Prompt: Fright

Word count: 4964

On an otherwise ordinary road in Bear Creek, Washington, there stood a house. The outside looked like any other house, but when you looked closer, yellowed notices covered the faded green paint on the door. A single light flickered outside the side door, a door branded with the words "NO TRESPASSING". Thick wire for who-knew-what coiled itself around the trunk of a tree like a snake choking its prey. There wasn't even so much as a mailbox, just an old paperbox, filled to the brim with envelopes and junk catalogs, weighed down so much that the pole sunk two feet into the ground.

Birds flocked to the bare branches of a tree on the lawn. Occasionally, a faun or two grazed in the thick grass that went uncut all months of the year. Even a sole fox would slink across the drive from time to time, slipping behind the dusty old greenhouse that sat on the back of the property.

Yes, from the outside it was just an ordinary house. But to those who knew the legend, to those who knew the truth, they knew it was anything but.

It was the House.

***

The annual Halloween Bash was the biggest party of the year and my worst enemy for two reasons: the presence of the guy I was madly crushing on and the girl who had the power to make my life a living hell with that information.

"Joanna, we have to go!" Genevieve protested as she flipped the synthetic hair from her black Vampira wig over her shoulder.

I sat at my vanity putting on the finishing touches to my Angel costume: a sweep of glitter across my chest that I knew would take at least three showers to get off. "Gen, it's senior year. I don't think we need to prove ourselves to Adri and her posse," I said, referring to the group of popular kids that we'd been actively avoiding—with mixed results—since freshman year.

Except on October 31st, when Genevieve insisted we go to Adrienne's annual Halloween party.

Gen rested her hands on my shoulders, blinking her heavily made-up eyes. "Please, Jo. That's exactly why we have to go! Senior year is our last chance to see any of these people."

I bit back that we didn't like any of the people who came to the party.

She stood up straighter and went to touch up her dark lipstick in the mirror on the back of my closet door. "I heard that Eli is going to be there."

I slowly swiveled to face her. Elion—Eli—Masters was Bear Creek High's star tracklete and also my crush since freshman year. With his dark hair and midnight blue eyes, he looked like he stepped right out of the pages of a wattpad novel.

Gen grinned. "Thought that would get your attention." She held out her hand. "You ready?"

Sighing, I nodded. When Gen set her mind to something, there was no backing out. And I really didn't want to spend Halloween alone. At least this was the last year I'd have to deal with high school shenanigans.

Adrienne Phillips lived a few streets over, so Gen and I decided to walk to the party. As we approached, the low thump of music could be heard all the way down the street. It was early enough that there was a bit of fading blue still visible in the sky.

"I know walking is good for us but damn, why do we have to walk by the House?" Genevieve muttered under her breath. She folded her arms across her leather jacket and picked up her pace. I jogged to keep up with her, careful to avoid loose gravel that would surely turn my ankle in my white go-go boots.

"It's just a bit further," I told her, averting my gaze from the rundown abandoned house that sat on the edge of a piece of wooded property.

In Bear Creek, we called it 'the House', because it was the one place we were never allowed to go and the history behind it held so much fear, that we were afraid to call it anything but.

The wind whipped my curled hair around my face. I let out a series of raspberry sounds to unstick it from my lips, earning a funny look from Gen. I rolled my eyes and looped my arm through hers. A few minutes later, we arrived at the party. Adrienne's family lived on a large plot of land, larger than most in the neighborhood. With a spacious 3-story farmhouse, a gazebo, and a pool, it was every high schooler's dream location for a massive party.

"Good turnout," I murmured under my breath when we entered. The halls were packed with kids from our school wearing a variety of costumes. It was hard to even tell who anyone was beneath the masks of painted faces.

"I'm going to go find us some drinks," Gen announced. She squeezed my arm. As I opened my mouth to protest her leaving me alone, I bumped straight into someone else. My ankle buckled in my boot and gravity took hold until a pair of strong hands grabbed my arm. I looked up into a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"H-hi. Thanks," I breathed, very aware of the way his fingers felt against my skin.

