She looked at him with icy blue eyes and waved at him to sit down.
Liam was floored by her smile. He’d seen her many times, quietly reading on her own. He never knew just how incredibly adorable her smile was. Even though he was suddenly happy to be meeting with her, he still looked around for any familiar faces. He didn’t want to be seen out with the weirdest girl in school, even if it was on a bet. As he approached Bryexe, he noticed that her stockings were in the shape of spider webs. The word “sexy” popped in his mind, surprising him.
“I got us a super-charged coffee for the night,” she said, holding up the large cup with two straws. She smiled innocently.
“What’s in it?” he asked nervously.
“A few shots of espresso, lots of sugar, and cream.”
Liam took a sip and shuddered. It was strong.
“Change of plans,” Bryexe said. She placed a crisp fifty dollar bill on the table, pressed her hand on it, and slid it his way. “I’ll give you fifty if you help me with something tonight.”
Liam was surprised. “So… you don’t want your fifty?”
“Nope.”
“And you want to give me fifty? For what?”
Bryexe smiled. “Tell you now, and what? Risk you chickening out? Just ask yourself if you want the money, and to spend the night with me to make good on your bet. That gives you one hundred and fifty dollars total. Not too bad, is it?”
Liam was extremely suspicious, but the money suddenly became good. Real good. It was almost half of what the system cost, which would save him hours of mowing lawns for money. He grabbed the fifty from under her hand and their fingers touched. He felt a cold spark go up to his wrist.
Bryexe sipped some coffee. She shuddered. “Ooo! How can you drink this stuff? Sugar rush!” She giggled and sipped some more.
Liam couldn’t help but laugh… nervously.
Chapter Four
“There are some things you need to know about where we’re going,” Bryexe said while she drove her 2002 Volkswagen Beetle. “We’re going to my house, and I live in a dollhouse.”
“A what now?” Liam asked.
“A dollhouse,” Bryexe answered casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Well, I live with my aunt now, but we’re going to my mom’s house, which is where I used to live.”
Liam waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. “Okay… so what does that mean, ‘a dollhouse’?”
“It’s a bewitched dollhouse,” Bryexe replied. She grabbed the necklaces that hung from her rearview mirror so that they wouldn’t swing so violently when she violently pulled into the driveway. “As you can see…”
After almost choking on his seatbelt, Liam looked up at the immense house. It had the unmistakable look of a classic dollhouse, only it was huge. It was an old Victorian home, painted in dark colors of black and blue. It looked to be two or three stories high—Liam wasn’t sure if the third story was a huge attic or a third floor. It had sharp steeples that looked like witch’s hats, and small balconies with picket fences. It was like something out of this world.
“Whoa,” Liam whispered as he stepped out of the car. “This house is immense! Looks like some type of ancient castle… So what are we doing here?”
“We’re looking for something a bit… paranormal,” she answered. Liam looked at her. “That’s all you need to know right now.”
Liam shrugged his shoulders as they both approached the door. Everything felt paranormal around Bryexe.
Standing in front of the huge, black gothic door, Liam felt a pang of fear, and he wasn’t sure why. He suddenly got the urge to tell Bryexe he couldn’t help her, and to take him back to the coffee shop. But he told himself to snap out of it. It was just a stupid house, after all.
Bryexe took a deep breath. “I guess it would only be fair to ask you. Do you want to turn back?”
Liam thought about the fear and excitement bubbling up in his stomach—a combination he had never felt so intensely before. He thought about the strange pull he was feeling that attracted him to Bryexe, how curious he suddenly was to get to know her, and how cool it would be to go on a paranormal adventure with her.
“And lose my fifty bucks?” he said, “I don’t think so.”
He felt dumb after saying it, especially when Bryexe rolled her eyes.
“Well, whatever,” she replied. “Can’t say I didn’t ask.”
Liam’s eyes went wide as Bryexe placed her fingers down her corset top and fished in her bra. She pulled out a skeleton key, then grabbed Liam’s hand.
“I have to,” she quickly explained. “I have to hold your hand to get you to the other realm.”
Liam didn’t protest or ask what she meant. He just felt her hand as she busied herself unlocking the door. Liam thought that her hand’s temperature was like a changing mood ring. It went from hot to cold, to hot again. Distracted by the strange shifting of temperature, he only noticed he was inside when Bryexe let go of his hand.
“Home, sweet home,” she sang in a low whisper.
Liam’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and when they did, he wished they hadn’t.
Bryexe: She Lives in a Dollhouse
Coming this Halloween, 2015
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About Yari Garcia
Yari Garcia is best known for her short stories in young adult fiction, such as The Girl in the Converse Shoes and Nikki and the Vampire. She is the forthcoming author of Bryexe: She Lives in a Dollhouse, her first full-length teen romance. She is one of the top free authors on iBooks.
Yari also teaches the spiritual arts of Wicca, Paganism, and Witchcraft on her YouTube channel, Moody Thursday. She lives in Texas where she loves to go to the park, read, and daydream.
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Other eBooks by Yari Garcia
Just Dance
Paranormal Romance: A Short Story
A Girl’s Poetry
NEON
About Falling in Love
…and more!
Connect with Yari Garcia on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/AuthorYariGarcia
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