~Chapter One~

I saw her again today. This time she looked to be in her late twenties talking to people who only exist within her memories. From the looks of it, she doesn't know she's dead...

"SANG!" I jump at the sound of my mother's shout and drop the pen I was using to update my journal. "Get your little ass down here."

Oh, no. What happened now?

I slide off my bed with shaky limbs and hurry over to my closet. Just inside the door is a loose floorboard, and I use my small fingers to pry it up before gentle placing my leather-bound journal safely inside. After making sure everything was back in place, I hurry down the creaky stairs and follow the sounds of my mother's angry ramblings to the kitchen.

"Yes, Mother?" I ask with my eyes lowered to the floor. An old nervous habit has my finger drifting up to my lip, pressing it against my teeth as a way to comfort myself.

"Don't act all innocent with me." She yells in a deep scratchy voice, creating more nervous tremors throughout my body. She only sounds like this after taking more than the amounted of prescribed medication given to her. "What do you think you were doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I whisper. "I've been in my room all day like I was told to be." I hear her heavy weight moving towards me, and I hold my breath.

"Don't lie to me," she seethes before grabbing a fist full of my blonde hair and jerks my head back. Her dark brown eyes are glazed over from her medication but it doesn't dim the malicious hate swirling inside as she looks down at me. "This little innocent act of yours is complete bullshit and it's starting to grate on my nerves."

Her thick fingers tighten painfully within my hair as she pulls me more into the kitchen, and I gasp at the sight.

The doors to the refrigerator, oven, microwave, pantry, and cabinets are all wide open. All the drawers have been thrown to the middle of the floor with everything from inside scattered everywhere.

The creepiest part, though, is what's on top of the pile.

All four of the old wooden kitchen chairs have been stacked precariously one on top of the other on just one leg each.

"I didn't do this," I whisper as I continue to stare at the mess created in the kitchen.

"Don't you dare say it was that stupid ghost again," she snarls as she uses her grip to swing me around to look at her again. "Your imaginary Mr. Thomas story hasn't worked yet and isn't going to." I finch at the name she's given this thing that's been following me for as long as I can remember.

Always lurking in the shadows, doing everything in its power to torment my life.

"I'm not going to put up with this shit anymore." She yanks my head back and shoves me into the pile of drawers. Hearing the scraping of the chairs, I cower in a tight ball and cover my head with my arms just before the chairs come crashing down on me.

The edge of one connects against my shoulder, hitting hard enough I know a bruise will form later. While another falls on my side, knocking the breath out of me.

"Clean this mess up and go to your room. You've lost your right to eat today and tomorrow for lying." I hear the tiniest of chuckles and peek through my arms to see an evil smirk on her pale face. "I'll be speaking with your father when he comes home tonight. I'm sure he can think of a good punishment for your bullshit behavior."

I whimper at the mention of my father, which makes her full out laugh at me before turning away to head back to her room. I wait for the sound of the TV to come on before moving the chairs off me.

I painfully pick myself off the floor and rotate my injured shoulder a few times to loosen up the bruised muscle. A low groan of pain slips out from the action as I lift my shirt to check my side. Thankfully there's only a small red mark painted on my side.

For half a second I'm relieved that she didn't go as far as she normally does, but then her parting words hit me again.

The worse is yet to come, I remind myself as I start shutting all the doors around the kitchen.

As I get to the pantry door, the hairs at the back of my neck raise, and a slight heavy pressure settles on my chest. I freeze just a foot away from the tiny dark room, not seeing anything lurking inside.

I switch to another sense and take a deep breath through my nose. The disgusting mixture of dead flesh and sulfur hits me hard and I jerk away from the opening.

It's here.

A deep chuckle emanates from the darkness, causing my body to shiver violently.

"Sing Sang Song," a groveling voice sings to me before another deep chuckle follows. "Did we get in trouble again?" I cover my ears at its taunting and squeeze my eyes shut to imagine building a brick wall around me.

Brick by brick his hurtful words slowly begins to die out until I'm surrounded in silence.

It can only hurt you if you let it in, I tell myself as I wait for my muscles to release themselves as the danger fades away.

Keeping my eyes closed, I take another deep breath but only smell the musty scent of the kitchen. My nose wrinkles at the smell, but I take in another breath, relieved that it's not the horrible mixture that follows the thing around.

I finally open my eyes and notice the darkness inside the tiny room isn't as thick as it was before. Taking a cautious step forward, I reach out with a shaky hand and slam the door close.

I hurry away from the door and preceded to check every dark corner for any signs that it's still in here with me.

Nothing.

I maintain my invisible shield around my mind, just in case it comes back, and get working on cleaning the kitchen.

*~*~*

Sliding the last drawer back in place, I inspect every inch of the kitchen to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Not even a speck of dust, I think after looking under the large fridge. Should be safe to leave now.

I still scan the room one last time to be extra sure I didn't miss anything when my eyes catch the last rays of the sun bouncing off the now clean floor. My heart spikes in fear seeing how late it is now and know my father will be home soon.

Spinning on my heels, I race up the stairs to the safety of my room, making sure to shut the door with just the slight click, so I didn't upset my mother anymore.

I hurry over to my dresser to grab the flashlight I always keep inside the top drawer and retreat to my window seat.

Just breathe, it'll be okay, I tell myself as I clinch the flashlight against my chest and watch as the sun disappears behind the houses on the other side of the road.

