𓂃⭒𐀔 The Dare Begins 𐀔⭒𓂃
⊹ ₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆₊⋆☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆₊ ⊹
The loudslamechoed through the school hallway.
Nora - “I told you not to touch it!” she shouted, glaring at her twin sister.
Nyla folded her arms, looking entirely unbothered.
Nyla - “I didn’t touch it.”
Nora - “You literally just slammed my locker!”
Nyla - “It closed itself.”
Nora - “It doesn’t close itself!”
Students walking past barely looked up. A few sighed. Others chuckled.
“They’re arguing again,” one boy muttered.
“Shocking,” his friend replied. “It’s only... what, second period?”
“Actually, it’s the third argument today.”
“No way.”
“Want to bet?”
The two boys laughed as they walked away.
Nora jabbed a finger toward her sister.
Nora - “You broke the mirror I put in my locker.”
Nyla - “I borrowed it.”
Nora - “You dropped it.”
Nyla - “It slipped.”
Nora - “You dropped it!”
Nyla - “It slipped out of my hand.”
Nora - “That’s called dropping it!”
A nearby teacher pinched the bridge of his nose before calling across the hallway.
“Nora. Nyla.”
The twins stopped arguing long enough to look at him.
“If I have to hear one more argument before lunch, both of you are cleaning every classroom after school.”
“She started it,” they said in perfect unison.
The teacher sighed.
“Of course.”
As soon as he disappeared around the corner, the twins glared at each other again.
Nora - “I still blame you,” she muttered.
Nyla - “I expected nothing less,” she replied.
Everyone at Westbrook High knew the Hale twins.
Not because they had the highest grades.
Not because they played sports.
Not because they were particularly popular.
Everyone knew them because they argued.
About everything.
Who finished the last packet of crisps.
Whose turn it was to wash the paintbrushes in art class.
Whether pineapple belonged on pizza.
Who was older.
...
It was Nora.
By exactly three minutes.
She mentioned it almost daily.
If they weren’t arguing, they were pranking each other.
One week, Nora had filled Nyla’s school bag with dozens of plastic spiders.
The next week, Nyla somehow managed to switch every family photo in their house with pictures of ducks.
Neither admitted defeat.
Neither ever apologised.
And somehow...
Despite all the shouting, blaming, and endless revenge pranks...
They were never apart.
By lunchtime, another argument had already started.
Nora - “You ate my chips.”
Nyla - “They were our chips.”
Nora - “I bought them.”
Nyla - “You bought them with Mum’s money.”
Nora - “So?”
Nyla - “So technically they’re Mum’s chips.”
Nora stared at her.
Nora - “...I can’t stand you.”
Nyla - “I know.”
Nora - “You make my life miserable.”
Nyla - “I know.”
Nora - “I hope your socks are always slightly wet.”
Nyla gasped dramatically.
Nyla - “That’s too far.”
For the first time all day, Nora laughed.
Just a little.
It lasted less than three seconds.
Then Nyla flicked a chip at her forehead.
Nora - “Oh, you’re dead.”
Nyla - “Catch me first.”
The twins immediately took off running through the courtyard, arguing all over again as a chorus of amused groans followed behind them.
“They’re impossible,” someone laughed.
“They’ll never grow up.”
“No chance.”
“Five pounds says they’ll still be arguing when they’re eighty.”
“I’ll take that bet.”
The twins didn’t hear any of it.
Or maybe they did.
They simply didn’t care.
“Oi!”
The shout stopped both sisters in their tracks.
Ethan leaned against one of the picnic tables with Liam, Maya, Zoe, and Ava nearby.
Liam wore a grin that usually meant trouble.
Ethan - “You two aren’t busy tonight, are you?”
Nora crossed her arms.
Nora - “Depends.”
Ethan - “On what?”
Nora - “Whether this is another one of your terrible ideas.”
Liam placed a hand over his heart.
Liam - “I’m offended.”
Nyla - “You’ll survive.”
Ethan exchanged a glance with the others before smirking.
Ethan - “There’s an abandoned mansion just outside town.”
Nora rolled her eyes.
Nora - “So?”
Liam - “They say people who go inside...” he said dramatically, lowering his voice, “...never come back.”
Nyla let out a snort.
Nyla - “That’s the worst ghost story I’ve ever heard.”
Ethan - “So you don’t believe it?”
Nyla - “No.”
He smiled.
Ethan - “Then prove it.”
The courtyard fell strangely quiet.
Nora and Nyla looked at one another.
Neither spoke.
Each silently wished the other would be the first to say,No.
Instead...
Neither did.
Ethan’s grin widened.
Ethan - “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Nora - “...Hold on,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You’re daring us to go into a creepy abandoned mansion...”
Ethan - “Yep.”
