LOGINShare
Ready to Shine
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Friday morning was cold and windy, with a promise of sudden showers until sunset. Well, at least it wouldn’t rain for the launch party. I bundled up and took on my three-mile walk along Central Park down to Columbus Circle, listening to my happy playlist and singing along to my favorite No Return songs all the way.
No traces of Brandon in the lobby. The receptionists didn’t need to check my name on the visitors list anymore, and just nodded hi at me with quick smiles, motioning for me to go on to the elevators. Brandon didn’t show up then, either. Well, finding him so early the day before had surely been a coincidence, because he was more respectful than Trisha to the purebred night owl’s number-one commandment: never get up before ten.
It was nice, having tea with Hugo, talking about anything but him. I tried to ask him about his beliefs, but he resorted to the dirty trick of replying with a question and asked me about Kujo. When we finished ou
Related chapters
Haunter One Long Night
Just like Trisha had anticipated, she and Amy were among the first to access the venue. They wowed and congratulated me on my looks and went on straight to the buffet, like the rest of the early guests. The audience turned out to be mostly small groups and people alone, only a few couples. Harry welcomed everyone with his poised smile, shaking hands with whoever reached out to him. I had to shake a lot of hands too, a little nice smile nailed to my face, thanking God for my square heels that felt almost comfortable.I singled out Harry’s ex right away. Tall and fit like the prince, but blond, pale and with striking blue eyes. Harry didn’t even flinch, and shook his hand with a quick nod.“Stan,” he said, like he said the name of everyone he recognized.“Harry,” the ex replied, and took a moment longer than necessary to turn to me to force a smile.“I’m Fran, welcome,” I said, surprised to hear my own c
Haunter From Across the Darkness
Many hours later, when I found myself alone in my hotel room, free from my fancy white dress and all the silly masks I’d worn the whole night, I couldn’t help thinking about Brandon. We’d spent the whole time circling each other, always in sight but never close. He’d look away if I glanced at him, I did the same to avoid his eyes. We’d played our parts by somebody else’s hand and left with them in opposite directions.How come we’d turned out to be such stupid chickens?Only then I realized he didn’t know why I needed to be back to the Manor, and he was convinced I was dating Harry. He had no idea about the domino effect his conversation with Edward was having on my life.Not much left to say. Well, yeah, because I’d shut him completely out.Why had I done it?Hugo’s definition of love kept going round and round my head.Halfway.And all of a sudden, I saw Brandon outside the
Haunter Before We Say Goodbye
The next morning, Amy had to kick Trisha out of bed to check out in time. We were in no hurry to catch our plane, so we went shopping before heading to Hugo’s hotel. I let them go straight to his suite while I went to the front desk. I’d bought a nice envelope, and glued it closed with my letter to Brandon, in such a way that it would be evident if anybody opened it before him.I waited patiently a couple of steps away from the guests, until one of the receptionists had a spare minute for me. I hadn’t seen him before. Surely they had a different staff on weekends. He greeted me with a polite smile as to frame it and hang it on the wall behind him.“I’d need to leave this for Mr. Price, please?” I said, handing him the closed envelope.“Sure. Room number?”Oops. “I’m sorry, I don’t know it. The full name is Brandon Price.”The man pretended to check one of the computers. “
Haunter Just Another Night at the Manor
The flight back to Boston lasted but a heartbeat, while I tried to recap all my comings and goings and twists with Brandon for Amy and Trisha.“At least you’re coming home with a happy ending of sorts,” Amy concluded. “That’ll help you through the next days.”“Yeah,” I muttered with a deep breath.She was right. I could still be exhilarated about how things had turned out with Brandon, but that didn’t change what the next days held in store.I was surprised when Trisha said she wasn’t coming back to the Manor with me.“I don’t wanna be a nuisance on such sensitive days, so I’m staying with Padme this week. She broke up with her boyfriend, so I won’t be ruining any mood. Call me if you need me, okay?”“Don’t you want the ride?”“No offense, but the red beast is cooler to go around town.”I hugged her tight and
Haunter Welcome Home
Saturday morning felt like forty hours long in my impatience to see Brandon. When I told Susan we needed vegan supplies for three or four meals, she put up a list in a minute and sent Mike to town to get them. I think my dreamy good mood had her intrigued, but she would rather chop her right hand off than ask about it. She helped me tidy up my room and the study, and I decided it was enough fraternizing and I got off her hair to let her go on with her routine.I called dear Mrs. Arbosky to let her know I might need her expertise on Monday or Tuesday. Lucky me, she assured me she would be available whenever I needed her, be it in person or over the phone. Considering Ann’s warning, I anticipated her it would most likely be a meeting like back in October, to have her take a look at documents I needed to sign before Wednesday. She told me to just go see her as soon as I had the papers, or call her if I needed her to come to the Manor.Okay, I’d invested about
