Madness [ Claire Sequel ]

Chapter 3

Kira's POV

One day after I'd put up the posters, I had an individual and a family of three asking if there were still rooms for rent. I told them there were, and they all asked for information, and I gave it to them freely.

The individual was a male with chocolate brown hair and the same colored eyes. He was tanned, and looked friendly enough. Not that it really mattered; I could handle him if he got aggressive. He said his name was Tyler, and he took a downstairs guest room.

The family consisted of twin daughters and a mother. The sight of a mother made my heart pang with hurt, and I didn't hesitate to offer them the master bedroom. The mother was very grateful, and introduced herself as Marina, and her daughters as Rayna and Rose.

I showed the family the master bedroom, giving them a tour of the house, while Tyler adventured on his own. I'd made sure I'd locked the basement door, and I knew no one would find the office.

"Lunch will be ready in thirty minutes, and dinner is at six o'clock." I said politely, after gathering everyone in the den. "Any laundry you need done, please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll take care of it. If you need anything, such as body wash, let me know and I'll be sure to get it to you. I restock the kitchen every Sunday, so there, hopefully, won't be any trouble with food. If you require any kind of medicine, I will also take care of this. Don't worry about paying me back for food or anything; just treat it as a continuous treat from me!"

Marina smiled and thanked me again. Tyler looked curious, but he was warming up to me, I knew. Rayna and Rose were in the living room, watching television. I would have to get some movies sometime, but they could wait.

I sat down at the dining room table, a glass of sweet tea in my hand. Marina sat down beside me, a gentle smile on her face. "Your house is beautiful, Ms. Stein!" She complimented, trying to supress a helpless giggle at my last name. I chuckled. "It's alright to laugh; I laugh at myself, too." Marina shook her head. "You can call me Kira, by the way." I told her. She gazed at me with warm, curious eyes, but nodded and smiled.

"I didn't know anyone lived in this house before now." Tyler said, sitting down across from Marina. "In fact, I was strolling and found this house. It was very dull." He looked up at me. "I was kind of amazed to see its transformation from an obvious hasn't-been-lived-in-for-years to brand new." He chuckled, brushing his shaggy, wind-swept hair from his eyes.

I sighed. "Well, I left this house three years ago to go to an academy out of state, and my step-father and step-sister were the only ones living here. My mother died when I was young, so I understood why my step-father and step-sister left; without me here, there was no way to ignore the memories of my mother." I shook my head at myself for making Zak and Zero look good, while to Marina and Tyler, it looked like I was being nostalgic.

"I finished school this year, and came back just three days ago. I wasn't surprised to see my family gone, but the state they left the poor house in..." I shook my head with a sigh. "It took me a day to clean the entire house, mow the lawns, and paint the porches. I spent all of yesterday painting the exterior of the house, cleaning the windows, planting flowers, creating that gravel trail, and posting those lamps to recreate the idea of beauty my mother had in mind for this house so long ago." I smiled. "I thought I did a pretty good job." I giggled.

Tyler and Marina laughed with me, then reassured me by telling me I did a phenomenal job with the house. I thanked them politely, then turned to Marina. "I'm pretty sure you want Rayna and Rose to be active?" I asked. Marina nodded. "Definitely!" She said. I nodded. "I've got some construction experience; I can build a club house, or maybe build a playset since they're still a bit young." I offered. Marina took this into consideration. "I don't know, Kira. You're so young, and you're already doing so much for us!" I shook my head and replied, "Don't worry about it! I get joy in reward for helping others; I get it from my mother."

With this, Tyler stepped in, "I worked in construction with my dad for a while. I could help, if you wanted me to." I analyzed Tyler and smiled. "Sure! We can get started tomorrow; I need you to settle in before you get into any real work around here!" I told him. he chuckled.

I stood up. "Speaking of work, I've got lunch to make!" I pushed my chair under the table and gazed at Marina in surprise when she offered to help me.

We stood in the kitchen, and I told her I was making grilled cheese. She smiled and helped me gather everything we needed, then helped double the speed of cooking by making the sandwiches beside me with her own frying pan, while I used one at the same time. We had a nice conversation together, laughing all the while.

"Lunch is ready!" I announced, setting the grilled cheeses on the dining room table. Rayna and Rose came running into the dining room, while Tyler approached more slowly, coming from the bathroom near his room.

I sat at the head of the table, Marina on my right, Tyler to my left. Rayna sat next to her mother, and Rose sat next to her sister. Tyler didn't seem the least bit offended by the girl's choosing to sit next to her twin, and ate quietly.

The girls finished their sandwiches and ran outside to play tag, with their mother's permission. "You don't mind that, do you? The girls playing tag outside?" Marina asked. I shook my head. "Of course not! They're young, let them use that energy! They'll sleep better, anyhow." I replied. Marina gaped at me. "Really? I'd never considered that." She walked out onto the back porch to watch her daughters while Tyler helped me put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"I'm sorry if this is rude," Tyler started, leaning against the counter as I shut the dishwasher, "but how older are you?" I paused. "I'm nineteen, you?" I thought it only appropriate that I ask his age since he asked my own. "Same. What're you doing renting out rooms?" He interrogated. Where was this going? "I like helping people." I said. Tyler frowned playfully. "You sure you're not a serial killer?" I laughed at his outragous question, although I had killed before. "I'm not a serial killer! Please don't tell me that thought is what made you choose a downstairs bedroom!" Tyler hesitated. "Maybe..." I laughed at him.

But his suspicions were reasonable. I could've easily have been a human, inviting people to rent out rooms in her home just to kill them for the hell of it. I couldn't blame him for being so suspicious. I would've been, too, though I hadn't considered that.

Tyler stretched his arms up, towards the ceiling. "Don't be afraid to ask me to do some manly work 'round here." He said, smiling. "I won't mind, being a manly man and all." I chuckled. "Yeah. Alright, Tyler." We laughed for a moment before I told him I was going upstairs for a shower. He nodded and started for the living room, turning on the television. As I passed the back door to the stairs, a thought came to me;

I wouldn't mind a porch swing.