Waking Up as in Coming Home

Welcome to Hill House

Sarah arrives at the Crain in the next morning. She is kinda nervous. She doesn't know whether the kids like her or not.

"Good morning!" Olivia greets Sarah cheerfully. "Come on in! Would u like some tea or coffee?"

"Tea will be good. Thank you" Sarah says politely and follows Olivia to the dining room.

The youngest, Nellie comes downstairs. "Hello" Her high pitched voice draws Sarah's attention. 

Sarah turns around. "Hi good morning! I'm Sarah"

"I'm Nellie! Mum said you're from Malaysia. Where's Malaysia?"

"Hmmm..do u have a world map?" Sarah bents down to Nellie's eye level.

"Yeah! Shirley has one! I'm gonna get it!" Nellie runs off to her sister's room.

Sarah glances up at Olivia who is preparing the tea. "Your daughter seems very friendly"

"That's Nellie. Always full of energy and curiosity. Here u go" Olivia hands Sarah a steaming mug of tea. "The others should be down any moment. They are super excited to meet u."

Just then, four more children come into the living room. The kids greet Sarah enthusiastically, introducing themselves one by one.

"Here is the world map!" Nellie puts the big map on the table. "Where are u from?"

"I'm from this country." Sarah points at the country which is just a little above the equator. "U know we don't have winter. Summer for 365 days"

"Wow that's so far away! What language do u speak? Which city do u live in back in your home country? Will it be boring when 365 days are summer? Do u find it so cold in America?" 5 kids don't even spare a second. They are so excited to know someone from the far east.

"Whoa! Slow down there. One question at a time. I speak different languages, English, Chinese, Malay and some Tamil..." Sarah answers the questions one by one. She's quite sure the kids like her.

"Alright kids, I think u need to give Sarah a little break. We still have something to talk about. Why don't u go do your homework?" Hugh starts.

Sarah chuckles as she remembers her past. "I was like them when I was Nellie's age. Running up and down the hill, getting into troubles with other children, well, taking care of cows and chickens. I came to America when I was 10. Then lately, my parents went back to Malaysia."

"Sound fun. Sometimes I wish I could freeze them as they are now." Olivia smiles at her kids. "Oh I forgot to ask. Will u be able to stay overnight in summer after we move into the summer house? Because we have a lot to go through with the house. It would be great if u can"

"Oh that wouldn't be a problem. I don't have school during summer if that's ok with u. Well, I don't wanna intrude on your family's space"

"That's fantastic!" Olivia claps her hands together, a pleased smile on her face. "Thank you for being so flexible"

Time passes quickly. 6 months have passed. Sarah and the kids get along famously. Everything they do is like a cultural lesson for the kids and the parents.

On the first day of summer holiday, the Crain moves to the Hill House.

Sarah stands on the threshold. Her gaze sweeps over the grand façade of the summer house. There's something like fog covering the whole house. Yet, she can't tell what that is. All she can tell is there's some unsettling energy in the house.

"U ok?" Olivia notices Sarah standing still staring.

"It's quite a distance from the city, isn't it. I'm just a bit surprised by the remote location." Sarah says honestly.

"I must admit. This place is kinda isolated but it's quiet. We all can get some rest far away from the world" Hugh comes to the ladies. "Let's get settled in, shall we?"

Olivia and Hugh go put their suitcases in their rooms while Sarah keeps looking around the house. Images of people keep popping out in her head. Those are spirits in the house. They all stare at Sarah at different parts of the house when she walks in. She understands it's not surprising to see spirits inside the house. It's an old house after all.

But she focuses on the way to her room rather than shows any response towards the spirits. Sarah also notices an old picture in her room which is an elegant old lady. She puts her left hand over the photo and the frame. There's a force coming from the frame. It's cold, yet soft.

Sarah takes out her cinnabar bracelet from her bag and puts it onto her wrist. She sighs. She just doesn't know how she's gonna spend the night at the house if it's already so haunted in daylight.