of this?!".
"I...", Sadie's voice was trailing off, as she was no longer making eye contact with Lars. She didn't want to have to choose any sides. She didn't want to say something that would upset anyone. So, she stayed quiet.
"All this stuff— They've gotta be doing it somehow", Lars assured her, with his grip on her shoulders stiffening without him realising it. "We've gotta ditch these guys. Come on".
Sadie finally glanced up at Lars with the most repugnant expression plastered on her face. She gradually backed away from Lars, ripping her shoulders out of his grasp as she crossed her arms and glanced at the wooden floor. "I'm not ditching anyone", she muttered.
Lars' eyes widened when he realised no-one was on his side. "But what about me, huh?!", he exclaimed frantically to Sadie. "Sadie! C'mon, you always—".
The floorboards suddenly opened up underneath Sadie, revealing a glowing, red void. Sadie had absolutely no time to react as she fell into it, shrieking out in terror. Lars tried to rush forward to save her but the floorboards closed up, swallowing Sadie as her screams fade away, leaving just her flashlight behind.
Oh my gosh! The Lighthouse ate Sadie! All of a sudden the exciting adrenaline of a real Haunted House immediately died down. I didn't feel the vibe anymore. All I felt was the dread of Sadie being tortured by the undead spirits.
"The spirit took her!" Ronaldo blurted in contentment as his head whipped to violently face Lars. "You're gonna drag us all down with you! Don't you even care?!".
Suddenly, a hatch on the floor opened up revealing a dark entrance underground. The basement! We all wasted no time descending into the basement as swiftly and quietly as possible. The eerie red aura enhanced and illuminated with every step we took. "I don't see her anywhere!", Lars exclaimed with eyes darting everywhere. This is the first time that Lars was legitimately concerned about someone.
This boy's got a crush!
"Spirit, show yourself!", Ronaldo called out, looking for signs of the ghosts in their presence. Steven chewed the inside of his mouth, feeling some sort of disheartening and ominous energy flowing into him. It was screaming for remedy and swirling in terror, running black with fear. It made Steven shudder slightly. "It's close", he muttered to everyone, placing his hand on the lighthouse structure to feel the force more.
I turned to face him, raising a brow at his hypothesis, critically. "How do you know?", I ask him.
"I can feel it. It's hurting and... obsessed". Something tells me that whatever is in here with us isn't just some phantom. But whatever it was, we had to save Sadie from it. Suddenly, my ears perked. I heard something.
It sounded like a heartbeat, but much more compelling. Much more hostile. It hammered through my ears, making me flinch at the sound as it felt like the pounding was shaking the Lighthouse to its foundation. Ronaldo shined his flashlight towards the sound and what we saw left all of us speechless.
Carved on the wall, was Lars' name, glowing the illuminated eerie red that swallowed Sadie. It was pulsing like a vein and pounding like a hammer. The flesh-like structure shook the ground we were steeping on. Lars shuddered at the sight of his name radiating and buldging on the wall. Ronaldo glared at Lars, dropping his light to face the ground. "It should have been you!", he grunted under his breath, taking a few menacing steps towards Lars. "Wh-What", Lars stuttered, taking hesitant steps back.
"It took her, but it should have been you, Lars!".
"Woah hold on", Steven said, trying to look for a logical explanation. I could still hear the spirit eerily whispering Lars' name through the wall and it made me quiver. Suddenly, a mouth opened up in the wall below the pulsing writing, making me trip back in hysteria. Ronaldo, still in a fit of fury, grappled Lars and starts dragging him towards the mouth.
"Hey! Let go!", Lars attempted to thrust out of Ronaldo's tight grasp. Steven ran in front of Ronaldo, trying to convince him to release his friend. "Wait! Stop! What are you doing?". I was complete inaction. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there. Ronaldo gripped onto Lars tighter and hoisted him above his head, making Lars shriek in horror.
"Spirit, I deliver the package of darkness!", Ronaldo called out. "Return to us the innocent Sadie!". The spirit continued to ghoulishly call Lars' name, pounding harder against the wall. There's no way that Ronaldo could possibly use Lars as a sacrifice, right? "C-come on, man. We used to be friends", Lars studdered down at Ronaldo.
"And you threw me away!", Ronaldo exclaimed and then proceeded to throw Lars, screaming, into the mouth. I gasped in shock. "What in the world is wrong with you?!", I shouted at Ronaldo.
As much as I wanted to see Lars get what he deserved, death was not on my list of options for karma. I ran towards the mouth, hesitating a little as I leapt into the wall. WHAT AM I DOING?! Steven's heart began to beat louder than usually as his breath got lodged in his throat. Gosh, if only he was keeping track of every anxious thought that was coursing through his mind. He was struck with awe that made it almost impossible for him to stop me.
