I smiled as we passed so many familiar houses on the way back home, everything from the house I pranked every year on Halloween to the house where the Brahms used to live, but all the kids in school said it was haunted – only the bravest kids knocked on the door.
I was either brave or stupid back then, but old man Brahms just gave me the deepest glare when he caught me, and I never did it again; I was, however, something of a legend for the next week in my school.
It's weird, I've been away for two years, but being back here, it's like I've not missed a day.
"Here we are home sweet home" Glancing forward, I saw my house and swallowed hard before slowly getting out of the car, instinctively thinking about the last time I had been in this house and who I was here with.
"Stu!" I shouted angrily as he began to apologize profusely before freezing and staring at me, I followed his eyes down before realizing I was still only in my underwear and threw a pillow at him "Oh my god, Stuart!".
I stood by the car as my dad picked my suitcase and followed him towards the house, my heart started beating the closer we got, and I felt almost stupid for being so nervous about a house I had grown up in, but unfortunately, bad memories always beat the good.
Wrapping my arms around myself in comfort, I silently walked through the door after my dad held it open for me. My eyes widened a little seeing the interior had changed – nothing of my moms was here anymore.
Maybe my dad needed this change just as much as I did, I can only imagine how he felt after finding out your wife fucked the whole town and your daughters a loony.
Peering into the living room, I noticed the same changes had been made; my eyes saw the new coffee table sitting in the middle of the room, and I flinched, remembering the pain of the glass shards embedding into my skin.
"Here sweetheart before I forget" turning towards my dad I saw him holding out a key and a pink envelope, taking the items from him I frowned at the small metal key "I got the locks changed, I thought it might be safer" dad mumbled scratching his neck as I silently nodded.
"Good thinking, I guess" I sighed blowing out a small puff of air, everything was so different but painfully the same, and I was getting mental whiplash – I was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea after all.
"Why don't we take your stuff upstairs so you can get used to being back" my dad offered probably having seen my deer in the headlights expression, I bit my lip as a few tears welled up and my dad smiled sadly "Come on little bird" he whispered guiding up the stairs.
Opening the door to my bedroom, I almost gasped, seeing the state of it, my red walls were now a dull white shade, along with my bedsheets and curtains. All of my stuff was gone, the pictures I kept on the walls were missing and in their place was a framed picture of Mom, Sidney, Dad, and I.
"Your sister came in here and cleaned up a little" Dad mentioned as I gazed around the room, Sidney had changed everything, she had taken everything that screamed 'Kat' and turned it into a muted version of herself.
Walking towards my closet, I opened it to find all my stuff placed into boxes and crammed into the small space. "I never said she did a good job" My dad joked as my eyes bounced between items in the boxes before I quickly closed the door.
"Thank you," I muttered as he gave me a pat on the shoulder before he placed my bag near the door and gave me a small kiss on my forehead before leaving, quietly closing the door behind him.
Sitting down on the bed, I picked up the envelope I had placed on my bed after seeing my room, tearing it open I smiled, seeing a funny card with the words 'congratulations' printed on it, opening the card I began to read the words inside.
Kat,
I'm happy that you're home and going on to better things.
I'll always be here and love you very much.
Dad xBlowing out a breath of air, I sniffed as I placed the card onto my bedside table with a small smile before standing and throwing my suitcase on the bed as I began to unpack humming to myself as I carefully placed Gigi on my pillow.
Opening the closet up again, I grimaced at the state Sidney had left me belongings in, it's like she couldn't care less about how I would feel when I got back as long as everything was gone – out of sight, out of mind.
Now she was over at Windsor College having the time of her life making new friends and living a simple life, all the while sweeping her crazy sister under the rug like dirt she didn't want to clean up.
Glancing over to the picture on the wall, my eye twitched, seeing my mom and Sidney smiling back at me, their eyes following me as I slowly stood and walked closer to the frame happily mocking me.
Taking the frame off its hook, I sit back on my bed, just gazing at it before turning it over and gently prying the hooks on the back apart, lifting the photo from the frame I hold it delicately for a moment.
Swiftly ripping it into two pieces, I smiled, holding the part that now only held my dad and me, which I quickly put back into the frame, carefully placing the back on and fixing it back on to the wall.
Much better.
Picking up the other half of the photo I walked over to my vanity and took out the matches I used to light my candles, striking the red head of the match I let the flame touch the edge of the photo before throwing it into my trash can watching as the fire devoured the photograph.
Crawling onto my bed, I picked up Gigi and sat the giraffe in my lap as I crossed my legs, glancing around the bright white room I let out a hollow chuckle at the idea of my sister trying to forget the past by doing a room 'exorcising.'
Nothing would bring back Mom, Stu, Billy, Tatum, or even Casey, nor would it change the things we both learned about our mother but the fact that Sidney was doing her best to put all of those things behind her by pretending didn't happen is insane.
And yet people say I'm the crazy one.
YOU ARE READING
Dollhouse | scream series ²
HorrorKatherine Prescott is back to show everyone she's not just a victim or a girl who went crazy, but what happens when ghosts of the past come back to haunt her and Sidney. • "A dollhouse?" "where did you fit in? In this 'dollhouse'?" "I didn't," •...