Suicide House

Chapter 10

The next few weeks passed in a blur. I had to deal with two small services for my brother and cousin. I decided to keep the house due to the fact that I wasn't just going to leave the ghosts alone in the house. Also Maria liked human company, as much as we loved the others they were a touch out of the world and were not truly keeping up with current events.

My brother had joined Peter and the rest, he was also very startled at the fact that I could see him and was now talking to everyone. My voice was back and I wasn't going to loose it.

I learned that Maria liked Eliza, and the love was returned. I watched the seasons change to spring.

I helped Maria plant flowers, although since it was now my house it had more of a variety that fit me. We had snapdragons because they were my mother's favorite plant, small pretty purple flowers that grew along the ground. Tall sunflowers around the tree, and many others that Maria put in because they matched. It was all oranges and reds, almost firey in colour.

Peggy loved it and I could find her outside at all times. John had taken a liking to the basement and my little hideaway. Angelica was happy in the living room, lounging around and reading. Eliza would stay in the kitchen watching the world pass by. Maria would garden and I would go to school.

Everything was as normal as it could be when you were an orphan with no family and only a housemaid and ghosts for company. I had started getting bullied at school, just small things at first, getting pushed into the lockers, knocked down in the hallways. Nothing drastic. But it still hurt.

There was to be a large storm within the next week so that helped nothing. I had started to stress out more, I could almost feel the pain of the storm. James and I had been lucky that Peter lived in a town not too far away. That Hurricane had taken everything that we had had.

It was the end of the week, Friday to be exact, and the wind started. It wasn't a hurricane but high winds and driving rain were a definite.

I made it home after a long day at college and only ten minutes after I walked in the house the rain started. Just a simple pitter patter on the room in the beginning, little streaks of water sliding down the windows.

Peter and James hadn't talked to me too much recently and Angelica had been ignoring me. Unintentionally of course. John had full on disappeared and I had only been talking to Maria.

School had taken a lot out of me today. I had had a panic attack in the bathroom between classes and I also tripped and fell on my way home. My knee was scraped up and I was a mess.

I stumbled up the stairs to my room in a daze of tiredness. I heard Maria ask if I was ok, I gave her a small shake of my head.

She trailed behind me. I reached my room, opened the door and essentially fell face first onto my bed. I could feel the bed dip down next to me and a warm hand rest on my back.

"Alex, I can't help if I don't know the problem," I could hear Maria through the soft blankets. I groaned and rolled over so I was looking at her. 

"I don't think you can help with this problem."

"Oh really? Try me."

"Fine. I had a panic attack in school in the bathroom, I tripped on my way home and I'm scared of storms and one is gonna hit tonight so I'm just tired and scared and anxiety is hounding me so I'm tired," I explained to her. She pulled me into a soft hug, I unraveled in her arms and started to cry. My knee hurt terribly and I was so stressed. Maria sat there holding me for a good twenty minutes before I could compose myself.

"I'm sorry," I sniffled into her shoulder.

"Alex, it's fine. You're only sixteen. You shouldn't have to deal with all the stress that has befallen you. I really don't mind, us live people must stick together in the house of ghosts."

I nodded and hugged her again. She got up and helped me sit up before going to the bathroom to get  a wet cloth and some bandages. 

I was so happy that I had Maria with me. She was only three years older than me (Alex is now 17 because his birthday was in January and I forgot bout that), it made it easy to talk to her. 

After she had cleaned up my knee she told me to get into my pajamas and head down to the kitchen.

Soon enough I made it down there, I was wearing fluffy green pants and a black Rent shirt.

"So? Why am I down here?" I ask her while sitting at the island on one of the tall chairs.

She slid a drink across the table to me. It looked sort of frothy on top, latte style, but it was only a milky colour. A dash of nutmeg sat on top of the foam and she nodded towards it.

"Go on. I didn't poison it or anything!" She complained to me after I stared at it for a bit longer. Soon enough I shrugged my shoulders and took a sip of the drink.

It was definitely milk but had a distinctly sweet under tone. The milk was also very warm.

"What is it?" I asked her while taking another sip of it.

"Steamed milk with hazelnut syrup, one of my favorite drinks when I'm stressed and need to go to sleep," Maria told me while sitting down with her own.

"Wow, this is really good!" I told her before taking a big long swig of the sweet drink. She smiled shyly before looking at me quite honestly.

"I'm sorry, the storm is about to start up, the wind is getting stronger... Would you maybe feel safer in the crawlspace? I could help get you set up down there... Bring you snacks, water... Do you think that would be good?" She looked at me with all the sincerity I had ever seen. I nodded at her.

She lead me downstairs and then went back up and brought me more blankets, another steamed milk, cookies, and some apple slices. I felt like a child being catered to but it felt wonderful at the same time.

John appeared not too long into the storm and apologized profusely about not coming to see me. I just sat numbly listening to the wind and rain pounding on the windows.

Maria came to the top of the stairs and waved at John before turning back up towards the kitchen.

John sat and held me through the whole storm. Soon enough, once the wind had stopped howling, I managed to fall asleep.

I'm soooo sorryyyyy!! My cousin was over and my grandma wanted to see me today so I've been writing every chance I get but It took too longgggg!!! Sorryyyyy~Megan