The Missing Linck

• SIX •

I'm rendered speechless by the appearance of the girl in front of me.

Upon noticing my expression, Reid laughs. How can he laugh when he sees someone like this? I mean, he obviously seems to be a caring person, hence why- I don't get it...

The girl laughs too. Only after hearing her laugh do I recognize that it's Quenna. Come to think of it, if I look closer, I can make out it's her.

"Um, what's with all the, um, cosplay?" I ask, hesitation strong in my voice.

Reid suddenly looks around and places a hand on the small of my back as if to push me forward. Okay then, I'll just do what he says.

If some people were to observe what's going on, they probably would chide me for acting like the typical dumb blonde who winds up dead in horror movies; I'm not, even though I may seem like I'm stupid [Nowhere near as stupid as the writer of this book though ;)]. I'm actually alert, only act like I'm not, so I can easily observe more.

Even if Reid was a creep or like the evil guy (which, c'mon, he doesn't seem like), he'd drop his guard, seeing that I seem like I can't even get out of a small issue; he'd seriously underestimate me and not put in his all, so if I were to get in a terrible situation, I'd have more chance of surviving it.

Then again, Reid's too good-looking to be an evil guy (I know some evil guys are handsome (like Loki Laufeyson) but Reid's just too 'goody-goody'); so I don't think my plans will come to any use, but it wouldn't hurt to continue with them.

Besides, even if they turn out to be useless and we'll actually become close and he's not the evil guy, it'd be like a funny story to share with him later...

"Tasha?" Reid asks, his brows furrowed.

Ah, I zoned out AGAIN!

"Right. Sorry, I zoned out. I kinda remembered that my Mom had asked me to do some chores before she's home, and she will be by now, and I didn't do anything," I say.

A look of relief washes over Reid's face, and he's quick to replace it with amusement so 'stupid' I don't notice his obvious relief. Yeah, right.

"So, you gon' tell me?" I ask and he nods. We enter the house, me afraid that it would cave in any instant.

What seems like one of those haunted houses in horror movies on the outside is actually so posh inside that it seems the house we were in a hour ago seems underdone.

"So is this like some secret hideaway place you have?" I ask Quenna.

"In a way, yeah."

She motions for me to sit down and all of us do.

"Here's the thing, Tasha, my- our parents are under the belief that I'm dead." Quenna states.

"Dead?" I squeak.

"Yeah, see there was this accident around four months ago wherein my," she hesitates. Reid squeezes her hand reassuringly and she continues, "ex-boyfriend and I were travelling on a two-wheeler and he got distracted and crashed the bike. When we were taken to the hospital, he was proclaimed dead, and, through a miscalculation, I was too. In ways, I was. He'd just broken up with me."

She takes a deep breath and continues, "Anyway, when I woke up, I found that the only person who didn't believe that was Reid. He even tried talking to them, but they wouldn't believe it, not even when I spoke to them. You see, Reid used to be a magician before and they believed it to be one of his tricks. Even when I hugged them and cried. Then, when I wouldn't go back to being dead, they said that I was no daughter of theirs and told me to stay away."

She starts breathing shakily now but still keeps up with her story, "Seeing as I had no choice, Reid managed to renovate this house which had fallen into disrepair. I stay here now. Whenever Reid comes out here to be with me for a while, they're under the impression that he's out with his friends..."

I smile sympathetically at her when she breaks into laughter.

"If you believe that's real, you're deadly wrong!" she says and Reid laughs too, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I toss a cushion at her face and scowl at her.

"That's not funny!" I yell, making her laugh.

She peels off a mask she's put on her face and removes her crimson-colored eye lens. Right, there's the Quen I saw.

What are they trying to do anyway?"

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Anyone actually believe that story?

Anyways, do you get the chills when you read of Reid or Quenna? Are they weird or just like a typical sibling pair?

Let me know what you think!

Right, horror's missing, but I'm adding in dollops throughout the chapters, and it will, one chapter, wind up a huge pile...

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