Nora - “...At night?”
Ethan - “Yep.”
Nora - “...Because you think it’s haunted?”
Liam nodded enthusiastically.
Liam - “Exactly.”
Nora looked at Nyla.
Nyla looked back.
Then, almost in perfect sync, both burst out laughing.
Nora - “You’ve got to be kidding,” she said between laughs.
Nyla - “You actually believe ghost stories?” she added.
Ava - “They’re not just ghost stories,” she spoke up quietly. “People have gone missing.”
The laughter stopped.
Nora shrugged.
Nora - “People go missing everywhere.”
Maya - “That’s not comforting,” she muttered.
Ethan folded his arms.
Ethan - “So? You going or not?”
The twins exchanged another glance.
Neither wanted to be the one to back down.
Finally, Nora sighed dramatically.
Nora - “Fine.”
Nyla groaned.
Nyla - “I was really hoping you’d say no.”
Nora - “I was hoping you’d say no. So this is your fault.”
Nyla - “My fault? You’re the one who opened your mouth first.”
Nora - “I said one word!”
Nyla - “It was the wrong word.”
Ethan laughed.
Ethan - “I knew you’d do it.”
Nora looked back at him.
Nora - “Wait.”
Ethan - “What?”
Nora - “So...” she said slowly, “...you five planned this whole dare...”
Ethan - “Yeah?”
Nora - “...and you’re not coming?”
The five classmates looked at each other.
Liam scratched the back of his neck.
Liam - “Well...”
Nyla - “It’s your dare,” she interrupted. “Shouldn’t you be proving it’s fake too?”
Ethan - “We already know it’s fake,” he replied.
Nora - “Oh?” she raised an eyebrow. “Then why don’t you come?”
Silence.
Liam gave a nervous laugh.
Liam - “It’s just... someone’s got to stay behind.”
Nyla - “Why?”
Liam - “In case...”
Nyla - “In case what?”
Liam - “In case...”
He couldn’t think of an answer.
Nora smirked.
Nora - “I get it.”
Liam - “You do?”
Nora - “You’re scared.”
Liam - “We’re not scared.”
Nora - “Oh.” she folded her arms. “Then come with us.”
Liam - “We don’t need to.”
Nora - “Because you’re scared.”
Liam - “We’re not!”
Nora - “You sound scared.”
Liam - “I don’t sound scared.”
Nora - “You really do.”
Liam pointed at the twins.
Liam - “See? This is why nobody likes arguing with you.”
Nyla - “We’re winning, aren’t we?”
Ethan sighed.
Ethan - “Fine.”
Everyone looked at him.
Ethan - “We’ll all go.”
Ava - “What?” she blurted.
Maya - “You serious?” she asked.
Ethan - “We can’t back out now.”
Zoe adjusted the strap of her backpack.
Zoe - “I suppose if we’re all together, it’ll be fine.”
Liam forced a grin.
Liam - “...Yeah.”
Nora smiled triumphantly.
Nora - “See? That’s not so hard.”
Nyla nudged her shoulder.
Nyla - “You only wanted them to come because you’re scared.”
Nora - “I am not.”
Nyla - “You literally screamed because a pigeon flew near you yesterday.”
Nora - “It flew at me.”
Nyla - “It landed three metres away.”
Nora - “It looked aggressive.”
Nyla - “It was eating bread.”
Nora - “It knew what it was doing.”
The five classmates exchanged amused looks.
Maya - “They’re hopeless,” she whispered.
Liam - “They’ll probably spend the whole night arguing,” Liam replied.
By the time the final school bell rang, dark clouds had rolled over the town.
The seven met at the edge of the old woodland just before sunset.
A narrow dirt path disappeared between rows of towering trees.
Beyond them...
Somewhere hidden in the forest...
Was the mansion.
Ava - “You know,” she said quietly, “we could still go home.”
Nobody answered.
Instead, Nora pointed ahead.
Nora - “Well?”
Nyla - “You first.”
Nora - “No.”
Nyla - “You accepted the dare.”
Nora - “So did you.”
Nyla - “You walk faster.”
Nora - “You’ve got longer legs.”
Nyla - “We’re the same height.”
Nora - “Barely.”
Liam laughed.
Liam - “You two haven’t stopped arguing once.”
Nora - “We had a five-minute break.”
Nyla - “It was four.”
Liam - “See?” he grinned. “You’re arguing about arguing.”
The twins both opened their mouths.
Then stopped.
Nora - “...Fair point,” she admitted.
For once...
Everyone laughed.
The tension eased.
At least for a moment.
Then a cold breeze swept through the trees.
The leaves rustled overhead.
Every bird that had been chirping moments before suddenly fell silent.
No one noticed.
Or if they did...
