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CHAPTER 2

Christina couldn't believe what she had just
heard; she was stunned beyond belief. As she
attempted to throw herself across a cliff, she
recapped on what Jake told her, about his
true identity the previous night.

"It was mid-spring, and my family had gone
on a business trip to Mexico for a grand
festival known as, 'Festa Grande'. My parents
left me home to attend my little cousin and...
well something about Lily always seemed a
bit off."

He passed to-and-fro across the cold, solid
concrete, while the woman looked at me
incredulously.

"You see Christina, I always had strong,
profound instincts and this is the very reason
why I chose you as my love; because I have
the gift of truth. I am able to detect a
person's true perception, any filthy train of
thought and... well I can read your heart like
a book. Upon that night, something
happened; something that most definitely
changed my life forever."

Christine cringed for she feared what was
coming. "I was always a bit too theatrical,
but anyway; it was around 3 in the morning.
I heard Lilly weeping meekly; so like any big
cousin, I went to check her out and ensure
everything was ok. As I opened the door, I saw the most ugly creature, blood-engulfed
teeth, fire inflated, bulky eyes, wearing a
black cave, decorated with bones that marked
the spot x, standing there, in the corner; by
a huge pool of blood." Jake trailed off, still
utterly petrified at the vulgar, horrifying
memories.

"She is dead. The blood-sucking demon
drained her blood. My little cousin had
special powers; she was able to cease time as
well as take time." Christina was so confused
at the escalating term of events, which her
boyfriend tried so hard to explain. Through
his mixed emotions and terrible heartaches,
he loved his cousin as if she were his little
sister. He always looked out for her. It was
so painful, so tragic, so blatant, he just
couldn't continue.

"Christina, I am a vampire." He finally
admitted, "I was turned that night."

A tear leaked from her eye as she looked
down from the cliff. She loved Jake so much,
but she was so afraid that he would hurt her.
"What if he killed me?" She thought, and
flinched back, "I love him so much."

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. As
she turned around, her heart froze. Four
figures emerged from the darkness; each
dressed up in a black cave and looked exactly
like what Jake had described the sadistic
murderer, who murdered Lily. They smirked
evilly at her. Christina began to shake, unsure
of what to do.

As the demonic, blood-sucking
demons enclosed around her, something
rapidly cross the field, lunching two of the
four vampires aside. It was Jake; he came to
rescue his only love. Christina balled her
hands up into fists and cupped them
together, as she witnessed the devastating
battle.

The lady, who was with Jake the
previous night, appeared from the shadows
and began to dismember one of the vampires
while on the other hand, one escaped. It
seemed as if Jake and his lady friend would
win the battle, but suddenly the earth began
to move, and fire pelted from the sky.

"Jake!" Christina screamed, as rocks were
thrown helter-skelter. The rocky, floor
cracked and Christina went tumbling over the
cliff when she grabbed hold of a rock, rooted
in one of the creaks. Jake was flown across
the field and into a tree. The demon was at
his throat, and was about to kill him.

Christina was on the verge of death, as she
hung from the edge of a cliff and the woman
was having a fierce battle with her opponent.
The world was practically falling apart, and
everyone was doomed.

CHAPTER 1

"Don't kill him!" Christina exclaimed as four
dark figures enclosed around her boyfriend,
"please."

It all began on a cold, winter's evening. It
was about the time of twilight, and Christina
was taking a stroll in the park, accompanied
by her boyfriend, Jake. What Christine didn't
know about her sweet, little boyfriend, was
that he was actually a vampire sweetheart. He
was a blood-sucking demon and killed like a
vicious, starving lion.

As they strolled through a nearby forest of
trees, the weather suddenly rectified and the
sky became dark, making the air foggy and
claustrophobic.

"It's gonna rain," said Jake as he peered up at
the blunt, dull looking sky, "I'd better get
you home."

"No," Christina objected, "kiss me."

And that was all it took, Jake pulled her in his
arm and planted a vigorous, but tender kiss
on her lips.

