Regina (17 page)

One night, she was spending the night at my
house and started acting very strange towards me. She seemed
determined to tell me something, but was too afraid to say it. The
bed would shake every time she fidgeted, which was often.

“Katie? Are you okay?” I asked with
concern.

“Sure. Why?”

“You seem nervous.”

She laughed but still kept her anxiety
intact. “Just worried about my Geometry test next week. I can’t
pass that class if my life depended on it.”

I laughed, “Me neither, but ….you sure
there’s nothing else?”

“Well…..Regina….do you……do you remember
me?”

“Huh?” What did she mean? Did I remember her
from the first time we met?

“Well, what I mean is, uh…..um. Okay, you’ve
heard the theory that people have past lives, right?”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it. And?”

“And, do you believe in that stuff?” Katie’s
voice shook and I found it odd that she was so….non-confident.

“Not really. Then again, they don’t teach
stuff like that at the Academy.”

Fear filled eyes, and for a moment I couldn’t
move. I watched her eyes widen and the terror grip hold of her
body. She swallows before she says, “The Academy?”

“Yes, the Will Lawson Academy. It’s my high
school, or at least it was my high school.”

Katie’s lips trembled. I was concerned for
her and went to her side immediately. “What’s wrong, Katie? And
please don’t tell me this is about a stupid test.”

“I miss him so much….” She sobbed.

“Who do you miss, Katie?” I wiped the tears
from her face.

Her voice was so small I could barely hear
her. “My brother, Jacob.” Her head rose to look at me when she said
his name.

“I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“I don’t, not anymore. He died a long, long
time ago.”

“Oh no, Katie. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know……I
never saw a picture at your house or heard you mention him
before.”

“My mother doesn’t like it when I say his
name or talk about him. After he died, my father went around the
house and removed all the pictures. I guess he thought he could
forget his pain by pretending as if Jacob never existed. He cleaned
out Jacob’s room and tossed out all of his things. I never got to
keep one thing to remember him by.”

“I’m so sorry, Katie. Is there anything I can
do for you?”

She looked at me intensely, as if she was
looking directly into my soul. I held her stare and waited for her
to answer me.

“No.” She whispered and wiped her tears
away.

“What was it that I said that made you think
of Jacob?” It felt as if a needle went through my heart when I said
his name. Katie’s sorrow was passing to me.

“I don’t remember.” She lied.

Chapter
Twenty-two

It was a hot September night and I was alone,
sleeping comfortably in my room. I was on my side, not fully asleep
but almost. My parent’s voices whispered in the room beside me.
This was an old house and the walls were thick, but mom and dad
didn’t have walls to keeps their voices enclosed and private.

My eyes snapped open once I heard them
chanting. What were they doing? Did they pray now? Maybe it was the
TV downstairs? I groaned and rolled over to look at the time.

It was midnight!

Oh now I’m pissed! What the hell are my
freaky parents doing!

Before I could get up to grab my robe, they
started talking again. I sat up quickly and stopped to listen
because it didn’t sound like the voices belonged to my parents. It
sounded like there were many men and women talking. My ears
definitely picked up the chant emanating from their throats.
Another chill ran up my spine as I sat in horror, listening to
them. What were they saying? Their voices were low and eerily
light. Feeling safe behind my door, I got out of bed slowly and
made my way to the door. On my way there, I checked my phone for
service-nothing! In frustration, I turned on the camera on my
phone. I chose to record via home video. I began recording as I
went to the door.

Thinking I was ultra-brilliant for recording
this, I stopped and went low to floor. I held the phone out to the
separation between the door and the floor, which was a good one
inch. Plenty of room. The chanting continued for a few seconds and
abruptly stopped. I continued to hold the phone out, hoping it
caught some of it. I didn’t turn off the recorder at that point and
I was glad I didn’t.

Suddenly fingers started scratching at my
door. It sounded like fingernails were slowly scraping right on the
other side of my door! I gasped and fell backwards. My phone spun
out of my hand and under my desk. Shit! Of course it did!