Eli smiled. "No problem. Helping fallen angels is my specialty." He winked as I burst into laughter.

"Smooth," I said, using his shoulder for balance as I checked my boot for whatever it was that caused me to trip. Nothing obvious; just my clumsy self. "So, you're an angel too?" I gestured to his costume. "Where's your halo?"

"The best angels don't flaunt their halos," he replied with a grin.

I bit my tongue from remarking that he didn't need a halo for me to know he was an angel.

Eli ran a hand through his hair but didn't elaborate. "Um, could we talk for a minute? Maybe outside? It's kind of crowded here."

I swallowed, remembering that last time we were alone together. That was freshman year, and our friendship had taken an interesting turn after that. "Sure thing."

Eli led me through the house to a set of wide french doors that opened out onto the Phillips' family patio. Lights were strung all around between the trees, setting the gazebo and the pool ablaze in a low yellow glow. We found an empty spot by the gazebo which had been covered in a large black cloth. A sign was staked in the ground with the words "Seven Minutes in Hell, enter if you dare" written on it.

My throat tensed up. Where was Gen with those drinks? "So, um, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, clearing my throat from the sudden dryness.

"Do you remember my sister?" Eli's eyes scanned over my face, probably to judge my reaction. "Um, so here's the thing, she—"

"There you are!" Genevieve called out, running over double fisted with two cups. "Water for you." She handed one to me. "So what did I miss?"

I glanced at Eli. "Eli was about to tell me something about his sister."

"Right." Eli nodded.

Genevieve's eyes darted between us. "So it's true?" she demanded. "Corinne is back?"

"She—what?!" I whirled on Eli. "Corinne is back?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you," he murmured. "She came back this morning."

The plastic of the red solo cup crinkled between my fingers and liquid sloshed over the side. I jumped back, water dripping down my fingers.

"Ah, dammit!" I cursed, wiping away the droplets that now stained my outfit.

Genevieve gave me a look and I rolled my eyes. She knew Corinne was a sore subject from how things ended freshman year. For the past three years, Corinne was at a boarding school, sent away after starting a rumor about me and her brother.

Before we could say anything more, shrieks and squeals came from the house, followed by a loud crash. Eli jumped in front of us, blocking us with his arm.

A girl with white blonde hair and bright blue eyes, so light they almost looked unnatural, appeared with her arm slung around the shoulders of another girl wearing a short bright red wig. They stopped when they saw us, giggling.

Genevieve glared daggers at the pair of them. "So the prodigal sister returns."

Corinne beamed, cocking her head to the side. "I see you haven't changed since freshman year. Still pretending to be something you're not."

"It's Halloween. Last time I checked you're supposed to wear a costume and not come as yourself, or in your case a frigid bi—"

"Gen!" I snapped at my friend. "She's not worth that."

Corinne stepped closer; Eli met her stance with one of his own. "Leave her alone," he growled.

She smirked. "It's nice to see you still protecting her after all this time."

"Her name is Joanna, Cora, and you know that," Eli spat at her.

She waved him off and winked at me. "Oh, I know. Believe me. That's why I'm here. Jo, you and I got off on the wrong foot all those years ago. You know, when you sent me away. But I'd like for us to be friends. In fact, as my friend—and Adri agrees—I want you to be the first in our game of spin the bottle: truth or dare style."

I glanced over at Eli who stood with his jaw clenched as he stared at his twin.

"Cora—"

"Oh lighten up, Elion," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "It's just a game." Corinne turned to me. "You're not scared, are you?"

Genevieve gripped my arm with one hand. "You don't have to do this," she murmured in my ear.

"Yes, I do," I whispered back before turning to Corinne. "Fine, Cora. I'll play your game. I've already won over you once before and I'll do it again in a heartbeat." I pushed past her, my friends close at my heels, and went to join the group that had already gathered by the pool for the game.

"Listen up, everyone!" Adrienne sing-songed. "Tonight is not only my annual Halloween Bash, the best night of the year, it is also the homecoming for my best friend. Welcome home, Corinne!"

