Ensnared: Kiara Series, #1

By Sian B. Claven

What if there are worse things than a quick death?

Amari is settling into her life on an isolated farm, her parent's dream, not hers, but until she can discover what she wants, that's where she'll be.
A girl sits on the boundary wall, something is in the woods that seems to want to catch her, and she finds a book in her bedroom that knows what she's thinking.
But that's impossible, right?
With a witch after her and a trapped soul to set free, Amari must do everything in her power to protect her family and save Kiara.

A perfect short spooky tale for young and old, Sian's first and most tame book. Fans of YA horror will be thrilled with this tale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sian B. Claven
• Release date: Jul 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781393429654

Sian B. Claven

Known as the International Bestselling, Award-winning Author of horrific old-school terror titles such as Buried and the Asylum Series, Sian B. Claven brings back a nostalgic telling of creepy tales. Aiming high, this misleadingly bubbly author terrifies her fans with tales of ghosts, murderers, and demonic possessions as though handing out candy to children, all while expanding her releases from her first young adult horror in 2017 to her more recent explicit demonic occult horror in 2021. With an on the edge of your seat series, Claven enthralled her readers with her Butcher series, surprising them with a fourth and now final book in the series in 2021 as part of the Notorious Mind’s Boxset, along with Shh, which were both part of the Soul’s Day Boxset which made her an International Bestselling Author. Claven also dabbles in the Science-Fiction Space Adventure genre, having republished her Spacehiker Adventure Series – Unlikely Hero with an updated cover and storyline after receiving criticism about the book’s length. Claven looks forward to expanding this universe. Further challenging herself, Claven also tackled writing a paranormal romance series, the first of which released as part of the Possessed by Passion boxset in March 2021. The series will continue, and Claven looks forward to exploring this new world. Born in Southern Africa, Claven resides in Johannesburg, where she grew up with a vivid imagination and has been writing for as long as she can remember. When she was not immersing herself in books, she created her own worlds, both by herself and with her friends. After her sister immigrated in 2017, Claven wrote and published her first book and has been on an amazing journey ever since. Claven is an avid Harry Potter and Star Wars fan, Funko Pop Collector, 3d Puzzle builder, Diamon Art painter, and studying addict. She also has a penchant for Lego. She resides with her two best friends, their six dogs, and two cats.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Take this one away from me,

I pray to Thee,

Great Deity.

---

Take this one far away,

To never see the light of day,

Great Deity.

---

Take her to worlds a many,

Take her to worlds that vary,

Great Deity.

---

Take this one away from me,

I pray to Thee,

Great Deity.

---

Take this one and plant her there,

That she may never again breathe air,

That she may never see daylight,

That she may live in eternal night,

That never again I will see her face,

That never again she will me disgrace,

Take this one away from me,

I pray to Thee,

Great Deity.

1

Amari sat in the car and watched the scenery pass by. She couldn’t believe that her parents had actually gone through with their idea and purchased a farm in the middle of nowhere. The worst part was that she had to accompany them because, although she was twenty years old, she was still dependant on them.

Loaded into the Range Rover, they had driven four hours cross country to get to the farmlands. The scenery was beautiful and she thought it magical, but they were far from towns or other people, and anything fun to do.

Her parents expected her to work on the farm and help plant and tend crops. She was also not looking forward to that. Physical labour had never been Amari’s favourite pastime. She was expected to do this until colleges opened up for registration again, then her father wanted her decision on what to study, or he was going to make it for her.

Before she knew it, her father had turned onto a dirt road, kicking dust up as they travelled through a dead forest. There were trees on either side of them, but the branches were bare and they had an ominous look about them. Amari tried to peer as far between the trees as she could, but the car was travelling too fast for her to see anything.

She sighed and sat back, bored and already dreading starting her work on the farm.

As they passed what must have been a boundary wall for the farm, she saw a small girl sitting on the edge of it looking up the road. Amari swung around in her seat to look back as they went by. The girl didn’t seem interested in their car, staring instead up ahead. Amari shifted around to see what she was looking at and saw it, directly in front, the farm house that she could only assume was their new home.

It was exactly as Amari had imagined it would be. Old and broken-down looking.

Her father, Jono, stopped the car right outside the house and turned around to smile at her. Well, here we are. You excited yet?

Sashqua, her mother, glanced back to gauge her reaction.

Amari gave them a hesitant smile. Yeah … sure …

She could see the disappointment written all over their faces and her father muttered something about ungrateful children as he climbed out of the car. She clambered out after him and reached out to touch his arm, but he was already walking towards the house.

Her mother rounded the car and smiled at her. I know it’s not what you wanted, but we can make it work, can’t we?

Amari gave her mother a grateful smile. Her mother was amazing. Sashqua Ida always knew how to sympathise with her daughter and give her hope for whatever venture they set out on. This one was no different.

She was far from the nearest sign of civilisation, so there would be little to do that was not farm related, and there would be nowhere to escape to except the creepy forest with the weird little girl on the wall. Amari wondered about her and wondered if she lived nearby. Her parents were either brave or really negligent for allowing their daughter to stray from home in such a rural area. She mentally shook herself, because she needed to be present and accounted for while her parents gave her the ‘grand’ tour of their new home.

