Hollow

Chapter 8

Photo is of Samantha, played by Leslie Mann :)

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"We haven't changed much, though you probably don't remember anyway, right?" Miranda said, opening the front door and turning to me. "Do you remember?"

I glanced around the front entrance with a shake of my head. "No."

She flipped a switch on the wall and the space we were in lit up. We were standing in the foyer; there was a large Victorian rug covering the hard wood floors and a small crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

I paused and my senses heightened when I heard distant noises coming from throughout the house.

There was a quiet scratching near the back of the house and animal-like whimpering which I dismissed, knowing that they had a dog somewhere.

Another noise, however, caught my attention. The floorboards upstairs creaked, ever so slightly and there was the subtle click of a door opening.

I glanced back at Miranda and Victor. "There's someone else in the house."

Surprise crossed their faces as they registered what I had said. "Why do you say that, honey?" Miranda asked.

I held my hand up to silence them when the floorboards creaked again. I walked quietly through the doorway of the foyer and stood at the base of the stairs.

"Bella? What-" I turned to Victor and held a finger to my lips.

A thump from upstairs caused their eyes to widen. Victor gestured for Miranda and I to stand back but I shook my head.

"It's alright, I'll go see what it is." I told them quietly.

Victor held his arm up in front of me and I looked at him in confusion. "Absolutely not, you don't know what's up there. Go stand with your mother." He kept his voice hushed.

I stood stunned for a second. Go stand with your mother, he'd said. I had almost forgotten that I had a mother. I realized then that it wasn't normal for a teenager to be the one to protect her family. Victor was meant to be the protector.

Reluctantly, I nodded and stepped back, allowing him to take hold of the situation. He turned and slowly placed his foot on the first step.

Miranda pulled him back to hand him what looked like a metal fire stoker. He grabbed it before continuing his way up the stairs. Miranda gently placed her hand on my arm and pulled me back towards the front door.

I stood in anticipation, listening for Victor and remaining ready to run to his aid if necessary.

The creaking stopped and a voice rang out. I couldn't make out the words, but I could tell that the stranger was definitely a woman. I heard Victor's voice next, and let my guard drop only slightly when his tone was calm and relieved.

A second later, I saw him reappear at the top of the stairs, a red-haired woman behind him.

Miranda released a breath and stepped out in front of me. "Samantha, what are you doing here? You just about gave me a heart attack."

The woman laughed as she stepped off of the last stair. "Well, when you told me about the home-coming, I just had to-." She cut herself off when her eyes landed on me. She stared in surprise and her hand went up to cover her mouth.