Cheers erupted from the party-goers, but I wasn't sure how much of that was because of their loyalty to Adrienne.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Eli asked.

"Yes." I nodded. "I have to."

My friends started to sit down beside me, but Adrienne quickly redirected them to different sides of the circle. "To make it more fair," she said.

I rolled my eyes. More of a chance for me to humiliate myself in front of Eli again, maybe. I let out a deep breath. Here goes nothing. Reaching down, I spun the bottle. Around and around, the green glass passed each member of the party, all waiting in anticipation until it slowed. The long slender neck pointed to Eli.

What a relief. "Eli," I said. "Truth or dare?"

Behind me, Adrienne clucked her tongue. "That's not how the game works today, Joanna." She stepped forward. "So, Jeli, truth or dare?"

My mouth gaped open but no words came out.

"Truth," Eli piped up, jumping to his feet. "We pick truth."

Adrienne smiled. "Wonderful. Tell me, Jeli, what really happened three years ago at my Summer Splashdown party?"

I curled my fingers into fists at my side. "No, Adrienne. You don't get to ask me—us—that question. It's none of your business."

Adrienne shrugged. "Fine. Then we'll go with dare." She tapped a finger against her chin in thought. "Aha, I know. Your dare is to spend the night in the House. Together. What happens there is up to you but you must stay there until dawn."

"Adri," Corinne murmured, her face paling, all humor drained away. "Are you sure that's smart?"

I raised my eyebrows. Why was she disagreeing? I thought she'd be pleased to send me into the House.

"Yes," Adrienne answered, beckoning us forward. "Now, will you agree to the dare? Because if you don't, you'll have to pay the penalty fee." She waved in the general direction of the covered gazebo.

Eli and I looked at each other. We, or at least I, had no desire to let people talk about what went on between us behind a closed curtain tonight, so I nodded my agreement to Adrienne's request.

"Yes," I said. "I'll do it. I'll go to the House. But I want to propose a counter-offer." I glanced over at Eli. No one else was getting hurt on my account. "I go alone or I don't go at all."

Genevieve's eyes widened from across the circle. "Jo—" she started to protest.

Adrienne smiled. "It's a deal. We'll see you in the morning, Joanna, if we see you at all." She let out a laugh, small and tinkering but cruel all the same.

I brushed off my pants and started for the gate. If this is what I had to do to prove myself, then let it be the last thing I ever do.

***

The walk back toward the House was dark and lonely, and I deeply regretted taking Adrienne's dare. The moon stared down at me, a stark white against the dark blue sky, partially hidden by cloud cover. I stopped, my feet planted firmly at the edge of the drive to the House. To my left was the woods that separated the House's property from the next neighborhood over. To my right were all other unsuspecting neighbors. A layer of fog drifted over the road, casting a ghoulish gray glow over the neighborhood. From the fog, a figure emerged. It was that of a young woman. She floated across the grass on invisible steps, glancing over a shoulder and looking straight at me.

No. Through me.

I shuddered. Damn Adrienne and her stupid parties!

Birds squawked overhead, their feathers rustling the tree branches which now swayed like mangled fingers, casting shadows across the lawn. I shrieked, flailing my arms above my head, until I realized the birds had flown away. My voice echoed down the empty street.

That's when I noticed the single light outside the side door was no longer flickering. It glowed static, beckoning me to come inside. My feet crossed the threshold just as a voice called out somewhere behind me.

"Wait!"

With a grunt, I fell to the ground, crushed under the weight of a second person. They rolled off of me.

"Gen, you scared the crap out of me!" I whisper-shrieked.

Gen's green eyes widened, a bright contrast to the black of her wig. She scrambled to her feet, and I followed suit. "Adrienne had no right sending you out here. And Eli agrees. So I decided to come after you and make sure you were alright." She rubbed her fingers over her arms. "Something about this doesn't sit right with me, Joanna."

I chewed on my lip. Genevieve never used my full first name unless she was being extremely serious about something. And right now, since we were at the House, I didn't doubt her. "Well whatever it is, we'll just have to brave it together." I held out my hand, and my best friend gripped it tightly.