Christina wrapped her hands around his neck
and crushed her body to his. Instantaneously,
Jake pulled away from her, anger immediately
coloring his face.

"What?" Inquired Christina, agonized at his
sudden gesture.

"I should get you home," he replied and
started out the woods. Christina shadowed
his footsteps, when suddenly the earth began
to vibrate.

"Jake, what's going on!" She screamed as the
floor began to crack.

"I don't know!" He shouted back at her. He
was about to grab her up in his arms when
the earth splitting open and devoured him.
"Jake! Jake! Jaaaaaaake!!"

Christina opened her eyes and Jake was at her
side. "Ssh! Baby, I'm right here. Did you have
a bad dream?"

"I- it's alright," she muttered, "let's go back
to sleep."

The following day, a lot of queer things began
to happen to Christina. Firstly, someone was
stalking her and on her way to Biology, the
stranger, who wore a hideous mask, pulled
her into a closet and began to tie her up. She
began to scream when the person shoved a
piece of old cloth in her mouth.

Suddenly, Jake busted through the door and
attacked the masked stranger, ripping the
mask off his face. Christina attempted to
scrutinize the stranger when she suddenly
began to feel sleepy. The last thing she saw
was Jake's sapphire blue, diamond sparkling
eyes convert to a juicy ruby red.

When she awoke, she found herself lying in
an unfamiliar room, boarded with four plain
walls, sealed with long, golden curtains
hanging neatly against enclosed windows.

As she flexed her hands and sat up, the door
creaked open. Jake and a woman with
entangled curls entered the room. Jake held a
tray of food in his hands and wore a smirk
that Christina never saw before.

"It is time you know about my profile," he
began as he paused at her side, "you will
need to have a full stomach for this."

Rights Reserved

CHAPTER TWO

Our car has swayed into the town which is as
desolate and cryptic for me as my companion
with whom I am bound to inhabit. I can
notice a slight modification in Irina's
countenance as we have started breathing the
air of Mysteria Lane. Her spirit has flushed
with excitement; a glow has loomed on her
face as if she has finally procured something
she was indefinitely longing for. She looks at
me and smile, or is it a grin? I hate grins,
Irina. They are pretty nasty! Moving along I
can finally behold the town I am about to
call my home, or that's what Irina wants! I
can never accept Mysteria Lane as my home.

If you ask me, what is your first impression
of this town? Then I'd answer it in one word
- quiet! It's awfully quiet here. No wonder,
only 115 people occupies this secluded
domicile. I guess there are more trees in here
than people. As far as my eyes go I can only
see tress, trees and more trees. Some dead
and some have blooming flowers on them.
Weird!

"You're going to love it here, June," she is
saying to me erratically. I can do nothing but
nod and fake a smile in response. Damn I
can't wait to get out of this car. I hate long
drives! Ah! It looks like my wish has been
granted. She has pulled over and we can
finally get rid of her excitement now.

"This is our home sweet home," saying she as
we get out of the car, gesturing at the small
Victorian house which seems haunted to be
honest.

Even the house is covered with trees, dead
trees to be more precise. But if you ignore
the wilderness, then it is pretty decent to
look at. Painted in white, it has steeply
pitched roof with elaborate vergeboard trim
along the roof edges. The slightly pointed
arched windows of stained glasses provide
the view of, well, trees! And the porch, ah
the porch! How I always longed to live in a
house with an elaborate porch since we
owned an apartment in New York which
clearly had no place for a porch.

"Like it?" Asked Irina as she is coming
towards me with smile on her face.

"Home sweet home," I muttered with a big
smile as we are moving inside the house.

The interiors of our new adobe are
fascinating too. The persimmons colored
walls are accompanied by the mahogany
furniture. Raising my head to adore the
elegant crystal chandelier hanging in the
middle, I can notice the perfectly carved
ceiling moldings painted in lighter tones
taken from the color of the walls. Awesome
stuff!

This is certainly a really big house! There are
several bay windows set outward from the
face of the building administering the flow of
natural light in the room. Even though the
view outside the window is not really
picturesque but the white muslin drapes
covering it are quite magnificent to gaze and
soft to touch. It's official! I like this place
even though it reminds me of ghostly Gothic
mansions.

