6:35 am Hey there broncos and broncettes don't forget next Saturday is the big Halloween party. Costume contest will award prizes for the scariest, most creative, and best couple costumes. Be sure to get there early to hang out with the crew over at 98.4. Steven gets out of bed exhausted. His muscles sore, maybe I was tossing and turning all night? Walking over to turn on the light Steven looks at the candle. Suddenly he remembers the dream he was having last night;

A cold dark room, walking around stumbling to find the way out a voice can be heard I told you not to light it. "What do you mean, who are you," I told you not to light it. "What can I do?" Murmurs on unintelligible words ring in his head with one thing he remembers hearing clearly .......false panel.......

Steven couldn't remember anything else. Fake panel? He knew there was more to that but as hard as he tried to think of it, the more faint the dream became.

At school waiting for class to start Mr. Stiff walks in, "Okay everyone I've graded your quizzes come up and grab them." Steven see's his name on a paper on the head desk. 102% every question was answered correctly including a bonus one. Looking through his answers he can't remember writing any of it. Putting the quiz into his bag he sees a sticky note After class we need to talk -Mr. Stiff. Class ends and as everyone heads into the hall, Steven hangs behind as Mr. Stiff closes the door to his room, so it is only the two of them. "I don't know how you cheated but I know you did. You've never scored anything close to that and those answers are too perfect. I have a make up for you with new questions. You are to come in at lunch and take it."

In the hallway Steven was angry. He didn't cheat but he also didn't write those answers. Do I try and see of the candle will bring me luck again? Do I just take it so no more of the wax burns? Walking to class he felt as if everyone was looking at him. Everyone he walked past seemed to be laughing or pointing. After too much paranoia he ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. He was so angry he had tears and didn’t even notice.

During lunch Steven heads to Mr. Stiffs room. "Steven I will have my eyes on you. You have until the end of lunch." After a few minutes of guessing (for the second time) Steven raises his hand to let Mr. Stiff know he is finished. "I am going to grade it with you right here," Mr. Stiff says as he walks over. Steven looked down at the test and it was completely blank. None of what he answered was on it. In a panic he looked back up to try and ask for more time but it was too late as Mr. Stiff had already grabbed it from his desk. Mr. Stiff stared at it for what seemed like an eternity with a dumbfound look on his face. What is he waiting for? Is he thinking of how he's going to scold me for handing in a blank test? "Mr. Tannen, I am honestly speechless. You got them all right again. Sorry I doubted you." Steven sat in silence as Mr. Stiff handed his paper back to him. All of the answers are filled in. In my hand writing nonetheless.

When the final bell rang Steven headed straight for the nursing home. Walking in he heads to the office desk "Hi can I help you?" a nurse asked him as he walked up. "I am looking to see Mrs. Dune" The nurse smiled at him and said, "So you know visiting hours end in an hour for nonfamily. She is in room 308 at the end of the hall." Steven walks down the hall and sees that a door is already opened. When he reaches the end the opened door was room 308. He walks in and sees an elderly lady staring out of the window. "I didn't know him" she said as she continued to face the window. "Everyone that visits me now only wants to ask about him.. well, I've never met him." Steven was speechless he takes a couple more steps in and asked if he could have a seat. "Sure, sit down, it's not often I see a new face, but I'm sure we are wasting each other’s time" She turns around to sit down with him.

"I only have a few questions I think I need answers to"

"Well, ask away but as I said I never met him"

"What have you heard about him? What can you tell me about him?"

“I don't know much about him. My mother remarried not too long after he passed. That man was my father. Not Willis Jefferson."

A few moments of silence go by when Steven breaks the silence, "One more thing. What did the article mean by His Luck Ran Out?"

Mrs. Dune stares at him for a long time, "I asked my mother about that. Every time she'd always respond with Your father always said, you can find any answer at the library. So she never told me. To be honest I think she wanted me to forget about him and now… now I can’t ever have known him"

A nurse came by to tell them it was 4pm and it is time to leave

"Thank you for speaking with me, Mrs. Dune"

"I wish I could have been more of a help." She knew whatever he came there for wasn't answered.

