The House Next Door Page 6

  Her sister was being totally unreasonable.

  As the girls neared the four boys, they heard Paul and Steve still grilling John and Michael.

  “So, have you been here all afternoon?” Paul asked.

  “We have,” said John. “We didn’t even realize how late it had gotten until you reminded us it was almost midnight. What a way to spend New Year’s Eve.”

  Amanda immediately perked up. The boys had admitted to being in the house since that afternoon.

  Of course! The slamming of the door. The flickering of lights.

  It had been John and Michael! She felt incredibly childish for being so easily spooked. Now all she had to do was convince Alyssa of the same. Maybe her older sister would let them stay.

  “Paul said he saw lights flickering in this house earlier,” Amanda said. “Was that you? And did you also open the front door? We thought the house was haunted!”

  Amanda noticed that John and Michael shot each other a pointed look, but then they burst out laughing.

  Michael held up his flashlight. “You must have seen us going through the house using these,” he explained.

  “Do you believe in haunted houses?” John teased.

  Amanda turned to Alyssa. “I guess not!” Amanda said. “Alyssa, do you believe in haunted houses?”

  John playfully nudged Alyssa’s arm. “You’re not afraid of this old house, are you?” he asked her.

  Alyssa looked down at her feet as she felt her face burn. “No,” she replied. “Of course not.”

  “Good,” he said. “So you won’t mind coming with us for a tour.” And then he grabbed Alyssa’s hand.

  Alyssa’s cheeks turned bright red, but not from embarrassment. It was more from excitement. She relaxed and looked at her sister.

  “Okay,” she replied. “But let’s do it fast. We have a party waiting for us at home!”

  “All right!” John said.

  “This way,” said Michael.

  Alyssa, Amanda, Paul, and Steve followed John and Michael through each room of the house.

  In the small kitchen that sat off of the living room, old pots and pans hung from an iron rack fixed to the ceiling. A nearby china cabinet housed dainty plates and cups.

  “At least the rumors were true,” Amanda said, looking at the corroded cutlery.

  “What rumors?” John quickly asked.

  “That nothing has changed about this house in the past century,” she replied.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” Michael suggested.

  They walked through a room lined with shelves that were filled with tattered books. Amanda picked one up and blew the dust from the cover. Alyssa sneezed, and Amanda quickly placed the book back on the shelf.

  The sisters trailed behind the four boys up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Amanda hung to the banister tightly, just in case the stairs were as rickety as the porch steps. She really didn’t want to crash through them. At the landing, they all followed John and Michael down a very narrow hallway.

  The first room they went into was a bedroom. The solid four-poster bed that sat in the middle of the room, accompanied by nightstands on each side of it, reminded Alyssa of the one in her parents’ bedroom—but this bed smelled like mildew.

  An old, open wardrobe displayed dresses that hung from rusty hangers. Most of them were made out of thick, heavy fabric. Their skirts hit the floor and their collars were stiff and high. Alyssa twitched when she saw how drastically the waistlines had been tucked in and wondered how anyone could actually wear something like that. Some of them were adorned with lace, but it had been yellowed through years of accumulating filth and grime. The dresses also smelled awful, like vinegar.

  They then went into a second bedroom. A once-colorful knitted blanket was folded over the side of a crib and a set of children’s books sat on a table next to a rocking chair.

  When Alyssa spotted the wardrobe filled with small clothing, a chill went down her spine. She very carefully picked up a petite jumper, which was something that may have belonged to a child of about two to three years old. She searched through more of the clothes to discover some dresses, too, that may have fit a girl of about six or seven. Returning the clothes to their place, she gave the room one last glance and pictured a woman rocking a baby in the chair. She started to leave but then stopped so abruptly that Amanda, walking close behind, bumped into her.

  “What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.

  “I thought I saw that chair move,” Alyssa replied. “Like someone was rocking in it.”