"Which room do I get?" I must claim the
most beautiful room!

"Pick your favorite," Okay, Irina here I go. I
am rushing up the stairs to pick my room.
Phew! Those were some never-ending stairs!
It's a really long corridor here and damn
there are so many rooms. But it's easy to
pick. Since, I want to stay as far from Irina
as possible therefore I must pick the room
right in the corner. Let's go inside and see
what it looks like!

Wow! Freaking awesome! It's a really huge
room. My room back in New York is nothing
compared to this. The velvety navy blue walls
and the white ceiling provide a decent
contrast. The large wooden canopy bed
placed against the center of the right wall
covered with drapes of white net, adds to the
beauty of this place.

An antique wooden dresser attached with a
mirror is placed opposite to the bed. There's
also big wooden study table facing the
balcony and on the wall opposite to it erect a
large white cupboard which can contain all
my clothes, hopefully. Huh! I am content
with my room even though it needs a little
makeover.

"So this is your room, huh?" Looks like Irina
won't let me admire the room in peace.

"Yeah, this is it I guess."

"Beautiful. Here's your bag, freshen up and
I'll send rest of your stuff later," Oh! She's
gone. I thought she would come in and
advise me on how to decorate this room but
looks like she is in a hurry.

************************************
******************************

All I need is 20 minutes in hot shower to
revive my senses. Now that I've washed up, I
am ready to face the dilemma of picking out
the outfit to wear. Stepping out of the
bathroom I can see a dress already picked
out for me. On the bed, a red strappy dress
has laid out, probably by Irina. I usually
make my own choices but this dress is lovely!
Let me try it on.

I am looking incredibly beautiful in this. I
wonder why Irina gave it to me. May be she's
trying to compensate for making me leave
my home.

"Are you going to keep staring yourself in the
mirror or come downstairs too?" It is Irina,
standing on the door with folded hands.

"Ugh, I was just coming..."

"You're looking lovely, June," she is coming
towards me, "Now hurry, child, we have
some people waiting downstairs to meet
you."

"People? Who?"

"Why don't you come and see for yourself,"
she is tucking my hair behind my ears.
What's up with her?

Anyway, I wonder who these "people" are. As
far as I know we don't have any relatives
living here in Mysteria Lane. Never mind,
lets' go downstairs and see what's going on.

"After you, Irina," it's better I let her lead
this time.

As we are stepping down the stairs, I am
trying to sneak into the hall room to get the
glimpse of our guests but to no avail.

"They are in the kitchen." Irina caught me
sneaking!

Following her into the kitchen is giving me
goosebumps, I don't know why! It feels like
my stomach is knotted up. My body is
burning. Something is not right; I am having
this weird feeling. "Irina, I think I've got
fever. My whole body is burning."

"You're going to be fine, sweetheart," she is
smirking at me... Oh God! Who are these
women?

There are six women in the kitchen, all
dressed up in red. They are all smiling at me,
as if they are amused to see me. The woman
in the middle is stepping up to greet me,
"Hello June. My name is Katya. I am your
mother's sister."

"What?"

"She is my younger sister, June," said Irina as
she is wiping my sweaty forehead with a
tissue.

"I am Meredith," another woman is coming
up to me to introduce herself.

"Enough, let's get June something to drink
first. She's not feeling well." Thank you Irina!

Katya nodded as she picks up a giant antique
wine glass and hand it to Irina with a devilish
grin. Her elder sister is now offering me to
drink from it but I don't intend to.

"Drink it, sweetheart. Don't you want to get
better?"

I think I am going to faint so I might as well
drink it. "Okay," I took the glass from her
and now drinking the red liquid it is
containing. It tastes weird. But I think I am
feeling....

************************************
******************************

Oh! Ugh! Damn! My head is aching like hell.
When the hell did I get here? I was
downstairs in the kitchen, how come I ended
up here in my room?

"You're awake!"

"Irina. How did I..."