Driving home Steven thought about what they talked about. One thing kept running through his mind you can find any answer at the library. On a whim, Steven turned around to head back into town and go to the library before it closed.

Running in, he was trying to think of anything to give him an idea of where to start. He went to the biography section and tried to find anything relating to a local Jefferson. The only next place he could think to look was mystery/supernatural. He knew he wouldn’t find anything on a Jefferson there, but he was looking for any mention of a candle. Over the intercom the head librarian announces they close in five minutes. Quickly taking out the books and flipping through them, the candle fell out of his closed bag. Making a thump that only he could hear. Picking it up, he sees one of the floor boards was slightly darker than the others. False panel… is it a false panel? After forcing it open, half a dozen spiders ran out. Tucked in tightly was a notebook and a book about mythology. Both books didn't have the library seal on it so he hid them in his bag and ran out. He rushes home to examine what he just found.

When he gets home he runs up stairs to his room before his mom can even welcome him home. As soon as he gets in his room he closes the door and locks it taking out the books at his desk. The first one he opened was the notebook.

If you are reading this, I pray it because chance and not luck. My name is Willis Jefferson, and if you are here about the candle, I am deeply sorry. Finding this candle, I thought was a blessing from God. I didn't know what I was getting into as I lit it. I am sure you've seen my warning and didn't take it. To be honest though, who would? It would sound crazy to me too.

Before you read more, I suggest you make note of the candles length if you haven't already. When you are done with that open the book I've left with this notebook and read the marked page.

Steven Measures the candle and it is at 8.9 inches and then pulls out the book to hear a knock at his door. “Steven it’s dinner time. I expect you down there in 5 minute, young man. Oh, and no running off early tonight, it’s family night” Steven is in a panic as he has finally made a step towards knowing more about it. How can I get out of this dinner Steven thought. Before he leaves his room, he tucks the book and notebook in the desk's drawer.

Every step Steven takes to the dining room he tries to think of excuses to get out. Every Thursday night after dinner the family plays a game and then watches the Thursday night TV movie on the local station. At dinner his mom asks his sister how her day was "well look at this Steven I got another 100%" Stephanie smirks at him and without a pause says back "I got 102% today". Stephanie sat back in her chair.

"102%, Steven? That's so great! It's nice to see you taking an interest in school again."

"What do you mean again?" Steven asks.

"Well, lately you've been a little... distant. You barely eat with us and besides that, all of these altercations at school."

Steven knew he couldn't spill everything, they wouldn't understand, so he just says "you're right, mom I'm sorry. I wont try to get out of family night..."

After dinner the family heads to the living room. "Tonight I thought we could play spades, Steven would you like to be my partner?" His mom asked. I don't think I've ever been asked by mom to be her partner. If it's not guys versus girls, it’s parents versus kids "sure mom I'd love to."

Dealing out the first hand, Steven picks up his 13 cards. They go around saying how many hands they thought they could win. 2.... 0.... 4... it was Stevens turn uhm, 13 everyone looked at him as he revealed he had every spade. "You dealt that to yourself on purpose. I'm dealing from now on" his competitive sister says. Once again Steven got every spade. "Steven if you are cheating you are going to be grounded" his father (who also didn’t want to lose) said. After the 3rd hand is dealt, Steven sighs in relief. Half spades, thank goodness. A few rounds later Steven and his mom win with ease. After spades to pass time before the movie, him and Stephanie play a game of Yahtzee! Steven rolls his six die and got the numbers 1,1,2,4,5,6 well that wasn't lucky he picked the 1 die to continue with. On his second roll he got four more ones. Steven says he doesn't want to play anymore. I can’t get that lucky, no one will want to play games with me again.

8pm the movie comes on. It was a rerun, but his family always stayed to watch them anyway. Unfortunately it being a movie he has seen, Steven wasn't interested in it and ends up falling asleep on the couch. He wakes up to his mom shaking him telling him to go to bed. Thinking of nothing but sleep and how tired he was Steven walks up stairs and goes to sleep for the night.