Hello darlings!

Did you know that my spicy polyamorous vampire romance is coming out in TEN DAYS????

I can't believe it!

The first book in my new series, Sweet Nightmares, releases on December 24th!

I'd LOVE for you to read this so much that I'm sending you the first chapter. You can scroll down to read that now. :)

In other news, I'm going to try something new next year - using a paper planner! I haven't done this in YEARS and I'm hoping to have some fun journaling, writing, and seeing my goals progress.

Do you use a planner?

How do you make it fun?

Drop me a note and let me know!

Love,

Sophie

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*** Sweet Nightmares ***

If you're ready to read chapter one of Sweet Nightmares, here you go!

You can pre-order the book HERE.

1

Melody

Traipsing through the woods at five o’clock on a Thursday night isn’t exactly my idea of fun, but this is the price I pay for friendship.

I crouch down to take a couple of pictures of a fallen log. Violet will love that shot. She’s all about the scenic pictures that lead up to the buildings we explore together.

Her website, Everything You Need to Know About Urban Exploring, is wildly popular. In fact, it’s grown so much over the last year that she’s talking about bringing on an assistant or two. She doesn’t have the funds for that right now, which is how I got roped into being her photographer tonight.

It’s fine, though.

I can get the photo shoot done quickly and make it back to town for my seven o’clock shift at the bar I’m working at – Red’s. It’s a stupid name for a bar, to be sure, but Marcus Red has been running the bar since he was old enough to drink, so it’s something of a town legend. He’s a strict boss, despite practically being a skeleton at this point, so I can’t be late.

I won’t be late.

I take a few more pictures of the long-abandoned path I’m walking on, a couple shots of various trees and plants, and then I stop and look up at the mammoth building that rests before me.

“Found you,” I whisper.

I kind of hoped I wouldn’t.

The dilapidated building that stands before me is crumbling and falling apart, but I don’t really care about the risks involved at this point. I’m still going in.

I have to.

I promised Violet I was going to take some incredible pictures, and it’s no one’s fault but mine that I’m so late the sun will be setting soon. Doing a little urban exploring in an abandoned orphanage isn’t exactly something I really want to do in the dark, but I’m working all week, so it’s literally now or never.

I glance at my watch.

It’s only ten after five, which means I can do this fast and still get back in time for my shift at seven.

Right?

Right.

The front door to the building is hanging open. It’s dusty, too. I think it’s safe to say that nobody ever comes here. Despite the fact that this place was literally listed on an urban explorer’s website as a place that people should check out, I don’t think it actually sees a lot of foot traffic.

“Probably because everyone else comes during the day, dumbass,” I mutter to myself. With a sigh, I snap a picture of the front door before I carefully step inside. I move swiftly so that I’m not in the doorframe any longer than I have to be. This isn’t exactly the type of place that screams “you should visit.” It’s actually a little scary and kind of foreboding.

That’s the whole point, though. Right?

“Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

I take a picture of the front entrance area of the orphanage. The main hallway stretches toward the back of the building. There’s a staircase here that leads up, but there are so many holes and missing steps that I don’t think I’ll be going up there.

Rule one of urban exploring: don’t die while you’re alone.

It’s something I’m actually pretty nervous about, so I’m all about having carefully calculated risks throughout my experience here. According to the Internet, this place – Sweet’s Home for Children – was an orphanage that operated for more than a century before being shut down nearly 75 years ago because they were actually abusing children. The thought of it makes me sick.

I hate the idea that kids were being hurt. There’s a part of me that hates the idea that I’m here now, too. Isn’t it a little exploitive to be visiting a place that might literally be haunted by angry souls?

I’m not sure.

I’m just here to take pictures.

Click.

Click.

Click.

I snap a few shots of the hallway and the staircase. It’s still light enough for me to get some clear photos, which is fantastic. Although I’m doing this as a favor to Violet, she’s offered to buy any usable shots I bring her of this particular haunt because she wants to sell them to an urban explorer’s magazine. This is awesome because I could definitely use the money.

Losing my last job – the one that actually paid decently - wasn’t exactly on my to-do list, but what am I going to do?

Walk around an old orphanage, apparently.

