The house no one Knows about

FOURTEEN

14

She did the same thing again. She opened the door, walked out to a really far place, knelt down in front of the two dark objects and talked and only God knows what she was saying.

I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep when she walks in. Her footsteps are light and soundless but I know it's her because there is no mistaking the chattering of her teeth. When I hear the sound of her bedroom door closing, I slip off the couch and escape through the back door. It isn't very hard to find my way to the farm but no matter which way I turn I can't find the two objects Bambi had been kneeling in front of. It bothers me how she would just keep disappearing every night. How is it possible that we can live in the same house and I would not know a thing about her? Why would she want to isolate herself from me?

When we kissed, all I could think of was the way her hair smelled. The way she laughed when I lifted her up. Everything I thought about her was amazing. So while I stumble around in the dark farm I am confused and disappointed then I turn around and find two graves and two headstones; the dark objects. On one headstone it said: Mrs Stephen Kingman 1970-2004 and the other headstone said Mrs Haley Kingman 1974-2004. I almost recognised the names. I knew them as great people my parents envied but that is all I remember. As I walk back to the farm the fact that I don't know Bambi's last name comes to me. I begin to walk faster and faster and by the time I get to her room and lean against the wall, the lights come on. I turn around and play with the switch a bit; she lied to me.

* * *

The light blinded me. At first I was feeling pretty annoyed that some inconsiderate person would walk into my room and turn on the lights for no reason. Then I realized that the only other person in this house is not meant to know about the lights.

'Bambi, why are the lights on?'

I groan loudly and turn to my side, praying that I can overlook him long enough and he'll leave my room out of aggravation.

'Wake up'

'You can't tell me what to do' I mumble.

'Why did you lie about the lights?'

'What are you talking about?' I get up and face him.

He flicks the light switch on and off several times.

'Why did you lie about the lights?'

'Why do you want to know?'

'Because it doesn't make sense for you to keep secrets from me when we are both living in this house'

'I lied because I have a long story to cover up'

'My next question, what's your last name?'

'I don't have one'

'Everybody has one'

'Not me'

He rolls his eyes.

'Bambi, I can see that you still don't trust me, I don't know why and you certainly don't know what you want out of life. So I'm going to leave you to find out and when you do, if you can find me I'd love to know what you've decided'

He turns around and I jump out of my bed. He can't leave, I won't let him.

'Wait, I'm serious. I don't have a last name but Mercedes does' I hold his wrist in my hand and trace the lines of his palm with my finger.

'Who is Mercedes?'

'Once upon a time, there was a girl named Mercedes Kingman, her parents were remarkable and that is the only verb that fits the description of her parents perfectly and they were the richest people in the years 1985 and 1990. Their names are Stephen and Haley Kingman they gave birth to Mercedes in 1998 in England. In 2004, a plane taking the Kingman family from England to Washington crashed on Mount Rainier. Everyone on the plane died.

Weeks after Mercedes has reincarnated as another girl named Bambi. She meets Izzy and he starts to look after her. Later on Izzy told her that she has to earn a living and teaches her how to steal and she moved out and got this place'

'The night I moved in, you left the house in the morning, why?'

'I had to go tell my parents that I killed somebody'

'What?'

'The day of the pizza and chocolate-covered strawberries/police investigation I discovered that the criminal that ran past my house stole from me. So I went to a house owned by someone rich and stole her money but as I was leaving, she was just arriving so I shot her in the head'

'Oh my God'

'It's not the first time, an old couple lived in this house before me and they had a niece who looked exactly like me. So we took care of them and buried the little girl as Mercedes Kingman because the police would be looking for her body'

'How come the police haven't caught you?'

'I don't wear ski masks and dark clothing when I rob people'

'What's the nineteenth century medieval-looking trapdoor for?'

'You would understand more if I showed you'

It frightened me to open the trapdoor and let him because I've never done that with another human being but T.A.A.B.W.I.A.W.A.D.A.F.458.I is special and if it will make him stay, I'll do it. I slip the large key around my neck into the padlock and twist it. Then I type in a bunch of codes and undergo a fingerprint scan before the ladder slides down. I climb up after him and watch his awed look.

There is a huge bed in the middle of the attic. There is also a fridge, a large plasma screen TV, a MacBook Pro lying on the bed, a small scooter and art pastels, watercolours, oil paints, paintbrushes and my Cannon EOS 600d.

'Everything I buy with the money I steal is kept here. The priceless artefacts are kept in a safe, when it's necessary you'll know about the location'

'The security system is impressive'

'Izzy installed it'

He nods slowly. I hold his neck and kiss his cheek and while my head is buried in his chest I whisper my next words slowly.

'Bambi doesn't exist in Charlotte, or North Carolina or the United States. When she does, I'm going to come after five people. Lorraine, your parents, Gabe, Izzy and you and I will kill all of you'