O'Kyle's Castle

"I went to a lawyer camp over the summer," Erin said. "I could probably help prove that your dad's not guilty." 

"It's worth a shot," Autumn shrugged. 

"Does this place have a library?" Addy asked. "I get my best thoughts when I'm reading." 

Autumn answered, "I don't know; I've never really been out of the island. But there must be one, I mean, it's a castle!" 

"Is it okay with your dad if we explore a little bit?" Erin wondered.

"Sure, he doesn't mind."

As the girls explored the island, they came across a small wooden door at the other end. Addy opened the door carefully, and the girls peeked out. In front of them, the wide kitchen floor stretched away into the distance. Autumn leaped down and hit the ground with a thud. A storm of flashing lights whirled around her, and she became the normal size of a human. The others also jumped down and the same thing happened to them. 

"We're back!" Erin exclaimed with delight. "It feels nice to be the right size again." 

A half hour of walking later, the girls found themselves staring at a room full of giant wooden bookcases filled with books of every kind. 

"I think we found the library," Addy remarked. "You guys go ahead and meet me back here in an hour."

"Okay," the other two agreed.

Addy wandered the room feeling as if she would be sucked into the bookcases. Soon she found a large dark green book on which gold writing said, "The History of O'Kyle's Castle-1763."

There was a faint cracking sound when Addy opened the book. As the small letters in the book flooded into Addy's mind she read,"On April 23, 1760 O'Kyle's Castle began to take shape. The O'Kyles were great people; Mr. Michael O'Kyle ran for town leader in the year 1715, and Mrs. Grace O'Kyle studied witchcraft in the early 1700s and eventually found a cure for largepox, a deadly disease that wreaked havoc over much of the world. In 1743, Mr. and Mrs. O'Kyle were murdered in their small home in Ballyshannon, Ireland." Addy stopped reading and stared at the book in shock. Murdered...she thought. How terrible....

Summer

......"Why yes, I am," the girl explained.
"What's your name?" Erin and Addy asked.
"Summer, Summer Brooks," Summer said. "Well, that's not my real name, but my dad made me change it because he did something really bad."
"If you don't mind us asking, what was it?" Erin queried.
Summer turned away, "He murdered my mom...or at least that's what the police thought. I don't believe it though."
"Well, how did you get here?" Addy asked.
"My dad escaped from jail a couple months ago and came to get me from our house. We ran away and the third day after he got me, we were going by here and a man came and pushed us into this castle. We've been trapped ever since." Summer told them.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Erin said. "What is your real name?"
"Autumn Longdragon," Summer said.
"Cool name," Addy remarked.

"I was born with two sisters but they got adopted before my dad supposedly committed the crime," Autumn told the two......

The Man Behind the Voice

.... From behind the darkness, a wise looking figure appeared. He had a scruffy gray beard and was wearing a dirty yellow raincoat. Fearing that the man would be cruel, the girls hid in the shadows of the shelf above them.
"Do not fear, I am kind," he said.
Erin and Addy peeked out of their hiding spot, "What is your name?"
"Let's just say my name's Garthheart."
"Our names are Addy and Erin!" Addy exclaimed.
Erin gave Addy a quick slap on the arm and whispered, "Don't tell him our names, we don't know him!"
"Oh yeah...our names are really...um...blab...ada...ba...," Addy stuttered.
"Okay...Addy and Erin. You have no idea how much you can trust me." Garthheart muttered.
"Well, even if he does know our names, it's all just a dream," Erin remarked carelessly to Addy.
"I wish it wasn't," Addy said, "This is really cool - we're in a castle!"
Addy, the fashionista of the two, quickly exclaimed, "What are you wearing?!?!?" when she noticed Garthheart's ugly clothing. She quickly pulled out a pair of men's khakis and a white T-shirt and handed it to Garthheart.
"Thank you. I've had these clothes since before you two were born."
Erin queried, "How do you know how old we are?"
"Just guessing based on your looks." Garthheart said kindly.
Erin frowned, wondering how, in the darkness, he could see them clearly enough to guess their ages. Odd...she thought, then shrugged and dismissed the thought. Garthheart strode over to the edge of the shelf and lowered himself off, tossing the clothes in front of him. Just as he landed, the girls heard the sound of footsteps in the shadows where Garthheart had first appeared. As the footsteps moved closer, they saw a girl emerge. She looked about twelve, the same age as Addy and Erin, and had light brown hair. The girl wore a long, flannel, ragged shirt and short shorts. Addy took one look, screeched, and quickly yanked out a long gray sweater, brown leggings, and boots, which she tossed toward the girl.
"Who are you? How did you get here?" the girl asked.
"My name is Erin, and this is Addy. We found this castle on our street and decided to explore. Then we met this man named Garthheart and gave him better clothes, 'cause his were kind of...well, lets just say they weren't ideal. Who are you? Are you his daughter?" Erin wondered.....

The Castle

.......As they continued through the many labyrinthine passages of the castle, Erin and Addy came to what seemed to be the kitchen. In the spacious room, they saw a large wooden island in the center of the room. As they passed the island, they felt a force tugging at them. Suddenly, Erin and Addy were sucked into the island's gaping jaws. However, when the island swallowed them into the hollow interior, they appeared to be shrunken. Instead of panicking about their new look, the girls decided to enjoy their tiny selves while they could. Erin climbed onto one of the shelves to have a look around. Addy quickly followed, frightened of being left alone on the dark floor of the island's interior. Unexpectedly, a loud booming voice echoed through the island, shaking the entire structure.

"WHO DARES TRESPASS IN MY CASTLE?!?!?" it proclaimed.

"Just us," Addy squeaked, trembling nervously.

"EXIT AT ONCE!" the voice replied.

"Show yourself!" the girls said in unison. 

Out of the darkness, a tall form appeared in front of them. When the two peered at the figure, they were astonished........ 

The Beginning

It was a cold, crisp autumn day and the sun was shining over all of Waterford. Addy dashed to her friend Erin's house. She had chest length straight dark brown hair, brown eyes, and lots of freckles. She was wearing her favorite pair of dark - not black - skinny jeans, a gray peacoat, a olive green scarf, and tall brown Ugg boots. When Addy rang Erin's doorbell, Erin appeared, looking the same as usual, with short wavy dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, and emerald green glasses. She was wearing medium wash skinny jeans, an orange Hollister T-shirt with a long sleeve brown shirt under it, and black boots. As they scampered outside, they noticed a colossal brick castle.
"Whoa," gasped Addy, gazing in awe at the monstropolous domain. Erin also stared at the imposing fortress in amazement. Addy, the more daring one of the two, darted through the giant metal gate in front of the castle and into its dimly lit interior. Erin, not wanting to be left behind, followed Addy at a quick pace. The two were astonished at the grand foyer of the castle and were eager to explore more..............