I'll Wait Here for You in My Time of Dying

“Lyndsey’s worried about you!” Sarah sang as she came through my door, walking straight into the living room and patting my forehead. “And a little bit pissed to, but we’re not going to talk about that. Instead we are going to...actually, I want to know why you look so pale. You feeling okay?”

Sarah leant forward and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead as she frowned a little.

“You don’t have a fever...and I’ve just realised that you haven’t said a thing,” she mused as she eyed me a little, waving a hand in front of my face. “Hello? You in there still love?”

She clicked her fingers a couple of times in front of my face and I finally came to life and pushed her hand away from me.

“So you are alive...which begs the question, why the silent treatment?” She pouted. “What have I done?”

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself to my feet, stressfully running my hands through my hair.

“I’m not giving you the silent treatment,” I assured my baby sister as she looked up at me. “I just...fuck, I’m just going crazy.”

Sarah cocked an eyebrow as she stood up and grinned at me, poking me in the sides before going through to my kitchen.

“I’m not going to argue with you!” She called over her shoulder.

I watched after her as she skipped through to my kitchen. She’s always been the slightly more eccentric one out of my baby sisters...which is saying a lot considering how weird Lyndsey can be on occasion. I shook my head and followed after her, keeping my eye on everything as I thought about the plate that had moved earlier on its own accord.

I heard a clatter to my side and jumped a bit before relaxing as I saw Sarah with a sheepish look on her face.

“You weren’t looking forward to that leftover Chinese were you?” She asked and I looked to the floor to see that she had dropped a bowl that was in the fridge with the leftovers from last night in it.

I chuckled and shook my head as I moved to grab the broom.

“No, it’s okay.”

Sarah breathed out in relief and stuck her head back in my fridge.

“I swear you and Lyndsey only come round to eat my food,” I grumbled as I swept up the take away and smashed bowl.

Sarah pulled her head out and grinned over at me. “It’s part of the reason yes. I’m not gonna lie.”

I rolled my eyes and threw the stuff I’d swept up in the bin.

“Don’t I feel loved,” I scoffed.

“You should,” Sarah replied softly and I looked over at her to see she was now being completely serious. “Matt, we’re really worried about you.”

I nodded. “So Lyndsey said.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed and she watched me for a moment before walking over to me and peering into my eyes. I pulled my head back and looked at her as if she was insane.

“There is something you’re not telling me...something you’re not telling any of us,” she decided and stepped back a bit, folding her arms over her chest as she looked at me. “Spill big bro or I’ll follow you around until you do tell me.”

“Please,” I snorted as I walked away from her. “You’ll get bored...or you’ll decide you want to see Jason.”

Sarah flapped her hand about. “Oh ye of little faith.”

Unfortunately, Sarah stuck to her word and followed me around. I put up with it for a good hour before finally caving in and talking when she tried to follow me into the bathroom.

“Okay, let me go piss and then I’ll talk,” I bargained.

Sarah nodded with a smug smile and leant against the wall opposite the bathroom door.

“Hurry it up. I have places to go and people to see.”

I rolled my eyes and went into the bathroom. I did my business and washed my hands, looking into the mirror as I wondered what Sarah would think about what I was willing to admit to her. Out of everyone, she was probably going to be the most open-minded about it but even then...I shook my head and looked over to the door as Sarah knocked on it.

“You’ve been a very long time Matt! Have you fallen in?”

I chuckled and opened the door, seeing an amused smirk on Sarah’s face. She took my hand in hers and dragged me through to the living room where she forced me to sit down. She then took residence on my coffee table, curling her legs beneath her as she blinked at me expectantly.

“Well?” She sighed and whined a little. “Matt you said you’d talk.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek and nodded as I stumbled for words. I wasn’t entirely sure how to word what I was thinking so I went with the blunt approach.

“You believe in ghosts and shit right?”

Sarah rolled her eyes, having put up with a lot of torment from all of us because she believed in the supernatural.

“Yes,” she sighed heavily and looked at me. “Why?”

“What would you say if I told you that I think this house is haunted?”

Lesia’s P.O.V

“Fuck,” I hissed to myself.

I knew he’d seen me move that plate. I had just wanted to see if I could do it and before I could move it back he’d come into the house looking very pale. It wasn’t even ten minutes before Sarah had come into the house and I’d retreated to the stairs, keeping an eye on them both just in case Matt would walk through me.

“What do you mean haunted?” Sarah asked slowly.

Matt groaned and ran a hand down his face. “You know...ghosts...all that stuff that I always thought was shit...the things that you believe in...”

Sarah scoffed. “Jeez thanks brother of mine.”

“I’m being serious here Sarah...there’s something...I don’t know, something not right about this house. I mean a plate fucking moved by itself earlier...and there’s these moments where it feels like there’s someone here and I...fuck, I’m going insane, that’s what it is right? None of this stuff actually exists and I’m just going crazy.”

Sarah laughed softly and reached forward, taking her brother’s hand in hers.

“Matt, you’re not going insane. If you honestly think that there’s something here then why don’t we look things up? Do a little investigative work?” She suggested, a wide grin creeping across her lips as she spoke. “We could look up the history of this house...see if anything ever happened here?”

Matt eyed his sister for a moment as if he thought she was mocking him but then he sighed in what sounded like relief and nodded.

“So you don’t think I’m crazy?”

“I never said that,” she quipped as she rose to her feet. “You’re as crazy as they come. You’re a Sanders.”

Matt chuckled as he too got to his feet. “And you’ve got it bad...you’re a Berry now.”

Sarah pouted and poked Matt in the forehead. “Why must you always insinuate that my husband is insane?”

Matt cocked an eyebrow. “The guy shit in a bun and served it to people.”

Sarah smiled fondly and shrugged as she danced out of the living room.

“So he’s got a strange sense of humour,” she said dismissively. “Now come on Matthew, let’s hit the library.”