Chapter 5 ~Casper~

AS WE CHATTED AWAY LIKE OLD FRIENDS, Scarlett and Winter shared their stories, their voices filled with a mix of wonder and confusion.

Winter leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, like she was sharing a secret around a crackling campfire. “Now get this, Casper – Scarlett couldn't see this house from the outside. Not even a tiny peek! But the moment she steps foot inside, poof! There it is, big as day, like it was playing some crazy game of hide-and-seek with her all along!”

So, I kept up the act, pretending to be totally blown away by the whole thing. Scarlett, she just frowned and shook her head, like she was trying to work out a really tough puzzle. “I know, right? It's super weird. I just can't make sense of it.” Her fingers fidgeted with the soft cushions of the couch, like she was looking for something solid to hold on to in this storm of strangeness.

“You know, maybe the house was there all along, but I guess I never paid it any mind before – isn't that just how life is sometimes? We get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we miss the stuff that's right in front of our faces.”

“It's like something straight out of a film, Casper! My phone wouldn't even snap a picture of it at first! Can you believe it?” Scarlett paused, glancing over at Winter. “Go on, Scarlett, show him the photo,” Winter urged. “He needs to see it with his own two eyes.”

Scarlett tapped away on her phone, this small rectangle device, it's surface gleaming under the warm glow of the room. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as the screen lit up, and the colour drained from her face, leaving her looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

“What is it?” Winter blurted out, scooting closer, practically on the edge of her seat, her voice breathless with anticipation.

Scarlett flipped her phone around, and Winter's jaw practically hit the floor, her lips parting in shock. “Holy smokes!”

At this point, my curiosity was just about ready to burst, so they handed me the phone, and boy, was I in for a surprise. The picture showed this gorgeous house, but it was like nothing I'd seen before. And then it dawned on me – somehow, my house (the mansion) had undergone some sort of hocus-pocus, magical makeover to fit into today's world. But I kept up the act, pretending like I didn't have a clue what was going on.

“Hold up,” I said, keeping my voice all cool and collected. “I thought you said there wasn't any building in the picture?”

“I'm telling you, there was nothing there before! I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth.” Scarlett replied and Winter nodded, agreeing with her friend, “Seriously, I saw it too. It's just so bizarre.”

Winter squinted at the picture again, her forehead wrinkling up like an old map as she examined every nook and cranny of the image. “But there is something weird about the building in this photo,” she said, her voice taking on a thoughtful tone.

Scarlett shot her a curious glance, her eyes asking the question before her lips could form the words. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Winter began, her voice tinged with a hint of confusion, “the building in this photo… it looks different from the one I saw earlier. It's all sleek and modern now, but the one I saw before was this ancient-looking Victorian-style mansion.”

I could feel the tension in the room, thick as pea soup.

I let out a small chuckle, but Winter and Scarlett shut me down faster than a flea circus in a hurricane. “We're not joking!” they exclaimed in perfect harmony, their voices strong and steady.

I threw my hands up in the air, like I was waving a white flag. “Whoa, whoa, hold your horses! Let me try to wrap my head around this, okay? First, you tell me the house didn't show up in the photo, and now, all of a sudden, there it is, large as life. And then you're saying it was all Victorian and stuff, but now it looks like something else. I gotta be honest, it's a tough pill to swallow, don't you think?"

I leaned forward, trying to sound as reasonable as I could. “Look, it's not that I think you're making this up or anything. It's just that, well, this whole thing sounds too wild to be true. Houses changing shapes? Photos changing before your eyes? It's like something you'd find in one of those fantasy novels. I mean, what if – and I'm just spitballing here – what if you both just, I don't know, hallucinated or something? Maybe the house was here the whole time, and you just never noticed it before?”

I flashed them my best “you can trust me” smile, the one that usually worked like a charm. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they nodded, their eyes still filled with a hint of doubt, but their faces softening with a little relief.

“Alrighty then,” I said, grinning on the inside because I knew my little vampiric mind trick had hit the bullseye yet again.

But then Scarlett checked her watch, and her eyes went wide. “Oh no, Winter! We're going to be late for film night with the girls!”

Winter sighed and nodded. “She's right, Casper. We should probably get going.”

I could tell they were both a little bummed about having to leave, and honestly, so was I. It had been a pretty fun day, but hanging out with these girls had been the best part by far.

So, we swapped these things called phone numbers and promised to keep in touch, which made me feel a little better.

As we were heading for the door, I was already missing their company and dreading being alone in this crazy mansion again. But as we reached the front door and I stepped outside to see them off, the sun's rays hit my skin, and a searing pain ripped through me. I quickly threw my hand up to shield my face, the sunlight sizzling and hissing against my arm like it was a strip of bacon in a frying pan. With a sharp intake of breath, I leaped back into the safety of the house, feeling my skin heal almost instantly.

“Dude, are you okay?” Scarlett asked, looking totally freaked out.

I nodded, trying to act like it was no big deal. “Yeah, I'm just super sensitive to sunlight today,” I explained, forcing a weak smile. “Guess I'll just hang out here for now.”

They both give me these concerned looks, but I can tell they're buying my lame excuse. And honestly, I'm just glad they didn't see the whole steam-coming-out-of-my-arm thing. Because that would've been a whole other conversation.

So, we say our goodbyes, and they promise to come back and hang out again soon. I'm actually kind of stoked because it's been forever since I've had friends to chill with.

As they ride off on their bikes, I can't resist poking my hand out into the sunlight one more time. And yeah, it still hurts like crazy. But even though my skin's sizzling, I can't help but grin like an idiot. Because, hey, I made friends today.

With my Fanta in hand, I take a stroll through the mansion, admiring all the fancy furniture, paintings, and stuff. But then, out of nowhere, my joints start feeling all stiff and achy. My legs are like jelly, and before I know it, I'm face-down on the floor.

I try to get up, but my body's just not having it. I'm shaking like a leaf, and it's like all my strength has been sucked out of me. When I look down at my hands, they're all wrinkled and old-looking, like they belong to someone way older than me. And my whole body feels rigid and stiff, like I'm turning to stone or something.