"Mom, why is my hair so greasy? I literally just took a shower yesterday."
"Ari, I don't know. Did you wash your hair with the conditioner I bought?"
"Yea, and I washed it like twice."
My mom couldn't have sighed any harder. "Ari, please. I have had an extremely long day at work and I'm struggling to hold on to my sanity. Please, just for the rest of the ride could you try not to ask so many questions?"
I slowly slumped back into my seat and dropped the strands of stringy hair I was examining. I gazed out the window at the passing houses and trees as we drove past our street.
"Hey mom, where are we going?" I waited a couple of seconds in silence and realized that she was serious about me shutting up and not asking stupid questions. We continued to drive for ten more minutes and then turned down a mostly desolate road. We only passed two vacant houses and eventually reached a dead end with a small green house. It appeared to be in a decent condition with a couple of trees in the front and a shed far over on the right of the house.
Mom pulled all the way up to the entry of the garage and parked in front of it. Without even looking at me, she stepped out of the car and fumbled with the ring of keys she keeps in her cluttered purse. I hesitantly followed her as she climbed the stairs that lead to the front entrance.
"Okay... umm I'm not really digging this whole Scooby-Doo vibe I'm getting from this place." She looked over her shoulder at me and scolded me with the look in her eyes for being childish and stepped into a spacious room. There were big windows lining the side walls and further down the hallway was a pretty modern kitchen. Mom put her purse down and began caressing the marble counters in admiration.
"Glad you're enjoying the counters mom, but where the heck are we? We kinda just walked in and you just so happened to have the keys..."
"This is Lara's house," she said matter of factly, "She found this place a couple days ago, but it was a little pricy so she was looking for a roommate. Well, roommates." She continued on with her rebuttal before I could even glance at her with a disapproving look. "Rent was a little much at home anyway, so I figured splitting the costs would be easier."
She looked up at me with a smile and I was honestly pretty shocked. She hasn't smiled like that since... well I actually can't remember. Ever since he up and left us, mom picked up another part time job and I was soon going to follow behind once I turned sixteen. Groceries were usually bought every other week in small portions and bills usually took up most of the space on the kitchen table.
"Umm okay. I mean this isn't completely sudden or anything," I bitingly add with a little too much sass.
"Listen Ari, bills are getting high and I have had it with your unnecessary sass. I don't appreciate you taking that tone with me young lady!" She gave me a stern look which I can only call the think-about-what-you've-done face that every mom masters. "I'm going back to the house to start packing up our things and I want you to stay here and clean up. There's already a bed upstairs in the last bedroom on the left with sheets on top, that's your room." Before I could even ask a quick question, she picked up her purse and left.
"Yay, an empty house with no wifi," I scoffed under my breath. I trudged up the stairs and cringed at the overly creaky steps. "Oh man, I just love these stairs. Creaky ones straight out of a horror movie are just my favorite," I mockingly add.
The room all the way in the back has folded sheets stacked on top of a mattress that was certainly an upgrade from my twin size. Like any mature teenager, I jumped up and down on the bed and couldn't help but giggle at myself.
Stop that.
I actually choked on my giggle from gasping so hard. I'm sorry, did someone just tell me to stop it? I slowly crept off the bed warily scanned the room for the source.
"Alright Ari, let's not get paranoid," I whispered as I tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the hallway. As I scanned the other rooms, I swore I saw someone, or something, race down the stairs.
"Ohhh no, nuh-uh. Ari does not do ghost business."
I like to think I don't get scared during those cheesy horror films or get spooked by the occasional creak of the floorboards, but I actually found myself sprinting down the stairs and reaching for the doorknob when my mom beat me to it and the door made contact with my face.
"Oh Ari, I'm so sorry!" My mom apologizes while checking my face for cuts and bruises.
"Mom, I'm fine. I didn't fall through thickets of thorn bushes, you just hit me with a door." Mom was obviously was fed up with my sarcasm and rolled her eyes at me as she stepped into the house with a taller lady trailing behind. She looked about my mom's age and had long brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders.
"Ari this is Ms. Willow," my mom told me as she closed the door behind her.
"Hello! You must be Ariella, and you can just call me Lara." She outstretched her hand and weakly shook mine.
"Welcome to paradise!" She chuckled as she threw her hands up in the air. Sure... can you find me a paradise that has unrecognizable whispers and suspicious shadows?
*** This is my first time writing a story on Wattpad! 😁😁 I'm kinda new to this whole author thing so give me your feedback!
~Tori :)
YOU ARE READING
Unanswered
خارق للطبيعةMy mother always told me that I asked too many questions... Why was the sky blue? What happens to us after we die? Who is the girl who cries every night? How did she... get into my room?
