Chapter ~ 1
Alexus and Shawna pawed through the belongings on the table. Yard Sales were always good for finding unique things.
Alexus picked up an old coffee mug with the picture of a dog on it. She grinned and set it back on the table. Mean while, Shawna found some old costume jewelry. She held it up for Alexus to see. They grinned at each other. Shawna put it back on the table.
They moved to the next table. It was full of toys, stuffed animals and games. Board games to be exact. At first they seemed to be the ordinary board games that everyone has in their homes. But then there it was sitting on the bottom of the pile. It was almost hidden from sight.
Alexus pulled the game from the bottom of the pile. It was one she had never seen before. She held it up to show Shawna.
“What’s this?” Alexus asked the woman behind the table. “I’ve never seen this game before.”
“Oh that,” the woman responded, “that is, was, my son’s. You can have it for a buck.”
“What do Ya think?” Alexus asked Shawna. “It looks cool.” She traced the words on the box with her black fingernails. They read, “the game to play with the dead.”
“Oh Yeah,” Shawna agreed. “We can play it tonight. Turn it over. How many players do we need?”
“Oh you don’t need many players,” the woman reassured them. “And it is real easy to learn to play.”
“Okay. How do you play?” Alexus asked the woman.
“The instructions are in the box. I have never played it my self, but my son use to play it all the time. If he was here now, he could show you how. But I’m pretty sure it is real easy to learn. Just follow the instructions.”
“Alright, I think I will take it.” Alexus reached into her pocket and pulled out a dollar bill. It was rolled up in a ball. She straightened it out before handing it to the woman.
The woman accepted the bill. She held out a necklace with some sort of pendant on it. “You can have this too. Wear it when you play the game. It has great enhancements.”
“’Kay.” Shawna took the necklace from the woman. It was the same necklace she had been holding up a moment ago.
“You girls ready?” Alexus’s mom called to them. She was on her way to the car carrying several small items she had purchased.
Alexus answered, “Coming.”
They had been going from one yard sale to the next all morning. It was one of the things Alexus really enjoyed doing with her mom. They usually took her friend Shawna with them.
In fact, there was not much of anything Alexus did without Shawna. They had been the best of friends for many years.
“Mom?” Alexus slipped into the front passenger seat of the light blue sedan. “Can Jordan sleep over tonight too?”
“Well I suppose she can.” Her mom started the car and waited for Shawna to close the rear passenger door. She put on her seatbelt. “Buckle up girls.”
“Awesome!” Alexus replied while clicking her belt into the buckle.
Alexus picked up an old coffee mug with the picture of a dog on it. She grinned and set it back on the table. Mean while, Shawna found some old costume jewelry. She held it up for Alexus to see. They grinned at each other. Shawna put it back on the table.
They moved to the next table. It was full of toys, stuffed animals and games. Board games to be exact. At first they seemed to be the ordinary board games that everyone has in their homes. But then there it was sitting on the bottom of the pile. It was almost hidden from sight.
Alexus pulled the game from the bottom of the pile. It was one she had never seen before. She held it up to show Shawna.
“What’s this?” Alexus asked the woman behind the table. “I’ve never seen this game before.”
“Oh that,” the woman responded, “that is, was, my son’s. You can have it for a buck.”
“What do Ya think?” Alexus asked Shawna. “It looks cool.” She traced the words on the box with her black fingernails. They read, “the game to play with the dead.”
“Oh Yeah,” Shawna agreed. “We can play it tonight. Turn it over. How many players do we need?”
“Oh you don’t need many players,” the woman reassured them. “And it is real easy to learn to play.”
“Okay. How do you play?” Alexus asked the woman.
“The instructions are in the box. I have never played it my self, but my son use to play it all the time. If he was here now, he could show you how. But I’m pretty sure it is real easy to learn. Just follow the instructions.”
“Alright, I think I will take it.” Alexus reached into her pocket and pulled out a dollar bill. It was rolled up in a ball. She straightened it out before handing it to the woman.
The woman accepted the bill. She held out a necklace with some sort of pendant on it. “You can have this too. Wear it when you play the game. It has great enhancements.”