No one said anything.
The group stepped onto the forest path.
Behind them...
The empty school field disappeared from view.
Ahead...
Something waited in the darkness between the trees.
And it had already begun watching them.
The deeper they walked into the woods, the quieter everything became.
The only sounds were the crunch of leaves beneath their shoes and Nora and Nyla’s voices bouncing back and forth.
Nora - “I still think this was your idea.”
Nyla - “It wasn’t.”
Nora - “You could’ve said no.”
Nyla - “So could you.”
Nora - “I was waiting for you.”
Nyla - “I was waiting for you.”
Nora - “Well, that’s clearly where we went wrong.”
Liam chuckled from behind them.
Liam - “I swear, if you two got stranded on an island, you’d argue about whose fault it was.”
Nora - “We wouldn’t be stranded.”
Nyla - “We’d build a raft.”
Ethan - “And then argue about who built it better,”
The group laughed.
Even Ava smiled.
For a few moments, it almost felt like a normal evening walk.
Until Zoe stopped.
Zoe - “...Do you hear that?”
Everyone fell silent.
Nothing.
Not the wind.
Not birds.
Not insects.
Nothing at all.
“Ethan - Probably just your imagination,” he said, continuing forward.
Zoe hesitated before following.
Zoe - “I guess...”
Ten minutes later, the trees began to thin.
The mansion came into view.
Nobody spoke.
It stood alone on a hill, surrounded by a rusted iron fence that had long since collapsed in places.
The windows were dark.
Several were shattered.
Vines crawled across the cracked stone walls like veins.
One side of the roof had caved in years ago.
It looked less like a house...
...and more like something that had been forgotten.
Ava swallowed.
Ava - “...It’s bigger than I expected.”
Maya - “No kidding,” she whispered.
Liam tried to laugh.
Liam - “It doesn’t look that bad.”
A loud creak echoed from somewhere inside the mansion.
His smile disappeared.
Liam - “I... probably shouldn’t have said that.”
The old front gate hung crooked on one hinge.
It groaned as Ethan pushed it open.
Liam - “After you,” he said dramatically.
Nora folded her arms.
Nora - “Oh, so now you’re volunteering to go first?”
Liam - “...No.”
Nora - “Thought so.”
Nyla walked past them both.
Nyla - “I’ll do it.”
Nora blinked.
Nora - “Really?”
Nyla - “No.”
She stopped just before the gate.
Nyla - “I’m waiting for you.”
Nora groaned loudly.
Nora - “I cannot believe we’re related.”
Nyla - “You remind me every day.”
The rest of the group laughed as the twins continued bickering their way through the gate.
Despite the jokes...
Everyone hesitated before stepping onto the overgrown path.
It felt...
Wrong.
Like the air itself had grown heavier.
The front doors were enormous.
One leaned slightly off its hinges.
The other was half-open, revealing only darkness beyond.
Ethan shone his torch inside.
Ethan - “I don’t see anything.”
Nora - “That’s because it’s dark.”
Ethan - “Very helpful.”
Nora - “I try.”
Liam rubbed his hands together.
Liam - “So...”
He stepped inside first.
Liam - “Who’s scared now?”
The wooden floor groaned beneath his feet.
He froze.
Liam - “...Okay, that was creepy.”
One by one, the others followed.
Nora and Nyla entered last.
As soon as both sisters crossed the doorway...
A freezing gust of air swept through the entrance hall.
The heavy front door slammed shut behind them with a deafeningBANG!
Ava screamed.
Maya jumped.
Liam nearly dropped his flashlight.
Nora spun around.
Nora - “...Please tell me one of you did that.”
Nobody answered.
Ethan tried the door.
It didn’t move.
Ethan - “It’s probably just stuck.”
He pulled harder.
Nothing.
Zoe - “Maybe it swelled with age,” she suggested.
Ava - “That’s... a thing, right?”
Zoe - “I think so.”
Nora folded her arms.
Nora - “Great.”
She glared at Nyla.
Nora - “Your fault.”
Nyla - “My fault?”
Nora - “You walked in last.”
Nyla - “I don’t control doors!”
Nora - “You clearly offended the house.”
Nyla - “The house has feelings now?”
Nora - “You’ve upset them.”
Nyla rolled her eyes.
Nyla - “I’d like to formally apologise to the haunted architecture.”
Even Maya couldn’t help laughing.
The tension eased again.
Just enough.
None of them noticed...
High above them, on the second-floor balcony...
A tall figure stood perfectly still.
Watching.
It had no visible face.
Only two pale eyes that never blinked.
As quietly as it had appeared...
It stepped backward into the darkness.
No footsteps.
No sound.
As if it had never been there at all.
⊹ ₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆₊⋆☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆₊ ⊹
