1-EMPTY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Tori Billings, Blair Bright, and Lizzy Hudson were all best friends since 3^rd grade and lived in Santa Clarita Valley. Santa Clarita Valley was a diverse place with families ranging from poor to rich, Hispanic to Caucasian. Even the kids are all different. Some were druggies, skaters, bros, theater geeks, jocks, preps, but not all kids were just skaters or nerds they would be mixtures of two of three.

            Some skaters did drugs, some bros were jocks, but Tori Blair, and Lizzy fell into none of those categories. The three of them knew a lot of people in the cliques at their high school, but never were they apart of one.

            Tori Billings was born in Los Angeles and grew up around Chinatown, Hollywood, and grew up to watch old horror movies, and she even feel in love with Asian culture. Moving to the valley was a big change to her. She missed the tall buildings which were replaced with dry mountains, and lush beaches were replaced with flat desert-like areas.

            Tori had a style all her own. She’d buy outfits from Hot Topic, Sidecca, and Hello Kitty. Tori Billings real name is Victoria Billings, but she prefers Tori.

            Blair Bright was a free spirit and had lived in Santa Clarita Valley her whole life. She liked reading, but only poetry, and only dark mysterious poems. She was richer than her two friends, but in no way was she spoiled or snobby. Her style was funky bohemian, and she loved indie, and folk music. 

            Lizzy Hudson was more of an artist, and loved anything retro or vintage. Her style was similar to Katy Perry, and Lizzy even dyed her bright blonde hair to a dark midnight black so her red lipstick would got perfectly with her hair. Like her other friends she was a big fan of horror and liked getting scared.

            The three girls were in Glendale for the day shopping at Anthropologie. Tori and Lizzy sat outside the dressing room as Blair tried on dresses. Blair came out in cobalt blue maxi dress, and spun around.

“We’re in the middle of fall not summertime.” Lizzy said trying on some braided leather bracelets.

            Blair went back inside her dressing room and tried something new on. Tori played round with the crimped pieces of her hair and quickly spun around when Blair came out of the dressing room wearing a gold jacket with ivory lining.

“Now that looks nice.” Tori grinned.

            The girl’s fingers had red marks around them from carrying around heavy bags of clothes and their lips were chapped from the dry wind that blew during the fall. Luckily for the girls Halloween landed on a Saturday and that was in four days. Tori choose to be a pirate, Lizzy wanted to be Marylyn Monroe, and Blair was going to be a hobo. 

            Blair’s mom, Ms. Bright, drove them back home to Tori house which was closes to their high school, Valley High school. Tori’s mom worked from the city of Glendale and on weekends she would do tattoos. Tori actually lived in small apartments near Mt. Vista Jr high school. The perks of living in the apartments were that she right next to a small ice-cream place called Tiny’s.

            Blair waved good-bye to her mom and the girls raced inside Tori’s apartment.

“So my mom probably won’t be home till like one in the morning or something, so we have the place all to ourselves.” Tori bounced up and down on her couch.

“Alright lets go somewhere?” Lizzy leaned against the white kitchen counter.

“Oh! I know we could go to the empty houses.” Blair suggested and reached inside the fridge.

“Sounds spooky, I’ll go.” Lizzy shrugged.

“Okay let’s go.” Tori said, picking up a flash light.

            Santa Clarita Valley had built a lot of houses to expand their population but they stopped when people had no money to buy the big houses so they stopped building them and left them in empty neighborhoods. They took a bus around town, and walked ten minutes to the empty neighborhoods.

            Lizzy climbed through an open window and fell on the bare wooden floors.

“I don’t know about this anymore guys.” Blair looked around nervously.

“Stop being a chicken Blair, you’re the one who suggested we come here.” Tori jumped through the window and landed on top of Lizzy.

“I know” Blair climbed through the window “but what if someone see us?” Blair landed on the floor nicely.

“Who’s gonna see us?... the boogieman.” Lizzy laughed while running down the halls.

            It  was a normal looking house with barely any furniture in it. It had a big fireplace in the living room and two flights of stairs. Tori walked over a small carpet and tripped over it. Under the carpet was just solid wood.  Tori fixed the carpet neatly and walked up the stairs.

            She pulled out her new flashlight and flipped the switch on but it quickly died.

“Lizzy, Blair!” Tori’s voice echoed through the cold house.

            Tori could hear the wind running through the cracks of the house, but she ignored the creaks and groans. For a brand new house it was had a lot of house creaks.

            Lizzy followed Tori’s voice and tripped over a small carpet.

“Damn.” Lizzy stumbled forward with the carpet attached to her leg.

            She bent down to fixed it and saw on the wooden floor a small latch on the wooden floor. Lizzy traced her fingers along the floor and felt the small cuts of a door forming. She twisted the latch and the door loosened.

“What are doing?” Blair flashed her dim cell phone light at Lizzy.

“Look, I found a door leading to a basement.” Lizzy stood up pointing to the floor.

            Blair touched the cold iron latch and looked up at Lizzy’s excited face.  

“First it’s very odd that the door to the basement would be in the kitchen and why is there an old iron latch on it.” Blair slightly moved away from the door.

“Omgsh, don’t tell me you’re scared.” Lizzy rolled her dark brown eyes.

“Well yeah!” Blair’s voice cracked “Isn’t weird that there is a basement in a new house in California!” Blair sharply.

            Tori found her way downstairs, and saw Blair and Lizzy arguing in the kitchen. Thankfully the quarter moon was shinning brightly, lighting up some of the house.

“What are you guys yelling about?” Tori placed her flashlight on the counter.

“Lizzy wants to go down into a basement.” Blair whined.

“Blair is being a baby.” Lizzy argued back.

“Woah, hold on” Tori rubbed her temples “what basement?” Tori asked.

            Lizzy stepped back showing the door leading down to the basement. Tori’s face lost some color and her friends noticed.

“What’s wrong?” Blair asked gently.

“I tripped over this carpet earlier, and I saw no door.” Tori stared down at the door.

Blair’s eyes widened “Guys, lets just get out of here.” She pleaded, clutching onto Tori’s arm.

“Are you kidding now I want to see the basement more, since Tori think it just magically appeared on the floor.” Lizzy turned the latch and threw open the basement.

            A surge of cold thick air blasted them in their faces and looking down all you saw was never ending darkness.

“Dang it, I can see anything.” Lizzy said reaching from the flashlight.

            She tried to turn it one, but had died. Suddenly the flashlight slipped from her hands and thudded on concert floor in the basement.

“That’s a long fall.” Tori whistled.

            The girls peered into the basement trying to catch a glimpse of flashlight, but they saw nothing.

“Great, that was my mom new flashlight for earthquakes only.”

            Lizzy shut the basement and locked the iron latch. Blair rapidly covered it with the small carpet.

            They buttoned their jackets up, and walked out of the house.

“So we’re coming back tomorrow night right?” Lizzy said putting on chap stick.

“No.” Blair sternly answered.

“Lizzy, we have school—“

“Okay fine… on Halloween?” Lizzy said with excitement.

“If you want to go so badly you can go in the basement all by yourself.” Tori grinned.

“Fine.” Lizzy said bravely.

 

Reviews

[Livana Lowell]

Hmm, for suspense, I would love to read on to see what goes on in that haunted house. I can relate most to Blair, but also with Victoria, I mean Tori as well because I love the asian culture myself. I hope you continue.