Working at Red’s is just a temporary thing until I find real, proper office work. In the meantime, I’m snapping pictures for Violet and…I don’t know. Reevaluating my life choices, I guess.

The first floor is really creepy. There are dusty papers and notebooks littered on the floor. It’s kind of strange because usually, places that make it onto urban explorer websites tend to be kind of picked over. Even though there’s a policy of “take only pictures and leave only footprints,” not everyone follows those rules. It’s kind of disappointing since that means they’re going to be ruining things for everyone.

After a few minutes of walking around, I can’t really take the silence of this place. It’s making me nervous. I know that I’m alone, though, so I decide to pop in my earbuds and play some music. I realize that this isn’t very safe but listening to music while I snap photos for Violet is going to make me feel a lot better.

I find myself swaying to the music as I leave the front hallway and head into what appears to be a living room of sorts. There’s some old furniture that’s really dusty. A couch is knocked over. I feel a little bad about this. Once upon a time, this place was probably pretty nice and really beautiful. On a whim, I push the sofa back up in place.

“There,” I say.

I snap a picture.

It definitely looks like I posed the furniture because the dust is still sort of billowing everywhere, but it does look a little bit better. I feel a deep sense of satisfaction as I continue walking throughout the first floor.

I snap a picture of a cool painting that’s still hanging on the wall somehow. That’s one I’m surprised no one has stolen. It looks really beautiful. It’s a painting of the orphanage itself, and although there are a couple of drops of blood on it – which is kind of weird – it seems to be in pretty good shape altogether.

I explore the kitchen, the dining room, and what appears to be some sort of classroom or meeting room. I’m definitely not going upstairs on those rickety-ass steps, although I’m sure that’s where the bedrooms are. I think I’ve mostly seen everything there is to see until I notice a narrow door by the kitchen that’s closed over, but not shut completely.

At first glance, I assumed it was a closet of sorts, but now that I’m looking at it, I wonder if it’s a basement. Violet said this place didn’t have a basement. That’s what the website I found said, too. Apparently, everyone who has ever explored this place advises everyone to only go during the day and only to stay for a few minutes. Everyone seems to find this place creepy, but now that I’ve kind of gotten my bearings, it really doesn’t seem so bad.

The orphanage itself is in the middle of some trees. I’m hesitant to call it a “forest” even though it actually is. Westbridge Forest is actually a pretty famous place, but it’s also filled with lots of mysterious events and weird happenings.

But honestly, the trees are kind of straggly and sad, and the nearest town isn’t terribly far – it’s just several miles down the road. I parked in an abandoned parking lot and then walked over today. My car is only about twenty-five or thirty minutes from here on foot if I need to make a hasty escape.

Not that I’m planning on encountering any goblins or ghouls in the basement.

Reaching for the door, I see that it actually is concealing some stairs.

It’s darker now. The sun is setting fast, and the interior of the house is no longer as bright as it was earlier. My music is still loud enough to cover the sound of my beating heart. For just a moment, I think about turning it off, but I don’t really want to.

There’s just something about this band that makes me feel safe and comfortable. Sweet Nightmares is one of the weirdest albums I’ve ever heard. It’s by this band I love called Vampire’s Shadow. I’ve always thought they would be cooler if they spelled their name with a “z.” Vampirez Shadow sounds a little more badass to me.

Still, it doesn’t matter because they’re the best. Their music is so weird and sad and wonderful that it makes me feel so many different things all at once. I can’t really describe it.

Pulling out my flashlight, I start walking down the stairs. There’s a railing that feels sturdier than it looks, and I take the first few steps carefully. I wave the flashlight around, but I still can’t see the bottom of the stairs yet. This staircase is longer than usual. It feels like it goes down more than one story. I count thirty stairs. Then the staircase veers to the left, turning sharply, and I count another 30.

I know this is a bad idea.

I realize I should shoot Violet a text just in case, but when I pull my phone out of my pocket, there are no bars down here. Awesome. I can keep going down or I can go back up, and I don’t want to go back up. I’m scared out of my mind right now. What if there are spiders or rats down here? This definitely seems like the kind of creepy-ass space spiders would live.

