"Simple," Eric said. "It's all fake."

I smirked. He couldn't know that for sure, and for all we knew, the diamond-encrusted crown might have been worth a fortune. I was no expert, but they sure looked real to me, and no one would go to so much trouble to hid cubic zirconia in a horrible old attic. I pulled out a two-tiered tiara, set with dazzling diamonds, and marveled at the way the stones sparkled and danced with brilliance in the light. This tiny thing alone could buy out the whole shopping mall back home, I thought.

"Put it on," Pam coaxed, "just for fun."

"No." I shook my head slowly. "We shouldn't be messing with this stuff."

"It's a waste of time anyway," Eric said. "Playing dress-up with a bunch of costumes and fake crowns isn't getting us anywhere. Let's keep looking."

I regarded Pam. "Do you think this stuff is real?"

"They've gotta be fakes, Zoey, like Eric said. They wouldn't be up here if they were worth anything."

I knelt down and touched the satin dresses that were folded nicely and stacked inside a huge wooden crate. When I glanced up, Pam had disappeared. I spun around. "Guys?"

Nobody answered.

Frowning, I waved my flashlight around and saw my three companions staring at a painting on the other side of the wall.

"Zoey!" Hunter said. "C'mere! You're not gonna believe this."

I hurried over and glanced at the ancient painting. All four of our flashlight beams shined on it brightly, illuminating the swirling dust. When I saw what they were looking at, all I could do was gasp.

"Oh my gosh," Pam whispered, touching my arm. "She freaking looks just like you!"

There was a life-sized portrait of a princess in a flowing V-neck gown and a diamond crown. Her long blonde hair hung in waves down to her small waist. I was shocked by her eyes, because they looked just like mine. Her royal look was accentuated with a crystal necklace exactly like the one I never took off, a family heirloom that had been in the Sanders family for generations. I was confused at the similarity, because I knew the painting had to be created decades ago. How could a royal princess from hundreds of years ago look like me? And how can I possibly own her necklace?

Hunter looked at the painting, then focused on my crystal pendant necklace. "Seriously, if I didn't know any better, I might believe you're wearing the same jewelry. It's identical."

Eric stepped closer, his mouth gaping. "I can't even tell them apart."

"Who is she?" I asked, slipping my cell phone out of my pocket and snapping a pic. My cell phone had a horrible camera that took bad-quality photos, especially in the dark, but I had to try.

"The nameplate says she's Princess Isabella Montour," Pam said. "That's William's sister."

"William?" Eric said.

"Yeah, the guy in the history book...the one in Zoey's dream. Prince William Bernard Montour."

I had never believed in doppelgangers, but the painting had piqued my interest, and there were so many odd things going on already that I was beginning to doubt everything I'd come to hold true. "Why does she look so much like me? It's just...eerie."

Hunter shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Guys, check this out." Pam rushed over, grabbed the crown, and placed it on my head. When I tried to take it off, she scolded, "C'mon, Zoey. Humor us for a minute." She pulled out a brush from her purse and went about combing my hair, muttering under her breath, "I just need a minute to give you the same hairstyle." Then she adjusted the crown and took a step back, regarding me with pride. "There. My gosh! It's uncanny!"

All three of them were staring at me like I was some kind of circus freak.

Eric took a step back and shook his head. "I can understand somebody looking like this princess, but I don't understand the necklace. How can Zoey be wearing this exact necklace? It has to be a replica."

"Or a hoax," Pam blurted out. "Maybe this is some joke they're saving for later."

"No," I said. "It's only a picture. Besides, they couldn't be playing a prank on us. This picture's been hidden in the attic, so no one was supposed to find it."

"You could pass for this princess," Hunter winked, "except you're way cuter."

I smiled, flattered and blushing. Suddenly, flashes of light caught my eye. "Did you see that?" I slowly spun around. Goosebumps rose up on my neck as I stared at tiny, glowing orbs zigzagging around us. The entire room was blinking with thee weird, glowing balls, and high-pitched frequencies whizzed all around me, like a thousand electronic fireflies. It was the weirdest thing I'd ever encountered.

Eric's piercing voice cut through the air. "What the heck?"

"Wh-what's going on?" I shouted.

Pam's eyes widened as she glanced around. "This place is flipping haunted, that's what!"

Hunter and I locked gazes. "I dunno, but let's get outta here," he said.

Eric tugged at the large gold latch in the floor. "It's stuck!"

"Pull harder, man!" Hunter demanded.

Groaning, Eric gave it another tug, then anther, until his knuckles turned white. "Not working, dude."

