HAUNTED PRINCE by DENIS DANIEL (children's ebooks free online txt) 📕

make sure I’m completely alone. And that my life would remain constantly miserable. What did I do to this person to deserve such punishment, or was it my parents! But they were already dead. I would never know the answer.

Right at that moment I heard someone opening my door slowly like sneaking in. It was Ashley, she got in quietly but she was surprised to see me looking at her and she almost jumped.

“Morning I thought you were asleep,” she said nervously.

“I couldn’t keep sleeping or else I would get a heart attack with all the nightmares.”

“I’m sorry I wish I could help,” she said sadly then she came sitting next to me,

“Don’t worry I’m used to them anyway.” Partly that felt true but some part felt like a lie, “what are you doing up this early?”

“Steve, this is the time I always wake up.”

“Okay.” I said surprised, I always knew she woke up early, but not five o’clock in the morning early, “but isn’t this a little bit too early,”

“There is some girl’s stuff I need to do before going to school. If I wake up the same time you wake up then we would both be late.”

“So you are as guilty as I am, you just wake up early.”

“No, I’m not lazy like you,” she quickly got off the bed and ran before I could catch her.

“And I’m not a coward like you, so I guess we are even.”

“Whatever,” she pouted, “get your lazy ass off the bed and get ready either way.”

“Yes, boss.” She flashed me a smile and left. She always liked to be superior, maybe to be like mom.

I got off the bed and headed to the bathroom to get a warm shower. Maybe it would wash off the devastation I was feeling. It wasn’t going to do much though because school my own personal hell was waiting for me. Especially now that there was a new victim found, there was plenty of poking hands I was going to get there.

I let the water ran over my body while thinking about what I was going to do about school. How I was going to survive yet another week without going completely psycho with all these eyes glaring at me.

Being an outcast to a group of people is totally fine, but being an outcast to an entire school, man that’s a new level. And to survive that someone needs a strategy, and I certainly needed it or I’d lose my mind.

The only strategy I had in mind is to never look anybody in the eyes. I had no plans of meeting with those judgmental stares, and another thing, was to avoid Bratt as much as I could. He would just increase my never ending problems which was not what I wanted.

Suddenly I got tired of thinking and shoved all those thoughts at the back of my mind and finished up with my shower because I’d already used too much time. I didn’t want Ashley to come and take me out, since she could be crazy enough to do it.

After shower I needed some clothes which will make me less visible so I picked up my big gray hoody, which Ashley was going to oppose valiantly. Since she was all about shining and glowing and I didn’t want that, not today.

And my outfit was pretty gloomy, gray hoody, brown t-shirt under it and a dark blue jeans plus safari boots. It was the only thing I thought would match to the outfit.

Seconds later after I was finished Ashley barged in. And the next thing I knew she was speculating my clothes. She was obviously irritated with my choice of clothes. She went to my closet and came up with a blue short sleeves draft shirt and Gucci trousers.

“Take those off and were these, no argument.” She commanded pointing the clothes she put on the bed.

I knew better than to argue with her so I just changed to the new clothes then headed downstairs, but I kept my hoody though. For, it was the only thing that would keep me safe or at least feel like it was.

When I entered the dining she was looking at me pointing at the hoody that I had to change it too but I refused,

“I’m keeping the hoody.” She wanted to say something but she stayed quiet.

“Morning mom,” I greet mom after,

“Morning, how are you?” it was more like are you okay than the usual how are you,

“I’m fine,” I said it, but honestly I wasn’t feeling okay at all.

I was worried about what was going to happen to me at school, since my situation was already irreparable. People were going to be even more worried about their safety. I wish I could know what to do.

“Steve, hurry up stop playing with your breakfast.” Ashley blurted. Quickly I was back to the present and found myself rolling my fork on the plate absently.

“Come on we don’t have a whole day.” She said again.

I didn’t really have any appetite left in me so I just pushed the plate with scrambled eggs aside and drunk the juice. Even though I didn’t have any appetite I still didn’t think it was a good idea to go to school with an empty stomach.

“Let’s go.” I ordered.

