'Kat, you must take a nap. Look at your eyes. They are red and swollen,' said mother. 'i am not feeling sleepy,' I muttered. 'What's the matter?,' she asked placing her hand on my shoulder. 'Leave me alone,' I said harshly. 'Okay,' she said in a monotone voice. My name is Katherine Williams. I have straight long hair. I dont like it when the wind plays with my hair so I keep it tied in a ponytail. I have got so many freckles that it's impossible to count them. I am not good in making friends. All my classmates are allergic to me. I don't prefer to wear heavy makeup' high heels or short skirts like other girls. I am comfortable in jeans and a pair of sneakers. I have light brown eyes that I have inherited from my father. Tears filled my eyes. I wished to die now. My father passed away before two months. Lung Cancer He was an alcoholic. Doctor warned him to quit drinking as his health was deteriorating but my father was an addict. Peer pressure from his boss and insults from his colleague made him an alcoholic. My parents used to fight everyday. One day, my mom was ready for a divorce. I was shocked. She really didn't mean it. She was just upset. My father was high on tablets. Later, he was hospitalized. He died after two days. I had never imagined my life without him. He was always there for me. I was shattered. Broken. Depressed. Mother was worst hit by his death. I bunked classes for a fortnight. I used to lock myself in the room and sit in the corner crying for hours. Life was miserable. It was hard to believe that he was no more. I started going to school. Time passed. The smile on my face returned but didn't last for long. 'We are shifting,' said mom. I dropped my backpack in surprise. 'Nihawara is a big city. We are facing financial crisis,' she said sobbing. I stared at her open mouthed. 'I am a beautician. I can't manage without your father. It is pretty hard for me. We are shifting to Southampton,' she said wiping her tears. 'What? When?,' I demanded. 'Tomorrow' 'Tomorrow? That's so early. What about my school? My friends? You didn't even give me time to say goodbye to them,' I cried. I talked to my best friend Anita on phone. She was upset about the shifting. She asked me to spend the night at her house. I agreed. I didn't inform mom as i was upset with her. I just left a note for her and sneaked out of the window. We lay awake the whole night playing video games- listening to our favourite songs- making fun of our crushes and talking nineteen to the dozen. Now I am on the flight to Alepia. Later, we would board a taxi to Southampton. It would be a two hour journey from Alepia to Southampton. The loudspeaker crackled to life. 'Passengers, Please fasten you seat belts. We will land in fifteen minutes. I was awakened from my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes and blinked many times. I was feeling sleepy. I should have listened to mom . 'The house is quite big.'I heard Grandpa talking. 'Really?,' asked my little brother, Nick. 'Yes, it has five bedrooms in it,' said Grandpa. 'that's quite huge,' said Grandma fastening her seat belt. 'It's called Lovely Villa,' said Grandpa. Southampton was covered in snow. It was early December. I hardly saw any shops. All the houses looked alike. Same size. It started snowing. I shivered even though the car's heater was on. The car halted. 'Mam, I will drop you here. I can't go any far. That place is haunted,' said the taxi driver pointing to the front. I shuddered. 'Haunted?,' I and Nick said at the same time. 'No dear. These people believe in supernatural elements. It's not true,' said mother. She turned to the driver. 'Here, take your money. We will walk to the house.' 'Mam, don't go there. Bad spirit haunts the house,' said the driver nervously. 'Shut up,' said mom abruptly. We rolled our luggage to Lovely Villa. I was tired. My body felt stiff and I was yawning my head off. 'Mom, why did the driver say that the house is haunted?,' I asked. 'Golly, even the owner of the house said that it was haunted. She was not ready to rent it. She told me that many people who used to live there died. She agreed to rent me the house when i promised to pay extra money. Fools!,' she said laughing. I stopped dead by the sight in front of me!
