Chapter 17:

DAYMARE 7: Curiosity Relive part 2

YOUR ONLINE READER KILLER


"I'm here!" I took off my rubber shoes as soon as I got inside the house.

"Wiwin!" I was greeted with a small hug from Janey, my 10-year-old youngest sister.

I hugged her back and wiggled her pigtails.

“It took you a while, Winwin.” My 21-year-old older sister Vea also greeted me. It irked me when she called me by the nickname she made for me.

"Vea, he's not Winwin, he is Wiwin," said the youngest.

And this one also created another funny nickname for me. They are indeed sisters.

“Can you guys stop calling me either of those?”

“We’re not guys!” They replied in unison. They are sisters, confirmed.

"Go take a bath,” Vea ordered me. “You reek of sweat."

The summer heat hits differently this time.

I went up to my room, took a quick bath, and got dressed. I sat at the end of my bed and played Xbox.

Alright, a quick preview about myself.

Playing video games has been my hobby since I was a kid. I will be in grade 11 this coming school year. I'm studying at Clairene Academy, not sure if I’ll proceed with it.

There are four of us in the family. My father died early, making it more miserable for me as the only male in the household, kidding. My eardrums are always cracked, and I need a hearing aid from the 3 naggers.

I'm just an ordinary teenager commonly seen around. There's nothing special about me other than that I'm a good gamer. Rico is my best friend who always tags along with me to play games and do mindless yet fun stuff. And we love hanging out to eat street food near the school. That's one of the things I'll miss if I ever move to another school.

*cellphone rings*

I was startled during my storytelling when I heard someone’s phone ring. I know it wasn’t my phone ringing because this one has a funny ringtone. I looked for the cellphone and found it under my bed.

I left the room and stepped down the stairs.

"Vea, someone's calling! Why’s your phone under my bed?”

"She’s taking a bath!" Janey shouted.

"Okay, I'll answer this."

I peered at who called my sister’s phone, but it was an unknown number. I would have pressed it when it missed a call. Okay, then, saves me some time.

I just went back to my room. I'll return her phone later.

I would have continued playing when I became curious about the contents of my sister's cellphone. Hihi, it must be her new boyfriend, that’s why it was an unknown number. You little brat, you’re hiding something from us. Thanks, and I know her passcode from which I secretly caught a glimpse of before when we were eating at the table. I am not supposed to read her messages, but it seems interesting. My sister doesn't have a boyfriend until now, so maybe the unknown number is a lover that she’s hiding from us. Haha, how lucky am I to expose something like this?

I smell something fishy!

I opened her phone’s lock screen, but the other apps have passwords, including her inbox, tch. In the end, I couldn’t check her messages. I swiped her phone to look at another interesting thing that could expose her secret boyfriend.

Okay, so these are her social apps, learning apps, communication apps… no dating app, huh? I laughed at the thought of it.

A notification popped in from an app that wasn’t familiar to me. It got my attention, so I clicked it.

bookfiend? What is this?

I clicked it, and then I found out that it was an online book. My sister reads things like this?

I peeked at her online library, where she saves her online book collection. Pfft… She reads drama and romance! That’s so like her.

I heard from some of my female classmates at school that this online book thingy is becoming more popular than ever, and even boys are reading some of it too.

I searched for other books available here. Maybe something sounds interesting and will suit my taste.

Hmmm…

Sci-fi – I play sci-fi games with amazing storylines.

Romance – Not this one. Vea already reads this, so I’ll be an exception.

Fantasy – Is there some sort of heroes there? And swords? Like the roleplaying game that I am grinding right now for the limited-edition skins?

Humor – ain’t in the right mood for a laugh. My life is already a joke, remember?

Chic lit – nah-ah-ah, skip

Drama – enough of life drama. Next, please!

Fan-fiction – not a fan of fanfiction, my bad

Horror – but would this even scare me?

Hmm… how about a horror?

I’ve played a bunch of horror online games but never read one. I’m used to being scared in various video games because there are visuals and sound effects that elevate my horrific experience.

But how does it work when it comes to books?

This sounds boring to me.

I searched if there was anything worthy of reading. I searched for the one with the most readers and found millions who had read it. There are comments stating that this book has a good story, relatable characters, and incredible plot twists that would send chills down my throat. There are lots of votes and shares. The book cover is unique that can capture the readers’ attention easily. The author of this one seems famous too because he has a lot of other books and followers.

Okay. That one doesn't sound bad.

I searched for more, but nothing else seemed better for my taste.

Starting with a famous online book would be a great start, wouldn’t it?

Hope this one will scare the sh*t out of me. I almost clicked the button so I could read the popular horror novel with millions of views when I saw another ongoing online book with only one view. The book cover is too bland for horror.

Compared to others with hundreds to millions, this must be a new story uploaded in the app by a noob writer because it only has one reader.

Oooh, how about I’ll be the second reader of this?

That sounds more interesting than being the 9 millionth reader of a famous online book.

Because of its title, my forehead furrowed in no time.

I clicked the book cover.

*windows closed*

“Wha!” I shouted.

I was spooked when the casement window in my room closed in a snap. The window curtain danced because a strong wind entered my room.

I closed the windows for a bit and went back to sitting on my bed.

I read the book title, and it led me to its story.

CURIOSITY KILLS.

Nemorique
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Nemorique
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