  Amanda glanced at the chair, but it wasn’t moving. She pushed Alyssa down the hallway and walked to the next room. It was a tiny bathroom. A porcelain bathtub that sat on ornate claw-feet almost filled the entire room.

  Amanda grimaced, thinking about having to soak in a bathtub instead of taking a long, hot shower.

  They moved along to the very end of the hallway and turned a small, sharp corner.

  By the time Alyssa and Amanda arrived, the boys had already ascended the little staircase that led to the attic.

  Alyssa shuddered. This was the moment of truth. She was finally heading up to the attic where she had seen the shadow many months ago.

  “I can’t go up there,” she told Amanda.

  “I know it’s creepy,” Amanda replied. “But it’s creepier staying down here by yourself.”

  Alyssa exhaled, gathering her courage, and nodded. She let Amanda slip by her to lead the way, and they both climbed the steps to the attic. When Alyssa arrived, she saw the boys crammed in the tiny room. The ceiling was so low that Paul had to bend down so he wouldn’t bump his head.

  “It’s insane,” Paul said. “Right?”

  Alyssa was speechless. She glanced at Amanda, also not able to find the words to explain how she felt. Everything about the attic was how Paul had described it earlier.

  It was exactly what his aunt saw in the pictures many, many years ago—down to the bed, the desk, and the harmonica on the table.

  “Paul,” Alyssa said, “you tricked us.”

  “I’ve never been here,” Paul pleaded, but Alyssa just glared at him.

  It was at that moment that a slamming sound came up from the basement. Alyssa reached for Amanda and clung to her tightly. No one moved—frozen by fear—as they listened to the thunderous crash of hundreds of objects being shattered below.

  CHAPTER 9

  “What was that?” Steve shrieked. Alyssa had never heard one of her guy friends sound so scared. He spun around, swiveling his head in every direction. He pointed rapidly to the floor with a shaking finger. “There’s something down there!”

  Alyssa’s heart jumped in her chest. It sounded like glass had been broken. But now it was silent. With wide eyes, she looked from Paul and Steve to John and Michael.

  “This is getting way too weird for me!” Paul said nervously. “I’m out of here.”

  Paul flew down the attic steps with the crew chasing him down the hallway. When he reached the second staircase, he took the steps two at a time until he landed at the bottom. Alyssa was breathing deeply from exertion and fright when she caught up to everyone in the foyer.

  “Wait,” John said. “This is an old house. It was probably just something that fell over.”

  But Steve’s hand was already on the doorknob.

  “You’re both leaving?” Amanda asked. Confused, she looked to Paul and then back to Steve.

  Paul pushed past her, making his way out of the living room. But when he reached the foyer, the rubber sole of his shoe snagged the corner of an old, tattered rug. He tried to steady himself, but he tripped over his feet and started to tumble toward the floor. As he reached out to break his fall, he grabbed on to a grimy cloth that covered a small table. The tablecloth slid off the table, causing all its contents to come crashing to the floor.

  Amanda walked over to where Paul was sprawled out on the rug. The springs and cogs of a small broken clock were scattered about the floor. A vase had shattered. And se
veral yellow-tinged papers floated about until gently settling around him.

  “Are you okay?” Amanda asked, stifling a laugh. The sight of Paul grappling on the floor made her completely forget just how spooked she had been only a few seconds earlier.

  He looked at her with bloodshot eyes. Amanda wondered if he was about to cry.

  Amanda and Alyssa couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Paul and Steve were scared. Alyssa bit her bottom lip and tilted her head.

  “Everyone else leaving too?” Steve asked.

  “Actually,” John spoke up, “I think we’re going to stay. Who knows what other neat things might be hidden in this house? Maybe there’s a secret passageway that leads to a hidden treasure. Why don’t you stay?”

  “No way,” Steve replied. He pulled on the solid oak door until it finally opened. “See ya!” he called as he ran out of the house. He jumped off the porch, leaping over the wobbly step.

