Bursting Box Publishing

Get ready for some twists!

Okay, seriously, if you haven’t read Don’t Date the Haunted through Chapter 17, DO NOT READ THIS POST. I’m not as much of an anti-spoiler as my husband (he doesn’t even like to watch trailers), but this time I’m serious.

If you haven’t read Don’t Date the Haunted yet, please remedy that BEFORE reading this post.

“Don’t spoil stories!” Wit said. . . .
“That’s not how this works,” Wit said. “It needs drama. Suspense. Surprise.”

– “Rhythm of War,” by Brandon Sanderson

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Okay, supposing you’ve read the book at LEAST through chapter 17, let’s get into it.

When talking with people who finished Don’t Date the Haunted, I often asked if they predicted any of the twists. Several of them predicted one twist, but not the others. Many of them suspected Mr. E to be the Haunting. Some even considered Theo. When Mr. E was cleared, a couple caught on that Sean was the poltergeist (in a way). Very few people predicted that Pansy had killed him–that she actually was guilty of Mr. E’s accusations. Even though part of Pansy’s introduction says:

With a deep breath, I lied to myself on more time–Sean’s death wasn’t my fault.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” page 2

Of course, she blames herself for his death…because he died by the poltergeist’s power and her physical hands. This twist probably seems bigger than Mr. E’s revelation and Sean’s appearance because it’s a secret that Pansy kept…and the whole story’s from her head. That’s what English teachers call “unreliable narrators.”

Flashback to Six Months Earlier

Even when I had the prologue in place, Sean’s death wasn’t explained until this scene. (If you’re wondering “What prologue?” because you’re coming in later to these Behind the Scenes posts, you can take this link to the prologue Behind the Scenes, then read through the following chapters. Enjoy the deleted scenes!)

The only real changes in this scene are the powers of the poltergeist. Confession: villains are hard for me to write. I just want to say “they’re evil,” and leave it at that. It’s hard for me to explore their backstories because I don’t want to try to understand them. Ulysses Dethrage (the poltergeist) is a tortured soul. He was a madman who killed his girlfriend when he caught her cheating on him. The boyfriend got his revenge by killing Ulysses, but his spirit was too angry to rest. He was a wandering and lost soul when Dr. Hyde caught him.

More details on this in the prequel novella, “Pansy and Sean, Sitting in a Tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G” included in From Horror with Love!

In brief, Pansy and Sean had survived a werewolf Haunting together, but their remission would end during their high school graduation and wedding. They did not want a Haunting for that time. A friend convinced them to search out a Haunting before then to force a remission during their graduation and wedding.
To lure a Haunting, they broke the rules.
They went into the mountains and camped for a couple nights.

First, their friend disappeared. Then Sean. Pansy searched for Sean and found him in Dr. Hyde’s cabin basement. They killed Dr. Hyde by shooting him in the heart and head, then turned on the sprinklers.

The Hauntings Investigations Unit set the entire cabin on fire, sending the souls with prayers to the Supernaturals for mercy.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter 17. (Just in case anyone wondered if the fire element was a plot hole)

Read the full story in From Horror with Love!

The flashback given in Don’t Date the Haunted was supposed to be their “happily ever after” time…but the Haunting wasn’t finished with them yet.

Personally, I find this scene scarier than the Tower basement scene, but that’s probably because one of my biggest fears is creepy guys. For reals, the scariest part of “Twilight” was the Port Angeles scene.

And the Truth Comes Out

So, Pansy lied to Mr. E because she knew that he wouldn’t believe her even if she told him the truth. In case anybody was still confused, I’ll clarify here; Pansy is a virgin. She did not break Horror’s #1 rule. Yes, I’m an old-fashioned religious girl, so that’s how it is.

Continue to the next chapter as they go on the Offense!