Demon Lovers (Pinhead And Chatterer)

Chapter 2

Ten years later

It was late September when Grace Cotton move back to the place where she was born. The weather had cooled down after having a three month heatwave. The leaves slowly changing colour from greens to oranges and reds as autumn was quickly approaching.
She smiled a little. It was good to be back. After years of therapy, she had finally let go of the past. The horror of her father, Frank Cotton tried to kill her in a Satanic ritual, only for him to go missing afterwards. He left her in fear for years.
She feared him walking through the door and continue where he started, but he never returned.
With Frank's disappearance, Grace gained a new family.
Frank's younger brother Larry adopted her as soon as he found out she was nearly killed. Larry had a daughter, Kirsty who was three years older than her. They were close as sisters, people believed they were twins, they looked so much alike. And Julia, their step-mother. Grace was not close to her, but they remained somewhat friends for Larry's sake.
Julia would often ask questions about Frank, some would leave her feeling uncomfortable and sometimes she would answer the questions that had been thrown her way. Sometimes Grace wondered if Julia had an obsession of her father.
Grace looked out of the backseat window, as they drove passed houses, they were smaller. More homely and private. They looked to be built in the Victorian times with a modern touch here and there.
Back home in Brooklyn, the houses were tall, too many windows that as might as well be walls and there was no privacy. Grace hated it.
"How far are we?" Julia asked, as she smoked a cigarette.
Larry quickly looked to his wife and his eyes moved back onto the road. "Not far, honey."
Larry looked in the rear-view mirror and looked at Grace in the back seat. He was worried about her. He was worried that she would break down and she would have to go into hospital again. But it was her idea to come back. He admired her strength.
Her face and body seemed calm, but her eyes showed nervousness and fear. Her eyebrows kitten together as she was deep in thought. What was she thinking about?
"Grace! You okay back there?" He asked.
She turned from the window and looked in his eyes. Grace gave him a small smile. Her cheeks had dimples on both sides, but now was replaced by silver bars. She had a nose ring with a chain attached that ran to the middle of her bottom lip.
Larry hated women with piercings and tattoos, he was simply old fashioned. But as her doctor said, she needed to embrace herself. Find out who she is. She needed to explore. Larry heard people call her a goth. But he accepted who she was. She suited the dark cloths, pale skin and music she listened to.
"I'm fine. Just tired that's all." She replied, her voice was soft and child-like.
Larry noticed her tongue has a metal bar in the middle.
"Another nightmare?" He asked.
"I'm not sure. I've put them in my diary for the doctor to see." She replied.
"Good. Keep up the good work, kiddo." He paused. "When did you get your tongue done?" He asked.
"Yesterday."
Julia turned to look at Grace. "Did it hurt?"
"No. I felt nothing." She said truthfully.
The car pulled up outside the house. Grace stared at it with fear. She wanted to throw up. The house that her father tried to kill her. The place "they" gave her a second chance of life. She was very grateful...to them.
They all got out of the car, number fifty-five, Lodovico street, an old three story, late Victorian house, with gaunt trees lining its overgrown garden.
"Nothings changed. part from the newspaper on the windows." She said bluntly.
"I was thinking the same thing." Larry replied.
"When was the last time you were here?" Julia asked.
"When Frank tried to kill me." Grace said simply.
Her eyes flickered to the attic window. The paper was ripped, but she felt eyes watching her. Calling to her.
They walked up the path slowly. Larry pulled a set of keys from his pocket. He fished out the keys from his trouser pocket and put it in the key hole and gave the key a turn.
Click!
Larry opened the door. "Vola" they stepped into the house and into the hallway.
"It's not quite what I expected."
Grace laughed. "Heaven right!" She sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"
"Damp." Julia replied.
"It's been empty awhile." Larry tells them.
"Smells like someone died...recently." Grace says.
Larry shuts the front door. "Besides it's an old house." We all stood in the hallway, not sure which way to go. "I wanted to sell it off at one point, after the old lady died, but I couldn't get Frank to agree. He moved in with Grace and we'll... We all know how it goes."
"So you just rent this house, for ten years?" Julia asked.
Larry scoffed. " I wish."
"People say this house is haunted. Neighbours have reported to the police that they can hear screams coming from the property and an awful smell drifts down the garden path. When the police turn up they found nothing." Grace tells them.
Julia shivered.
Larry laughs. "Nothing but ghost stories, you have nothing to worry about. It's been empty for five years."
"Why?"
"Nothing weird. Just young parents couldn't afford the rent." Larry tells Julia.
They follow Larry down the hallway. He opens the door and they step into a large room. Grace opens the curtains. Light pours in, dust-laden shafts falling onto the sheets that covered the furniture.
"Look at this." Larry says, as he removed the sheets of the chair. The chair is ugly; old fashioned.
Julia is unimpressed. "Not exactly modern."
"We will sell it." Grace tells them.
"Sell everything." Larry agrees.
"I thought half of it was your brother's?" Julia ask.
"He won't complain. He can pay off some off his credits."
Julia looks at Grace. "Don't you want to keep any off your father's things?"
"Burn it." She tells her, leaving the room quickly.
Larry is getting more enthusiastic about this place by the second.
"You know we have to tell Kirsty to come see this place, before we do anything about it. She'll love it."
"You mean we're moving in?" Julia asks in shock.
"You don't like it."
"What about Grace?"
"It was her idea. Doctor Philip Channard agreed with her."
Julia shrugs. "It's better than Brooklyn." She turns back down the hallway.
Larry follows."you're still blaming me."
"No. I'm not." Julia replies.
"You wanted to come back to London. We came back."
Grace slowly climbs down the stairs. She pulls a cigarette from her jacket pocket and gives it to Julia. She takes one from the pack and pops one between her lips. She lights the end with a match and inhales.
"I picked out a room." She tells them.
"Where."
"The attic."
"You sure, kiddo." Larry asks worriedly.
Grace smiles. "Positive."
Julia smiles at Grace and slowly moves up the stairs.
"Shit" Larry swears.
"Arguing again?" Grace asks.
"I'm sorry,kiddo." He apologizes and pulls Grace into a one arm hug.
"It's okay." Grace tells him.
"It's not. You shouldn't have to witness us arguing all the time."
"It's okay. I'm not a child anymore."
"You and Kirsty will always be my little girls. No matter what...you sure you are okay moving here?"
She gives Larry a playful push and a huge smile. Her brown eyes lighten. "I'm sure. I can't run from my past forever. I'm fed up hiding. I'm fed up thinking my father will come and finish what he started... No more. I'm fed up been made out I'm weak...I'm stronger...better....I'm not a little girl he can push around...I hope he rots in hell." Grace cried. Her body shook.
Larry pulls Grace into his arms and held her tight. He didn't want to let go of her. He didn't want her to be scared all her life. He wanted to protect her, from anyone, even his younger brother. He'd kill him if he had to. Grace deserved better. She deserved to live.
Grace held on to Larry. Her face hurried in his shirt. Her tears stained his tie. She sniffles. She paused taking a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
"Julia's right though..." She tells him.
Larry frowns. "About what?"
Grace smiles and looks up at her father. "It's better than Brooklyn."