The Room Upstairs

Chapter Nine

After her uncle was transported to the local funeral home, Cassidy drove back to her house and stood in the entrance for a long time. The drunken screams that had haunted her for so long seemed to fade as if the walls had forgotten the secrets they'd harbored. Buck calmly crossed the room and flopped down in his basket to gnaw on his bone, and Cass gazed curiously up to the second floor. Suddenly the stairs were easier to climb, and Cass didn't bother to walk silently up them like she'd done for so long. Instead, she relished the creaking wood beneath her feet.

At the top of the stairs, Cass pushed open the door that had once been hers to slam shut, chuckling when she saw that Reid had left the bed neat and tidy in the faded room. Cass walked over to the window and stared outside at the barn for a moment before forcing the ancient glass upwards and breathing the fresh air. A breeze blew in, stirring up the dust and prompting Cass to turn and watch it swirl. Glancing at the mirror above the dresser, Cassidy laughed out loud. Written in the dust in Reid's somewhat sloppy handwriting were the words 'Clean Me.'
"Okay, Mirror," Cassidy chuckled, starting down the stairs for the Windex. "I'll clean you."