Haunter A Promise
Brandon simply loved the study. He explored every corner of the large room, that took up the equivalent to half the second floor.“Man, this is awesome!” he murmured.Then he spotted the desk with my laptop on it. He approached it and rested his hands on the back of the armchair, a cushioned spinning piece that had nothing to do with the rest of the furniture. He leaned a little forward, looking out the window, and turned the armchair to sit down on it.I saw him there, an elbow on the armrest, his other hand resting on my laptop lid, his eyes out the window, on the Quabbin, and grabbed my phone, stepping back. He didn’t notice. I think he was too used to having cameras on him around the clock, and had learned to just ignore them and carry on.My camera didn’t quite capture the whole ambiance of the moment, the sun coming in to wrap him in a golden glow, the warm contrast of lights and shadows with the stuffed bookshelves behind. B
Haunter One More Day Together
I was surprised when he volunteered to help me make dinner, proving he was a skilled cook, at least with vegan recipes. When we sat down to eat, I showed him one of the Fourman brothers’ investigations. “Told you that’s boring,” he said, pointing at the TV with his fork. “If we’d tried to make a TV show like that, they would’ve canceled us halfway through the first season.” “That’s why they declined to sign up with your network.” “Really?” “Yup. They want to keep it real. The problem is that your style became the standard, so if something doesn’t meet it, it’s not use. But the genre needs more of this.” He tilted his head, chewing, and nodded. “Y’know? Isaac would be an interesting middle ground, doing this in his over-the-top way.” “That’s why I wanted to show you this.” He shot a suspicious glance at me. “Trying to influence my business decisions, young lady?” “No, old man. Just giving you a piece of mind from the ord
Haunter Feints Within Feints
Monday morning.Lady Audrey showed up at nine sharp, her Mercedes followed by a big pickup truck with two big men on it. Two big men who, like Ann had anticipated, didn’t like women sticking their noses in their stuff, especially a short girl that looked hardly of age.The moment they set foot in the guesthouse, they started talking about tearing walls down and doing this or that. And when I tried to object, Lady Audrey patted my shoulder with a patronizing smile.“Let the experts decide, dear,” she said. “They know better.”I didn’t bother to reply. I just produced my phone and called Brandon, who picked up still in bed.“Hey, kid,” he said, eyes hardly open. “Any problem over there?”“What we expected.”“Okay. Call you back in five.”He disconnected and I turned to the big experts, forcing a smile. “Please, take a look around. We’l
Latest chapter
Haunter The Third Time's the Charm
The traveling crews came back to Los Angeles for the holidays a couple of days later, and Brandon decided he felt brave enough to host a dinner for all of them at one of the restaurants they used to go to.It would be like his big comeback to society, leaving behind almost four months of reclusion and darkness. And to mark the occasion, he warned me that Cake had leaked the date and place to a few reporters.“Meaning my friends will be there?”“Guess so. The problem is that ban on you. I don’t want them to leave you out of the report. The other way around: I want everybody to know we’re together.”I looked up at him with a heartfelt sigh. But like it always happened over the last week, meeting his eyes focused on mine made me so happy, I couldn’t refuse. So I called Greta Arbosky, who said she would take care of letting them know about this one exception. I disconnected and faced him, raising my eyebrows.&
Haunter The Hard Way Back
Against all odds, Brandon was the easiest, most complying patient in history. I think the scare of almost losing all his sight gave a whole new meaning to this opportunity to restore his eyes to full health. He never complained about the awful cream he had to apply directly on his eyeballs, he never missed drops or meds time, he slept on his belly, and kept his eye shields on around the clock.The first week was the hardest, of course, while he still wore the dressings. However, his determination to walk the line, no matter how hard, annoying or frustrating, helped us find our way around it faster than I’d ever expected. Just like the doctor had said, Brandon had been so stressed up over the last two or three weeks, he was plain exhausted, so he slept a lot over the first three days.My hovering tendencies kept me always within a few steps from wherever he was. At first, I thought he would soon get sick and tired of my relentless watch over him, but it was actual
Haunter A Brand New Day
I jumped to my feet when I heard Brandon move. His fingers flickered slightly and I covered his hand with mine, my heart hammering my chest. His head tilted a little toward me and his lips parted.“Hey,” I whispered. “Easy there.”He tried to speak and frowned.“It’s okay, Bran. The surgery worked alright.”He frowned deeper, trying to press my fingers. I took his hand to my lips to kiss it.“It worked, Bran,” I repeated, just in case. “You’re gonna be fine.”His shaky sigh told me he’d understood. His other hand came slowly up to brush the dressing covering his eyes.“That’s gonna stay there for a few days.”“Did it?” he mumbled, as his fingers explored the dressing further.“Yes, love. It worked. If we do what the doctor says, you’re gonna be fine in a few months. Maybe even better than before the inf