“’Kay.” Shawna took the necklace from the woman. It was the same necklace she had been holding up a moment ago.
“You girls ready?” Alexus’s mom called to them. She was on her way to the car carrying several small items she had purchased.
Alexus answered, “Coming.”
They had been going from one yard sale to the next all morning. It was one of the things Alexus really enjoyed doing with her mom. They usually took her friend Shawna with them.
In fact, there was not much of anything Alexus did without Shawna. They had been the best of friends for many years.
“Mom?” Alexus slipped into the front passenger seat of the light blue sedan. “Can Jordan sleep over tonight too?”
“Well I suppose she can.” Her mom started the car and waited for Shawna to close the rear passenger door. She put on her seatbelt. “Buckle up girls.”
“Awesome!” Alexus replied while clicking her belt into the buckle.
Chapter ~ 2
Alexus lived just down the street from this yard sale, on Jumper Drive. It did not take long before they pulled into the long drive way leading up to the old four bedroom cape. It had a large screen porch on the front of the house.
A newly built garage joined the side of the house and out behind the house sat an old barn. The barn was not in the best of shape, but it still stood solid against the elements.
During the day Alexus and her friends liked being in the barn. It was a bit spooky, but they were okay with that. And at night they would sit on the porch swing and watch while bats flew back and forth in the yard chasing bugs.
Sometimes they would ponder if any of the bats would change into something they had seen in a movie they watched the night before. Horror movies were one of their favorites. Alexus had seen every vampire movie she could find. She was now trying to dress like one.
As soon as she turned fifteen she asked her mom if she could pick her own style of dress. Her mom did not see any harm in it at the time. So, Alexus began with the basics, like buying the black fingernail polish and then moved on slowly to the rest of the garb of the Goth.
Because she had changed her dress style in changes, her mom never really noticed how deep she was into the gothic trend. Alexus would go to the extremes of trying to stay out of sunlight as much as possible. This caused and unusual paleness to her complexion. Almost to the point, where she looked kind of ghostly at times.
Her friend Shawna had also begun to follow the gothic trend. But not quite to the same extent as Alexus. She still would go out into the sunlight, allowing herself to have a light tan.
She once told Alexus how she needed to be able to go out in the sunlight. She would not be able to garden. Who would grow the herbs they would need for the recipes they would cook up together.
Mrs. Bordaine parked the car in the garage.
“I have to go call Jordan and see if she can come over,” Alexus told Shawna. “You can take this out to the barn with you.”
She handed the board game to Shawna.
“’Kay. Is it okay if I get a drink?” Shawna asked, taking the box from Alexus.
“I’ll bring you one. What do you want…root beer…orange…or cola?” Alexus asked.
Her mom took her things into the house leaving the two girls to discuss their plans.
“Cola…”
Shawna went off to get them set up in the barn, while Alexus made the call to Jordan.
The phone hung on the wall of the kitchen beside the small drop leaf table. The room was bright from the morning sunshine. Alexus tried to avoid standing in the sunlight as much as possible. She pulled the phone cord around the corner into the hallway after dialing Jordan’s number.
“Hi! This is Alexus. Is Jordan home?…Can I talk to her?” Alexus asked Jordan’s little brother.
She had to wait a few minutes while he yelled for his sister.
“Hey! What’s up?” Jordan asked. She sounded out of breath.
“Are you busy? Shawna and I were wondering if you wanted to come over.”
“Um…yeah…just give me a bit…I have to finish up mowing the lawn.”
“Why can’t your brother do that?”
“Cause it’s my turn…he made a big deal about it last night to my dad. So, now I have to take turns mowing the grass. But since he opened his big mouth, he has to take turns washing the dishes.” Jordan laughed.
“Alright…hurry…Shawna and I found this really neat game when we went to the yard sales today,” Alexus blurted excitedly. “Oh and ask if you can sleep over tonight.”
“’Kay…I will…see you in a bit.”
“’Kay…” Alexus said. She hung the phone up. Her mom walked past her into the kitchen.
“Mom…Shawna and I are going to be out in the barn, if you are looking for us.”