A soft tap on my bedroom door quickly snaps my attention to it as I hear two more follow.

"Sing Sang Song." That thing says from the other side, and I bring my finger up to press on my lip in comfort. "Daddy should be home soon." It taunts me, causing my heart to race and my eyes to water. "Do you think he'll let me in again? We had so much fun last time."

My breath escapes in a tiny whimper when the memories of pain echo throughout my body.

I need to get out.

"You can't escape me, my beautiful Song Bird." I slap my hand over my mouth to keep it from hearing my cry of fear as I tried building up the walls around my mind again. "Too late for that."

A heaviness settles against my chest, making it hard to catch my breath and creating little black dots across my vision.

"You need to breathe, Sang," I tell myself out loud, forcing myself to focus only on my shaky voice. "Just breathe."

I count all the way to ten before my concentration is shattered by a door slamming shut downstairs.

"Hear that, Little Song Bird?" It whispers to me with a deep chuckle. "I think Daddy's home."

Tears cascade down my face as I jump to my feet, clinching the flashlight between my fingers in terror. Large footsteps stomp their way up the squeaky steps.

You need to leave, my subconscious yells at me, and I find myself spinning on my heels.

I quickly climb up into the window seat again, unlock the window, and slide it open. The sound of the howling wind outside overpowers the stomping, creating a new sense of urgency to get out.

I swing my right leg out into the darkness and shiver as the cold wind races across my bare legs. Pausing for a moment, I look down remembering that I changed into my sleep shorts and tank before mother called me downstairs. I glance at the hoodie piled on the floor by my bed, but then a sound just outside my door decides for me.

Clinching the flashlight tighter, I quickly slide myself out the window and out on the cold dark roof. I click the flashlight on and use the small beam of light to guide my way to the edge of the roof.

"Sang!" I hear my father's voice yell through my open window. I slam the flashlight into my palm to hastily extinguish the light before taking a shaky breath in as I jerk my head to look over my shoulder.

I watch as the large shadow of my father slowly walks through my room, no doubt looking for me. Then a second shadow follows shortly after as it takes the same path.

My heart pounds inside my chest when the light inside my room begins flickering. With each flash, the light gets brighter and brighter until the bulb pops violently. I gasp at the sudden sound as darkness swallows the inside of my room

With shaky hands, I uncover the beam of light from my flashlight and slowly move it towards my dark room, already fearing what happened.

I whimper in fear when I find my father's face staring at me through the opened window, his eyes jet black.

"Sing Sang Song," It says, using my father's body as Its personal instrument. "What to play a game?" It asks with a sickly-sweet smile on my father's face. "You hide and I'll seek. Better run fast, Song Bird. 20... 19..."

With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I turn from the window and jump. The moment I feel grass against my bare feet, instincts kick in, making the top half of my body move forward, and I roll to break the momentum of the fall just like I learn back in grade school.

"16... 15..."

I jump to my feet and race around the house to the dark backyard, only then realizing I dropped my flashlight.

Leave it, my subconscious shouts at me, so I don't stop and sprint into the trees lining my backyard. I don't look back as I barely dodge past the trees and try to get as much distance between me and my possessed father.

Chest heaving, I see a break in the trees and race towards it. The sharp sticks quickly transform to ruff concrete as I stumble to a stop in a parking lot.

A few yards away from me is a broken-down church with a rusted over swing set surrounded by overgrown grass.

A warmth invades my limbs, and I'm forced to close my eyes when the darkness around me brightens suddenly. I bring my hand up to shield my eyes from the sunlight and look to find the church in perfect condition.

No, no, no, this can't be happening.

I turn away from the building to see people dressed for church getting out of cars lining the parking lot, and head inside.

"Please," I beg when I feel my feet move against their will towards the front doors. "Please let me go. I can't be trapped in your memories." I'm forced to step in line as people file in to find a place to sit, and I catch my reflection in the decorative mirror in the entryway.

I don't see myself, but a young woman with long brown hair wearing a teal-colored dress.

It's the woman I've been seeing since we moved in.

"Please, you have to let me go." I try to beg her again, but nothing.

I'm trapped until the memory is finished.

My heart stutters in fear as I try to push the woman out of my head, but she's too strong.

I feel my feet moving again, and I watch helplessly as I move down a pathway with rows of bench seats on each side. A few people I pass in the vision send a smile or wave of greeting my way and I feel my head nod to each one as I pass. When I feel my feet stop I find myself standing in front of a raised section of floor that holds a large podium in the middle, a piano off to one side, and a few individual chairs on the other. Just behind the podium is this large wooden cross hanging on the wall and I begin to hear soft whispered words. I have to strain hard to hear what is being said but soon realize that the lady whose memories I'm stuck in is asking someone to watch over her son. It takes me moment to figure out that she's actually praying to the cross and asking for guidance on what to do.

Was she in trouble?

The sound of barking catches me by surprise, and I look around my unmoving body for the source.

"Hey, are you okay?" I hear a boy's voice come from behind me but when I look there's only few old ladies standing together chatting. "Hi, my name's Kota," I hear the voice say again, but this time it's coming from in front of me.

What's going on?

I feel the whisper of fingertips caress my cheek followed by an electric current that races across my face then down into my body.

The bright world around me blurs and slowly starts to fade away. For a split second, I see a pair of beautiful green eyes before I'm pulled into the darkness.