Shadows of the Past by Kayla Stiles (buy e reader txt) 📕

Early the next morning, Hayden is awoken by a shrill scream. The screams come from Dana and Aiden’s room. Racing out of the room, Hayden rushes to Dana’s room and comes to a dead stop in the open doorway. There, in front of Dana, stands the 6 foot tall Rainbow Monkey Reindeer! In his right hand is a large kitchen knife. The tip is dripping with fresh blood and the rest of the blade is coated with what appears to be old, dried-up blood. Dana’s right hand is pressed over her bleeding left shoulder. Aiden’s hand is pressed over the gash in Dana’s left thigh. His teeth are clenched tight and his electric blue eyes blaze with anger.

Suddenly, a loud band crashes and echoes around the room. The creature drops his knife and screeches in pain as he begins to bleed from his right shoulder. Spinning around, eyes red with anger, he shoves Hayden to the floor and races out of the door. Dana, Aiden, and Hayden all look to the doorway. Emerging from around the corner is Jason, the smoking gun still in his hand. Penny and Jane stand just behind him.

“Let’s get out of this godforsaken place and burn it to the ground. Let’s send that creature back to Hell where it belongs!” Dana growls through clenched teeth. Everyone agrees. As Aiden lifts Dana up and carries her out the door, she grabs her bright orange lighter and perfume. Dousing her bed with the perfume, she lights it on fire and tells the others to hurry out of the room.

As they pass each door and window, they lock each and every one and light anything they can on fire.

The last things to be lit aflame are the neon yellow couch and blue love seat in the living room. Then they are all out the door and stumbling to their cars. Hearing a horrible screech, they look back at the house. Looking at the top floor, they see the RMR in one of the bedroom windows. Smoke has started to fill the windows in the house and pour out of the chimneys. They watch as the fire slowly engulfs the house and the creature itself. The last thing the creature does is look into Hayden’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” his eyes seem to say.

Then he is crumpling to the floor, dead.

As the 6 young adults climb into their white van and green Jeep and drive away, the haunting sound of the creature’s horrendous screeches and screams of anger and pain is all that fills their thoughts.

They go to the cops and fill out their statements. Crystalline’s body is only known about because of the friends’ testimonies and the little bits of charred bones left over from the blaze.

EPILOGUE- 5 years later

“This is a really lovely house,” young Angelina Trent says admirably.

“Yes it is. I think it would be perfect for you and your family of 7,” the realty lady says.

Angelina, switching baby Antonio from her left to her right side, looks at the lady oddly. “You look familiar. Have I seen you before?”

“I doubt it. I’m new to this job,” the lady replies.

“What did you say your name was again?” Angelina asks politely.

The realty lady smiles at Angelina and replies, a sly smile on her face, “My name is Penny Jean.”

Her eyes glint with evil.

“And they always said that 7 was a lucky number.” 

Michael the Clown

2/7/10

Everyday there is turmoil in Joey’s toy box.
Everyday, that is, since Michael came.
Michael was given to Joey on Joey’s sixth birthday.
Joey hates Michael; hates everything about him,
From his eerie, toothy grin to his blood-red costume, and
From his bright, life-like green eyes to his black shoes with the
Evilly sharply pointed toes.
The rest of the toys hate Michael too.

But Michael notices nothing. Everyday he tortures his fellow toys by
Making them serve him and listen to his chastising comments, and everyday
Their hatred for him grows.
One day, they could take no more of his pride. The toys lured
Michael to the open window in the bedroom and, once he was
Right on the ledge, shoved him right out into the backyard.
Kujo, Joey’s black wolf-dog, found the clown and began chewing on him.
It was just as he was being ripped to shreds and his stuffing was
Spilling onto the lawn that he realized,
“Dang I was a rotten person, and all because of my pride.”
Then the lights go out on our victim of pride, Michael the Clown.
(Be glad I did not name him IT!) 

Ojo the Housefly

2/7/10

Ojo lived in a government breeding mansion with hundreds of other flies like himself.

None of them, however, were as full of themselves as Ojo.

Ojo thought he was the most handsome, smartest, best fly in the world.

