Sinister

Chapter-9

My body was still shivering, and I struggled to breathe properly. That was the scariest thing I had ever witnessed. Clinging to Brad, who sat beside me, I watched as Silas emerged from the kitchen, holding two steaming cups of hot chocolate.

"Here," he said, handing us the cups.

"Thank you for letting us in," I murmured, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

"I didn't know where else to go, so I came straight to your house."

"You can thank Mrs. Rose for that," Silas replied.

"Where is she?"

"Sleeping."

As I sipped the hot chocolate, the warmth spread through me, comforting me. Brad sat quietly, holding his cup without taking a sip.

"Hey, tell me what you saw," Silas said, scratching his head."

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm never going back there again," I replied firmly. Silas reached out to grab my shoulder. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about that," he said, laughing.

I slapped his hands away."What do you mean?" I demanded.

"You looked like you'd seen a ghost or something," he replied, still chuckling.

"This is not funny!"

As Silas laughed, Mrs. Rose slowly descended from the stairs, leaning on her cane for support. Silas hurried to her side.

"Brooke, you're here," she said, approaching me. "Did something happen?"

I swallowed hard. "It's not just something. It's much bigger than that."

Sitting beside me, Mrs. Rose took my hand. "Well, you won't believe me, but I swear there are demons in our house." I said

Mrs. Rose's voice held a strange gravity, and her hand felt icy cold. "Oh, sweetie, I've experienced these things too. I believe you," she said softly.

"But Mrs. Rose, can I stay here for a while? I don't want to go back there anymore."

'Of course, you can stay as long as you like. Silas will enjoy the company," she replied, rubbing my hand.

'Thank you."

"In fact," she continued, "I know some people who can communicate with ghosts and demons."

"Like ghost hunters?" I asked sceptically.

'Yes."

"But they're not real, are they?"

"Of course not, honey. They're very real," Mrs. Rose reassured me.

'And very spooky too," Silas chimed in. Despite my doubts, I was intrigued.

"Mrs. Rose, if it's okay with you, can I ask for your help then?"

Larry, a paranormal researcher contacted by Mrs. Rose to help us, inquired, "How long has it been since you've seen something strange?"

"Like half an hour ago," I replied, recalling the unsettling experience with Brad's mirror.

"I swear I saw Brad's reflection, but it wasn't moving." Larry jotted down notes as I spoke. "And anything else?" he inquired.

"That was Robbie," Brad interjected. "He was with me."

Turning to Brad, Larry asked, "Who is Robbie?"

I quickly pulled Brad close. "I haven't seen him yet," I explained, "but Brad's been telling me about an old man he sees in his room, and they talk."

'They're telling the truth," Mrs. Rose affirmed, standing beside me. Larry continued writing. "Kids your age often imagine things like that," he stated. "I'm sure what you saw was just your imagination."

I gritted my teeth at his dismissal. "Aren't you a paranormal expert?" I challenged.

"Unfortunately, yes," Larry replied lazily.

"But I don't waste time on imagination."

"What makes you think we're lying?" I demanded. "Mrs. Rose, tell him!"

Mrs. Rose remained silent as Larry probed further. "Did your mom experience any of these things?"

"No, she doesn't believe us either," I admitted. Larry sighed and removed his glasses to wipe his forehead. "If only the kids have seen it, it's likely just your imagination," he concluded.

"But you're supposed to help us!" I protested.

"That's our job, but if it's not real, what's the point? You're just wasting our time," Larry retorted.

"Then stay here for a while, and you'll see," I challenged. Before Larry could respond, the front door burst open, and Mom stumbled in, looking pale and dishevelled. Spotting Mrs. Rose and Larry, she approached.

"Brooke, what's going on?" Mom asked .Larry stood and introduced himself. "You must be Brooke's mother. I'm Larry," he said, extending his hand. Mom shook his hand. "Yes, I am," she confirmed. "But who are you, and why are you here?"

Larry sighed. "Your daughter called me, claiming this house is filled with ghosts and demons."

"That's nonsense! This house is perfectly fine," Mom retorted.

"That's what I've been telling her," Larry agreed.

I couldn't believe it. None of the adults believed me or even tried to. I was furious.

"Well, if that's all, and since you're here, I'll take my leave," Larry announced, adjusting his hat and heading for the door. Mom followed, offering an apology. "I'm sorry for that. She's doing this because she doesn't want to stay here," Mom explained. Larry glanced at Mom. "I suspected as much. Kids these days make all kinds of excuses." Mom smiled, closing the door behind them."

"Brooke!"

I braced myself for Mom's scolding.

"Brooke, what's the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"Mom, I'm scared. I can't live here anymore," I pleaded. She sank onto the couch, holding her head and breathing heavily.

"I don't care if you believe me or not, but I'm not staying here anymore. Please, let's just move out."

With a sigh, Mom relented. "Fine. You're going to Grandma's, and that's final."

"Fine. That's better than living here," I agreed. I hurried to pack our clothes, both mine and Brad's. We decided to leave our home and go to Grandma's for a while, leaving Mom behind since her work was too far away. Tossing clothes into the trolley, I couldn't help but dread the prospect of staying with Grandma. She had a foul mouth and an unpleasant odour, especially since Dad passed away. But it was still better than staying here. Luckily, Brad's school bus stopped near Grandma's house. Once the trolley was loaded into the backseat of the car, Mrs. Rose approached us.

"You don't have to go that far. You can stay with us," she offered.

"No, thanks," I declined firmly. The last thing I wanted was to linger near the house and Mrs. Rose's peculiar energy.

'You're really going now?" Silas asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"Yeah, I can't stay here anymore," I replied, feeling a pang of guilt as I saw the hurt in his eyes.

"I really wanted to get to know more about you," he admitted quietly.

"Let's leave that for next time. I'm sure we'll meet again," I said, trying to offer reassurance. As I climbed into the car and shut the door, Mom started the engine, and we began to pull away. I glanced back once to see Silas still standing there, looking forlorn. Before he vanished from my sight, I couldn't shake the feeling that leaving him behind was a mistake