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Arabella Sanchez was dead. She had been for 10 years now, but that was until she woke up and found herself digging out of her own grave two nights before halloween eve.
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN !! " dead girl walking "
Elena’s heart pounded as she followed the others through the winding halls of the mansion. The eerie sounds of screams and gunshots still echoed in her mind, making every shadow seem alive with danger. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps as they stumbled into a small study room, the door slamming behind them.
The room was dimly lit, the flicker of a single lamp casting long shadows on the walls lined with dusty old books.
Everyone stood huddled together, faces pale with fear and confusion. Elena’s mind raced, trying to make sense of the horror they’d just witnessed. What had started as a party had quickly spiraled into something nightmarish.
The new girl was at the center of the room, her face blank, eyes hollow. She hadn’t said much since the lights went out, but now, as they all gathered around her, there was a tension building in the air—like she had something she needed to say.
Nate stood beside her, his face set in a hard line, as though bracing for what was to come. His hand hovered near Arabella, as if he wasn’t sure whether to protect her or shield her from the others.
Elena exchanged a glance with Odette, who had tears brimming in her eyes. Something was about to happen. Something big.
Arabella inhaled deeply, her voice low and controlled. “I wasn’t supposed to be here… not after what happened.”
The words sent a ripple of confusion through the room. Elena saw Keith glance sharply at Nate, who was avoiding eye contact with everyone. August, standing near the back, looked like he’d been struck. His pale face tightened, his body rigid.
“What are you talking about?” August’s voice wavered, barely audible.
Arabella’s eyes locked onto his, dark and filled with something unreadable. “I was murdered. Ten years ago. Brutally.”
A cold silence fell over the room, the air growing impossibly thick. Elena’s stomach twisted in knots as Arabella’s words sank in. Murdered? The girl they’d been with all night, the girl who Nate seemed so protective of?
“No…” Odette’s voice broke through the silence, soft and disbelieving. She stepped forward, tears welling up in her eyes. “No, you can’t mean that. You— you were dead? Arabella? Belly?”
Odette stumbled forward, wrapping her arms around Arabella in a tight, desperate hug. Her sobs filled the quiet room, her face buried in Arabella’s shoulder. But Arabella remained rigid, her eyes distant as if she was somewhere else entirely, letting Odette cling to her without returning the embrace.
The rest of the group stood frozen, as though time itself had stopped in the weight of Arabella's revelation.
Elena’s breath caught in her throat. Arabella—dead? It didn’t make any sense. She exchanged a frantic glance with Jamie, whose face mirrored the same disbelief she felt. This couldn’t be real. This had to be some kind of twisted joke, a nightmare they would wake up from.
