When I flip on the television, the iconic music for theHalloweenfranchise plays softly. I quickly change the channel, but another horror movie fills the screen. “Damn it,” I curse then hit the mute button until I can find something that isn’t about ghosts and boogeymen.
Even though I’m trying to distract myself, my mind continually wanders back to the night Kate and I were at Corey’s. Did I just imagine the figure in the upstairs window, or was the person that hurt them already in the house? What if we didn’t leave when we did? Would we have ended up dead too?
I scrub my hands over my face, trying to push those thoughts out of my head, but it leaves room for me to think about last night. I can still feel the touch on my jaw, or the touch I imagined.
I look up at the ceiling, and I’m struck by how I did the same thing that night. Something thumps hard on the floor above me, and I jump. The urge to get up and run over to Kate’s is strong, but I feel rooted to the wood beneath my feet.
I’m sure it was just the house settling,I tell myself, but I don’t really buy it. It was too loud, and it sounded like someone jumped off my bed. It takes me a second to slide my foot across the ground, but then I stand up, keeping my eyes above me, even though I can’t see what’s going on up there. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I lean to the side to see if I can see my door from where I am, but I can’t.
“Hello?” I call softly and regret it immediately. What the hell am I going to do if someone answers? Another sound comes, this one softer but still distinct. I place my foot on the first step, and it creaks under my weight. I pause with my hand on the wall. When I don’t hear anything else, I make my way upstairs. The hall is lit with sunlight streaming through the window near my room.
As I reach my door, I push it open slowly, not sure what I expect to find, but it’s empty, or at least I can’t see anyone. After peering around and even checking my closet, I head back downstairs. The moment my foot hits the final riser, I hear another loud thump followed by running footsteps that sound like they are coming right for me.
I flatten myself to the wall while my eyes are glued upstairs. My senses are all screwed up because my brain knows I should be seeing whatever is making the noise, but I can’t. I hold my breath as the air around me stirs, whipping my hair around my face with the gust of wind as if someone just ran past me.
When I finally inhale, the scent that fills my lungs is even more proof something is here. It’s smoky, like a sweatshirt that was worn to a bonfire the day before, but there’s something else, something dark that hints at a sweetness I’m not familiar with.
My hands are plastered to the wall behind me as I try to make myself as invisible as whatever is in my house. I don’t think I could move if I wanted to. My entire body feels frozen other than the rise and fall of my chest as my heart stutters along.
When I feel the same eerie touch along my jaw that I felt last night, I shift my head to the side, away from the unseen touch, proving I can, in fact, move. “What do you want?” comes from my lips, even though my eyes are closed.
“You, Lethe.” His voice curls over my name, deep and rich, which makes no sense since he’s not even real.
A shrill scream erupts from my throat when someone bangs three times on the front door. I jerk myself off the wall and haul ass to the door before ripping it open. It takes me way too long to realize there’s no one there. I’m standing there alone, panting and looking for an explanation as to what the hell is going on.
I can’t bring myself to go back in the house right now, so I slip out the door and onto the porch to sit.
The street looks so normal, with red leaves falling to the ground as the sun hangs low in the sky. It will set in just a few hours, and I’m already afraid of what tonight will bring.
CHAPTER5
“Hey, Mom,” I greet, answering my phone. I’m a little more than eager for her to get home.
“Lethe.” All she has to do is say my name, and I know it’s bad news.
“Yeah?”
“Your dad’s flight got delayed.”
“Oh…” She can probably hear how disappointed I am. I look over at the clock. I was expecting her home any time.
“I can come home then come back to pick him up when he arrives,” she offers. I can just imagine her getting ready to drive all the way back here.
“No, Mom,” I reply halfheartedly. “You’d just be wasting hours. By the time you got back here, it would probably be time to turn around and head right back.” Being an hour and a half away from a large airport sucks.
“I would have made you come with me if I knew this would happen. Why don’t you go over to Kate’s house until I get home?” she suggests.
“I’ll see,” I reply noncommittally. She doesn’t know I tried texting Kate a while ago after the stuff at the bottom of the stairs and she never answered. I know she’s home because both of her parents’ cars are there, and I saw someone drop off food about an hour ago, so she must be ignoring me.
“I don’t like the idea of you sitting home alone, Lethe.” She lets out another long sigh.
Me either, I think. “I’ll call her.”
“You could always invite someone over to watch a movie with you or something.” It’s like she knows Kate is avoiding me. I wonder if her mom, Mickey, said something.
“Maybe, but everyone else just wants to ask a bunch of questions about Corey and that night.”
“It might be good to talk to someone about it, Lethe.”