Surprisingly, I haven’t seen a single web, though. This part of the orphanage seems strangely cleaner than the upper level.

Weird.

A few more minutes and I’m finally at the bottom of the stairs. It’s not an open basement. Instead, it’s like there’s a little landing and then a single door. There’s about five feet from the last stair to the door, and I wonder whether I should try to open it or if I should turn around and go back upstairs.

This is the part of the horror movie where the too-brave heroine’s friends all tell her to go back, but she doesn’t listen, and she’s the first kill.

That won’t be me.

The hair on the back of my neck seems to prick up. I reach for my phone and pull it out. I turn off the music and pull my earbuds out. The phone goes into my back pocket and the earbuds go into my front right pocket. My keys are in the front left. Everything seems to be eerily silent now as I stand there with my flashlight staring at the door.

This is the kind of moment where things feel super surreal and then someone murders you.  

I look around, but I’m alone. There’s no hidden camera. There’s no extra secret door. I don’t think there are any secret passageways here.

It’s just me and the door in front of me.

It feels like turning around and running away would be a total waste. Wouldn’t I always regret it? I get the feeling that I’d spend the rest of my life wondering what if.

What if there was something incredible behind the door?

What if I found a treasure?

What if there was an answer as to what happened here so long ago?

So, I reach for the brass doorknob and I turn.

I’m a little surprised to find that it’s unlocked. I’m not really sure why. It’s just that there is a keyhole – an old one, like that requires a skeleton key – and it’s a lone door at the bottom of a creepy staircase in an abandoned orphanage in the woods.

Why would someone leave this door unlocked?

I know the story of the orphanage. I know that it was shut down quite literally in the middle of the night. Everyone fled the premises and it was years before anyone went back. As far as I know, the staff members weren’t even allowed to collect the belongings of the children who lived there. Everyone just left with the clothes they were wearing in their sleep. This is one of the reasons that this particular place is so interesting to visit.

At least, that’s what Violet tells me.

I know she’s never been to the orphanage. It’s on her to-visit list, but her list has actually gotten pretty long, which is why I’m helping her out. Now that she’s so focused on expanding her website and building her brand, her list just keeps getting longer and longer.

I push open the door and shine my flashlight down a hallway. It’s a very narrow sort of hallway, but it also seems like the ceiling is higher than usual. This doesn’t feel like a basement so much as it feels like a secret passageway. There are candleholders that line the walls of the hallway, but they aren’t lit. Obviously, they haven’t been lit in a long time.

Probably about 75 years, I’d say.

I’m fascinated as I stand in the entrance to the hallway. I almost forget about taking pictures, but luckily, I remember before I start walking down the hallway. The flash on my phone is pretty good, so I get a couple of clear pictures. First, I take a few of the hallway. Then I get some up-close pictures of the candlestick holders. A couple of them still have candles in them that have burned low. A few have candles that appear to be unused. It’s sort of strange, but that’s how everything in this place seems to be.

Making my way down the hallway, I swing my flashlight around at the walls. The floor in the hallway is covered with thick carpet. It looks burgundy. It’s got little gold flowers that swirl around in an ornate pattern. The walls are mostly empty, but there are a couple of empty picture frames that look like they used to have paintings.

This part of the orphanage isn’t dusty, either.

Did someone come clean here?

Shouldn’t there be spiders?

Bugs?

There are no rats.

I keep walking until I finally reach another door. Unlike the first one, this appears to be locked. I walk a little bit more. There’s another door. This one is also locked. Okay, weird. It’s like a hallway of doors and they’re all locked. What’s even weirder is that unlike the first floor of the building, the basement isn’t completely falling apart.

It’s like this portion of the orphanage was somehow protected from the passing of time. I kind of like it, actually. If Violet includes my pictures in her magazine submissions or on her website, I’m almost worried because this place looks like, sort of magical.

It’s a bit weird.

I finally reach the end of the hall. I guess that’s all there is to this place. I turn around in a circle, swinging the flashlight around, and I start taking pictures.

Okay, so that was easier than I thought it was going to be, right?

It wasn’t that weird at all.

And that’s when I hear voices.

No – singing.

Someone is singing.

