Chapter-6

"Your joking right?" I said, there's no way mom just said that, cooking at home? I must be dreaming.

"Of course," mom replied, " do you think I'm lying,"

"Well, you do lie most of the time, that's why."

"Ok, keep that up and we're having pizza for dinner." Mom said angrily

"Hurray mom's finally cooking." I said awkwardly.

"What are you going to make." Brad said following mom to the kitchen.

"Anything I can make." She replied, " what do you want?"

"Chocolate donut!"

"I'm sorry honey, I'm not making that, Brooke don't just stand there come help me."

The kitchen never felt this alive before, The sound of the dishes the spoons everything sounded music to my ears, " Mom when was the last time you cooked." I said

"I don't remember" she replied, " but you do know that I won the cooking competition when I was in seven grade right, I told you before."

I shrugged, " never heard that."

"I did." She continued, " but that was long time ago."

I don't know if mom is lying about her winning the cooking competition, cause her cooking is not that good but I can see that she uses the knife well.

"Mom what are we making?"

"Let's see….Brad don't touch that!" I grabbed Brad's arm and dragged him out of the kitchen,

"Now you stay here and don't enter the kitchen until it's time to eat."

Mom took out the meat from the ice box along with some peas and added them into a pot boiling with water, " Brooke pass me the pepper."

I held the pepper trying to pass it to her but she quickly snatched it from my hand, she then started cracking eggs and making a batter out of it, " do we really need to bake a cake?"

"That's for Brad, I wanted to bake a cake for him for a long time." she quickly whipped up some cream and place it aside before going over to the stove and checking the meat out, the aroma started to fill the kitchen, when was the last time I smelled delicious smell coming from our own kitchen, I thought the smell made me hungry and I forgot all about the things that had happened today; about the voice above my room, Mrs. Rose and Robbie, how nice would it have been of our house was always like this and only if dad was alive too, I came back to my senses when I heard mom's low moan, I rushed towards her, her finger was covered with blood, " mom what happened?" I said,

"It's nothing just a small cut, pass me the first aid."

I quickly grabbed the first aid box from the fridge above and took out an ointment and rubbed it in her finger and bandaged it.

"Mom take a break, I'll cook." I said

Mom gave me a smirk, "you can't even cook, it's just a small cut and dinner is almost ready, just have to wait for the meat to become tender."

Dinner time was over, and it had been a long time since all three of us sat at the table and ate together, the kitchen light and the living room lights were turned off, mom had already gone to bed cause she had to go to work early in the morning tomorrow, I was in Brad's room and we were playing tank-wars.

"Shoot! Shoot!" Brad shouted.

"Hush! Not so loudly mom is sleeping." I said, I had to do everything he tells me to do.

"Brooke you have to shoot." He said softly

"Iam shooting."

Brad handed me a tiny flag, " here you hold the flag." He said

I grabbed the tiny flag and swayed it across his face.

"Not like that!" He yelled

"Then how am I suppose to do it?" I replied, he snatched the flag and waved it in the air, "like this!"

"Well, I did the same thing."

"No! You didn't."

I got tried of playing with him and it was already ten at night and all we did was wave the flag and shoot something random.

"Brad, it's time to sleep you have to go to school tomorrow."

"No I don't want to sleep."

"It's getting late, if you sleep now we'll go for ice-cream in the morning tomorrow."

Brad remained silent for sometime and said, "okay" before jumping up on his bed,

"Brooke, tomorrow we're having 'the little bee' in our school and I want you to come too." He said

"What's that?"

"Iam going to sing and there will be others too I don't want to be alone."

I gave out a sigh, I really didn't want to attend all those stupid kids shows and meet with the other kids parents and since mom is leaving for work early I have to be the one going.

"Ok I'll come." I said, " now go to sleep."

I spread out my blanket and laid on my back, my bed was soft and comfy for my aching back, I stayed awake for sometime it was already eleven, my eyes were fixed on the ceiling, thinking what if I heard another voice again, "make a sound." I whispered, was I really saying to make a sound, I thought, I didn't want anything to happen again, my heart started to race, I rolled under my blanket and covered myself in it, "Brooke go to sleep, go to sleep." I said to myself, I tried closing my eyes but it would open by itself, the window was still open and I could see the shadowy figure of the trees outside, I quickly shut my eyes and stayed like that for a while, my breath was heavy and I was sweating all over my body, staying in that position was uncomfortable and suffocating, so I tried moving a little and dragged down the blanket covering my face, then sudden coldness rush over my body, I stayed like that for a while when I felt something strange as if someone was present and next to me but I didn't open my eyes and shut it even tighter, the eerie presence overwhelmed me, so I took a small peek but the room was empty all I saw were the dark furniture's around my room, I gave out a breath of relief but that presence was still there, so I tried to look around everywhere and when my eyes fell on the ventilation my heart stopped, I became frozen, my hairs stood up and my jaw dropped in horror, the ventilation was not alone I saw a pale looking face floating and looking dead straight at me, it's eyes looked dead and its lips were all cracked it had no eyebrows and just stared at me waving up and down the ventilation

What was I suppose to do at that time? I quickly covered myself with my blanket, my body began to shake and I was drenched in sweat.

"Our Father, who art in heaven…" I started to pray, my voice quavered in fear, "forgive our debts as we forgive…" I continued, every time I said a word I had to swallow hard because my throat was all dried up, every word I spoke choked me.

"and led us not into test but deliver us from evil…Amen."

There was a long pause after the prayer was done, I didn't dare open my eyes, my heart was still beating very fast, I could hear it and my body was still shaking, I stayed covered in my blanket for a long time.

I think Iam skipping my sleep tonight, I thought

What is wrong with this house? Is it really haunted? Or am I just hallucinating, but that seemed real it was really there and was staring at me, the voice earlier this morning too I heard it very clearly, all these thoughts made me feel very dizzy, I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes, the room was dark and there was no one in the ventilation.

"Is this going to happen everyday." I said to myself, I checked the alarm clock it was already past midnight, I tossed around the bed, my heart stopped beating fast and I just stayed there wide awake, there was no way I was going to sleep tonight.