  Alyssa went to the door and watched him sprint toward her home. She blinked and he disappeared into the darkness.

  Paul scrambled to his feet and brushed the dust off of his jeans. He left big, gray handprints on his backside.

  “I’m still gonna head back too,” he said. Little glass pieces crunched under his feet as he made his way to the door. As soon as he hit the ground outside, he also raced off into the night, slipping away into the shadows.

  Alyssa looked at Amanda, and they both broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. Amanda was nearly shrieking as she gasped for air.

  “Tough guys,” John quipped.

  “Yeah,” Amanda agreed. “And they were so excited to get here earlier.”

  After they calmed down, Alyssa remembered the loud crash that came from the floor beneath them. “What do you think crashed when we were in the attic?”

  John looked at the girls and smiled. “I guess there’s only one way to find out. Let’s go see.”

  As the four kids walked through the living room, and the hilarity of the last few moments faded away, Alyssa began to feel uneasy again. She felt like she was being watched.

  She swiveled her head, expecting to see someone lurking in the shadows or behind the curtains. Of course there was no one there. She was alone with her sister and her new friends. But the feeling wouldn’t go away—the sensation of eyes following her every move grew stronger.

  “You know what? I really do think it’s time to leave,” she said as they approached the basement door. “We’re having a party. John and Michael, you could come with us. You probably noticed our house earlier today. It’s right next door. It’s the only other house on this road.”

  “We can’t leave yet,” John said. “We need to make sure nothing is broken in the basement. Maybe something fell over.”

  “Why?” Alyssa wondered. “This isn’t your house.”

  “Yeah, but what if someone finds out we were here?” John replied. “We don’t want to be blamed for everything that’s been broken in this house.”

  He smiled at Alyssa and then looked down and shuffled his shoes.

  Alyssa sighed.

  She wasn’t entirely sure she agreed with his logic, but she returned his smile.

  “Come on,” Michael urged. “We’ll all go down and check it out together.”

  Alyssa opened her mouth to protest, but Amanda jumped in before she could utter a word. Now that Paul and Steve were gone, she saw a new opportunity for a midnight kiss.

  “Just one minute?” Amanda asked.

  She looked at her sister, pleading with her not to ruin anything.

  “Okay,” Alyssa agreed. “But let’s make it fast.”

  The four kids walked toward the basement door in pairs: John walked next to Alyssa while Michael walked closely beside Amanda. When they reached the door, John opened it and led the sisters down a narrow wooden stairway.

  The basement smelled dank and stale. The four kids swung their flashlights around, illuminating the dark room.

  Alyssa and Amanda looked around with wide eyes. If being in the upstairs rooms of this house wasn’t creepy enough, the basement took it to a whole other level.

  It was stuffed with relics. Amanda peered at the shelves and shelves of old toys that lined the walls—broken tin cars with dented and scraped exteriors; clown figurines dressed in faded, torn silk costumes were missing limbs; and a large tarnished music box with a tiny dancer in a black tutu that remained open but had long-since been silenced.

  Blankets of dust covered an antique wooden wheelchair and steel chest. An ancient player piano had been shoved into a corner.

  But what really made Amanda’s skin crawl were the rows and rows of jars.

  She walked along the shelf, peering into each one. They were filled with all sorts of things—from nails and bolts to thread and needles. Someone had used them for storage.

  She stopped in front of one jar that appeared to be filled with . . . eyeballs. Lots and lots of tiny, round eyeballs.

  “Doll’s eyes,” John offered, walking up behind her. “We spotted them earlier.”

  Amanda simply looked at him and then continued examining the jars. When she approached one that was filled with a gooey, flesh-colored liquid, she stopped again, waiting for John to explain this one.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe some sort of jam? Or canned food?”

  “Alyssa,” Amanda whispered. “Look at all of this stuff. It all must’ve belonged to the family that lived here—the ones that vanished. If they had moved away all those years ago, why would they have left this stuff here?”