It’s subtle at first, but I know the distinct sounds of my favorite song from my favorite band.

You and me together. You wished it was forever. Well, now it is. Now it is.

It’s a song about a vampire claiming his chosen bride, and it’s really weird and edgy and haunting. It’s beautiful, if you ask me.

Violet doesn’t like it. She doesn’t like anything about my favorite band at all, but that’s her problem. She’s got bad taste, and she’s going to have to deal with it. I’ll try my best to help her, but I can’t help her if she doesn’t want help.

The song, though.

Did I accidentally hit a button on my phone? Maybe it started playing again through my earbuds and I’ve just got the volume turned up so I can hear them from my pocket.

Only, when I check my phone, it’s not playing anything.

My music app isn’t even open right now.

So, where’s the music coming from?

Hanging out in the basement of an abandoned and possibly haunted orphanage should probably scare me, but right now, I feel more excited than scared. Are there other people exploring down here? Are they hanging out in one of the locked rooms?

And why the hell are the rooms locked?

I realize that I didn’t keep checking all of the doors. Maybe one of them is open. Could that be where the music is coming from? I only checked the first three or four doors, so I start backtracking my steps until, sure enough, one of the doors in the very center of the hallway is unlocked.

I turn the knob.

There’s another hallway here. This one is just as long as the first one, but unlike the first one, the candles here are lit.

“What the fuck?” I whisper this out loud even though it’s insane. Okay, so note to self: this place isn’t nearly as abandoned as Violet said it was. Well, Violet and the entire Internet. What the hell? Why would this place be listed on an urban exploration website when it’s obviously in use?

Not only is it in use, but it’s like, actively being used.

Those candles couldn’t have lit themselves and judging by the fact that they’re no more than half-burned, I’d say they were only lit an hour or two ago.

So, someone could still be down here.

It could be a cult or a murderer, or possibly just a friendly ghost. Every nerve in my body should be telling me to run away, but suddenly, I’m more excited than scared.

Someone is here.

I guess that’s why the space is so clean.

Like the first hallway, this one has a lot of doors. Once again, most of them are locked. Soon enough, though, I find one that’s unlocked. I think it’s also the door where the music is coming from. I pause for a moment and take a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Then I step inside.

The room is dark, but there’s a stage in the center of it. There are four sections of chairs - one section on every single side of the stage. It looks like there’s a band playing in the center. A Vampire’s Shadow cover band, maybe? Stepping inside quickly, I close the door silently behind me and take a seat in the last row of the first section of chairs.

The audience is empty, and nobody on stage seems to notice me.

The band plays on. They’re hitting every note so perfectly. There are four band members and they’re doing such a damn good job with hitting the notes that I barely notice when they transition from one song to another. I realize that they’re facing the set of chairs to the right of this one, so carefully, I stand up and make my way over. I stay in the shadows – not that there’s much light in this room at all – and take a seat in the back row once again.

Now I can see the band playing. They’re doing such a good job. There aren’t four people up there, though. There are three. Whoever is supposed to have the guitarist’s role isn’t there for some reason, but there is a guitar resting on a stand somewhat close to the drums.

The lead singer is hitting every note perfectly and I’m sitting there singing along and enjoying the music. I close my eyes as I let the music wash over me. Sooner or later, they’re going to notice that I’m here and probably kick me out. I have no idea what kind of weirdos practice music in an abandoned orphanage, but I’m so into this that I can’t walk away.

I’m also relieved that they aren’t, in fact, some sort of cult.

They’re just nerds who love music.

Like me.

There’s just something mesmerizing about the music, about the songs, about the way these people hold their instruments. It’s hauntingly beautiful and I don’t want to leave.

There are candles lining the walls and that’s the only light in this place. There’s a glow cast on the singers, but I don’t really understand how they’re able to see their instruments well enough to play or how they’re able to stay so in sync in the dark. Maybe they’re wearing night vision goggles.

I can’t tell because it’s too damn dark.

And that’s when I feel a hand clasped over my mouth and another one on my throat.

Someone has come up from behind me and grabbed me.

Someone has caught me.

“Little girl, you’ve wandered into the lion’s den.”

Want to keep reading?

You can pre-order the book HERE.