Together, we made our way up the cracked sidewalk to the front door. The hinges creaked when we knocked, and the door gave way into a hallway dark as night. With one more glance over, we crossed inside.

Our steps echoed across the floor. We were in a modern-day foyer; an unlit chandelier dangled above our heads. Furniture sat covered in cream-colored slips and layers of dust.

"What now?" Gen whispered.

I scanned the dark empty hallway in front of me and clutched at my best friend's hand. She squeezed it back in reassurance, although I wasn't sure if that was more for my benefit or hers. I took a deep breath. "We figure a way out. C'mon." I urged her forward in the hallway. Our footsteps creaked against the floor.

Bad move.

From somewhere inside the house, shrieks echoed down the hall and a sharp, blinding wind blew. I threw an arm in front of my face and in the stumble, lost my grip on Genevieve.

"Jo!" she screeched.

My feet wouldn't move. My eyes couldn't open.

"Gen! Where are you?"

"Joanna!" Gen's voice carried further down the hall until all that was left was absolutely nothing.

Finally, my feet unstuck from the ground. I tried to run after her. The walls turned into a maze, so no matter where I turned, I still ended up in the same spot. I ran my fingers along the faded wallpaper.

What was this place?

After a few minutes of running in circles—literally—my head started to spin. Black dots danced in my vision and I groaned, crouching the ground. When I blinked, I was no longer in the House. In fact, the air was stuffier than it had been five minutes earlier. I traced a hand over my collarbone; I was no longer in my Halloween costume. My arms were bare, and I was wearing a halter bikini top and a pair of cut-off shorts.

"Gen?" I called out.

Woah. The voice that came out of my throat was definitely mine, but there was something definitely different about it. Different and...timid.

I blinked my eyes and took in my surroundings. My knee crashed into a wooden night-table.

"Geez, JoBelle," Genevieve said, using the nickname she'd had for me since we were kids and appearing in the doorway of a bathroom. She pulled her long hair up into a messy bun, something she'd always been able to do flawlessly. "It's just a stupid party. You don't have to be so chicken about it. We're going to school with these people for the next four years, we might as well get used to them."

"That's exactly why I don't want to," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn't know how it happened, but the words just came out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Genevieve rolled her eyes. "I promise you it'll be fun, Jo. And if it's not..." She tapped her chin with a finger. "If it's not, I'll buy you a new CD."

"Pfft." I rolled my eyes and pushed past her down a set of wooden stairs.

I remembered how this went. The scene shifted and suddenly I was outside in a large circle, sitting around with a large bonfire crackling behind us. It was my turn to spin the bottle. I tucked my hair—shorter than it was now—behind my ears and spun.

Round and round it went, slowing only when the slender neck pointed to Eli like a beacon.

Murmurs of "oooooh" flittered across the group. I crawled across the grass, moisture soaking into my fingertips. Eli leaned forward on his knees.

"You know, we don't have to do this," he murmured as I got closer.

"I know, but I have to." I glanced over at Adrienne, who was staring at us from across the circle. She smacked a wad of bubblegum between her lips.

"Go on, Joanna," she said. "Clock's ticking."

My heart pounded against my chest and I fell backwards on my butt. Eli's face flickered in my vision, between an image of his 14-year old self and his current 18-year old self. Short hair turned long and shaggy Shy eyes turned confident.

That's not how this happened.

The world spun and the scene changed again. We were in the gazebo. Night had fallen, the only light coming from the moon that shone over the lake and the twinkle lights studding the inside of the gazebo.

I rubbed my fingers up and down my arms. Despite the summer heat, my skin was covered in goosebumps.

"Joanna, we really don't need to do this," Eli said. He stood up from the gazebo bench and walked over to where I sat with my legs swinging. With his blue eyes and dark hair falling into his face, it was no wonder why back then I'd already fallen for him despite only knowing him for a few weeks.

"We do," I whispered. "I-I'd never live it down if the girls out there thought I'd chickened out."

Eli shook his head. "We can just tell them something happened. They don't need to know it's a lie."

I shot him a look. Typical guy. "Of course they'll know. They're teenage girls."

