In the premiere issue of READ this year, we asked you to write a conclusion to the story Bad Blood. The following is how Carly Arias envisioned it continuing...

Beyond Bad Blood
 - Carly Arias, Grade 8

"Maybe." I said. I looked down at the highway ahead of me. "Then again, maybe not."

Those were the last words that I said to my dad that day. Now, after two years of road tripping, I'm finally going back to that little town in Ohio. My corvette, still red and delicious, has been my one an only love.

Every night all I can think about is poor old Mrs. Anderson dying alone. As I'm driving down the road to the old house and its memories all I can do is tremble. Tremble with the fear of remembering things. Tremble with the fear of seeing her ghost. Tremble thinking, "Did she die because of me?"

As I drove past her house, to my surprise the lights were on. As I got out of the car quietly, I saw a vague image of a man standing near the window. I went around back, peeked in, and immediately dropped to the floor. I blanked out and saw what was like a "movie" in my head about Mrs. Anderson looking at her son, Gary's, picture. Then I awoke. As I looked in the window again... the man was still standing there. I squinted to see his face... it was Gary!

I ran and jumped into the car. Quickly locking the doors I thought, "Is it Gary's ghost coming back to haunt me, or was he never really dead?"

I turned the car on and backed out of the driveway. Down the road about two miles or so was a motel. I checked in, got my stuff and headed into the room. The second I stepped in the room I got a whiff of something. It was neither bad nor good. It was familiar. It smelled like Mrs. Anderson's house. That dusty colonial smell.

The next day I drove past the house again and saw the door and windows open. So, I parked my car a little down the street and walked to the house. I walked in and saw Gary. He sprinted towards me and knocked me on the floor. He started to scream. "You! You are the one who killed her!" Then he vanished.

I drove as fast as I could back to the motel. I ran into the room, locked the door, and hid under the covers. I eventually decided that I would have to face my fears. The next day, I went to the house one last time. When I saw Gary, I called out his name. He vanished and then appeared right behind me. I told him how I was sorry--how I never meant to hurt him or his mom. I decided to return the car to him. I handed him the keys just as a white light flashed... and he disappeared. This time for good.

My nightmares were over.