"Liz! We're here!" my sister Anna announced, shaking my arms. I sat up with a start, rubbing my eyes.
"Hm... what? We're here?" I turned to the window and saw our new house approaching. The truck dipped and shook as we drove.
"What are we driving on? Gravel?" I asked. In fact, I was right. Fine tan pebbles lined the way to the house. The grass fields surrounding us appeared to be really tall and unkempt. This was where our new home was?
I watched intently as we pulled to a stop right in front of the house. I got out, followed closely by Anna, and took just a few steps forward.
"This is our new house?" I asked, not bothering to hide my displeasure. The place was really hideous. Peeling paint, weed-filled front yard, broken porch. The few light coverings that hung on the porch were rusted and broken.
"What are you talking about? It's really cute," Anna said. She walked up the front steps and disappeared through the front door. My eyebrows drew together in confusion. Cute? Was she crazy? Mom and Dad followed her, and I followed them. Inside was even worse then the outside.
The dry-wall was cracked and missing in many places. Everything was brown, although you could catch small glimpses of faded color on the old-fashioned wallpaper if you paid close enough attention. Other then the rooms themselves the house was empty. No furniture, appliances, cabinets, nothing. It was more of a shell than a house, which made the whole place feel eerie.
I wandered in and out of rooms, becoming more and more disappointed. At one point I caught up with Anna, and she dragged me upstairs to pick out our bedrooms. The wooden stairs creaked under my feet after each step I took. On the top floor there were four doors. Two were on one end of the hallway while the other two were on the opposite. I followed Anna down one end and peered through the first door.
From what I could tell, it was empty just like the rest of the place. I shrugged and moved down to join Anna. She was frozen with a big smile on her face.
"What...?" The blood drained from my face. This was by far the scariest room I'd seen.
It was furnished with a twin bed that had a headboard and footboard. Tied to the headboard, though, were rusting chains. Above the bed running the length of the room was a shelf holding all sorts of dolls. Some were china with painted faces while others were made of burlap with sewn x's for eyes.
"I want this one!" Anna squealed. "This one's mine! You can have the other one." My mouth fell open, and I couldn't help but stare at her like she had two heads.
"You want... no, never mind. Take it. It's yours," I said, turning away. I practically flew down the stairs and back outside. "Do you guys need help?" I asked my parents, picking up a box anyways. Right now all I wanted was to distract my mind from what was inside the house. Maybe if I kept concentrated on moving things, it would help. But, despite my efforts, I couldn't keep the crazy images from coming back. And more importantly, the thought that my sister and parents were seeing the house differently than I was.
