Forlot - Books 1-3 {Completed}

Chapter Sixteen

"Yum! This is good!" Sarah declared.

Stanley, the puppets, and I had finished fixing supper, and we were all sitting at the dining room table. Mr. Hawk sat at the head of the table, while his friends sat at the end. Scarlett, Sarah, and I sat between him and the monsters.

Huh? Scarlett? You thought that she was still knocked out? Well, she was, but then she woke up again.

You see, as soon as Stanley and I started cooking, and Tippy, Skippy, and Tappy began setting the table, I suddenly heard a groan coming from the other room. I went to investigate the strange sound and saw my sister sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Sis! You are finally awake once again!" I said happily.

She did not glance at me. Instead, she raised her nose into the air and sniffed, as if she were acting like a dog. "Mmm. What is that wonderful smell?" she asked.

"Must be the food that Stanley and I are preparing."

Scarlett had a confused look on her face. "Stanley? Who is Stanley?"

"...oh." I forgot for a second that Scarlett was asleep the whole time that the monsters introduced themselves to me and Sarah. I took her hand and led her to the kitchen. "Stanley!" I called. "My sister just woke up."

"That is good," he said as he put some chopped vegetables in a large bowl. "She will be joining us for supper, and what we are making should not take long."

"What are we fixing anyway?" I asked.

"Vegetable soup."

"...that is it?" I was expecting more food.

"We try to not fix and eat a lot for each meal. There are plenty of us that live here, and some of us do not like to eat much."

I guess that he had a point. After all, twelve people lived together in one mansion. And when Sarah, my sister, and I got here, the toll went to fifteen.

Good thing that they live in a mansion.

To make sure that my sister did not faint a third time, I did what Mr. Hawk did to me and Sarah. I introduced the creatures to her one by one. First was Stanley. He was the easiest because he looked like a human. Next were the puppets. Then the ghosts. And so on and so forth. Scarlett seemed a bit scared, probably worried, when seeing the monsters, but with my help, she relaxed and got to know each monster personally and what they liked to do. It would take some time for her to get used to the fact that monsters exist, but at least she was not fainting like before.

So here she was, sitting next to me at the table with all of Mr. Hawk's friends.

Well, almost all of them.

I examined the room and saw no sign of Lean Share. Was she still upstairs?

Speaking of upstairs, I could not stop thinking of the figure that stared at me from atop of the stairs. Who could it have been?

Hmm.

The only person whom I could think of was Lean. She was the only one upstairs.

Whom I knew.

Thoughts started bubbling in my mind.

Maybe Mr. Hawk has more "friends" up there.

Then why would Mr. Hawk not even mention them?

He is evil! Remember?

When everybody was done eating, Mr. Hawk ordered the monsters to gather the dishes and silverware and wash them. They grunted in response and did what they were told. I noticed Stanley going into the kitchen and coming back with a bowl of vegetable soup.

"What are you doing?" I asked him. "You explained to me earlier that you and the others do not eat much."

He chuckled and shook his head. "It is not for me. It is for Lean. She has not eaten yet, so I am taking this soup to her room." He gently brushed my bangs away from my eyes, and my cheeks turned red.

Get a hold of yourself, Margie! He is working for the enemy!

"Would you like to come with me, Margie?" Stanley suggested.

"S-sure," I answered.

So much for that.

We walked up the stairs. Stanley took his sweet time, making sure that the soup did not spill. We came to a dark brown door that was closed. There was a sign on it that said in big, black letters:

KEEP OUT!

"Is this her room?" I spoke.

Stanley nodded and knocked on the door.

"Go away," an angry Lean said. Her voice sounded tense and not so pleasant.

"Lean, it is me. Stanley," Stanley talked to her. "I brought you something to eat. Vegetable soup."

"I am not hungry."

"You really need to eat. You have not eaten in three months. Mr. Hawk does not want you to die - again."

Three months? Did I hear him correctly? This has been going on for three whole months? And what did he mean by her dying again? I guess that since Lean Share is a ghost and thereby, already dead, she could die a second time and disappear.

Forever.

"I do not care if I die!" Lean shouted. "And I do not care to do what Mr. Hawk expects me to do! He obviously does not care about my needs!"

"It is for your safety," Stanley told her. I could see that he was trying to remain calm and peaceful. "He just wants to protect you."

"It is his fault that I lost them in the first place!"

"That was your fault. You should be lucky that you made it out of there without dying. Again!"

"It was never my fault to begin with!"

Finally, Stanley snapped.

"That is it!" he exclaimed angrily, quickly setting the soup down next to the door. "I am through having this argument!" With that, he stormed off.

I stood in front of the door, wondering what just happened. I looked at the doorknob - and reached for it.