"Quit being such a wimp, Eric!" Hunter yelled in frustration.

"You think you're some big jock or something, why don't you give it a try?"

Hunter walk over and yanked on it, but that didn't work either.

Suddenly, something dawned on me: I knew we'd left the trapdoor open, so someone else had to have shut and locked it. I had no idea what was going on or who was messing with it, but I didn't like it one bit.

"Oh my gosh!" Pam squealed.

I rushed over and pulled with every ounce of strength I possessed, but the door wouldn't budge. I let go so Hunter could give it another attempt, since he was so much stronger than any of us. While he was pulling, I scanned the attic space for another exit, but I saw none. "Maybe if all four of us try to kick it open." I didn't want to destroy property, but we were alone in a dusty, dark attic with weird little orbs frolicking around us, and we'd do anything to get out.

"On three!" Hunter said. "One...two...three!"

We all kicked the trapdoor, to no avail. At that point, I was sure we'd pissed off some supernatural force by trespassing in the attic, and we didn't have the strength to fight it or to break its hold on the door.

"What did we do to trigger those orbs?" Pam asked in a panic.

"Trespassing!" Eric said, echoing my thoughts.

"My thoughts exactly, and we opened the chest too," I added. "It didn't start till I put the crown on though."

"That's gotta be it," Pam said, covering her head as yellow balls of light darted in every direction. "Take the darn thing off, Zoey, before I come and yank it off your head!" Pam was terrified, but unlike the rest of us, she made no effort to hide it.

I had forgotten I was still wearing the crown, so I jerked it off my head and put it back in its rightful place, then slammed the chest lid shut. "There!" I screamed. "You happy now?" I truly hoped that would appease the spirits. I didn't believe in the supernatural world, but everything that was going on around us was blowing my nave mind right out of the water. I truly hoped we hadn't unleashed some kind of big-time curse.

Gazing around, I noticed that the orbs had disappeared-every single one of them. I let out a sigh of relief and quickly covered up the portrait by throwing the big white sheet over it, hoping to remove any trace of our meddling.

"There!" Pam yelled, her eyes darting around as if she talked to some invisible entity. "We put everything back. We're sorry! Excuse us for being curious!"

Eric motioned us forward, his voice wavering. "C'mon! The door's open. Let's get out of here before this thing decides it's not done with us yet."

Not one of us wasted a moment in rushing down the ladder, almost tripping over one another. A loud bang shook the walls, and the floor vibrated. My heart pounded, and I took a few deep breaths. Pam was screaming, and the thought occurred to me that in the movies, the screaming girl always gets slapped till she comes to her senses. It was tempting, but in the end, I decided against smacking my classmate and newfound friend. After all, one of us had to remain calm, and it was no time to lose my composure.

The glass chandelier swung back and forth menacingly, as if it might come crashing down on my head any second. My heart raced, and I didn't stick around to see anymore. I ran through the corridor, cutting left, then right, until I found myself back in familiar territory.

In a desperate attempt to put distance between myself and the castle, I ran right out the doors, down the long path, and through the courtyard, with the others in tow. I just needed some fresh air and a minute to think. My heart was pounding so hard that I couldn't focus. I wanted to comfort Pam, but my own hands were shaking as I tried to make sense of what just happened.

Pam clutched her heart, and Eric touched her back, as if to console her.

Everything we'd seen defied all rhyme and reason, and none of us could explain it away. That was what bothered me most of all-that there was no logical explanation.

I bent over to catch my breath, then looked up at Hunter. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Hunter gazed into my eyes. "I didn't...until now."

End of Installment #1.

My Haunted Fairytale (Book 2 in The Enchanted Castle Series) Now Available Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJRCOQ6 Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BJRCOQ6 BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/Ysb6uzIdsEk Castaway Book 1

By Chrissy Peebles

Copyright 2008 by Chrissy Peebles All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Book Trailer for the series: http://youtu.be/viwT0M8Ms_g Episode 1 "Vanquish fear and panic. Value living. Remember your goal: getting out alive."

U.S. Army Ranger Handbook I strolled toward my two best friends, Mike and Jack, who were standing near the stern of the boat. A faint light flashed in the night sky from the east, and I pointed. "Hey, was that lightning?"

Mike poured a pail of chum into the sea before he offered a smile. "Nah, not on my vacation."

"Hey, that's our last bucket," I said.

Mike set the pail down and wiped his hands on his tie-dyed board shorts. "It's five a.m. Night fishing's over. I let the fish have the rest of the bait."

