Gemma and I did not want to go to the attic. Not when - if - there were creeps lurking in the attic. I could only imagine what kinds were up there. Maybe Gemma was mistaken. She has never lied in her life. I wanted her to be wrong, but my gut told me otherwise. It felt as if my family and I were not alone. Sadly, I was correct.

Gemma and I would have told Mom had she not left in a hurry. She had put a box in the doorway. We stepped over the box and scrambled down the stairs. It was not until we looked for her that I realized how magnificent the inside of the house was. I thought for a second that we were at an open house. Clean and glistening. Again, its attic slipped my mind. I could not get enough of my new home. It smelled like lavender, my favorite flower. Paint that I was unable to stop sniffing. New furniture. It was refurnished and ready to protect the new family. It was as if I were in another world. I wondered how it used to look.

Worse than I could ever imagine.

My friend and I met back at the staircase and ascended them. No sign of Mom. No sign of her, Dad, or Jarvis. I reached the top and glanced down the long hall. All the doors except one were shut. My parents' new bedroom. I asked if anyone was in there. No answer. Where were they?

I began strolling to the box when I heard a thud! noise. I halted and looked at where it came from. My muscles tensed. I was paralyzed with fear. A second thud. Then another. More thuds, one right after another. I came to the realization that they were footsteps. Somebody - or something - was moving around...in the attic. The floor creaked under the trespasser's feet. It was easy to miss. Both the footsteps and creaks were soft. I finally forced myself to move and asked Gemma if she could hear the disturbing sounds.

Gemma walked past me and scooped up the cardboard box. She faced me. "What sounds?"

I pointed to the ceiling. "Above my head. Our heads. A person is walking around. We must find—"

She slapped a hand on my mouth and whispered, "Use your inside voice, Justine. If they hear you...they might come down and do who knows what to us."

I removed her hand before lowering my voice. "No way am I going up there."

"Me neither."

"Then...why are you holding the box? And how are you holding it with only one arm?"

Dad's box was tucked under her arm. "It is not heavy. I will put it in your parents' room. Not only because I do not want to be in the attic. I know how your father acts when he does not have his belongings. Also...the box is open. I accidentally opened it. Sorry."

Gemma might never lie, but she is nosy. But she is just looking out for me and my family. If I passed...I do not know what she would do. Despite her still being alive, I grieved for her after she moved. I did not think that we would see each other again. We continued talking over FaceTime and the phone. But they are not like being in a friend's presence. You can never be with them or give them a peck on their nose. Hug them. Hold their hand. How did I pull it together?

I am blessed that Gemma and I are together again. No. We are not gay, so do not draw fanart of us in that way. If somebody is living in my attic, we - and my parents - would investigate together. I admit that I was terrified. So was she. But together, we were brave.

I saw that the box had been ripped open when Gemma mentioned it. "How did you accidentally rip it open?"

"My sleeve got caught on the tape. I had no idea that it was until I heard a rip."

I eyed her suspiciously. "I heard no rip."

"Your ears were filled with creaks and footsteps."

"If I heard faint creaks and footsteps, I would certainly have heard a rip. I have good ears."

"Not when you are obviously frightened. I thought that your ears would turn inside out. Haha."

I snatched the box and set it down. "This is no time for teasing. We must find my parents and take them to the attic."

"I thought that we were avoiding the attic."

I grabbed her hand. "No way am I staying in this house with a bunch of creeps."

"Fair point."

If only we peeked in the box.

We did one more round of searching downstairs. Mom and Dad and Jarvis needed to be here somewhere. Dad and Mom would have not left me here. They would not have left without telling me. I scurried into the spotless kitchen. Still no sign of life. Not downstairs or upstairs - except for the trespassers.

Was my family in the basement - or the attic?

A gasp escaped my throat when I heard a sound. It was coming from outside. A voice. Dad's voice. My eyes fell on the back door. I ran to it and swung it open. I called to Dad and raced outside. Relief washed over me when I saw him. He, Mom, and Jarvis were taking things out of boxes and putting them in the correct piles. Dad was holding a box and gazed down at me.

"Hey, honey. You mind helping? We are organizing the stuff so we know what rooms that they go in."

I bent down and picked up an object. A long rope. "Uh, why do we have a rope?"

Jarvis grabbed it. "It is a lasso, not a rope. You sure are a dummy."

"Jarvis," Mom said. "Stop calling your sister a—"

A scream came from the house.