I turned over quickly and was about to look
for my phone when the chanting began again, this time they were
right outside my door! I knew it wasn’t my parents now.

I had one of those moments from those old
black and white movies where the camera pans in and out on the
actors face as she panics in terror. Panic tightened its grip on me
when the doorknob started to turn. Maybe this stuff happens in the
movies but it doesn’t in real life! I was dreaming! Yes, that had
to be it!

But I knew it wasn’t and had to act fast.
Somehow I knew they were coming into the room.

My bathroom door was slightly open. I got on
my feet fast and sprinted into it, locking that door behind me too.
I had to turn on the light to find something to defend myself.
Finding only a few rolls of toilet paper and towels, I prepared
myself to fight with my hands. I was from New York, a tough city
girl. I could kick anyone’s ass with enough determination and scare
behind me.

Then everything went quiet.

“Anna.” It was swift and soft, like a breeze
coming from above me. At first I didn’t think I heard it, but I
looked up to face whatever it was head-on.

The odd chandelier was swaying, which was
odd. Whoa, I never noticed the square in the ceiling! It defiantly
led somewhere because it had little door hinges and a handle. I
don’t think anyone would notice it unless they specifically looked
up. The chanting was becoming louder and the scratching was almost
thru my bedroom door, I desperately jumped to grab the handle. The
ceiling was tall, perhaps too tall for me. I kept jumping as
quietly as I could to reach that damn handle.

Finally, I gave up trying to jump and climbed
up on my sink. I frantically tried to reach the little handle, and
prayed the sink held my weight. Thank goodness it worked. The
little door gave way easily with the tiniest tug of my hand. After
I clicked off the light, I returned to the sink and began my
climb.

My bedroom door creaked open and I panicked.
Though I still had my hand on the opening with a good grip, my leg
keeping me steady slipped off the sink. My feet came out from under
me and I waited to lose my grip, make a huge sound as I fell, be
found by whatever it is outside and unnecessarily slaughtered, but
someone must’ve been looking out for me. My hand held on tight and
I didn’t fall.

Instead, I was able to get my feet back on
the sink and steady myself again. I told myself not to panic
because the bathroom door was locked too. Taking a quiet deep
breath, I tried once again to get up into this black space that
frightened me less than what was chasing me.

The little door wasn’t closed fully when the
bathroom door swung open. Oh shit, that was fast! But I didn’t
panic. I pulled the door closed softly. I didn’t even look below to
see what was going on. The sound of footsteps did not fill the room
but I knew someone was in there, looking for me. I closed my eyes
tightly and prayed it wouldn’t look up.

I could hear something below me.

I put my hand over my mouth to hold any noise
I might make while I held on to the door. For a good few minutes, I
stayed like this while it searched for me below.

I don’t know how long I was up there. I
must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing I heard was mom
calling me for breakfast. My muscles ached terribly as I slinked
down from my hiding space. A yawn escaped my mouth and I realized I
never looked into my little savior of space. What was up there? I
started back towards it but stopped when mom came inside my room
with a fresh cup of coffee in her hand.

All I wanted was to drop in my bed and sleep
but I was too scared of sleeping now. I took the cup of coffee
gratefully.

“Morning Regina. Did you sleep well?” For a
moment, I almost saw my real mother in her eyes.

“Yes mother. How about you?” Were we going to
act as if last night never happened? Mom gave a response but I
didn’t hear it.

“Well, I’m off. I’m meeting Aunt Rachel at
her house and we will be gone till dinner. Dad and Grandpa are
somewhere. So, have a good day.”

“Mom, wait!” I shouted. This was probably
going to be the only chance I had at talking to her about anything.
I took a chance and threw my words out. “Did you hear anything last
night?”

“Like what?”

“Like, um…scratching or talking?”

“No dear. I slept well last night.” Her fresh
face and bright eyes were annoying but convincing.

“Mom? Do you think this house could be
haunted?” It was her turn to look a little annoyed.

“No Regina, I don’t. I think this house is
old and you mistakenly think it’s haunted. Rachel and I made the
same mistake when we were little. Trust me, there’s nothing
haunting this place but dust and spiders.”