"(Y/N)!", he croaked out to me, getting no response in return.
I managed to see Lars, struggling to not get swallowed down. "Why does everything bad happen to me", he cried, making me glare at him. "Not everything is about you, Lars!", I grunted at him, reaching my arm out for him to grab onto. Before he could take my hand, the mouth pinned us both down with its tongue. I glance up in fear, as I noticed the teeth beginning to slowly lower down in an attempt to sever Lars and me in half. I tried wriggling my self out, but it had us trapped.
Steven watched in horror, noticing the mouth had us both clamped down and prepared to die. But, he wouldn't let that happen. He felt some sort of urge inside him that made him feel like his sole purpose was to protect me. And he wasn't going to ignore it. Steven summoned his bubble shield to envelope around Lars and me, protecting us. He then expanded the bubble's size, causing the mouth to stretch out and suddenly, explode.
The bubble rolled Lars and I away to safety before popping, leaving us lying on the floor with our bodies paralysed in trauma. Steven rushed over to me, gripping onto my sides and hoisting me up. He stared directly into my groggy eyes, feeling my rapid heartbeat against his chest. He was terrified. Terrified that something bad would've happened to me. Terrified that I'd get so hurt that he wouldn't be able to fix me. He didn't want to use the term death as the thought of me dying disheartened him, but he was terrified of that too.
"You're...staring again", I grinned between my pants. Steven's face burned with a faint blush as his eyes met the floor. I smiled at him, although he didn't see it. "I guess this makes us even".
Suddenly, the rubble of the wall began to shift slightly as Sadie emerges from it, coughing out dust and gasping for air. " Sadie!", we all sighed in relief at the sight of her. She was ok.
Steven noticed something next to her. A gemstone. Of course, why am I not surprised?
He picked it from the rubble, holding it up for everyone to get a look at. "It's a gem!", he panted as it began to glow and glimmer. The stone's radiance masked the whole room in bright light as I squinted my eyes so I wasn't blinded by its light. I, along with everybody else, noticed that it began projecting a blue holographic screen, with two boys in it. I glanced Lars and Ronaldo as their mouths were gaped, and looked back at the screen at a rapid pace. Then, I realised it. It was them.
Ronaldo and Lars when they were younger. But something was different. And I didn't mean their goofy appearances and ridiculous hairstyles. I meant the fact that they looked like they were getting along. Almost as if they were friends. Steven was chuckling at Lars' dopey personality, on the other hand, Lars was utterly flustered, groaning at the memory.
Young Lars began carving his name on the wooden wall with a rusty screwdriver, grinning as he showed a gap in his teeth. Suddenly, a thick wooden board sprang outwards, knocking young Lars backwards onto the floor, just at the exact moment young Ronaldo snapped a picture of it. From there, things took an unexpected turn, young Lars ripped up the photo and that escalated in arguments and insults being thrown. When the projection ended, Steven held onto the gem tighter, "Okay, shh. I've got you", he began tenderly reassuring it as I raised a brow curving my lip down. "You know you're speaking to a rock, right?", I pointed out, Steven began stroking it as if my words would actually offend it.
"When you were stuck in the wall, was the house like your body? You must have felt like you were under attack back when Lars carved his name in you". Ronaldo appeared from behind him, reaching over his shoulder to touch the stone, "Can I see that?". Steven held it further away from him. "Uh, sorry. We should let it rest", he explained, encasing the gem in a rosy coloured bubble a sending it away.
We all glanced up, watching the gem teleport out of our sight. "Wait! Oh, Sadie, are you okay?", Ronaldo suddenly blurted out as he remembered what she went through. Sadie showed a smile to him, a fatigued smile, but it was still a smile. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine", she said. Lars rapidly glanced at her, "Oh, yeah", he chuckled, "We were both worried about— I mean, I ran down here faster". I smirked up at him tauntingly, as he sent me an apprehensive glare. "Sadie, (Y/N), you guys can come with me. I think these two have a lot to talk about", Steven gestured us to give Ronaldo and Lars time to talk.
I followed them both, taking a glance back at the two talking, hopefully working stuff out. I noticed that Steven looked a bit down, a little guilty almost. "I'm sorry about...All that", he apologised, turning to look at me. I gawked at him with vacant expression, wondering what he possibly did to make him have the urge to apologise. "I know you hate when stuff like this happens. You never have a normal hangout when you're with me". My eyes narrowed in disbelief, blinking way more than I should. "Steven...", I placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling him tense at my touch. I waited for him to ease before I began talking, "If anything about you was normal, we wouldn't be friends. I had fun, nobody got hurt, you don't have to apologise, dummy.
Steven gave me a weary grin, taking my pinky with his once again. I scoffed, not knowing why he did that, but if it made him feel better, I wouldn't argue.