He was never one to pass up the chance to point this out to anyone who crossed him.

He had no friends; all the flies, even those who were proud as well, steered clear of Ojo.

He was all by himself, though he never noticed.

In his eyes, all he needed was a mirror, for the mirror was his whole world.

One day, a spider came to pay a house call to Ojo.

“Hello, my name is Mr. Croup. I happened to notice your

Shiny wings, long legs, and sleek black body. Will you model for me?”

Ojo agreed most vehemently, thinking,

“Finally! Someone who sees my beauty and potential!”

“Here Mr. Ojo, why don’t you pose for me on this silky silvery web,” said Mr. Croup.

“Sure thing, sir. Hey, this is sticky! Um, how am I supposed to pose if I can’t move?”

“Oh, you won’t need to move. Just sit still for me and this won’t hurt too much.”

CHOMP! As everything begins to go dark, the fly looked up at the orange, full harvest moon and silently screamed, “No! I don’t want to die! I can’t die! This can’t happen!”

Then everything was dark but a small pinprick of light. And then…

Ojo woke up! He pinched himself to make sure he was alive and then when about making amends to his fellow flies. From that day on, Ojo was never called prideful again.

Separation

11/18/11

The ambulance screamed into the night as it carried its precious load to the hospital. Coming to a shuddering halt in front of the hospital, the paramedics quickly unloaded the young 16-year-old girl, still trying to pump air into her lungs. Swiftly, they rush her to the ER and the doctors set to work immediately on reviving the poor girl. Her mother screams and cries hysterically behind the viewing glass as the doctors try their hardest to bring the girl back from the brink of death. The nurses apply pressure to her bleeding arms and chest while the doctor performs CPR. Suddenly, miraculously, the girl’s eyes flutter open as she gazes up at the hospital staff surrounding her. After a second of stunned silence, there’s a horrible retching sound as she rolls over onto her side and vomits over the side of the gurney, all over the floor and the doctor’s shoes. As she lies back down again, she passes out.

Two days later, Dana Silverstone awakes for the first time since being brought to the hospital. Her vision is slightly blurry and her whole body aches, as though she’d been hit by a truck. She has no memory of the events leading up to her being rushed to the hospital. It’s all a big black blur. She hears a small gasp and looks to her left for the source. Her mother is sitting curled up in the hardback chair next to the bed.

“Hi sweetie,” Mrs. Silverstone murmurs lovingly, taking her daughter’s hand in her own, tears in her eyes.

“Hi mom,” Dana replies groggily. “Where am I?”

“You’re at the hospital dear. You had a… an accident.” Her mother looks down at the crisp white bed sheets, tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Mom? What happened?” Dana whispers, dreading the answer.

Suddenly, the doctor comes in and asks to speak to Mrs. Silverstone.

“I’ll be right back,” Mrs. Silverstone murmurs to her daughter, kissing her forehead as she rises to her feet.

Outside in the hall, the doctor says, “Mrs. Silverstone, I think it would be best if you didn’t mention your divorce to your daughter at this moment. She is still in critical condition and she could relapse. I think it’d be best if you just let her think things are ok for now. Ok?”

Mrs. Silverstone nods her head and whispers, tears in her throat, “Yeah. Alright.”

As she walks back into the room, her daughter looks at her and says softly, “Mom, what’s wrong? What’d he talk to you about?”

“Um… it’s nothing sweetie,” her mother says, taking her seat beside Dana again. “He was just telling me about your condition and that it’s a miracle you woke up so soon.”

Dana looks hard at her mother and starts to say something when her father walks in. Dana instantly notices a shift in temperature in the room, as well as a change in her mother’s face. Something is wrong.

Dana looks from her mother to her father and back. “What’s wrong? Why are you two upset?” Dana asks in frightened sorrow.

Mr. Silverstone looks at his wife and says, “She doesn’t remember. You haven’t told her yet, have you?”

Mrs. Silverstone shakes her head, looking down at the bed sheets.

Suddenly, as Mr. Silverstone begins to speak, memories flood Dana’s mind as she finally remembers what happened 3 nights ago.

Her vision blurs over with tears as she remembers sitting in her room, talking on the phone to