  Alyssa picked up a large handmade teddy bear that was coming apart; its stuffing was peeking out at the seams. An eyeball hung off it’s face. The thread holding it seemed like it could break at any moment.

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “Somebody must have loved these things at one time. Now they just sit here collecting dust.”

  A small rustling sound jolted Amanda to attention, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked. Alyssa nodded skeptically.

  The rustling grew louder, loud enough to pinpoint where it was coming from. There was something moving behind the steel chest.

  Alyssa stared fiercely at Amanda.

  “I told you we should’ve gone back with Paul and Steve!” she whispered harshly.

  Suddenly, Alyssa screamed. She grabbed Amanda’s hand, digging her nails into her sister’s skin.

  A small black fur-covered paw darted out from behind the steel chest. It ran its claws along the floor and then scurried back behind the chest and out of view. Amanda made a small step toward the chest.

  “Amanda!” Alyssa said sternly. “Do not go near that chest.”

  Amanda stood frozen. “What should we do?” she asked.

  “We should leave,” Alyssa replied.

  “Why, because you’re scared?” John asked. He walked over to the chest.

  “Be careful,” Alyssa warned.

  John peeked over the chest and reached his arm behind it. Suddenly, he dropped to the floor. He began to rapidly convulse and pull on his arm, but it was stuck. Something was attacking it from behind the chest!

  Alyssa screamed again.

  John broke out into fits of laughter, then he calmly stood up.

  “Sorry,” he said. “It was just a joke!” He motioned for Alyssa and Amanda to join him. “It’s okay,” he told them. “I promise. You can trust me.”

  Amanda cautiously walked over to where John was standing.

  She peered behind the chest and gasped. A small black cat, wearing a red leather collar, was dashing back-and-forth while playfully pouncing on a crumbled ball of newspaper.

  “It’s just a cat!” Amanda squealed. She had never been so pleased to see a cat in her life. She bent down to stroke its fur, and it purred in delight.

  Alyssa lightened up and joined her sister in petting the animal and scratching under its chin. Amanda began to tease it, tossing the newspaper and watching it rus
h to attack it, when Alyssa remembered how infuriated she was with John and Michael. They were really starting to get under her skin.

  She stood up and looked them in the eyes. “That wasn’t funny!” she told them.

  “It was sort of funny,” Michael replied. Amanda was about to argue back when she heard a small whimpering echo coming from the darkest corner of the basement.

  The whimpering turned into full sobs. It sounded like . . . a child. Amanda gazed at the corner. Her curiosity overcame her, and she slowly began to walk in the direction of the soft sobs.

  “Who’s there?” she demanded.

  CHAPTER 10

  A head of dirty-blond hair emerged from the hollow corner. A girl with dirt swiped across her face crawled into the light.

  “Anne!” shouted Alyssa. “What on earth are you doing here?”

  Her sister shook as she cried.

  “I wanted want to play a prank on you,” Anne explained. Her face was streaked with tears. “A prank for leaving me behind. I’m always getting left behind. I decided to sneak into the house.”

  “You followed us?” Alyssa asked. “How did you get in here?”

  Anne nodded her head. “I went through the basement door, so you wouldn’t see me behind you. But it was so dark down here. And then I saw glowing eyes!”

  “It was just the cat, Anne!” Alyssa told her.

  “I didn’t know that! I tried to leave, and I got spooked!” she explained. “I ran back to the door, but it slammed shut and I couldn’t get out. I pulled and pulled, but it was stuck.”

  Anne crumbled into a heap on the floor. She was cold and terrified.

  “You must have been so scared,” Alyssa said, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around her youngest sister.

  After all these years of admitting Anne was the bravest sister, Alyssa couldn’t help but wonder how a little cat had positively petrified her.

  “I was not!” Anne blurted out between tearful sobs. Alyssa looked at her youngest sister. “Okay, yeah,” Anne admitted. “I was scared. Really scared.”