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AMARA COULD NOT remember how she knew this house, and no matter how hard she tried, the memory was faded in her mind. The way Lip was acting didn't make her feel better, either, and she wasn't oblivious to the look he had given the realtor when she had climbed up the front steps.
She was tired of moving, she just wanted a place to really be her own. With a lease. At that thought, she turned to Lip, who was examining the exterior of the house.
"You coming?"
Lip blinked out of his trance and followed after her. The house was echoey, and kind of spooky. It felt colder in there, like the sun had never touched the inside. The interior was not nearly half as bad as Amara had been expecting, so Lip's strange behavior still did not make any sense. The walls were chipped with paint, and it had an old wood smell, but it wasn't horrible. The backyard was nice, and for the size of it, the price was affordable. It was a little suspicious though.
The realtor mostly spoke to Lip as they roamed around the inside, and Amara lost track of them once her phone started buzzing. Lip didn't take long to notice her disappearance, and his head poked around the doorframe of the room she was standing in almost instantly. She didn't look up from the device.
"Everything okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Liam's texting me."
"Tell him to use cash for the pizza this time."
"No, he doesn't want lunch," she still didn't glance away from the screen. "Um. Apparently there is a deer head in the boys' bedroom?"
"What?" Lip strode over to her, and accepted the phone into his grasp. "Work of the Milkovich's I assume. That's disgusting."
"Everything okay?" The realtor asked, and Amara immediately slid her phone back into her pocket. "There's more down the hall."
"Oh, yeah. I was just wondering what that door leads to."
Lip straightened, and the movement was so subtle she wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been so close. She shifted on her feet suspiciously as the realtor hesitated on answering. "They've done some work in there. The fumes are too strong, they don't want anyone going in there."
"Right," Amara nodded, starting down the stairs. And she swore she heard the echo of a baby crying. She was almost ready to glance around for Freddy. Her gut was churning, she could tell something wasn't right. "So, why is this place so cheap anyway?"
"The kitchen and bathrooms need upgrading. Electric hasn't been touched in a while. The seller would probably be willing to come down from the price listed, too."
"Come down from one-ten?" Lip questioned. Amara stood at the door. "Really? Why's that?"
"It has been on the market for a while, I think they're just ready to get rid of it. You guys let me know what you decide. Give me a call when you do."