Eli blinked as if that didn't explain anything. Knowing how he'd grown over the past three years, it was safe to say that it didn't explain anything at the time.

My heart thudded again, this time emitting a sharp pain that sliced through my chest. "It's just a kiss, Elion," I said although I wasn't sure who I was meant to convince, even back then. "We just...do it then return to the party. We never have to speak of it again."

He sat down next to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Are you—"

"If you ask me that again, I will slap you," I snapped. "Please, Eli."

"Okay. If you're sure." Eli cupped my face in his hands, stroking his thumbs gently against my jawline. Then he dipped his mouth toward mine in a kiss that back then felt so innocent but now I knew would change the course of the next three years for both of us.

I gasped, clutching at my chest as my eyes shot open. I jumped back, scraping my arm against the roughness of the carpet before a new pair of hands gripped me. I now stared into a pair of deep blue eyes.

The same blue eyes I'd seen right before I relived the kiss from three years ago.

"Jo! Joanna!" he called out at me, reality smacking me in the face.

I scrambled backwards. "What are you doing here, Eli?" I shrieked.

He helped me to my feet. "I'm here to protect you. Adrienne never should've sent you here."

"Yeah, well it's a little too late to go back on that now isn't it?" I didn't know why I was so angry. Maybe it was because of seeing my fear of insecurity laid out in front of me, seeing how stupidly ignorant I was back then.

How ignorant I still was.

Eli looked around the room. "We don't have much time to get you out of here before the psyclone finds another fear to feed on."

"The what?"

"I don't really have time to explain right now. We need to get Genevieve and get out of here." He looked around, his face falling. "Where is she?"

Panic swept over me. Gen. She wasn't here, so that hadn't been a dream.

"I-I don't know," I said. "One minute she was here and the next she was screaming and I tried running after her but then I got sucked into a memory and—"

"Woah, okay slow down." Eli caught my shoulders and I leaned into him. "Look, I need to tell you something and I need you not to freak out."

"Okay. But I thought you said we need to leave?"

"We do. But it's not that simple." He took a breath. "I'm not exactly who you think I am. I'm an angel."

I scoffed. "Right, and I'm a fairy princess. Stop pulling my leg."

"I'm not." Eli took one of my hands in his, and energy flowed between us. It wasn't anything romantic, instead it felt like a buzz, something that connected us.

When he blinked now, I jumped. His usual dark blue eyes were now a piercing pale purple.

"What the hell—"

No sooner were the words out of my mouth that I heard a scream coming from the depths of the house.

"Please, Joanna. You have to trust me. Genevieve is in danger, there's no other choice," he said. The whole time his eyes stayed lavender. It made me wonder if what I'd seen for all these years was just an illusion.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to believe, but my best friend's life was on the line. Eli was my only hope. "What do we do?" I asked. "And what is a psy—what did you call it?"

"Psyclone," he replied. "A psyclone is a force of unexplainable phenomena that manifests in one area. It's what makes the house so dangerous. The House hosts the psyclone which is why the legend even began. It's the reason why people fear the House so much. The psyclone feeds on deepest fears, typically of its inhabitants, but for anyone who walks by, that's why they fear this place so much. And Halloween makes it worse."

I swallowed, fear suddenly taking over my senses. "So when you say it feeds on the inhabitants' deepest fears, is that why...um, is that what happened to me?"

Eli nodded. "Yeah. When I found you, you were reliving one of your fears."

"Did you, um, do you know what the fear was?" I asked.

"No. But whatever it was, I could tell it was bothering you." His eyes scanned over my face. It was freaky when I was so used to blue that I now saw purple.

"Okay, so how do we find Gen?" I asked. "You said that you're my only chance of finding her, so shoot. Tell me what we do."

"We have to go deeper into the House," he replied. "The deeper we go, the darker the fears become that the psyclone feeds off of. We need to fight it, and we're better off succeeding if we do that together.

"Because that's not ominous at all," I muttered. "How deep does this place go? I mean, it's only a one story house."

Eli ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, about that..."

