Chapter 1- Part 3 (Chapter 1 Finale)
The teens hurried into the cramped dusty kitchen and started looking for ingredients.
Cheryl: The ghosts of this mansion? Yeah right. Mark should just give me-
Dante: Us.
Cheryl: Yes! Us the money already, we’ve already won.
Dante: Do you know how to cook, Cherry-bear?
Cheryl: No, but I know someone who does! Butler! Butler? Where’s my butler?
Dante: Babe, this isn’t your mansion. Your butler isn’t here.
Cheryl: Right! I’ll call him then.
Dante: Isn’t that… cheating? Plus, the door is locked, he can’t get in and it’s raining outside.
Cheryl: My butler always finds a way. Plus, it’s not cheating. It’s ‘special assistance’.
Cheryl took out her phone and called her butler.
A few seconds later, a man with a mustache crashed through a window on a motorcycle, glass all over the floor.
Butler: You called, miss?
Cheryl: Yes. Prepare me a… green pea casserole with a grilled pork steak and some mashed potatoes and grits. When you’re done, set it on the dining table thing near that rainbow skull.
Butler: Yes, ma’am.
Dante: Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, I know how to cook a lot of things like-
Cheryl: Oh, sweetie! Just trust in the process! Plus, you were already running around like a dog, I don’t want to tire you out some more.
Dante: …Okay.
With Wendy…
Wendy set Nameless down on the dusty countertop.
Wendy: Okay, Nameless. What should we cook?
Nameless: …
Wendy: Cake? But we have to cook, not bake.
Nameless: …
Wendy: Frog pie? But you need to bake frog pie too. Plus, frog pie is OUR thing. I like Skully, but that pie’s always been a special thing between the two of us.
Nameless: …
Wendy: Well, cooking is an art form, and I draw. But I’m not that good!
Nameless: …
Wendy: Pizza? I mean, I guess it counts as cooking. Sure, we’ll make pizza.
Nameless: …
Wendy: Um, I think there’s dough in the-
Jonathan: Ugh! Can you stop talking to that stupid cat toy?!
Wendy: Nameless is not stupid. You’re just jealous cuz you don’t even have imaginary friends! No stuffed animals, no mind pictures, no companions to call your own!
Jonathan: I have friends!
Wendy: Murderers have friends-
Sal: Wendy! Um, can I talk to you, in private?
Wendy: Mm-hm! Cheryl, can you watch Nameless for me?
Cheryl was trying on Snapchat filters, not even paying attention.
Cheryl: Sure, yeah, whatever.
Sal and Wendy stood near the corner of the kitchen near a trash can.
Sal: I told you not to provoke Jonathan. You know very well what he could do to you.
Wendy: But am I wrong?
Sal: Look, you’re standing up for yourself, that’s great, but DON’T go there.
Wendy: Why?
Sal: It’s a rather… sensitive topic to discuss. And you only know half the story, while the rest of us…
Wendy: Well, that’s because no one tells me anything! Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I’m the most innocent! I know what death is, I know how babies are made!
Sal: Wendy-
Wendy: No! It’s not fair! You think I’m soft? I’m not! You think I’m that perfect little girl, but I’m not! Not even my parents think so.
Sal: What…?
Wendy: …I hate my stepmom; I tell her that every day!
Sal: Your parents… actually…
Wendy: Divorced. Yeah. And she’s so annoying! She makes me want to kill myself-
Sal: No, Wendy. You’re all I have. I told you, enough with the suicidal thoughts.
Wendy: … You’re just like Jonathan.
Sal: … What?
Wendy: You also have no friends…
Sal wanted to cry, but she didn’t.
Sal: … I’ll tell you about the incident later, okay?
Wendy: Sorry, Sal-
Sal: I’M FINE.
Sal stormed off and rummaged through to fridge. Wendy patted Nameless on the head and searched the cabinets looking for dough.
Wendy: You stay put, Nameless.
