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Acton is a small town north of Los Angeles, so tiny it doesn't even have a Wikipedia page.
Starting from the San Fernando Valley, you can get there via Highway 14. It's not too far.
When Lydia learned her daughter might be expelled, she was frantic and begged Roy to drive her to Acton. She didn't know how to drive, and buses to Acton were scarce.
With no other choice, Roy decided to help her out to earn her trust. He called Saltana to bring the Bumblebee to Sangiviki, then drove Lydia to Acton in the muscle car.
On the way, Lydia fell asleep, clearly exhausted. Roy didn't wake her.
"Astrid, you can come out now."
A middle-aged nun opened the door to a detention room, where a dark-haired teenage girl sat with a rebellious look on her face.
This was Astrid, Lydia's daughter, deep in her rebellious phase.
"This is my final warning, Astrid! Break the school rules again, and you're out!" the nun said sternly.
Astrid gave the nun a dismissive glance, her attitude screaming that the warning went in one ear and out the other.
"And why are you wearing such tattered clothes?" the nun added, grabbing Astrid's arm and pointing at her outfit.
It was likely a trendy ripped outfit popular in big cities, but to the conservative nun, it was just rags.
"Don't touch me!" Astrid snapped, yanking her arm free and storming out of the detention room.
The nun shook her head, looking helpless as she watched Astrid leave.
"Astrid, your mother, Ms. Foster, might come to the school to see you today."
Astrid paused for a moment but quickly resumed walking away.
"She can come or not, whatever!" she called back.
Like many rebellious teens, Astrid harbored resentment toward her mother, Lydia. How much of it stemmed from Lydia's absence in her life? Astrid would never admit that was the reason. Instead, she claimed her mother's TV appearances, playing the mystic, embarrassed her.
That was also why she got into fights at school.
It was the weekend, with no classes, so Astrid returned to her dorm, a shared room for four girls. As soon as she walked in, her three roommates greeted her like she was a returning hero.
"Welcome back, our great hero Astrid!" they cheered.
One girl shook a tambourine, another blew a whistle, and the third waved a small flag.
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Let's give these girls some names based on their traits: the one in the white tank top is Short-Hair, the blonde is Blondie, and the one with, ahem, a prominent figure is Dark-Hair.
(Old movie casting was just better.)
You'd think Astrid had done something epic, but all she did was get into a fight and spend a day in detention.
Astrid strutted in proudly, acting like she really was a hero.
"So, Astrid, how was detention?" Short-Hair asked, giving her shoulders a playful massage.
Astrid leaned into it, looking smug. "Eh, it was whatever."
Blondie piped up, "I heard a guy peed his pants in detention!"
Astrid scoffed. "Those loser guys are useless."
Dark-Hair nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! So, Astrid, you gonna keep breaking the rules?"
Astrid hesitated slightly, recalling Sister Meryl's warning just minutes ago.
Short-Hair, still massaging her shoulders, whispered, "What, you scared?"
At her age, Astrid's pride wouldn't let her admit fear. "Scared? I don't even know what that is! So, what's the plan?"
Blondie grinned and threw an arm around Astrid's neck. "I knew you were the coolest, Astrid! We're sneaking out tonight for a party. What do you think?"
Astrid's eyes lit up. At her age, a party sounded thrilling, but as the group's "leader," she had to play it cool to keep her authority.
"Sounds alright. Where's it at?"
Dark-Hair answered, "It's a secret spot. There'll be cute guys there, so wear something hot!"
At the mention of guys, Astrid's eyes sparkled, but she kept up her tough act, muttering, "Why do we need those dumb boys?"
It's a classic teen thing—putting down the opposite sex for the sake of image, even if it means missing out.
Short-Hair caught Astrid's excitement but didn't call her out. "Gotta have some guys to do the heavy lifting, right?"
That convinced Astrid. "Fair point."
She started imagining what surprises the party might hold, oblivious to the sly smiles her roommates exchanged.
That night, after lights out, the four girls quietly got up, using flashlights to do their makeup and get ready.
For many American girls, a party is like going to war—you need to be fully armed. Makeup is their weapon, clothes their armor, and everything has to be perfect.
Astrid, though, kept it simple: smoky eyeliner and a punk outfit, and she was done. Compared to her roommates' elaborate prep, she was low-effort.
Blondie gave her a curious look. "Astrid, that's it for your party look?"
Astrid shrugged. "It's enough. You guys aren't actually trying to snag boyfriends at this thing, are you?"
Dark-Hair, brushing her hair, shot back, "Even if we don't meet anyone, you can't just half-ass it!"
"Ugh, too much hassle! I'm not doing all that for some childish boys."
Blondie started to say something, but Short-Hair shushed them. "Quiet! I hear footsteps!"
The girls quickly turned off their flashlights and jumped into bed, pretending to sleep.
