Behind you #Wattys2014

Chapter forty

 A week after coming back to school, the gossip starts to die down. But people still treat me in a different way, different from before I went to Seattle. Thinking back, if that cold I had before the wedding really got me and Alicia a chance to stay home, none of this would have happened. Things would turn out so differently. So much better.

 I steer my car out of the school parking lot, and start on my way home. The sun cascades down in my view, and I slip on my sunglasses.

 "Hey Molly, seriously, that break was wonderful. When your entire was gone. And I could actually live here without worrying about you guys getting on my nerves-"

 I scream. My foot presses down on the gas pedal hard. Speeding through a red light, I nearly crashed into the car in front of me, luckily I don't.

 "Shane! What the hell!? I thought I was alone here!"

 "Well you're not." He smirks. I can see his faded body in my backseat. "That was fun, do it again."

 "I don't want to die."

 I want you to."

 "Thank you." School's almost over. I'm going to be moving. Moving. Back to my apartment. Away from the creepy house, I can forget it. Suddenly, I don't feel like it's the best idea ever. When I first moved in last year, all I wanted to do was leave. But my experience here.... leaving Eleanor. I kinda want to stay.

 I turn up my driveway, and enter my soon- to- be former house. When I walk in, there's a woman in there. She smiles at me.

 "Um... Hi." That should translate into 'What are you doing in my house, Stranger?' But the woman just continues to smile.

"Sorry, I'm back." My mom walks out of the kitchen. "Let's continue."

 "Mom, is that your friend?" I ask.

 "No, she's here to help us with moving." My mother explains. "We're renting her company's trucks."

 "Yay! You people are leaving!" Shane whispers in my ear. I shove him away, it's kind of hard to do that to an apparition.

 "And." The woman says. "About taking this house down-"

 "What!??" Shane shrieks.

 "Who was that?" The woman says, annoyed that she's been interrupted by an invisible person.

 "Oh um..." I take out my phone. "My friend person just kinda screamed."

 "Stay away Molly, this is important." My mother sighs.

 "Uh... Sorry."  I mutter. "C'mon Shane, leave."

 "No, there's no way they're even thinking about taking my house down. I've lived here for two hundred years, Molly. Some random company is thinking about forcing me out? Are you kidding me?"

 "I'm sorry, I know this house means so much to you. But there's just really nothing that I can do." I sigh. "Or you can do."

 "I'm not gonna just let them take my house down, I need them to mind their own business. It doesn't bother them."

 "They're gonna do it... I don't think that-"

 "If they're gonna take it down, when we're not complaining, they're gonna have to look out. I'm perfectly fine here. Who are they anyway? How annoying is this house to them? Why take it down?"

 When I was four I watched a horror movie, where this girl insulted an apparition somehow and things weren't pretty. I was pretty scared back then.

 "Well, how are you planning on stopping them, Shane?" I ask.

 "Watch this." He rolls his black eyes, and just like that he disappears in a blinding white light.

 "Wait! No! Shane!" Too late. I run to the living room where my mother and the moving company lady is.

 The lady is talking, and my mother is filling out some papers. Suddenly, my mother gasps, then blinks. The lady continues talking, as Shane takes over my mother's body. I watch helplessly.

 "Excuse me." My mother- er Shane using her voice- says.

 "Yes? You done?" The lady smiles.

 "I changed my mind about moving." Shane says, I squeeze my eyes tight, heart pounding. What should I do? He's embarrassing my mother. "In fact, I'm very happy living here. You can't take this house down."

 "Um.. Mrs. McAllister, when you and your husband first moved in, we informed you that this house would be taken down after a full year. You agreed to stay her for only a year-"

 "Don't you dare! I've lived here to two hundred years!" That sets the lady to speechless mode.

 "Here, I'm sorry! I'll explain!" I step in, sweating. The lady is no longer smiling.

 "Yes-"

 "Cut it out, Molly, those damn people will not take this house down, I thought you were on my side?" Shane in my mother hisses.

 "Look, Lady, my mother has a... an illness. The illness gets her so often sometimes, something controls her, and she can't control herself very much-"

 "She was okay a second ago, Miss. McAllister, have you guys brought her to see a doctor?"

 "Uh... not yet." The thought of having doctors and other people come in scares me.

 "Well, I suggest that you do soon, Girl." The lady shakes her head. "Anyways, our company has the schedule up for taking these three useless houses down for-"

 "My house isn't useless, now get out of here." Shane snaps.

 "I get it, your mother has mental problems, call me and I'll come back when she gets better." The lady snaps, and leaves muttering under her breath. "Psycho."

 Blinding white light, Shane is standing in the corner with a serious face- a face I've never seen on him before- my mother looks confused.

 "Where's Vera?"

 "The moving lady?"

 "Yes. I haven't finished the forms."

 "Call her later, she had to leave in a rush." And I'll make sure to talk Shane outside so he doesn't know.

 "She did? Well okay. When should I call?"

 "Maybe an hour later." I say quickly, my mother nods and leaves, I grab Shane's arm, giving him a dirty look. "Why did you play with her body? At that time? What's your problem? If you really like to play so much, play with my body, okay? Or just play with my mother when nobody's home, please."

 "You don't understand, I wasn’t playing, this is serious."

 "I get it but that just- They're not gonna change their mind in taking this house down." I say. Shane walks away slowly, entering the staircase room, and steps under the staircase. Most apparitions in pictures are found under staircases. 

 "You don't want them finding out bodies right? Think about Eleanor if you don't care about me. She's your friend."

 "I know..."

 "I may not show it, but I trust you with the secret. Why won't you do anything to prevent it from coming out? It's our secret."

 _________________________________________________________

 Midnight, I make sure that Alicia is asleep, when I creep past her room. I slowly sneak downstairs, and walk down the hall leading to the room at the end. The wooden floor creaks. I grab the rusty door knob, looking back once, then I step in.

 Shane's body has changed a little again. His arm is moved. The Abramsons don't look any different. Mrs. Abramson’s huge eyes and broken smile still gives me shivers. Eleanor is sitting there as always.

"How am I going to do this?" I whisper to myself. How am I supposed to hide the bodies?"