Jack rummaged through the colorful, flashy lures in my dad's tackle box. "With all that chum floating in the water, maybe I'll catch myself a 100-pound tuna."

He smiled as I grinned. I loved the way he could always make me smile. We'd known each other since we were babies, and I couldn't ask for a better friend.

Standing at the railing, I leaned over. Powerful deck lights above illuminated the green water of the Pacific Ocean. I smiled as streaks of yellow and silver swarmed around the sailboat.

Mike playfully nudged me with his elbow. "Aren't the tuna amazing? I just want to jump in and swim with them."

I blew a long strand of black hair from my eyes. Yep. That's Mike for you-full of crazy ideas and too much energy he doesn't know what to do with. Of course he'd want to jump in. And I had no doubt he'd do it.

A roll of thunder rumbled in the distance. A summer storm? No, couldn't be. I lifted my head. Nothing but twinkling stars filled the black velvet sky.

I grabbed Mike's arm as he swung his leg over the rail. If he jumped in, I was going to give him a piece of my mind. "Don't you even think about it!"

Grinning as if daring me to stop him, he jumped down and pulled me close. He placed his strong hands on my hips, his touch sending shivers down my spine. I had a secret crush on Mike for as long as I could remember.

He winked, lowering his voice. "Okay, fine. I promise, no free diving-at least not until daylight."

I arched a brow. "Are you crazy? I bet sharks all the way from Australia can pick up the scent from all those fish guts you just dumped. You barely survived your last run-in with Jaws." I pointed to the jagged scar on his calf.

"Hey now. My battle scar"-Mike toyed with the shark tooth dangling from a black cord around his neck-"and this nifty little souvenir here, make me who I am today." His lips curled up. "Let's not dwell on the marine life, okay? How about later today we hit the beach again?"

Jack gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Listen, Surfer Boy, that isn't happening. The only place Casey's dad can even try to control you is on this boat, far, far away from everyone else."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

I grinned at Mike's miffed expression. Just because he was a teenage surfing star, even featuring on MTV's hit reality show Surf's Up, didn't mean he'd get any special treatment here-at least not from Jack or my parents.

Jack's sapphire blue eyes narrowed and his brown hair whipped around in the wind. "You dove off a ninety-foot waterfall when nobody was looking, you got us thrown out of a village, you-"

"Ah, come on!" Mike interrupted. "The chief had it all wrong. That little girl with the big brown eyes ran straight to me, and all I did was pat her on the head. She was the cutest little thing."

I pondered as I watched dark clouds roll in from the east. Mike finds everyone cute-everyone but me. My gaze dropped from the sky to meet his. "Yeah, but you know it's an insult to touch anyone's head in Fiji."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Guess I forgot that part. Anyway, we didn't deserve to get kicked out. And Casey, even your mom agrees with me."

Jack laughed and threw a wet rag in his direction. "You know that's only because our moms are all best friends, and-"

Smirking, Mike pointed the remote control at the CD stereo in the cockpit, increasing the volume until Jack's voice was drowned out entirely. I watched him inch closer, his hot breath brushing my cheek as he whispered in my ear, "C'mon. Let's jam to the beat of steel drums."

I felt my heartbeat speed up. Mike was just being flirty, as usual. To him, life was all about having fun, and nothing more. "C'mon, Jack!" I yelled over my shoulder, as Mike's hand clasped around mine, making my skin tingle. His warm, soft fingers rubbed against the back of my hand lightly as he pulled me toward the deck.

"Dance with Mike?" called back Jack. "No thanks, I'd rather put away our fishing stuff."

Well, to each his own. Now I could give Prince Charming my undivided attention. Mike smiled and kissed my hand before letting go.

"I'm beginning to feel the rhythm of the tropics." I swung my hips to the beat while my hands swirled above my head. I stared into Mike's piercing eyes. With eyes so green, it was no wonder four magazines had splashed his perfect face on their covers. Well, that along with his shaggy blond hair and that hip Malibu style.

A booming noise cracked through the air. I cupped an ear to hear above the music. Was that thunder? No, that had to be a loud, thumping bass note. The forecast hadn't mentioned rain; but then again, I swore I saw lightning.

Mike pointed up at a twinkling light in the Caribbean night sky. "Hey, what's that?"

I studied the odd light as it flashed red, green, blue, and white at regular intervals. Maybe it was a great and glorious sign from the cosmos, telling the world that Mike and I were meant to be together. I laughed at my own dumb logic. It couldn't be a plane, because it would've already flown over us. "It's a star...or maybe Venus."