Realization hit me. "Oh hell, no." I glanced at him for affirmation. His silence was not reassuring. "Literally."

***

Reluctantly, I followed Eli to the basement door. It creaked open, leading into a pit of nothingness.

"So this angel thing," I said slowly. "Does it mean you're, like, actually two hundred years old or something?" I clutched the rickety handrail, praying I wouldn't fall to my death.

Eli chuckled. "No, I'm still eighteen. I age just like a full human, was born eighteen years ago, all of that. The two hundred year phenomenon was something Twilight forced on the paranormal world. It really makes us look bad."

"Right, because that's fiction and this is apparently real life."

Eli grabbed my arm, his eyes fierce. "This is real life, Joanna. You and Gen are in real danger, and I'm the only one who has any chance of getting you out of this alive."

"So you've said." I yanked my arm out of his grasp.

"Jo—" Eli grasped at the handrail, his knees buckling. He closed his eyes and a grunt escaped his lips. "My fear...it's starting. Stay close to me, Joanna."

"What do you mean 'it's starting'?" I asked, curling my fingers around his arm. My voice came out like an echo in the stairwell. But it all started to become clear. The room in front of me spun, black spots clouding my vision.

And then suddenly, we weren't in the House any longer. In fact, I had no idea where we were.

***

We were in some sort of castle, that's all I could tell from the marble columns and the mahogany wood that coated the floors. Banners hung down from the rafters, sporting some sort of insignia I'd never seen before and a phrase in Latin I couldn't translate.

"Louheilon!" Someone called out behind us in a thick accent.

To my suprise, Eli turned to face the person who'd called out. They'd bumped against him, nearly knocking him over.

"Watch it!" I yelled, but the offender didn't seem to hear me. That was when I realized that Eli didn't look quite like the Eli I knew anymore. In fact, he was now wearing what appeared to be a school uniform.

He jammed a finger against Eli's chest. "You better not get caught. I swear I won't cover for you."

"I know, Zathrian," Eli said. "I've got it under control. Tell me again where the rendezvous point is?"

The guy, Zathrian, rolled his eyes. He, too, wore a uniform. "The fountain in the courtyard. Don't mess this up." He walked away.

"What's going on?" I loudly whispered to Eli, who was still starting after Zathrian as if seeing a ghost. "It's like I was invisible. And who is Louheilon?"

"Me," Eli replied. "We're in one of my memories from before I came to Bear Creek. It's playing out exactly as it did when I was thirteen." He took a deep breath. "Come on, we have to go."

The air around us shifted, the scenery changing to an almost apocalyptic state. A river, running so green it was almost grey and plagued by what I could only assume were once moss-covered rocks, flowed through destruction.

In the distance, a city hall had been overtaken, cracks run through the thick marble columns.

A courtyard sat in shambles with a broken fountain at its core.

I glanced over at Eli, a ghastly white expression on his face. "What was this place? What happened?"

Eli knelt down, combing his fingers over the grass. "This is the result of my failure," he whispered. Then raising his hand to the sky, he screamed. "Is this what you wanted me to see? Destruction caused by manipulation and exploitation? I was thirteen!"

***

In a blink, we were back in the House. Eli panted beside me, his eyes still glazed over. This memory was clearly more severe than mine.

"Eli? Are you...um, are you back on Earth?"

Eli shook his head as if clearing away cobwebs. "We have..." he inhaled deeply. "We have to keep going. Find Gen."

He didn't say anything else as we wordlessly made our way down the stairs. That bothered me more than anything. He was way too calm, and this was nothing to be calm about. I had so many questions.

When we reached the basement landing and my heart lurched.

The basement, like the rest of what I'd seen of the House, was expansive with cold stone walls that were lined with torches.

The worst of it all was the chandelier in the middle of the room, lit by bright orange flames. Beneath the chandelier was a stone table. And lying on the stone table, passed out with her chestnut hair splayed around her face, was my best friend.

Genevieve.

Somehow—and I didn't know how—this was my absolute worst fear, seeing my best friend lying motionless and unbreathing in the middle of a room.

And I had no idea how to save her.