Haunter Better Angels
We woke up early the next morning. Brandon couldn’t have breakfast before surgery, but we were both too anxious to even feel any hunger. Cake arrived as we were coming down to the first floor, looking rested and ten years younger than the night before. On the way to the hospital, I took advantage of being alone in the backseat of the car to send a few texts. To Amy, to let her know I’d gotten to LA fine and everything was peachy. To Isaac, to let him know I was already in town, going with Brandon to the hospital, and I’d text him how the surgery had gone as soon as I found out. And finally to Harry, to ask him to remind Hugo to send all his light and all his angels to come lend a hand.“Who are you texting to?” asked the control freak from the passenger’s seat.“The press, obviously. Your NY Barbie and her gossiping friends will be waiting for us at the hospital.”He turned in his seat, frowning at me from behind h
Haunter Hold On Tight
I woke up at about three. Brandon was sound asleep, so much so that I was able to sneak between his arms without him even flinching. Back from the bathroom, I heard noises downstairs. Then I remembered the disaster zone the living area was when I’d come into the house. I got dressed and headed to the first floor, still trying to tie my hair in a ponytail.Guadalupe had arrived while we were upstairs, and her grin when she saw me threw me off. She and Cake had sort of cleaned up the living area, but the place still looked like the guys from A Clockwork Orange had dropped by to say hi. The kitchen was still a mess, with a lot of glass and smashed mugs all over the floor, wine and all kinds of things spilled on the floor. And when I say all kinds of things, I mean even mayonnaise. So I wore an apron, put on rubber gloves and set to clean up disaster zone number two.Guadalupe and Cake materialized in the kitchen, looking spooked. I faced them with
Haunter Shattered
I had a glimpse of the whole living area completely trashed, like a hurricane had blasted through it, but I couldn’t care less. I rushed to the stairs and up to the second floor, to storm into the master bedroom. I froze just past the doorway. My heart, which was about to crack my chest open, suddenly stopped, and everything spun around me.Because Brandon was lying on his bed, unconscious, a bleeding cut on his forehead that had sprayed blood all over him. Cake was right by his side, lifting his limp legs up to the bed.“He tripped in the kitchen and hit his head with the isle,” Cake managed to say, panting after carrying Brandon all the way upstairs.I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move.“Fran! Bring me a wet towel!”His shout made me snap out of my shock. I dropped my bag on the floor and ran around the bed to the bathroom, where I grabbed the first towel I
Haunter The Longest Hours
I sneaked out of the sleeping bag the moment Brandon left his seat.“Gina!” I called, crawling on all fours out of the tent.“What is it, Fran?”“Gina, I’m so sorry, but I can’t stay to come tomorrow night,” I said, wiping my tears away just to make room for more to rain down my face.“It’s okay, Fran. Don’t worry about us.”“Kujo protect,” he said, coming to stick to my side.“You guys sure?”“Yes. Go do what you have to do.”“Okay,” I mumbled, and got back into the tent to grab my phone.The first morning flight from Philadelphia International to LAX was scheduled to live after six AM. Shit. It was hardly past midnight. Whatever. Better late than never. I bought a ticket online, already doing the math. I could check in about five thirty, so I had to leave Pennhurst
Haunter The Redemption
Brandon walked across the Manor garden in the sunset, hands in his pockets, looking around absentmindedly as he spoke.“I had to watch the footage to actually remember what had happened, and her words shocked me. She called me a puppet. She knew what was going on. Back then, I only understood they wouldn’t let me get to her, especially when Isaac turned his back on me. I couldn’t believe it. He’d betrayed me! My best friend! How powerful could this demon be to turn the man who had been my best friend for the last twenty-five years against me? I was trapped, all alone. I might have to fight for my life.” He looked at the camera. “You must be wondering if I stayed. The answer is yes. Why?” He let out a bitter chuckle. “The truth is I have no idea.” He shrugged. “I was so out of my mind that night, I can count at least half a dozen reasons why I stayed. And none of them make any sense.”They cut back to the
Haunter The Demons We Breed
“Here she comes,” Brandon said, his voice reflecting exactly the same as his face. “The little witch comes to protect the demon. Not this time.”I felt Kujo brush his face against mine and realized I was holding my breath, still shaking from head to toe. His warm touch helped me snap out of it.Brandon kept taunting and provoking Kujo until I got there, trying to burn him with his holy water. And then he’d come at me, triggering Kujo’s reaction. After Kujo attacked him, hurting me in the process, I saw him jump back to his feet and try to fight Kujo with his bear fists, punching through him like a madman, almost stomping on me, ‘cause I was pretty much unconscious at his feet. Amy stormed down the stairs as Isaac managed to pull him away from me, and forced the camera into his hands to carry me up the stairs in his arms, while Amy kept Brandon at a safe distance.“Kujo mad.”“But y
