The Curse of the Berinstein Manor, Forest Ostrander [beach books TXT] 📗

"Hurry up or you will be late!" I heard my grandmother shout from downstairs, it was my first day of a new school and life since the death of my parents not even a year ago. I still could not believe they were gone. My mother was always the most charismatic of the household and she never let anything get her down, dad was the handy man; he loved to fix things and if he couldn't he still would try. Then there was me, your average teenager trying to survive the life of high school. I missed my parents with every passing day and regretted ever not helping them out more.

"I'm coming!" I finally said before slipping on my new pale blue T-shirt with wolf eyes placed slightly above my breasts, my new blue jeans were next to slip on and I admired them in the mirror. They clung to my body and showed off my skinny legs and butt, I was glad I had started on that diet, I had lost 30 pounds from my last weighing and it was really showing. After I applied some makeup I slipped on my black pumps, grandma had gotten them for me as a welcoming gift the first day I came to live with them and they had been my favorite pair of shoes so far despite me rarely wearing any kind of heels at all, I was more the sweat pants and sweatshirts kind of girl with either flip flops, sneakers or boots to wear but grandma has been trying to expand my wardrobe after seeing what she called 'pitiful' clothing that I had left over from my old house. When I was pleased with my outlook I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out of my room to the stairs. Taking them with great care so as I would not break my ankle I made my way into the kitchen to see a plate of warm bacon and eggs with a glass of orange juice beside it and my mouth began watering. I loved my grandfather's cooking, he used to own his own place where he would cook meals after meals and people from all over the place would come just to taste some of his cooking at least once in their life.

Finishing up my meal, I quickly ran to brush my teeth and met my grandmother out in the car, we had agreed that for the first day of school she would drive me so she could take some pictures like she always had when she came to visit me at my house and after that I would have the choice of either walking or riding the bus to school. Luckily I only had about two more years left then I would have to think about what I would want to do when I went to college. I had planned on possibly being an Animal Control Officer; I loved the idea ever since I watched the show on Animal Planet of saving animals and getting them away from their abusive homes or owners.

"All ready for school?" My grandmother asked me when I slipped in the car.

"As ready as I ever would be," I answered her. I loved the idea of starting in a new place but I missed my friends deeply, we had always been together through thick and thin and we would look out for one another when we were in trouble. Now with me gone, I don't know if we could ever have that closeness again, my grandparents lived far from my old house and my friends and their parents surely wouldn't drive them all the way out here just to see me unless they really had no other option.

"Is something bothering you?" My grandmother asked, sometimes I swear she could read minds half of the time.

"I was just thinking about my friends. I wonder if we will ever have the closeness we had back home now that I am living here." My grandmother was silent for a bit before she replied.

"Sometimes, distance is a good way to test ones friendship. If they are really your friends and really care about you then no matter how far away you are, you will still hold that friendship bond. Besides, I'm sure they will find some way to get over here to see you if what you say about your bond is as strong as you claim it to be." I knew she was right and I felt a little bit better about leaving my friends then when I had the time we were saying our goodbyes.

"It's just, what will they do without me? I've always shielded them from the kids at school. And what will I do without them? They were my life line when I needed someone to talk to and no one was around, they helped me in school and even prevented me from getting into too much trouble with the teachers and principals. How will I ever truly exist without them?"

"Forest, it's time you learned to let go. People need to learn to walk on their own two legs before being able to move on in life. Your friends will have to find a way to deal with the kids at school without you and you must learn to deal with life without them. You won't always have them around you."

"I know, but haven’t you ever felt torn when you moved away from you friends?" I asked her.

"Yes, but I have learned to live without them as well. I keep in touch with them through phone calls and Facebook so that helps a bit with the distance." I sat the rest of the ride in quiet until something caught my eye. Quickly looking out the window behind me I saw the house sitting alone on the hill and wondered if anyone lived there, it was a decent sized house.

"Hey grandma, whose house is that on the hill?" I asked her.