Jonathan: *in mind* I hate that stupid toy. I’ll rip it apart whenever I get the chance.
3 Hours Later…

Mark: Times up! Present your dishes to Ezekiel!
Skully: Skully.
The teens brought their foods to the dining table and stood at the back of them.
Skully: Ooh! If skulls could drool, I’d be overflowing!
Mark: Glad you like their selection! First, Wendy!
Wendy: Okay! Here we have an all-topping pizza with extra cheese and homemade tea to go with it.
Skully: Ooh! Gimme!
Wendy picked up Nameless to cut out a slice and then Wendy brought the slice to Skully. Skully gobbled it up. She tried her best to tilt some tea in his hollow eyes.
Skully: This is delicious! The tea, it’s sweet! Bitter, but tasty! 4 out of 5 skulls!
Wendy smiled and skipped back over to where she was standing.
Mark: Next, Sal!
Sal: Okay! So, I made balsamic glazed steak rolls. Um, I know it’s not the most extraordinary thing but it’s all my mom taught me to make before she-
Skully: I get it. I know how it feels. I wanna taste!
Sal brought a steak roll towards Skully’s mouth, and he chomped it from her hand like a hamster and struggled to chew through the steak and onion.
Skully: Well, it’s chewy. But! I can tell you were in a bad place when you made this. Almost as if you were about to cry. 4.5 out of 5 skulls!
Sal: Thank you!
Skully: Hey, maybe I know your mom.
Sal: You do?
Skully: Yeah. What year did she pass?
Sal: 2013.
Skully: Wait, what’s your name?
Sal: Sally Roberts.
Jonathan: *laughing* Sally?
Sal: Why do you think you guys call me Sal all the time? I know, I love my mom, but she’s so bad at names.
Jonathan: *chuckling* Really? What’s the name of your dog?
Sal: … Bark.
Jonathan laughed hysterically.
Sal: Technically when my mom died, we renamed Bark to Chewy.
Jonathan: Still, that’s rich.
Skully: Oh, I do know your mom!
Sal: Really?
Skully: Yeah! It’s a blur but I recall in 2015, we met.
Sal: Really? How?
Skully: Sometimes, ghosts of the dead choose if they want to haunt or help and at what mansion. Your mom basically crashed here.
Sal: My mom… is here? Mom! Can you hear me?
Skully: Actually, she can. But she can’t respond. She chose to help, but only those who haunt can speak.
Sal: Oh… wait, so you haunt this place?
Skully: Just this dining room.
Mark: Okay, we can talk about all this later. Dante and Cheryl?
Cheryl: Yes. Butler?
Butler: Yes, Senor Skull. For you we’ve prepared a green pea casserole with a grilled pork steak and some mashed potatoes and grits.
Skully: Oh ho! Give me!
The butler gave Skully a spoonful of each thing on the platter. He kept asking for more and more.
Skully: This is amazing! Finer than the finest wine! 5 out of 5 skulls for taste!
Cheryl: Yasss!
Dante: For taste-
Mark: And last but not least, Jonathan!
Jonathan: Meh, my dish is just what I eat at home every day. It’s what my dad feeds me.
Skully: It looks disgusting. Is your dad abusive or something? Who hurts your dad?
Sal: *laughing* Damn, Skully.
Skully: I’m just wondering! That crap looks like what rats eat.
Jonathan: Just taste it. Doesn’t it smell good?
Skully: I don’t have a nose, but I don’t need one to tell that it smells REAL bad.
Skully gulped down a spoonful of Jonathan’s sloppy mess. Skully started coughing up.
Skully: *coughing* Ew! That thing is disgusting! 1 out of 5 skulls!
Jonathan: Yes!
Cheryl: Why are you happy? This means you get eliminated.
Mark: Nope. It means you get eliminated.
Cheryl: What?! Why, Sully-
Skully: SKULLY.
Cheryl: Skully liked my food!