Her father opened the front door and before it reached the wall of the house it came off of its hinges and hit the floor with a loud BANG. Amari and her mother tried not to laugh, but after Jono gave them a horrified look, they both burst at the seams and their laughter echoed throughout the house.

They crossed the threshold and Sashqua searched for a light switch. Amari stood glancing around at what she could make out in the dim light from the open door.

From what she could see their furniture had already arrived, although how it was still here with the door being that unstable was a mystery to her. If she were a robber she would have cleaned this place out. Then again, she reminded herself, they were so far from civilisation that any would-be criminals probably didn’t know this farm existed.

Sashqua found the switch and flicked it, but nothing happened. She looked at Jono meaningfully and he gave her a bright smile.

It’s probably just switched off at the breaker, he said, because there was no point leaving the electricity on while there were no residents.

Sashqua didn’t reply and simply placed her hands on her hips.

Jono quickly exited the house.

Amari grinned at her mother and went to stand near her while they listened to the sounds of the creaky old house settling and the shuffling of her father digging through their bags in the boot.

He soon returned, looking triumphant with a flashlight clenched in his hand. See! I am always prepared! he exclaimed as he turned the device on.

Both women shrieked as bright light shone directly into their eyes, leaving them seeing large spots when he moved the light away while apologising profusely. Before her mother could lay into him for being inconsiderate, he quickly made his way into the kitchen to look for the circuit breaker.

It must be downstairs in the basement, he called to them.

While they listened to him struggle with a door, Amari looked at her mother. There’s a basement? she asked curiously.

Sashqua nodded. Yes, it’s where we’re going to build dad’s workshop for all his junk.

Her father called out, I heard that and it’s not junk! They are collector’s items!

Amari heard him wrench open the door at last and make his way downstairs. The loud thump of his feet hitting wooden stairs echoed eerily through the house. She shivered and moved closer to her mother.

It’s cold and creepy, mom, she whispered, not wanting her father to be upset with her first comments on their new residence.

Sashqua rubbed Amari’s arms to warm her up. That’s just because there are no lights and we haven’t opened windows and curtains yet. Once we’re settled it will be better. You’ll get used to it before you know it.

The lights suddenly came on.

Her mother smiled. See? It’s a start. Now why don’t you help me open up everything so it can get some air before we offload the car?

Amari didn’t argue as she moved into the living room and opened dusty curtains and windows to let in air and light. She looked around as more and more light entered and noticed that there seemed to be cracks along all the walls and that each room, from the living room to the kitchen to the bathroom, needed a fresh coat of paint.

She didn’t even want to know what the bedrooms would look like, but she knew she had to at least check it out before the offloading started, so she would know where to take her things. She ambled to the stairs and, after flicking three light switches near the banister, managed to find one that turned on a dim bulb hanging precariously over the staircase.

Slowly climbing the stairs, she ran her hand gently along the wall as she did so. She reached the top and looked around. There were four rooms, if the doors were anything to go by. She went to the one directly in front of her and found the upstairs bathroom. About to move to the door to the left, she thought she heard something. She paused and held her breath, straining her ears to listen.

There it was again.

A soft sound came from somewhere near the basin.

Amari stood by the door. To her left was a toilet and opposite the toilet was a large bath. At the end of the room directly in front of her was a basin with a large cabinet mounted on the wall to the left of it. White tiles were yellow with age. Paint peeled off the ceiling and the glass light fitting was shattered. The mirror on the front of the cabinet was so dirty that she could barely see her reflection.

She kept as quiet as she could and heard it again. It was the sound that the plastic wrapping around a cigarette box made when people pulled it off and crumpled it up. A wrinkling sound. A crackle of thin plastic. And it was coming from the cabinet near the basin.

Amari swallowed hard and slowly edged her way into the bathroom, checking behind the door for good measure. She approached the basin and, once facing the cabinet, she reached up to open the door. As the door swung open she came face to face with the largest rat she had ever seen.

The sudden appearance of the rodent elicited a shriek of terror from both her and the rat. Before she could shut the cabinet door on it, it had leapt out at her. She crouched quickly, still shrieking for dear life, and when she thought it had gone over her she sprinted for the door, only to stand on it and illicit another screech from both of them. An indignant bite through her trainer followed.

Amari fled the bathroom and scampered downstairs.

Sashqua, hearing Amari’s scream, had made her way to the staircase to pinpoint where her only child was. As she rounded the corner Amari threw her arms around her, shivering. Her mother held her, but was unable to understand the gibberish coming out of her mouth, and glanced around for the source of her daughter’s current state.

Jono came running upstairs from the basement, yelling, "What happened? What happened? Are you hurt? He roughly pulled Amari from her mother’s warm arms and looked her over worriedly. AMARI! Stop gibbering and tell me what happened!"

Amari shook in his arms and swallowed. It was a giant rat, dad. It jumped at me and when I tried to run away I stood on it and it bit me.

Sashqua seemed as though she was about to laugh, but Jono quickly made Amari sit on a stair, tugging at her shoe. You could have rabies or Hepatitis or something! We need to see that your foot isn’t infected.

Sashqua put a hand on his arm. "Jono. Jono, calm