The last morning of Jen's summer break was hot and slow. The sheets of her bed clung to her thighs like wet tissue paper. The smoldering heat, however, didn't bother her one bit. Today was going to be special. She was sure of it.

As soon as Jen heard two knocks on the door she flew out of her bedroom and down the stairs yelling, "I'll get it!"

She didn't need to look through the peephole to know who it was. They'd planning this day as soon as they'd finished freshman year. Jen pulled the door open and held her arms wide. All she saw was a heap of straight, blonde hair, and squinty blue eyes before she was wrapped in a tight hug, which grew tighter, and tighter, and tight- "N-Nora. Nora . . . Nora, I can't breathe."

With a content sigh, Nora stepped back and twirled around. "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited! We're going to have so much fun tonight!"

"Well, I wouldn't cry victory yet. Dad isn't in the best mood," Jen sounded deflated as she closed the door. Before she could ask, she got closer and whispered, "I had a bad nightmare yesterday. Really bad."

"Yikes." Nora cringed, landing a sympathetic tap on her friend's shoulder. "It'll be okay, just leave it to me. I'll convince them."

"Jen, who's at the- Oh! Nora, I wasn't expecting you today," Maggie greeted, setting down a broom against the wall. Her voluminous chocolate curls were haphazardly tied over her head. A single ringlet spilled over her eyes.

"Hello, Mrs. Scott." Nora put on a haughty frown as she said, "Yes, well, I'm afraid to say, this is a surprise ambush."

Maggie raised a brow as she took off her cleaning gloves. "I see, and would this ambush also involve Mr. Scott?"

"Certainly," Jen added, tying her hands behind her back.

Jen's mother let out a heavy sigh before she looked over her shoulder and yelled, "Charlie! Nora's here! They've planned an ambush."

Charles popped his head out of the living room, his features turning into a grimace. "Oh, God. Not again."

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"Next slide, please," Nora signaled to Jen, who clicked the right arrow on her laptop. A graph appeared on their television with the title "Brookland High Students - Summer Festival Attendance". Pictures of rides, fair snacks, and an alarming clown were pasted at the edges.

Nora hovered a broomstick over the largest part of the graph, colored orange. "You'll see here, this represents the percentage of students that have attended the super amazing, week-long celebration of the End of Summer Festival."

Charles stifled a laugh and rested his head on his hand. "And that tiny blue portion?"

Nora moved the broomstick over the tiniest sliver of blue that represented less than one percent. "The blue is Jennifer. Jennifer Scott. I know, I know. Shocking stuff, but you can remedy this!" she pointed the broomstick at Jen's parents. Then, she shot a quick glance at Jen and nudged her head to the left.

"Oh!" she realized and clicked over to the next slide.

A picture of a very, very sad Jen was next, tear emojis plastered all over her face. "With the small donation of your yes, and twenty dollars-for cotton candy, popcorn, and rides-, you can help a girl like Jennifer Scott. Don't let her be the only sophomore at school tomorrow who isn't talking about the fest. End this rain of torment-"

"Well, torment is a strong word," Maggie whispered, sliding to the edge of her seat.

Still, Nora continued, "And please, please, please, let Jen join me tonight."

"Please!" Jen exclaimed, stepping next to Nora with her hands clasped together. "I'll clean the house for a month."

"Lies," Maggie whispered to Charles. Light wrinkles appeared around his mouth as he smiled.

"Okay, but I'll be very, very grateful," Jen pleaded.

"Charlie?" Maggie shared a sympathetic look with him. Her eyebrows sloped. "They do make a very convincing case."

Jen reached for Nora's hand. She held her breath as her father thought out his answer. When hope was reaching for her heart, he sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. It can be dangerous to run around at night."

Her shoulders slumped. "Dad, please. I'll be with Nora the whole time."

"Please, Mr. Scott. We're only sixteen once," Nora pleaded.

Maggie clicked her tongue and snuggled closer to Charlie. "Come on, honey. You remember when we were that age. What's a bit of harmless fun?"

Charles smiled wide and nodded. "Well, alright, but-"

Jen gasped. It finally happened! The two girls erupted into a mess of happy, incoherent babble.

"Alright, alright," he settled them down, but there was nothing stopping them from hugging and giggling. Charles reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and grabbed a twenty-dollar bill. "You can go, but you need to be here by ten. No later. I'll worry."

"Yes!" Jen cheered before crashing onto the sofa to bury their parents in kisses. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I'll bring her back safe and sound." Nora snatched the twenty out of Charles' hand and pulled Jen by the arm. "Now, run before they change their mind!"

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The two girls came to a stop half a street away, panting and laughing. Jen bent over with her hands over her knees. She saw Nora's face get as red as a fire truck and chuckled harder.

"Why are you laughing?" Nora asked, stopping to breathe through her grin. "Look at your hair."

Jen reached up to pat her hair before realizing it was as frizzy and poofy as a lion's mane. "Crud."

Nora laced their arms together and pulled her forward. "Don't worry. We'll get ready at my house. I've already picked out our clothes, our makeup, our hair. You don't need to worry about a thing, mon cheri." She booped Jen's nose.

Only then did Jen notice what they were approaching. The three-storied building stuck out like a sore thumb among the town houses. Its grey brick exterior was covered in moss and vines. The pointy ceilings and slanted roofs would've been charming as long as you didn't know the place's history.

Its tall, spiky fences were there to keep things inside, not the other way around. There was a reason why its dirty windows were boarded up. The dry, overgrown lawn was a sheer demonstration that people had left the place to rot. And for good reason.

After all, no one wanted anything to do with an abandoned asylum.

The place was shut down after the wardens were found to be running illegal experiments on their patients. They say they did them in the basement, and many of the poor victims, if not severely impaired, died.

It made Jen come to a dry halt. Nora stumbled back before following her stare up to the source of fear of any and all Brookland children: The Ghost Factory.

"Oh, come on," Nora teased. "Don't tell me you're still scared of it."

"Let's cross the street," Jen tried to pull her away. "It's so creepy."

"Jen, it's broad daylight. I promise the ghosts won't get you."

Jen took a big, suspenseful breath before pinching her eyes shut. "Fine, but if a ghost kills me, I'll come back to haunt you."

"I can live with that." Nora laughed as she pulled her along.

She started to explain how she'd planned every single detail of their night extensively, but Jen couldn't listen. Her eyes were glued to the asylum's broken front door. The only thing left of the entrance was a red plank. Inside, there was only pitch black. It seemed like a portal to another world.

A dark, sinister world where everything was out to get you.

A world like her night terrors.

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Author's Note:

Hey, lovelies!
I've been on a writing frenzy this weekend, and am so excited for the next upcoming chapters.
Be prepared for a lot of suspense and drama. We'll also be meeting our love interest very soon. ;)

Please feel free to let me know what you think, and whether or not you like the new direction I'm taking the story in. I appreciate any and all feedback.

Much love!
- l i a n n -