Mark: The challenge was to make your own food, not call your super reliable butler to do it. Here’s a tip for you, Cheryl, listen to your boyfriend sometimes.
Cheryl: But Jonathan’s was horrible, Skully said so!
Skully: Even though it was horrible, Jonathan made the crap himself.
Jonathan: And for the record, I do know how to cook. I just knew that you two would have no chance!
Cheryl: This is ridiculous-
Wendy: Now it’s time for you two to go!
Dante: Wait, so we both get eliminated?!
Mark: Yup. You should have just made something, then you’d stay, and your girlfriend goes bye.
Cheryl: Dante loves me, he would never leave me, isn’t that right, Dante?
Dante: Well, um, yeah?
Mark: Well, that means the rest of you are safe. You are free to go explore the rest of the house until the next challenge. Talk to Skully if you want, he’s full of stories.
Skully: You wanna hear about my experiences in World War 6?
Sal: There’s a World War 6-
Mark: Oh yeah! Also, 2 new contestants are joining!
Cheryl: What?! Who, why? The signups are done!
Mark: Yeah, but since you two already lost so early, we need to new players to replace you.
Cheryl: Please, Mark! Show mercy!
Mark: Mercy? Hah, I don’t do ‘mercy’. Especially not to you.
Dante: *whispering* Cheryl, apologize to Mark.
Cheryl: Mark, I’m sorry for what I’ve said, and done. I-I know you hate me, but I promise that I’ll be nicer! I cheated and I know what I did was wrong, but I just didn’t know how to cook. I should have listened to Dante. I’m sorry.
Mark: The one you should be saying sorry to is Dante. Do you know how many times he’s considered breaking up with you?
Cheryl: … What?
Mark: I’ve been doing contests like this for years. I’m a good observer.
Cheryl: Dante… I-
Dante: It’s fine. Look Cherry-bear, I have to admit, what Mark’s saying is true. I just feel like… you’ve changed.
Cheryl: *voice cracking* No! I can-can do better, I-I promise! Dante, please! I’m sorry!

Cheryl started to cry, but not even Wendy bought her act. Well, was it even an act? Dante caved and couldn’t stand to see Cheryl crying. Plus, her mascara was running, she looked like a demon. Dante gave her a big bear hug and sacrificed his shirt to her mascara.
Dante: It’s… it’s okay, Cherry-bear. I’m here.
Cheryl: *ugly crying* I’m sorry, Dante!
Dante: It’s okay.
Wendy: What a suck up…
Jonathan: You got to give her credit though. That is some UGLY crying.
Mark: Okay! Okay! Since it’s too early for eliminations, you two can stay. But I already told your replacements that they could come tomorrow, so you all will be playing with two new players!
Wendy: I hope they’re nice, right Nameless?
Nameless: …
Jonathan: *in mind* I can’t stand looking at that stupid toy. Maybe… I can get rid of it somehow. Without Wendy knowing.
Mark: You guys are free to explore, I’ll come back on the PA when it’s time for dinner.
Sal: Okay. Wendy let’s go check out our cellars!
Wendy: Okay! Bye, Skully!
Skully: Bye kids, have a good time!
Wendy: Wait, do you want to come with us, Skully?
Skully: What! No one’s ever asked me such a question! Of course, yes, I’ll go with you!
Wendy carefully picked up Skully trying to hold Nameless at the same time. The two girls excitedly ran downstairs to the cellars.
Cheryl: I guess I’ll go to the cellars too. Are you coming with, Dante?
Dante: Actually, I need a shower. I’m going to the bathrooms.
Cheryl: Okay, then. Meet me in my cellar when you’re finished, then?
Dante: Um, okay…?
Jonathan: Is there a living room here? I wanna watch some TV.
Mark: Yeah, but it’s very old and dusty. No one’s turned it on in 6 years.
Jonathan: Well, I’ll try.
All the teens parted ways to explore the house until the next challenge.