“Oh…here let me make you some lunch to take with you to go with your sodas”
She waited impatiently while her mom quickly made two chicken salad sandwiches for her to take.
“Can you carry all that?” Mrs. Bordaine asked. She held a big bag of chips for Alexus to grab with her free hand.
“Got it Mom. Thanks…”
Alexus took her pile of food and drink into the hallway where she had stood talking on the phone and followed it to the front door.
The front door had a wooden screen door on the house and the porch. They were easy to push open with a shoulder.
A newly built garage joined the side of the house and out behind the house sat an old barn. The barn was not in the best of shape, but it still stood solid against the elements.
During the day Alexus and her friends liked being in the barn. It was a bit spooky, but they were okay with that. And at night they would sit on the porch swing and watch while bats flew back and forth in the yard chasing bugs.
Sometimes they would ponder if any of the bats would change into something they had seen in a movie they watched the night before. Horror movies were one of their favorites. Alexus had seen every vampire movie she could find. She was now trying to dress like one.
As soon as she turned fifteen she asked her mom if she could pick her own style of dress. Her mom did not see any harm in it at the time. So, Alexus began with the basics, like buying the black fingernail polish and then moved on slowly to the rest of the garb of the Goth.
Because she had changed her dress style in changes, her mom never really noticed how deep she was into the gothic trend. Alexus would go to the extremes of trying to stay out of sunlight as much as possible. This caused and unusual paleness to her complexion. Almost to the point, where she looked kind of ghostly at times.
Her friend Shawna had also begun to follow the gothic trend. But not quite to the same extent as Alexus. She still would go out into the sunlight, allowing herself to have a light tan.
She once told Alexus how she needed to be able to go out in the sunlight. She would not be able to garden. Who would grow the herbs they would need for the recipes they would cook up together.
Mrs. Bordaine parked the car in the garage.
“I have to go call Jordan and see if she can come over,” Alexus told Shawna. “You can take this out to the barn with you.”
She handed the board game to Shawna.
“’Kay. Is it okay if I get a drink?” Shawna asked, taking the box from Alexus.
“I’ll bring you one. What do you want…root beer…orange…or cola?” Alexus asked.
Her mom took her things into the house leaving the two girls to discuss their plans.
“Cola…”
Shawna went off to get them set up in the barn, while Alexus made the call to Jordan.
The phone hung on the wall of the kitchen beside the small drop leaf table. The room was bright from the morning sunshine. Alexus tried to avoid standing in the sunlight as much as possible. She pulled the phone cord around the corner into the hallway after dialing Jordan’s number.
“Hi! This is Alexus. Is Jordan home?…Can I talk to her?” Alexus asked Jordan’s little brother.
She had to wait a few minutes while he yelled for his sister.
“Hey! What’s up?” Jordan asked. She sounded out of breath.
“Are you busy? Shawna and I were wondering if you wanted to come over.”
“Um…yeah…just give me a bit…I have to finish up mowing the lawn.”
“Why can’t your brother do that?”
“Cause it’s my turn…he made a big deal about it last night to my dad. So, now I have to take turns mowing the grass. But since he opened his big mouth, he has to take turns washing the dishes.” Jordan laughed.
“Alright…hurry…Shawna and I found this really neat game when we went to the yard sales today,” Alexus blurted excitedly. “Oh and ask if you can sleep over tonight.”
“’Kay…I will…see you in a bit.”
“’Kay…” Alexus said. She hung the phone up. Her mom walked past her into the kitchen.
“Mom…Shawna and I are going to be out in the barn, if you are looking for us.”
“Oh…here let me make you some lunch to take with you to go with your sodas”
She waited impatiently while her mom quickly made two chicken salad sandwiches for her to take.
“Can you carry all that?” Mrs. Bordaine asked. She held a big bag of chips for Alexus to grab with her free hand.
“Got it Mom. Thanks…”
Alexus took her pile of food and drink into the hallway where she had stood talking on the phone and followed it to the front door.
The front door had a wooden screen door on the house and the porch. They were easy to push open with a shoulder.
Copyright © 2010 by Linda Nelson
Linda Nelson 