Inseparable

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Rain pattered against my window in soft, rhythmic beats. It awoke me from my long slumber. The electric clock read ten AM in bold green characters. My light green eyes scanned the ceiling. The ceiling fan shook as it rotated around its thick metal axis. Small slivers of light flickered in through the blinds, dancing on the walls. I watched them for a small while, my eyes quickly moving back and forth. Something stirred in the next room over.

 I got up reluctantly and entered the room next to mine. Quinn sat on the floor rummaging through a box labeled ‘Games.’ It seemed as though he was trying to make as much noise as possible.

 “What are you doing?” I yawned.

“I’m getting cards. There’s UNO, a regular deck, some special poker cards, Old Maid…” his voice faded out.

When I first knew Quinn would be staying I was hesitant. The first day was all too weird, but then I warmed up to him and his wittiness. I thought he would be here only at night and sometimes when it got cold, not every day. But I guess he had a very different idea. We had become quick friends, because he had been in the house every day for the two weeks I’d been here. He woke up here, he ate here, he sat around here, and he slept here. It was odd, but I’d grown fond of his ever-present company.

“What do you want to play?” he asked, still searching through the box.

I lifted my eyebrows and giggled. “Seriously? We’re going to play cards?”

He quickly turned around and shot me look. “Of course! It’s raining, Taylor! That’s what you do on rainy days!” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Okay! How about Spades?”

He grinned. “I’m going to demolish you!”

“You’re funny!” I replied and sat down next to him.

***

After one game of Spades I was bored of cards. Quinn won, unsurprisingly. He was intelligent and ahead of the game.

“Wanna play again?” Quinn urged.

“No. I have another game in mind,” I answered.

I grabbed all the cards in my hands and threw them up in the air. “Fifty two card pick up!”

Cards rained down on us, pelting our shoulders and backs. It was as though everything was in slow motion. We were both laughing and clutching our stomachs. Quinn looked happier then I’d ever seen him. There was a twinkle in his eye when he laughed.

“Nice job! Look at the room!” Quinn chuckled at me.

Cards littered the floor. I laughed again, unable to control it. Joyful tears had formed in my eyes and my stomach felt tight. I realized how close I actually was to Quinn. We were only centimeters apart. Our faces were almost touching.

Suddenly the laughter ceased. I could feel his eyes burning into me. I turned to him. His chocolate eyes searched my own green ones. He blinked and his eyelashes touched his cheeks. The circles around his eyes were still there, but had diminished from their original shade of black. His cheeks had tiny freckles spread across them. Little flecks of gold surrounded his pupil.

A noise erupted from the attic and we both jumped. I looked up at the ceiling. I heard footsteps. The treading overhead grew louder until it seemed to be right above our heads. Another intense sound came from above. Then there was silence for a few moments. I looked at Quinn.

Instead of a surprised look his face held more of an annoyed expression. His mouth was tight and his nostrils were flared. A heavy breathing came from above and then a scratching sound. At first it was slow and barely audible then it became fast and piercing. I clapped my hands over my ears.

Quinn punched the floor and groaned.

“What is that?!” I screamed, unable to hear myself but still fully aware of the screeching noise above.

In reply he stood and stuck his hand out to me. I took it and he lifted me off the ground. He dragged me along as we marched through the house, nearly silent even though I felt like my feet were bricks. Eventually we got to the storage room where the attic ladder was. Quinn pulled it down a little too hard, but caught it before it could break anything or slam into the ground.

“Are we going up there?” I asked, my voice so heavily drowned in fear that it actually shook as I spoke.

Quinn rolled his eyes. “You’re scared? Think of it as an adventure. I promise you’ll be safe.”

I nodded, although I didn’t really believe him. He stepped onto the first rung in the ladder and began to climb. Once he was at the top he used his arms to push him up into the attic and stuck his head back out of the opening.

“Come on.”

I started my ascent into the attic. I climbed lethargically. I knew that this would just anger Quinn, but it made me feel safer. I knew that I was merely just delaying whatever horror was to come, but I needed time to prepare myself.

 I climbed into the attic. It smelled awful, like mothballs and dust. It was stuffy and dark and horrible. Just like any cliché attic in an old house it had cobwebs lining most of the room. It was an odd attic. It had doorways to other rooms, as if it was meant to be another story of the house that was never quite finished.

Quinn gripped my hand in his. I could hear my heart in my ears. It pumped too fast. I had forgotten about the scratching, but now I heard it again, louder than ever. It tormented my ears. My body shook with chills and I opened my mouth in pain. Even my teeth hurt.

Again, Quinn yanked me along. I was still shuddering when we reached a small doorway that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. It was no larger than three feet wide and three feet tall. The dim light in the attic showed it to be a dark green color. The doorknob was brass and had a keyhole on it.

“Don’t scream, please. It’ll hurt her feelings. Just be calm about it. She’s shy, so be careful with her.”

Before I could ask any questions, Quinn pulled an old looking key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. The scratching stopped.