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2024-10-29 19:42:56If you would have foretold me that today would be a living hell, I would have thought you were a mentally insane nut job and run you off into the next millennium if it meant you would get out of my life forever.
I'm not one to believe in fortune-tellers or prophets, but a part of me did wish someone would have warned me about today. If you had, maybe, just maybe, I would have listened and wouldn't be in this predicament situation. Then again, with my luck, this was probably bound to happen sooner or later because apparently destiny or fate always had something up their sleeve to make my days miserable.Oh, great, now my thoughts have gone off into a tangent. Hiding in this damp and freezing cold cave with my newest miles and acres of desolate trees that were not only dead but looked like they had been burnt and charred by a massive fire of some kind and grass that was as black as night would drive any sane person crazy.The reason for my hiding, well, it's because I'm being pursued by a large gray dragon that had to weigh about eight hundred pounds or more because every time it stomped the ground rumbled like a freaking earthquake. Even now, I could hear the dragon's roar which hurt my ears. I've learned pretty quickly to run and hide instead of letting this monstrous creature turn me into a crisp or eat us up in one gulping swallow.Why did I have to be here in the first place? This was a question that was running constantly through my mind.I didn't do anything!I was unwillingly brought here. One second my friend and I were investigating a strange door, and then the next thing I know I'm alone in this place and getting chased down by a dragon. Was this some kind of punishment for sticking my nose where it didn't belong?I'm fighting hard to contain the jittery anxiousness inside me as I sit here restlessly listening to the roars and stomping as well as my shaky breathing and chattering teeth.How did I wind up in this unfortunate situation?Well, it all began that Thursday morning.
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Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter one
Two weeks agoNot only did the loud beeping from my alarm clock forcefully wake me up, but also a mind-numbing headache drilled itself deeper and deeper the more awake until I jolted awake. It only got worse and worse the more alert I became. When the bleariness in my vision didn't clear from rubbing them, I realized that I needed my glasses.I groaned. Seriously, why did this have to happen today of all days? Here I was hoping to go about my normal day.After I sat up and stretched, I reached over and picked up my glasses from the nightstand which cleared the bleariness instantly. That's when my eyes wandered to the window.Blue bolts of lightning zapped across the begrimed sky while in the distance thunder rumbled. It wasn't loud enough to cause me to jump, but it must have been noisy enough to startle the hundreds of slumbering ravens perched on the powerlines. They cawed and flew off over the nearby red building.Warning bells rang inside my pounding skull. This wasn't right. Most
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter two
"Hurry up and take a seat!" yelled the grumpy bus driver.For the first time, I looked at him confused. This bus driver wasn't the same one as usual. Mr. Bloomsdale was the one assigned to this bus and usually was a lot nicer. Who was this new driver?This driver was different. Short and stocky with white hair that looked to be balding behind his ears."What are you standing there for?" the driver yelled again.I...""Quit your yapping and go take a seat!"What a jerk, I thought.Now I wished more than ever that I stayed at home. Even though my mother radiated hatred and anger, this man was top-notch. It was worse because his emotions didn't seem to have a defined reason. Or if he did, it was a reason I couldn't detect. Then again, my empathy couldn't always delve deep into a person's psyche and reveal why or what made them feel that way. However, something inside me told me that I wasn't the cause of this man's rudeness.Miserably and awkwardly, I pulled out some change from my pocke
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter three
Bent over on a bench outside of the museum, trying not to panic, was the hardest thing in the world at the moment. Inside, I could hear the muffled voices of my mother, the police, and Mr. Newman yelling. And by the sound of it, they were in a heated argument and it didn't seem to be pleasant at all.While I sat there, lost in my thoughts, I knew I was in a heap of trouble. I knew that as I restlessly squeezed my hands from the anxiety running a mile a minute through me as I fought to keep my leg from bouncing up and down. This was the first time I'd ever been in this amount of trouble.I placed my head in my hands and snaked my fingers through my black hair and tugged at it frustratingly. The guilt and anger were eating me alive. I knew I messed up. I just knew it, but the question was: what did I do exactly? I didn't rig the sprinkler system. I didnt even have that kind of know-how.Oh, God, it must have been my magic. Did it get out of hand? Something, probably my conscience, told
