Free Bursting with Confidence by Amanda Lawrence Auverigne

Chapter
One
     
    Haley climbed up the stone
staircase of the large stone mansion.
    The house was the color of slate.
The dwelling possessed three floors. Rows of shimmering windows
decorated the front portion of the mansion.
    Haley reached the top of the
staircase and she moved to the door of the house.
    The wooden door was large. The
partition was the color of blood. A large brass doorknocker dangled
from the center of the massive portal.
    The metal doorknocker possessed the
shape of a human's head.
    The bronze figure's elaborately
carved features were twisted into a painful grimace. The thing's
eyes were partially closed. Two gleaming tiny yellow stones could
be seen beneath the metal face's partially opened
eyelids.
    Tiny intricately carved flames
jutted from the left and right portion of the bronze figure's head.
A large weighted silver ring hung from the form's chin. The metal
circlet rested atop the smooth wood of the blood-colored
door.
    Haley stared at the tortured face
of the bronze doorknocker for a few moments. She lowered her sight
from the shimmering yellow stones that protruded from its eye
sockets. She gazed at the metal ring beneath the carved
form.
    "Okay," Haley whispered.
    Haley raised her right hand and she
grabbed at the silver ring with a sigh.
    The metal was cold and heavy in her
grasp.
    Haley raised the weighted object
from its perch atop the door. She held the ring a few inches atop
the partition before she suddenly turned away from the
door.
    Haley looked at the left side of
the door.
    A small white circular doorbell
jutted from the brick wall a few inches away from the door's
massive wooden frame.
    "Good," Haley said.
    Haley turned to the doorknocker.
She lowered the silver ring in her grasp. She slowly placed the
weighted circlet gently atop the red door before removing her hand
from the silver circlet. She turned from the door, took a step to
the doorbell, raised her left hand and pressed the tip of her index
finger against the white object.
    A low buzzing noise poured from the
doorbell.
    Haley dropped her hand from the
doorbell with a low cry.
    After a few seconds, the low trill
of heavy chimes echoed from the interior of the red
door.
    The music continued and increased
in intensity.
    Haley looked at the door and she
tilted her head while she listened to the tune.
    After a few seconds, Haley
recognized the music.
    "A requiem?" Haley whispered in
awe.
    The music stopped.
    The sound of loud footsteps echoed
from the interior of the house.
    The low tread of footfalls suddenly
ceased. The sound of loud clicking noises poured from the large red
door just before the massive partition was suddenly pulled
ajar.
    Haley blinked and she gazed at the
space in front of her.
    Her best friend, Abigail, stood in
the entrance.
    “ Haley you're here!” Abigail
cried.
    Abigail rushed forward. She pulled
Haley into a tight hug.
    Haley hugged Abigail. "Yeah I
walked here."
    Abigail pushed Haley away from her.
"Are you serious? What happened to your whip?"
    "Blown tire," Haley responded with
a dramatic roll of her eyes.
    "What happened?" Abigail
asked.
    "Nothing really."
    "Huh?"
    "Its just my stupid little
brother Spencer was drag racing in the mall parking lot after
seeing that one stupid racing movie with his loser friends and he
rolled over a couple of bottles or something. At least
that's
his
story."
    "Didn't he just get his license
last week?"
    "Yup, a total fail for him. And for
me too since I don't have a working car."
    "That sucks. Spencer's hooking you
up with some new tires right?"
    "Dad said he'll get me some new
treads but Spencer's going to have to pay him back. Well he will
pay him because the only thing he'll be doing for the next two
months is working at the Electronics Mart and going to school. He's
totally grounded. Dad took his Xbox, his comp, IPad and cell last
night and you should have seen how he cried. I felt so bad for him.
Not really."
    "Funny! Well what are you going to
do until you get