I gave a nervous laugh. Mom knew I hated all
those things. She beamed another bright smile at me and went on her
way. I took my cup of coffee to the desk and opened the window.
Might as well start the day. Then I noticed my cell phone on the
floor. It was halfway under my desk and had a full view of last
night.

Fear kept me planted where I stood. Do I
really want to see if last night was real? Hell yes I did!

Scrambling for my cord, I hooked my phone
into my laptop. I started the downloading process and waited. It
was going to take a while since our internet was so low.

My thoughts churned like acid in my brain
while I remembered the events from last night. If I was dreaming,
then there shouldn’t be anything to watch, but if it really
happened…..I shivered from the thought.

A haunted house was the first thing I was
debating over. What else could explain my parent’s odd behavior, my
Grandfather’s tolerance of it, the Twilight Zone oddities of my
dreams and this town? Come to think of it, a ghost in our house
wouldn’t explain that either.

I couldn’t come up with a solution but my
stomach began to churn now. I was starving. Grandpa probably made
his prize winning biscuits. The thought of them was driving my
stomach mad, so I dared to go downstairs. I closed my laptop and
put the phone underneath it.

With great speed, I went downstairs, gathered
my food supplies and headed for the stairs. No one was around and I
was wearing a smile as I walked up the stairs. Dad wasn’t in his
room and I was definitely in the clear. My smile and confidence
dropped when I opened my door. Dad was standing over my laptop, the
screen was up.

“Dad?!” I tried to hide my surprise and shock
but I don’t think I fooled him. “What are you doing in here?”
Amazingly, he didn’t try to hide what he was doing. His face told
me I interrupted him, not the other way around.

“I’m looking for you. How is school going?”
He put his hands at his side and waited for his answer.

“It’s fine.” I managed to say. I felt my
stomach bubble. “Did you see the ad about the car I left on the
table for you?”

“Yes. Your mother and I think it’s a little
too much for a new driver. Your Grandfather graciously offered to
give you his truck. We think that’s a very nice offer considering
we are living here for free instead of some crappy motel.”

I nodded my head in agreement. I loved
Grandpa’s truck, a big old Chevy from the eighties. It was big, set
up high and made me feel safe. Plus it guaranteed me a car now, not
when dad felt like buying it.

“Yes it is. That is so sweet of Grandpa.
Thanks dad!” My instinct was to reach out, give him a hug and plant
a kiss on his cheek, but I did none of this. I felt that dad was
being kind because I liked the idea. I have a feeling that he made
the decision hoping I would get upset. He actually seems
disappointed in my happy reaction.

“Yes, well, you’re welcome. The title is in
your name and it has insurance. We expect you to keep it up and
running. There are rules that go with this truck but we think you
can handle them in this town. Besides,” he said turning his back on
me. “Everything you do is being watched by the people in this town.
I’ll know if you misbehave.”

“Oh, ok. Well, thank you again Daddy. Wanna
go for a drive together after I eat breakfast?” I held up my
biscuits and coffee. My smile was fake but it did the trick. He
shook his head no and walked out of the room. The stairs groaned
under his heavy weight as he walked away.

I went to my desk and casually put my
breakfast down on top of my computer. In case he was watching,
which I knew he was, I stretched casually and untied my robe as if
I was going to get dressed. My hand shot out and naturally shut the
door. As quietly as I could manage, I turned the lock to keep him
out. To be extra safe, I grabbed my laptop and my breakfast and
headed into my bathroom.

I changed the mats on the floor from old,
dirty ones to modern chic and fluffy. I put my coffee and food
beside me on the floor as I began to look for the file I downloaded
from last night. It was waiting for me in my video files. I felt my
anxiety come alive! The file was there, it existed! I recorded
something last just after midnight this morning!

The biscuits and coffee turned in my stomach
as I hit play.

The screen lit up and I could hear my
breathing on the recording. I turned the volume up a little as the
camera went closer to the door. It was so hard to hear anything
past my frenzied breaths. I didn’t think I was breathing that hard
last night.