Share
9. The Search
BECK
The sun had set, but Beck and Ava were in the woods in search of Anna. It was Ava’s idea as, according to her, Beck knew the woods well. He didn’t want to do it, knowing that if Anna hadn’t already been found by the townspeople by now, they might run into one of them who would be on the look for one of the sisters.
With the aid of flashlights, they searched for several minutes. They held each other throughout the way with Ava constantly leaning close to him and shouting Anna’s name. He walked in front of her so couldn’t read her body language. However, the fact that she clung to him told him how frantic she was.
“Beck?” she said, stopping her desperate calls to Anna.
“Yes,” he answered without glancing at her by still looking ahead.
“I’m scared,” she said, gripping his arm tightly.
He stopped, glanced at her
Related chapters
Anomaly 10. Ritual Gone Wrong
ANNAAs Anna stepped out of the house she was in, she sighted lots of people, probably hundreds of them, standing at a large clearing at the back of the house. Black and white; big and small; old and young all stood before her as they hummed an unknown ferocious melody.Then, Sara approached Anna from Anna’s right and stretched out her hand towards Anna with a smile on her pale brown face. “Hello, Anna. I’m Sara.”Anna’s brown eyes went a little wide as she recalled the role of Sara in this cursed town according to the stories her ladies-in-waiting had gossiped about.“I’m sure you must have heard the tales of why this town is like this, right?”Anna nodded.“That’s very good. Now”—she shook her hand, silently telling Anna to take it—“come with me.”Anna took her hand nervously. She honestly wanted to know how this whole ritual would unfold and if it would work, nev
Anomaly 11. A Broken Heart
BECKOn his return from the unsuccessful ritual ceremony, Beck went to Ava’s room to check on her before going to bed. With the aid of the light from the candle, which was about to be out, he went to sit beside Ava, deciding to spend a little time.Just as he stroked her cheek, Ava said, “Where were you?”Being startled Beck immediately removed his hand and moved a little away from her.Ava opened her eyes and stared at him. She stirred on the bed in order to sit up. “Where did you go?”“I uh . . .”She raised her brows questioningly and stared at him suspiciously.“I uh . . .” he continued. “I . . .”“You still went out to look for Anna, right?”Seeing as that was what she thought he did, he answered, “Yes,” to concur with her and clear any suspicion she might have.“Didn’t you say you would search in the morning?
Anomaly 12. Incomplete Death (I)
ANNAAnna had expected to hear the melody the townspeople hummed all the times she became conscious after supposedly dying, rather she was greeted by dead silence.When she opened her eyes, she realized she stood by the door on the front porch of the cabin. She looked at herself, and was surprised that she didn’t look crisped, black, or even burned anywhere. She touched her face, and it felt just as smooth as when oil was rubbed on them. Her hair was intact just like the dress she wore—same as the previous times she knew she was dead. But then the question ran through her mind: was she really dead?Anna didn’t know what to think. She couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Right now, she didn’t know if being mad at Beck was right or wrong? She hoped that she’d been dreaming since the time she met Quinton. If she was, she would never disobey Ava ever again.She stretched out her hand to knock on the door. As soon as h
Anomaly 13. Incomplete Death (II)
BECKAnna’s body lied still on the bed she once rested before the ritual. Her breath was faint, almost as if it wasn’t there. She still was dressed in the attire she was in for the ritual. Her body was just as normal as she was, as if she wasn’t in a fire the previous night. As Beck watched her, sitting at her feet, he wondered how he’d explain to Ava that her baby sister was alive despite that she had seen her ghost. She would never believe him. Heck! He couldn’t believe it, himself, as it was unusual—even for the abnormal things that went on in and around Strangeville.His mind ran into deep confusion as he recalled everything from the previous night to this late afternoon:1. Anna’s ghost was at the cabin the previous night, whereas her living body lied before him now, looking perfect unlike other failed sacrifices, whose
Anomaly 14. The Nice Girl
ANNAAs the front door shut close, Anna said, “I don’t like her,” with her eyes narrowed at the door.“She’s a nice girl,” her mom said.She faced her. “She seems so, but there’s something about her I can’t pinpoint. I just don’t know what it is.”Her mother glanced at her father. Both of them shrugged at each other before he stood. “We have to find Ava. She’s the only one that can help you get back.”Her mother stood as did she too.“How can she,” Anna said, “when she thinks I’m already dead since she supposedly saw my ghost, which was only for a brief while? There’s no way we can get to her.”“We’ll find a way somehow,” her mother said.They all held hands as her dad said, “Let’s go find our Ava.”In a blink of an eye, they all stood outside. Anna frantically glanced around, wondering how they had gotten out so quickly without lea
Anomaly 15. Not A Dream
AVANothing else filled Ava’s mind but to save Anna. If she was alive and unconscious, she needed medical attention to have a tiny knowledge of what must have happened while she was lost. Although she saw the road clearly, her eyes still saw the words, ‘Save Anna’ on the windscreen. She sped really fast across the trunk road, thankful within herself that they were not too far from Knightdale.Out of nowhere, a wraith-looking creature appeared before her eyes. Fear gripped her immediately, causing her swerve to the opposite lane of the road.As soon as she got herself, a car was rushing towards her.“Be careful!” she heard Beck scream.It was as if it was slow motion as she watched the car come closer, its horn honking really loudly. Her hands were still on the wheel as she thought there was nothing she could do to avoid the oncoming accident.All of a sudden, the vehicle swerved out
Anomaly 16. Nice To Meet You
AVABruce had never looked so worried before and, strangely, confused as well. He was always the cheerful type, who didn’t like to read too much meaning into things—at least in the way Ava does, or even Anna. So, it was strange to see the thin wrinkles on his forehead as his attention was solely on Ava’s every word as she narrated their ordeal right from when they took off for Charlotte.Strangely, also, he never interrupted, and when she was done he was so quiet and seemed deep in his thoughts.“Bruce, you haven’t said anything,” Ava said, hoping to get something out of him.“I knew going without your phones wasn’t a good idea. But you wouldn’t listen.”Ava rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going.“You insisted you didn’t want any form of technology interrupting your bonding with Anna. Now, look what’s happened. The doctors can’t even tell why she’s the way she is now.”
Anomaly 17. The Red Room
ANNASilence filled Anna’s ears as she gradually felt life flow through her. She slowly opened her eyes, breathing in and out slowly too. While she tried to sit upright, her eyes blinked as they tried to adjust to the lighting of the small room. Once she was able to see, she noticed the whole room was red: red curtains covering the whole room; the bedlinen was red too; even the lighting in the room was red; and her body covered in a red nightdress and robe.Anna looked around the room once more, wondering whether she was alive. Or was she still dead—possibly in another realm? She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She shifted on the bed to get down and find answers for herself.As her feet touched the ground, she heard a door open. She swayed her head in the direction of the sound. She gasped and shifted back onto the bed once she sighted the woman who entered the room. As she got closer to the bed, Anna moved further away on t
Latest chapter