"End up here? You fainted, June. I brought
you here so you could rest. How are you
feeling now sweetheart?" Stop caressing my
cheeks Irina.

"I am feeling much better, thank you,"
another fake smile!

"I've called up a doctor, he'll be here soon."

"There's no need, Irina. I am feeling okay
now."

"But you said you had fever. Let him come
and check on you."

"No, I am fine. Yes, my whole body was
burning earlier but now I feel brilliant."

A man is knocking at the door, "May I come
in?" Irina got up and invited him in with a
courtesy smile.

"She just fainted, doctor." So he's the doctor,
a good-looking one!

"How are you feeling now?" He must be in
his late twenties.

"Oh I am feeling fine now." God I hope I am
not messy.

"Can you tell me exactly what you were
feeling right before you fainted," I like light
brown eyes.

"Umm I was just fine before I came
downstairs. My whole body was burning like
hell and I was dizzy. That's what I
remember!" Blonde men are hot! As he put
the thermometer in my mouth his soft hand
touched my skin.

"When did you guys come here?" Come on
doc, don't turn away to Irina.

"Few hours ago. It was a long ride from New
York."

"Did she eat anything in between?"

"Yes, we stopped for lunch but she wouldn't
eat anything. I somehow managed to
convince her to have some coffee."

He's taking the thermometer out. "Everything
is normal. I think it is the combination of the
strain of a long journey and empty stomach
that caused her to faint. There's nothing to
worry. Give her something to eat and she'll
be fine. If you need anything else then you
can call me." Can I have your number?
Should I ask him? No? Okay!

"Thank you Mr. Crawford," Irina, invite him
to dinner.

"Of course not, I am just doing my job. And
hey if you need any help, you can always ask
me or my family. We'll be happy to help."

"Of course, thank you." And he's gone. Looks
like some really cute guys live in Mysteria
Lane. Damn I should get out of the bed now
and take a look at myself in the mirror. I
hope I made a nice first impression. Yeah, I
am looking fine! Thank God! Wait a sec...
what the hell? What's this mark on my arm?
Oh my God! Was I burned?

CHAPTER ONE

This is the last time I am standing here, in
my most favorite and "secure" place in the
world, Grand Central subway. I am here to
embrace its beauty for the last time before I
migrate from this town. The noise of the
arriving and departing trains, the muttering
of people and the stench of the station will
always reside in my mind. My strange
association with this place goes back to my
childhood. As far as my memory serves, I
recollect coming here with my father and
admire this man-made marvel called train.
Trains were the subject of my fascination all
throughout the childhood. My daddy would
lift me up in his arms as I stupefyingly
observe them scampering through the tracks.
"I want to ride in that, daddy," I'd plead to
him and reluctantly he would comply with my
request. The reason of his reluctance was the
fact that once I got into the train, he'd have
to use all his force to get me out of it.

Oh! How badly I miss my childhood! How I
wish my father to be here right now and stop
me from leaving my home. Daddy, why did
you leave me alone? I don't want to go. I
don't want to leave my home. But my wants
are inconsiderable now. Nevertheless, I am
going to miss coming here. I'll miss the
hustling crowd, who have always reminded
me of little black ants meandering in search
of food, also the noise of the traffic which
have gently soothe my ears, the lonely alleys
where I was mugged once, and of course,
going to the cemetery where my father is
peacefully resting.

Walking home, all I can think of is going to
Mysteria Lane. The name is enough to spook
me out. I belong here, in New York. This is
my home. Damn! I wish Irina would
understand this and drop the idea of moving
to that "sick" place. Are you asking me who
Irina is? Well, Irina was married to my father
and now she is my guardian as I have no
other relative left. She has generously
accepted me as her "responsibility".

