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[2] Illusions

CHAPTER II

Illusions

I fell asleep listening to a song, but when I wake up, the lamp me is on. It's dark outside, and the cold wind comes in through the window. I get up to close the window, and from where I stand, I can see the front side of the mansion. Staring down at the fountain, I remember the human eye and how I mistook the sculpture.

Before I close the window, something else catches my attention. The swing rises higher than usual before falling back down, as though someone is sitting there and taking long swings, back and forth. It frightens me looking at the swing and the listening to its greasy sound.  I look carefully, but I see no one, and the chilling wind makes me close the window. Through the closed window, I see that the swing has stopped moving. 

The next day, when I go downstairs, everyone is sitting at the table. Mom had made pancakes and chocolate sauce. Avon comes running down, scaring all of us.

"I got it! I got accepted into L.W. University," he says, jumping and doing his own little dance. We're all happy for him, especially Mom and Dad. They always wanted Avon to go to L.W. They say it's the best university for his future.

"Dad, I will have to leave tomorrow," Avon tells Dad. I tune out the rest of their discussion. I stand up to take the mansion tour on my own, leaving Avon's selection squad behind. As I want to see the library first, I walk up the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor has five rooms, just like the first floor. The ceiling here is different, though. There are many different paintings on every wall, leaving no empty space. The red carpet suits the different texture of the wall. The floor is quiet cover in the dust, it needs a major cleaning.

I find the library at the end and walk into it. What surprises me is the length of the library and the way it has been structured. I'm surrounded by books. I walk to the first bookcase and pull out "Little Women" by Louisa May. I've heard a lot about this book, but I've never had the chance to read it. I set it on the table near the bookcases and continue to explore the library.

The sound of someone laughing catches my attention, and I stop walking. I look around for who the laughter belongs to, but there's no one else in the library with me. The sound is coming from the outer passage area, so I head out to look who it is.

The sound becomes much clearer as I walk toward the room opposite the library. I try to open the door, but it's locked. I try harder to push it open, but all of my tries are in vain. I can still hear the laughing. Someone's in there. I bring my ear to the door, listening carefully.

"Roses, roses. Red roses now turning into black ones. Roses, roses. Red roses now get ready to die soon."

"Emma, where are you? Are you upstairs?" Madeline's voice causes me to trip, and I fall down hard, hurting my butt and breaking a glass vase that I hadn't noticed before. Hearing the crash, everyone else comes up. Mom stares at me before helping me to my feet.

"Mom, there's someone in this room," I said while pointing to the door.

"Who would be there, Emma? We are all over here," Mom said while trying to keep me calm.

Sweat beads on my forehead. I'm scared, and the voice and laugh both echo in my head. How can I forget them?

I look toward Dad, who's trying to open the door. He can't get it to open, either.

"Emma, the door is locked. There's no one here," Dad says.

  "But mom... someone is there inside, I heard it," I tried to explain. 

"I think Mr. George will have a key to it. We'll ask him about it later. C'mon, now, let's go down," Mom says.

†

I'm in my room, still thinking about what had happened earlier. "Roses, roses. Red roses now turning into black ones. Roses, roses. Red roses now get ready to die soon." I can feel odd vibes passing through my whole body as I hear the creepy voice in my head.

Nina enters the room after a few minutes, scaring me. "How are you feeling, Ems?" she asks in her cute little voice.

"I'm good, Nina, just a little tired," I reply, helping her onto my bed.

"Em, would you like to play tap the foot with me? Charlotte is sleeping and Madeline is helping Avon," she says.

"Nina, right now, I'm really tired, but I'll play with you after I get some sleep. Go to your room and play by yourself," I say, lying down on my bed

I stand in a room where most of the furniture is covered with white sheets. There's a lady standing in front of me, a lady I've never seen before.

I walk closer to her. She's wearing a red dress with a beautiful, studded neckline. Her hair is tied into braids, her face pale. Blood oozes from her hands. Her mascara is ruined from crying, but she's still beautiful.

"Who are you?" I ask.

She doesn't say anything but looks at me with curious eyes. She starts laughing, the same laugh I had heard in the library. It's the same girl. "Roses, roses. Red roses now turning into black ones. Roses, roses. Red roses now get ready to die soon."

Before I can say anything, her face changes into something different. Her eyes turn red. Her face is so ruined that I can't even explain it. The red lipstick is spread around her face. There are many scars on her face now. Her voice is hoarse and cold.

The area around me starts to fade away as I run away with all my strength. I come to a stop near the fountain, where the woman sculpture had been. I look up to see the woman in the red dress standing in front of me. Before I can run, she grabs my hand. Her grasp leaves a long cut behind and causes a lot of pain.

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