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter four
"What did you do?" screamed my mother.I couldn't speak. The shock was trembling down my whole body. Had I done that?As the realization hit, I realized then that what happened at the museum was indeed my fault."Weston!"Ignoring her heated shouts, I dashed out of the door, down the stairs, out of the apartment building's lobby door, and straight down the street. I didn't know where I was heading. I just knew I needed to get away.Rain was pouring, and I didn't have a raincoat to keep me from getting soaked. All I had on were the same clothes that I had been wearing all day.I found I didn't need any rain protection.The rain I found wasn't even touching me and my pounding footsteps weren't wet. It was like I had an invisible force field surrounding me, keeping me dry. I stored the question in the back of my mind for later. Because right this minute, I didn't care about anything. I was just focused on getting far away.Every couple of seconds I would check behind me to see if she was
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter five
"Hayden Lakewood!" a female voice demanded. "What is going on here?"We broke apart and together we looked up to see a woman who I pegged to be in her late twenties. She stood there dressed in a white flowing gown with a pair of white flats. I admit she was beautiful. Her ginger hair was braided like a crown around her head.I felt the bewilderment shoot through Hayden's emotions as he jumped to his feet. "Mother!"This was Hayden's mother? I've never met her before. Anytime I asked about Hayden's parents, he always said they were out of town or too busy. However, now that I was looking at her, I could see some resemblance. Their turquoise eyes, their hair, and the shape of their noses. But that was all there was in terms of physical appearance. However, their stance, and the way their deadly intimidating gaze locked on one another as though they were in the middle of a heated battle, made me see just how much they were alike in personality.I froze in the icy moment."You snuck out a
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter six
Late! I'm so incredibly late!Those were the thoughts running through my head as I jumped out of bed.Melinda was no doubt going to give me one heck of a lecture the second I arrived. She was probably getting ready to plan my demise. In my head, I pictured her standing in front of the door with a steaming cup of coffee and then splashing it in my face.I didn't mean to be late...again. I had the alarm clock raring to go and went to bed early and everything. But that hadn't been good enough. Sometime during the night, the electricity was knocked out in the room I was occupying.That had been my fault.These past two days had been hard on me. For one, I hadn't heard a word from Hayden. I had also been avoiding home like it was the plague. Since that dreadful night, I have been staying with my cousin and his nosy roommate. I borrowed his phone yesterday and sent texts and calls to Hayden, but he hadn't responded. Was he angry at me?And like I said, it's been two days--two lonely, hard d
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter seven
"Seriously?" asked Melinda, who, when I turned my head and looked over, was sitting on the edge of the counter. Her jet-black curly hair hung more than normal like she used a curling iron. The flounce of her black dress shifted as her legs covered in black leggings with black ankle laced-up boots kicked about playfully. The white star down into the silk dress caught the light as she lifted her head toward me through the rim of her pointy black hat. She moved her head to the side as if she was trying to show off her crescent moon-dangling earrings. She then giggled, a sinister smile curling her black-painted lips as her bright luminous green eyes glowered at me. From the look on her face, she was not impressed with my sudden and unexpected entrance."Don't say a word," I hissed."I wasn't going to say anything.""Good.""But if I was, I would have said that you are the world's clumsiest empath of all time."This was Melinda Black, my boss, and owner of this shop. I never bothered to un
Murder Out By Caster Bridge Chapter eight
The second my mother invited me to have coffee with her, I found myself questioning her intentions. After running away from the apartment two days ago and not showing up or calling, I figured she'd be furious with me which wasn't far from the truth. Her emotions were seething underneath that false calm exterior that she was portraying. I knew immediately that she only wanted to be in public so that an argument wouldn't break out.After we walked to the coffee shop across the street and walked in, I was immediately and acutely aware of the emotions in the shop. However, there were too many to sort out. I took a few deep cleansing breaths. Out of my peripheral, my mother was giving me a look that made me shiver.Doing my best to ignore the emotions, my mother and I took a seat in the back near the window and took a seat, and neither of us ordered anything right away. Instead, my mother reached into her purse and pulled out her keys, and slid them across the table."What is this?" I aske
