The Fallen Queen (Winner of the Write Way Award 2013) #Wattys2015 #MyWattysChoice #Featured

Chapter 15: School Fright

Let me know if you can read this chapter. There seems to be a problem with Wattpad and people can't see the chapters after Chapter 10.

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It was night and I could not see anything in the dark. Fear lingered in my heart, making it beat faster, racing against time. I had a nightmare. It woke me up. I could not remember what it was about, I just knew that the shadows surrounding me seemed unbearable. I sat down on my bed, took my pillow, and pressed it against me. Yes, I really was a girly girl. I was fragile, weak. I was afraid of everything: the dark hallway, the cold air that waltzed around me, the unusual shadows in my closet, the gloomy reflection coming out of my mirror. Everyone was asleep but me. That scared me too. I felt like I was the only survivor of a bloody massacre.

I curled myself up, rested my chin on my knees, and waited. I heard snoring, people moving around in their beds. I repeated the same prayer over and over, "Please God, protect me. Reassure me."

I stayed like that until the birds began singing again and the indigo sky turned pink and orange. The sun reassured me at last and I fell asleep again, but only for an hour or two. Then it was time to go to school.

I felt like it was going to be a bad day. I thought I felt like this because I lacked my beauty sleep. So I tried not to make a big deal out of it and I promised myself I would go to bed earlier that night.

But I am not sure if that was the only reason anymore.

It was midmorning when the teacher, Mrs. Monique, sent Nicolas, a boy in my class, to go and get snacks for the class. Every day, milk was delivered to the lunchroom refrigerator.

I was wrapped up in my own thoughts—reflecting on the unusual happenings going on where I was living and wondering if those experiences were shared by any other people, the normal kind of people—when the black-haired boy came back, his face pale as if he had just seen a ghost.

I glanced over at him. He was almost hysterical.

"I...I..." he stuttered.

"What is it Nicolas?" asked the teacher.

"I saw a doll," said the scared little boy.

"What?" she asked again.

"A doll..."

"You saw a doll? Where?"

"In the refrigerator..."

"And the doll scared you? Why? A little girl probably just forgot her doll in there."

"It was a big and scary one..."

At recess, the scary doll story spread around. The rumor could be heard from every corner of the playground.

"I think it's the doll from Marie's house," said Jennifer.

"You think Marie put it there?" Juliet asked.

"Maybe," answered Jennifer mysteriously.

"Why would she do that?" Juliet was perplexed. I appreciated the fact that she did not believe I was behind such an idiotic act.

"You know how weird she is. You never know with her."

"What doll?"

"Don't you know the story about the house Marie lives in?"

"That house in front of the old cemetery?"

"Yeah, the old man that lived there before her had a doll. He cast a spell on his doll to bring it to life when his wife died. He kind of wanted to replace her, I think..."