"You must never go there Forest. Don't even bring up the name of it, that house is bad news and kids are forbidden to ever go near it."

"But why? Who lives there?" I asked.

"No one, the house has been vacant for a long time. Legend tells of a curse on that house that befalls all who go past it and enter its chambers. You must never under any circumstances go near that house do you hear me?" I nodded though my curiosity was pricking at my brain to see why the house was so forbidden to ever be near.

After a few more hours we finally arrived at the school, we had arrived ten minutes early so grandma used this time to take pictures of me under one of the lonesome trees, the school had been an old house that they had bought and turned into a school, it didn't hold a lot of students and faculty in it but it did the trick long enough for students to graduate out of. When my grandma had a decent amount of pictures we said our goodbyes and she left me to my own devices. Watching her disappear over the horizon I decided to sit under the tree and sketch a little, I was told I was a very good sketcher but an excellent painter. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my sketch pad and began drawing the schoolhouse and the tree, when that was done I began to doodle spooky looking houses, I had always had a fascination with creepy things and abandoned haunted houses always intrigued me more than they should have.

"Hey you're pretty good," a low male voice said from behind me startling me out of the concentration groove I had going. Startled I whirled around and came face to face with the hottest guy I had ever seen in my life. He had semi-long wavy blond hair with blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. His teeth were so straight they looked like those of movie stars and they were pure white as if he bleached them every morning. The skin around his eyes crinkled a bit with his smile and small dimples appeared on his cheeks. He was wearing a Cowboy's jersey shirt with jeans as well and steal toed boots.

"H-Hi," I stammered unable to unscramble my jumbled thoughts. The sound of his laughter made my heart melt in ways that I would never have imagined, I could feel my cheeks turning red in a blush so I forced myself to do a mental check and keep my emotions under control, I didn't need to creep this boy out on our first meeting.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" He asked sitting down next to me.

"N-No, I'm just not used to talking to boys that's all," I said trying to keep my racing heart calm. I had never been like this around any guy in my life before, not even my high school crush!

"Is that so?" He asked cocking his head and giving me a sexy crooked smile which made me want to sigh like one of those fan girls. Get ahold of yourself girl! You're losing it big time! I thought to myself.

"Yes, not many boys talked to me in my old school so I never really needed to talk to boys in general...unless you count my grandpa and uncles of course," I said now thinking back to the uncles who I rarely saw these days.

"Oh? Where are you from?" He asked. Why is he even bothering with me? What does he want from me? I thought to myself. Years of experience has taught me that if a guy was trying to get to know you they really wanted only one thing from you, sex.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked trying to keep my guard up but failing horribly when he laughed again.

"I'm just trying to make friendly chatter. What? Are you too good to talk to me?" He asked.

"More like you’re too good looking to be talking to me," I blurted out before I realized what I had said. When I did my cheeks turned a beat read and I quickly hid my face behind my long blond hair and went back to sketching, I hoped he would leave me alone.

"Hey now, you don't need to hide yourself all because of that," he said placing his hand on my shoulder and I stiffened. His hand was so big and strong and warm feeling that it made me dream of them holding my face as he kissed me. What the fuck?! Where the hell did that come from?! SNAP OUT OF IT FOREST! I screamed at myself in my head.

"I'm not hiding, you're just distracting me from my sketching that's all," I said hoping he would believe my lie, he of course didn't, yay me.

"Now you and I both know that's not true. What? Are you embarrassed about what you said? You don't need to be, no one is around to hear you and I sure as hell won't tell a soul." I peeked at him through the strands of my hair, was this guy serious? Getting up the courage again I faced him once more.

"What can you tell me about that old house on the hill?" I knew my question had taken him off guard by the way his face took on that confused mixed with shock look you get when someone comes out with a totally random question.

"What house?" He asked when he recovered.

"The old house on Hemmington Street. The one on that hill," I said throwing yet another straight ball. I amazed myself at how well I was doing this and it amused me that it was me who caught him off guard again.

When he finally regained his composure once more