“But you haven’t eaten anything!” Ashley encountered,

“Don’t worry about it, I’m not hungry.” She would have argued with me about it but today she didn’t. And I was thankful for that since I was in no mood to argue with anybody.

She took her bag and led the way outside; I followed while I knew once I get in the car she was going to check on me with tons of questions. And I was sure I didn’t want to answer any of them.

The puzzle was larger now and so much more was involved, I didn’t want her in the middle of it. I kept reminding myself of that. For all I knew she and mom were the only people seemed to be safe from the killer. And I didn’t want to push the person and make him or her considering hurting my family.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 19;

 

 

As long as they would stay in the dark, they were safe. At least that much I was sure of, surprisingly though our ride to school Ashley didn’t say a word. Although she seemed like she wanted to, she couldn’t. She’d only shoot me a side eye and look away. It was killing me seeing her trying so hard to meddle and made me want to tell her. But I wasn’t ready to risk her for anything even if it hurt both of us.

“See you after school.” Ashley said shortly after we arrived at school and got out.

I was left alone inside the car, very nervous and worried. I had a feeling people were going to beat me up if I got out. I saw couple of people peering through the windshield of my car and they were pissed. From their point of view I could understand why they were pissed at me, but I the problem is, I was innocent. I just had to find a way to prove that, which I had no idea where I would start.

After a while people became fewer outside and that was my time to go to class. I got out of the car then pulled the hood close to my face and pointed my face down. Not willing to raise it for anything and it totally worked. I managed to dodge all the glares until I got to class. It was interesting because I was late again, Mrs. McLaughlin wasn’t happy about it but didn’t comment a thing. I found a chair next to Blondie or Lexi and slumped on it.

I made a slightest mistake of peeping on her from the side of my hoody and regretted it instantly. Not because she had that judgmental glare on her face, like everyone else. It was that damn smug grin which pissed me. It was like she was totally clueless of what was going on in the world. I had no idea what I was going to do with her.

Ignoring her, pushing her away and even saying mean things to her wasn’t working. She was quite a piece of work. And Ashley inviting her home complicated the situation, maybe that’s why she gave me big fat grin when I looked at her.

I quietly groaned out of frustration. I could literally see myself running out of time, for I could easily see her found dead the next day. I didn’t want to let that happen. I wouldn’t have another death on my conscience. There was still one thing left for me to do. I hoped it would work even though it was hard to say it out loud. But if it would save her I would do it.

After the first class and the second class even the third, were all the same. People were looking at me weirdly and gawking at me. The sad thing was that I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t prove I was innocent and I couldn’t shout at them to stop looking at me like some kind of freak, because that would make me more of a freak than normal.

At lunchtime I went to the cafeteria had some orange juice and a piece of cake. After, I sat at my usual table and I started nibbling on the cake slowly while keeping my eyes on the table. I didn’t want to draw any attention, and besides, I wanted to figure something out. But for a second I thought the blonde girl wasn’t coming. Before I could finish the thought though, she dropped her plate on the table and sat beside me. Nothing about her had changed either, she had that smug smile on her face still.

“Hi,” she greeted.

“What do you want?” I sounded a little bit harsher than I planned.

The smile disappeared from her face for once and I felt a punch in my gut, that same feeling I started to have about a week ago. But I didn’t care.

“You know you are a hard person to be friend with.”

“Because I don’t want friends.”

“That’s not true because everyone needs a friend.”

“Not me okay! Now leave me alone!” I said looking straight into her eyes,

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean?” I got a little confused,

“I want to be your friend.” She said calmly,

Suddenly anger rushed through me, “listen to me, do you know what happens to people who want to be my friends? They die okay! All of them. So for your own good stay the hell away from me.” I blurted out got up and left. And since I said it out loud everyone heard and they looked at me. Like I was some kind of a reaper or something, I was used to it anyway.

I had one more class before meeting with Lexi again in science class. I might have told her to stay away from me, but she was still my partner and I couldn’t imagine anyone else who would want to be my partner other than her. If Ashley was in the same class with me would gladly be my partner but she wasn’t and no one would sit alongside