Ah! I've reached my home, home for now at
least. It's only 8.30 pm and all the lights are
off? My house is looking like a dungeon or
something. Irina must be home. I don't
understand why she is attracted to darkness
so much. I wonder if she was an Emo or Goth
or something. Anyway, I should go inside and
rest for a while. I have just climbed up the
stairs to my room and I can hear a strange
noise. Wow, what is that noise? I think it's
coming from Irina's room. Should I knock at
her door and ask if she's alright? May be
not. I think her lights are on as I can see a
faint ray of orange glow emerging from the
threshold of the door. I can also hear
someone whispering or maybe it's just the
TV. Whatever it is, I am too tired to bother. I
should proceed to my room and call it a
night.

Ugh! I've always hated this alarm clock; I
don't need it to wake me up in the morning.
The sunlight that's falling onto my face right
now compels me every morning to wake up.
But today, instead of filling me with passion
to welcome the new day, the sweltering rays
of the sun are burning my eyes to such an
extent that water is flowing out of them, or
maybe it's just the tears. Huh! I can just
hope that Mysteria Lane is a sunny place.

Irina is already in the kitchen, "Good
morning."

"Good morning sweetheart," she said in her
husky voice.

Irina and my father, Mr. Benjamin Carter
were bound in the bond of matrimony five
years ago. "There's something magical about
her," I remember my father saying that to
me the first time he met her.

I don't fully disagree with him. Irina is
certainly a charming woman and she proved
it when she charmed my father into marrying
her.

Her outward appearance is worthy of
mentioning too. Her long black hair which
she always lets loose perfectly complements
her sparkling dark brown eyes. Even though
she is slender but she possess a draconian
aura that makes you want to submit to her.
Her eyes, for some unknown reason, always
sparkle but sometimes I wonder if it's
nothing but deception.

"Coffee, June?" She is asking me with a smile.
Why wouldn't she smile? After all, if it wasn't
for her I wouldn't have to leave my home.

I never give up and therefore I would make a
last attempt to convince her into not leaving,
"Irina, there's something I need to tell you."

"Go on," she is sitting on the table in front
of me, piercing me with her splintery eyes.

As intimidating as she is, I am going to be
more firm in my appeal, "Irina, I don't want
to go to Mysteria Lane. This has been my
home for seventeen years and no way in hell,
I am leaving it. You don't have to stay here
with me. You can go to your hometown with
a clean conscience. I can take care of myself,
you know. I am not a kid anymore. I am
seventeen now and I can make my own
decisions. I don't need a babysitter to watch
over me." Phew! I am so good!

Irina has been listening to me very patiently
with a grin on her face. Why doesn't she say
anything?

"June, I can't agree with you more. You're a
grown up now and you don't require a
babysitter anymore, but darling how can you
expect me to leave you here alone? There's
no one here to take care of you, to cook
meals for you, to wash your clothes, take
care of the house, to pay bills and taxes,
running errands and..."

"I'll go get my bags..." You win Irina!

So here I am, in the car, after bidding
goodbye to my home of seventeen years. I
went into each of the rooms, where the
memories of my childhood still persist and
where the presence of my father can still be
felt, to bid them farewell. As our car is
moving ahead, my heart is panging for
leaving the city where I grew in behind.
Goodbye New York, but I promise that I will
be back soon.

"You're going to love your new house," she
said to me with a smile. Don't smile at me
Irina; I know you're faking it.

"I sure will," even I faked one for her sake.

As I am looking out of the window and the
wind is gently brushing my hair, I am
wondering what life has in store for me.
Maybe it's not going to be that bad there, but
something in me is insinuating that I am
falling into a trap. Whatever it is, one thing
is for sure! I am going to get out from that
town as soon as possible.

I can skip the planning and plotting now as
the long journey is over and here we are,
approaching the border of our destination. I
can clearly read on the board, "Welcome to
Mysteria Lane," as we're entering into the
town's territory.

Hello! My name is June Carter. Ever since I
moved to Mysteria Lane I've encountered
several mysterious happenings that have now
started to affect my life! I don't know who to
trust anymore and therefore I am going to
share my experiences with you. I am trapped
in this town and I have been warned to never
leave or else... I'll be killed!

Okay finally I'm done writing this fantastic story, I've been on it quite some time now... I've read alot of stories about Mysteria Lane and here's my own piece on the little scary town... Hope you guys enjoy it