Poppy Playtime Notes Novels & Stories

**"How much did you know?" I asked. Silence. "Enough," his voice was calm and low, as usual. I looked around the room again. The photographs, the notes, every conversation, every lesson, every answer he refused to give...suddenly, it all felt planned. "Who are you?" I yelled the words again. "You already know...." he started saying while taking a step forward, but I held my hand in front of him. "Was any of it real?" I whispered. For the first time, something cracked in Lucien's expression. He opened his mouth. I waited for an explanation to make everything okay. But nothing came out. Then, he looked away. I bit my lip to hold back the tear that was ready to fall.** Celeste has always known how to behave. Speak when needed. Fit perfectly into the life built around her. But it isn't enough. The nights begin to change. Sleep turns restless. Whispers follow her into the dark. And the mark on her wrist starts burning as if it's trying to be seen...or trying to warn her. When a series of brutal murders rocks her city, everything begins to unravel. She starts seeing things that shouldn't exist, hearing voices she can't explain, and feeling drawn to places she knows she should avoid. Then there's him, the man with black eyes. He appears where he shouldn't, moves like he's not bound by the same rules as everyone else, and looks at her as though he knows secrets he was never meant to know. He warns her to stay away. But she can't. And the closer she gets, the more she realises the murders were never random. They were always leading someone to her. And whatever is waiting in the dark isn't just hunting her. It's been waiting for her.

My best friend, Dominic Vale, and his girlfriend have created a couple's channel. Lately, their channel has gone viral on the Internet. I subscribe to their channel instantly. Every time they upload a new reel, I'll always watch it. But I keep having a feeling that Dominic's girlfriend, whose looks are censored in the videos, acts just like my wife, Cara Hartley. When I bring it up in front of Dominic, he punches me in the chest. "Oliver Beckett, you lovesick bastard! You see your darling wife in everyone! At this point, I'm going to get really jealous!" I just chuckle stupidly while rubbing my chest. Then, I quickly change the topic. When Cara's company goes on a field trip, I decide to drag Dominic along. Unexpectedly, something occurs during our flight back to the city. An air stewardess distributes notes to all the passengers so that we can write down our wills. With a trembling hand, I finish scribbling my note. When I glance at Dominic and Cara, I realize that they've written each other's names on their notes. Then, Cara turns on her camera, which shows both her and Dominic in the same frame. "Dominic, I'm very happy that I get to be with you during my final moments in life. Everyone, we won't be updating this channel anymore. Goodbye." But she fails to notice the way my face has gone pale outside the frame. Thankfully, the plane lands safely on the tarmac. All of us are still alive. Instead of kicking up a ruckus, I tear the note in my hands before opening the car door. "What are you still standing around for? Get in."

During my third year as president of Kingsfield University, I heard that a student I had sponsored had earned the top score on the state exam. On the eve of the SAT, I went to the university's affiliated high school to personally deliver Kingsfield University's only guaranteed-admission spot to him. The moment I reached the door of the senior-year Honors Class, the school belle, who was surrounded by admirers, walked up to me carrying a cup of coffee. Her eyes were red from crying. "You're the working-class girl who's been waiting for him outside the school gates every day lately, aren't you? He won't even look at the study notes I gave him, but he's willing to accept things from you. I'm starting to get jealous…" Before I could say a word, she suddenly grabbed my hand and violently tore apart the highly coveted recommendation form for Outstanding Graduate that she was holding. The document split cleanly in two. "H-How could you destroy my recommendation paperwork for Kingsfield University?" She dropped to the floor in the hallway, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was so loud that it drew teachers and students from the entire floor. "If you're worried that I'll get into the same university as him, then I'll give up my guaranteed admission. But how can someone like you, a girl who never even went to college, ruin my future?" The dean and the surrounding students quickly gathered around, pointing at me and looking at me with open contempt. I was flabbergasted. What did she just call me? A girl who never went to college? I was the youngest female president in Kingsfield University history! I was someone she wouldn't even dare look in the eye based on my achievements alone! When I was personally revising the nation's exam papers three years ago, this so-called recommendation form of hers hadn't even been printed yet. As I regarded this school belle, who continued playing the victim, I grabbed a thick test-prep book from the teacher's podium and slammed it right into her face. "A fool who can't even solve a parabola thinks she's worthy of a recommendation from Kingsfield University? If you dare smear my name again, I won't just ruin your future. I promise you I'll remove the principal from his job, too."