House of Horrors || 18+

Chapter 19| Hannah

"There's something I need to show you, it's a room upstairs," I whisper, my voice barely a tremble in the air. My feet carry me up the stairs, each step echoing my racing heart and my palms, slick with nervous sweat, cling to the banister for dear life.

April, with a puzzled tilt of her head, follows my pointing finger to the room at the hallway's end. As I push the door open, a wave of apprehension washes over me, and we step inside together. The room, cloaked in shadows, feels like it's holding its breath, waiting. April's gaze sweeps across the space, a silent question in her eyes.

"Hannah, I'm confused. What are you showing me?" she asks, her voice laced with confusion and a growing curiosity.

I draw in a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm the storm of nerves inside me. "April, what I am about to show you is going to look and sound crazy. And it's going to make you question your sanity. But bear with me."

She looks at me hesitantly, murmuring a quiet 'Okay'.

With trembling hands, I approach the small, inconspicuous door that hides the impossible. As it swings open, the air seems to pulse with energy, the portal opening.

"Uhm, hell no. Hannah, I am not crawling through that," she protests, her eyes wide with fear and fascination.

I meet her gaze, imploring her to trust me without words. With a hesitant sigh, she follows me reluctantly through the door. I plan on explaining everything.

Emerging on the other side, April quickly brushes off her jeans, her eyes darting around the room, trying to piece together the impossible. "But we were just... How?" she stammers, her voice a whisper of confusion.

I shake my head. "It's a portal to the past, it's a curse. This house is cursed, and you are about to meet someone. Someone whom I have gotten to know while I have been living here."

She continues looking around, her face pale.

"Nathan?" I call out, my voice cutting through the silence.

He steps into view, his surprise at seeing April mirrored in his wide eyes. "Princess, who's this?" I mentally curse at the nickname. I love when he calls me that, but now is not the time. It's just going to raise that many more questions from my best friend who is looking at Nathan like she's just seen a ghost.

April's confusion morphs into a mixture of shock and curiosity. "Princess?! Hannah, what the hell is going on?" She keeps looking back and forth between Nathan and I.

Nathan ignores April long enough to engulf me in a tight hug, exhaling tiredly. I hold him for a minute before pulling away. He looks at my lips, contemplating kissing me, but makes the decision to step back and let me explain everything.

"April, meet Nathan," I began, my voice a mixture of nervousness and warmth. "He and his family lived in this house long before I did. His mother placed a curse on him before she passed away, banishing him here. He can't leave this house unless the curse is broken."

Nathan's gaze drops to the floor, a haunted look shadowing his features as he adds, "My two siblings, Milo and Rosie, both had tragic deaths. And my parents, they blamed me for both of their deaths," He whispers. "And my father's death—that was my doing."

I hurry to shake my head, a gesture to ward off the heavy silence that follows. The truth is, Nathan was a victim, not the villain he paints himself to be. He had been trapped in a cycle of abuse, defending himself in the only way he knew how, resulting in a tragedy that haunted him still.

"Your fault, how?" April finally speaks shakily.

"It wasn't Nathan's fault. He was defending himself from his father, and his physical abuse," I say before Nathan can.

April's eyes soften, brimming with sympathy, as she looks at Nathan. "I am so sorry, Nathan," she murmurs, her voice gentle.

We continue talking, and explaining how the curse works, and what Nathan has been through. April still looks hesitant in believing all of this, and I don't blame her. I didn't believe it at first either. But now, I couldn't imagine my life without Nathan and his company.

"Wait, so, are you two a thing then?" April suddenly asks with a small smile, making me blush. I look at Nathan for help, but he's just smirking at me.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Nathan replies, his casual admission sending a thrill through me. We haven't defined what we are yet, but it seems as though Nathan is right now.

We all spent the evening talking, and eating chinese food. Yes, I love my Chinese food.

April and Nathan are already acting like siblings, their banter making me laugh. But it also makes me happy. Seeing Nathan smiling and laughing makes me feel butterflies. His smile is contagious. He has dimples that make his smile all the more attractive.When he catches me staring, Nathan winks at me, a boyish grin across his face.

April looks back and forth from me and Nathan and giggles.

"Well, it's getting late, and I have work tomorrow, so I think I'm going to head out." I nod and stand up to give April a hug.

"You look happy," April comments as I walk her to the door. I smile.

I am happy.

I decided to stay with Nathan for a while after April leaves.

"So that's April, huh?" Nathan asks with a smile. I nod.

"That's April. She's my best friend," I confirm.

"What's on your mind, princess?"

"Not much, just happy," I say. It's only half true, but Nathan doesn't need to know that. I don't want to burden him with the shit going on with Kyler.

"Hannah, I know you're lying. Baby you can talk to me, you know?"

I sigh, I should've known Nathan would see right through me. Nathan's concern, intuitive and gentle, coaxes the truth from me. I explain to Nathan what happened with Kyler, and how I reported him. Thankfully I had makeup on today, so Nathan couldn't see my bruises. Nathan's eyes darkened in anger, you could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

Explaining everything feels good. Getting all of my thoughts off my chest. Nathan listens intently, his gaze never leaving mine. I feel lighter.