A moment later, Sister Meryl opened the door, shining her flashlight inside. Seeing nothing amiss, she left.
Once her footsteps faded, the girls sat up again.
"Ugh, that old hag always sneaks up like a ghost! I'm gonna have a heart attack!" Dark-Hair grumbled.
Astrid smirked. "What's to fear? Worst case, it's just detention."
Short-Hair rolled her eyes. "Are you addicted to detention or something?"
"You're the one addicted!"
Blondie cut in, "Stop fighting! Finish getting ready. We're already late!"
Short-Hair shrugged. "So what? Girls have the right to be fashionably late. Let the boys wait."
Dark-Hair agreed. "Exactly! Once they see us all dolled up, they'll forgive us."
So the three girls continued primping, slipping into their most alluring outfits. Astrid, meanwhile, stood watch to make sure Sister Meryl didn't circle back.
By 11:30 PM, half an hour past their agreed meetup time, the four were finally ready. The dorm was silent, with students and nuns asleep. American schools often lack walls, so sneaking out was easy. They reached the meeting spot without a hitch.
A vintage muscle car was already waiting, with four boys inside—guys Astrid recognized from school, all roommates.
"Why's it you guys?" Astrid asked.
"Why not us?" the driver shot back, stepping out to give Dark-Hair a passionate kiss. Clearly, they were a couple.
Let's call this guy Red-Cap for his red baseball hat. The other three: one wore glasses and looked nerdy, so Glasses; one was super buff, so Jock; and the last wore a stylish leather jacket, so Leather-Guy.
The three boys got out to greet Astrid and her crew. It was obvious this party was a dorm mixer organized by Red-Cap and Dark-Hair, probably just an excuse for them to make out publicly. They were already all over each other, much to Astrid's disgust.
All four guys had their own charm—even shy Glasses was kind of cute. Short-Hair and Blondie seemed pleased, but Astrid wasn't impressed by guys her age.
She raised another issue. "One car? How are we all fitting?"
Leather-Guy, flirting hard with Blondie, grinned. "Easy—just sit on our laps, and we'll all fit!"
Blondie smiled back, clearly into him. "Great idea!"
"What kind of stupid idea is that? I'm not sitting on anyone's lap!" Astrid snapped.
In the end, Blondie sat on Leather-Guy's lap, Short-Hair on Jock's, and Dark-Hair on Red-Cap's. Astrid took the front passenger seat, leaving poor Glasses squished in the middle of the back.
It wasn't the safest setup for Red-Cap to drive, but it fit all eight. In a small town like Acton, the streets were empty after 8 PM, so as long as Red-Cap didn't floor it, they'd probably be fine.
The eight teens set off.
"So where are we even going for this party?" Astrid asked, curious.
"You'll see when we get there!" Dark-Hair replied with a mischievous grin. Everyone except Astrid seemed to know the destination.
Ten minutes later, the muscle car pulled up to a hill on the outskirts of town, where an old, dilapidated house stood.
Astrid stared in shock. "The House of Hal? Are you guys insane? A party here?"
The House of Hal was Acton's infamous haunted house, notorious for a massacre ten years ago. Astrid was just a kid back then, but the story stuck with her.
Ten years ago, a woman named Angela lived in the house. On Halloween, she threw a wild party. Everyone who attended—over twenty people—ended up dead, their bodies carried out by police.
Investigations revealed Angela was part of a cult. She killed everyone in the house as a sacrifice to gain demonic power. The ritual supposedly failed, and Angela took her own life.
But rumors persisted that her body vanished from the morgue, and strange noises often came from the house. It became Acton's most famous haunted spot, avoided even by stray cats and dogs.
Dark-Hair explained, "We spent all our party budget on beer and food. We couldn't afford a venue, so we picked the House of Hal. It's big, and no one comes here, so we can party till dawn!"
Astrid wasn't convinced. "Yeah, but…"
Short-Hair leaned in and whispered, "What, you scared, Astrid?"
Astrid sat up straight. "Scared? I don't even know what that word means!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The group got out, the boys grabbing stuff from the trunk: an old boombox, several cases of canned beer, and piles of fried chicken and fries. Red-Cap and Dark-Hair had clearly planned well.
The six laughed and chatted as they entered the House of Hal, brushing off the haunted rumors. Only Astrid lagged behind, not as fearless as she pretended.
Shy Glasses sidled up to her. "You nervous about the ghost stories?"
Astrid glared at him. "What are you talking about? I don't believe in that stuff!"
Glasses smiled faintly. "Oh? Want to hear the real story behind this place?"
The others overheard and turned back.
Leather-Guy looked excited. "Perry, you know something? Spill it!"
Glasses adjusted his frames. "It's no fun telling it out here. Let's go inside first."
Adapted from the horror-comedy film Scary Movie 2.