House of Terror

A/N: This is a rewrite of the original which I wrote for a creative writing class.
Dedications: To my cyberbrother, Leo who has been an angel in helping me rediscover the character of Brian Nichols as well as get more involved in the story. Thank you so much, bro.



Chapter 1

It was late evening and Megan Reynolds was just finishing up proofreading her Advanced History report on the Civil War. After finishing, she gently placed it on the coffee table and stood up. She walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. She had just opened the door to the refrigerator, when she heard the phone ring. Sighing, she grabbed a soda and then went back into the living room. She threw herself on the couch and picked it up. "Hello?" She said in a semi-tired tone.

"Hey Meg. It's me Jess." It was her best friend, Jessica Davidson. Both girls were sixteen and sophomores in high school. Jessica had been Meg's best friend ever since she and her father first moved to Clear Creek, New York which is a suburb of Brooklyn. "Are you gonna be allowed to go? Brian wanted me to ask you. Our parents already said yes as long as he acts as chaperon."

"I doubt Dad will say no." Meg said with a soft sigh, which automatically got Jessica's attention. Realizing her best friend heard the sigh, she added, "I got a call from Mom this morning. She wants to give up all rights to me. It's like she hates me or something."

"Oh man. I'm sorry, Meg." Jessica said. A few seconds later, soft scuffling could be heard and then a guy's voice came over the phone. "Make sure your dad says yes."

Meg's heart skipped a beat because she knew it was Jessica's stepbrother, Brian Nichols. "I'll be going, Brian. That is for sure." She said in an excited tone. She had had a crush on Brian ever since they had moved there and she didn't seem to care he knew about it. She smiled to herself as she heard the two of them whispering softly to each other for a few brief seconds and then Jessica's voice came over the phone then. "I gotta go. Brian needs to use the phone. I will see you tomorrow in school. Text me if you need to talk more regarding your mom."

"Okay. Thanks, Jess." Megan said and then the girls both hung up simultaneously. Megan then checked the time on her watch and saw it was close to when her father gets home from work. He usually did get home late in the evening and he insisted they eat dinner soon after he arrives home, so she walked back to the kitchen and began preparing dinner for the two of them.

--------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile at the home of Brian Nichols and Jessica Davidson, Brian had gone outside and was shooting hoops when a dark blue ferrari pulled up and into the driveway. Behind the wheel was Brian's high maintenance girlfriend, Shauna Daniels. She appeared to be crying behind the wheel, which quickly got Brian's attention. As soon as the car stopped in the driveway, he approached it and asked, "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Oh Brian. I got into a fight with my mom. She wants me to visit my dad, but their is no way. Not after the way he walked out on us." She sobbed. What she hid was she wanted nothing to do with him due to him being poor.

Unfortunately for her, Brian was smart enough to know she was hiding something. He immediately said, "Shauna, he is your father. He deserves a second chance. You have to give it to him." His voice was calm and soothing but he quickly changed his tone when he noticed what was laying on the passenger seat of her car. He glared at her and asked, "Did you steal that?" He knew she had been giving Meg a rough time lately. This was mainly due to her own dislike for the friendship between her boyfriend and the younger teen.

Shauna shot him an angry look in return and said, "That is none of your business. The last thing I need is that twit and her bitchy friend messing up my best friend's camping trip."

This made Brian even angrier. "Watch who your calling a bitch! Meg's best friend is my sister!" He snapped at her.

Shauna responded by starting the engine again and peeling out onto the street. She left calling out a few choice words, which made Brian beyond angry.

He had snatched the paper from the seat while circling it, so he had it in his hand. He dialed Meg's home phone number and waited patiently for it to be picked up. A few seconds later, he heard a tired voice say, "Hello?" He knew it was Meg.

"Meg, hey. It's Brian. I have something of your's. I was wondering if its okay if I dropped it off tonight."

"Sure. Dad and I just finished dinner, so come on over." Meg said and then hung up.

Brian drove over there and delivered the paper. It wound up being a take home test paper which was worth half of her grade. Brian volunteered to speak with the teacher about it and set the record straight so she could still turn it in without getting into trouble.

Meg thanked him and then they said good night.


------------------------


Later that same night at the home of Shauna Daniels, she discovered where her father was and then dialed the number of her best friend, Marci Lopez. As soon as Marci answered, Shauna said, "Hey. It's me. Does your dad still own that land up in Crystal Lake?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Marci asked with a soft sigh. "What are you thinking?" She knew deep down Shauna was up to something.

"Never mind. Just make sure when he asks, that is where you want to take us for the trip. Once we get there, I'll handle the rest." Shauna said and then before Marci could respond, Shauna hung up on her.

Marci sighed and also hung up. She then went and did as she had been told. The destination was now changed to Crystal Lake.