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- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Epilogue
It's been a week. A week since the murders stopped. A week since Angela was killed by Kayla and Kayla was killed by Christina who became a vengeful ghost. A week since Hayden got hurt.And here I was, walking up the steps of Hayden's house. Nervously, I wiped my hands on my jeans before ringing the doorbell.The door opened and two kids about eight opened the door. They both had turquoise blue eyes and ginger hair. The girl had her hair up in a ponytail and wearing a sundress while the boy was in shorts."Hello," the girl said."Lulu, we don't speak to strangers," the boy said with anger in his eyes.The girl, Lulu, placed her hands on her hips as she glared at her brother. "He's not a stranger. He's Weston. Hayden talks about him all the time."The boy crossed his arms. "Hayden gets into too much trouble. He could be lying and saying he is a friend, but really, he's just waiting to take us away or hurt us."Hayden's mother suddenly appeared. "All right you two. Break it up. Let Westo
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter thirty-two
Orange, red, blue, and white lights flashed around the forest as I stood by my Jeep. It was awful. Kayla had stabbed Angela. It had been tragic. It all happened so fast.Hayden's mother and I had both been stunned before a feeling in my chest hit me. It was pain. Crippling pain that had me curling up into a ball almost. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I could feel Hayden's mother trying to comfort me strangely, but everything felt surreal.As soon as the pain stopped, I uncurled myself. Tears had damped my cheeks because they were wet. And it wasn't from the rain because water still hadn't touched me. I must have been crying. But I wasn't sure if it was from the pain or sadness or both.Just before any of us could do anything, I watched confused and frightened as a black oily cloud slithered and then swirled through the trees until it stopped directly at Kayla. I tried reaching out with my empathy to get a sense of what it was, but all could feel was a strange sense of static.I wante
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter thirty-one
As Norman held Angela with the vines that I still had no idea how he was doing it, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kayla get to her feet. However, the anger emitting from her had me faltering and gritting my teeth. I'd hope with some training that I could stop anger from hurting me."How dare you go after my daughter!" Kayla sneered and advanced toward us."ENOUGH!" a feminine voice bellowed and a wave of what I can only describe as pure magic washed over the entire forest.Confused, I looked up.Hayden's mother stood before us. She was different. Instead of her being in a white flowing gown and barefooted like the last time I saw her, this time, she was dressed in a black and green dress. Her turquoise eyes narrowed as an air of authority surrounded her. "Kayla, you are hereby under the judgment of the Rivenia Kingdom. We are here to return Angela to her rightful place."Kayla's eyes narrowed as confusion swirled around her. "Rivenia Kingdom? Ha! Everglade is no more. You can't po
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter thirty
Once I parked my car at the edge of the woods, I turned to Mel. "Stay here, Mel," I ordered as I opened the glove box and pulled out the flashlight I had in there.Mel turned her head to me. "No way. I'm here to not only protect you but make sure you also don't get into trouble.""I know, but I don't want you hurt. Besides, you can keep an eye out. If anything happens, you can go get help."Mel sighed. "Fine, but you better be safe and you owe me some food."I laughed and petted her gently. "Duly noted," I said before I got out of my Jeep. When I pushed the button on my flashlight, it didn't turn on. Stupid thing. I hit it a couple of times with my palm before it came on. Using the light, I cautiously made my way to the only place that I could think Hayden was. The meadow. As soon as I crawled through the small space, I was shocked. The once beautifully luscious meadow that was circled with a wide variety of flowers was now nothing more than just dirt and sticks.Through, Hayden was he
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter twenty-nine
The second I got home and stepped through the door, my grandmother pulled me into a quick hug which startled me."Uh, grandma, is everything okay?"My grandmother pulled away and cupped my face as she looked at me with narrowed eyes. Her emotions were a mystery to me, but I could feel some pain from her. Her eyes softened and she ran a hand through my dark hair that I was sure was sticking up and even greasy."I am fine, sweetheart. I was just worried about you. We haven't exactly talked much since what happened. I know you still have tons of questions about things. And I am willing to tell you. No more secrets."I nodded. As I went to take a step, a wave of dizziness hit me so suddenly that I gasped and placed my hand on the door to keep myself steady as I blinked rapidly, hoping it would disperse the feeling away."Weston?"Swallowing, I looked at my grandmother. "Sorry. I just feel woozy."My grandmother's eyes narrowed. "When was the last time you ate?""Uh, this morning. I skipped
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter twenty-eight
As soon as I left my cousin's house, I drove to work. Of course, as soon as I walked inside the magic shop, Norman and even Maxwell were standing in front of the counter. Norman had his arms crossed while Maxwell was standing there like a statue."I thought I'd find you here," said Norman.I couldn't help but notice that Melinda was glaring at Maxwell but did not comment as to why. Most of the time, I couldn't detect her emotions. Norman was calm, but Maxwell, while not expressing it, had an air of anxiety swirling around him.I rubbed the back of my neck. "What did you need? Did something happen?"Norman shook his head. "Not much. I did find out that Maxwell's power of divination only works with the person in front of him. He can't see the future. Only read it in tea cups or tarot cards." He sighed as a wave of disappointment hit me. "I was hoping for more."Maxwell glared at him. "Sorry for the disappointment. It's not like I can do much about it. Why did you bring me here, to begin
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter twenty-seven
The next morning, Norman and I sat at the kitchen table. He had stayed the night considering the rain was pouring last night."I can't believe I was off with the names. I was almost positive there was something there. But your hunch was spot on," Norman said as he ate a spoonful of cereal.I looked at him as I sipped on some tea. After last night, I felt better, but still a little jittery. "Sometimes coincidences happen.""I know that, Wes. I was just hoping for once I was right.""Well, in a way you were. The names were important just not what we thought. We both assumed the killer was going after a person with the same first and last initials, but it wasn't like what we assumed. It was deeper.""You got a point. I just hope we can figure out why and how to stop all this. Maybe it will bring justice to those we lost and help them find peace. Do you think Maxwell will help?""Maybe he could provide us with a clue," I said. "We need something to help us figure this out."After breakfast
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter twenty-six
Norman and I both looked over at my grandmother. While her emotions were closed off to me, I could see the pain crinkling around the edges of her eyes and also the sadness shining. "Dear heavens," she whispered.I was out of my chair in a blink of an eye and strolled over to her side being mindful of the broken pieces of porcelain all over the floor. "Grandma." Without hesitation, I placed my hand on her shoulder gently to comfort her.The second my hand landed on her shoulder, I became overwhelmed with intense emotions ranging first from excited and anxious to scared and terror. From within the whiteness, I could hear distant voices but they were too muffled to make sense of.Before it could go any further, something or someone shoved back. Instinct took over and I went to catch myself only I was so dizzy that my vision blurred and I slipped or tripped and landed heavily on the floor. I vaguely registered pain radiating from my hand, but I was too focused on getting my breathing unde
- Murder Out By Caster Bridge
Chapter twenty-five
As soon as my eyelids fluttered open briefly, a blurry humanoid person was looming over me with their nimble fingers cascading through my black locks. I didn't need perfect vision to know exactly who this was. The glob of orange and the scent of salt water was pretty much a giveaway not to mention the peaceful emotions."Hayden?" I asked, but my voice came out a bit hoarse and dry."Sh. Don't talk. Just rest," he said. "Save your strength."With a groan, I turned over. My cheek bumped against something broad. The fabric felt like a pair of jeans. Before I could say anything, my eyes started sliding shut on their own accord and I instantly fell back into darkness.The second time I woke, after finding my glasses on top of my head and putting them on, I was surprised to discover that I was in my bedroom.At first, I was confused. I mean, how did I get here? The last thing I remembered was being with Mel outside of the museum and touching the gooey substance that came out of the muffin.