House of the Damned
Misinterpreted
We locked eyes for a moment, hazy blue against sharp brown. Resigned to a lecture about friendship or some other subject I didn’t particularly care about at the moment, I grunted, “Well, don’t just lean against the doorway all afternoon. Sit down.”
“Um, thanks,” she said quietly, walking in and sitting on my bed. Her polite phrase surprised me; a few days ago, we would have been all laughs and no formality. It also coldly reminded me of the growing distance between my and my friends.
I lowered myself next to her. “What do you want?”
“Er, well,” she sighed, fiddling with her nails and not looking at me, “I just thought you ought to know something.”
“What?”
“…See, some of the kids have been really weirded out lately, you know? Especially the preschoolers staying in the north wing of the house.”
A chill went up my spine. “What do you mean?”
“They keep waking up out of nowhere, screaming and babbling about things that aren’t there. Just last night, James and Alexander both kept gibbering about ‘a big man with red eyes’ saying someone was going to get them.”
I bit my lip, and Carey’s face twisted with confusion, but she let the words continue to spill out of her mouth.
“Anyway, you know Elise, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you think?”
“Um, well, she’s saying to everyone that it’s you doing that stuff, dressing up as those figures and scaring all the kids.”
My stomach sank slowly. If she tells any of the caretakers…I opened my mouth to retort.
“I didn’t say you did it!” she said defensively. “I just thought you should…you know…be informed. She’s going to be telling Miss White any day now.”
“But I wouldn’t do something like that.”
Carey shrugged, still looking timid, like she was afraid I might attack her. “I know. But Miss White’s going to believe her either way; you know that, she loves Elise. And you’re still my friend, I mean, I don’t want you kicked out of here or anything...”
“But…I …” I felt helpless. “Won’t you back me up? Prove it wasn’t me? You and Amanda?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know if I can…I just…”
“You mean you don’t believe me?”
“No, nothing like that!” she said, looking stricken. “Karen, you’ve been my best friend since I moved into this place. I trust you, believe me, but I don’t know if I can help you, because I don’t want to be taken as your partner in crime for this. My birthday’s in a couple weeks, and I want to leave with a good record…” She grimaced. “Although…”
“Although what?” I prompted.
“I was just wondering…you know, when you woke up everyone that first night…was it really a nightmare, or did you just—“
I clenched my teeth. “It was a bad dream. That’s all.”
“Okay.” She fell silent for a moment, then stood to leave. “I guess that’s all.”
“All right, then.”
“All right,” she echoed with the same distance as when she’d first entered the room. “See you later, I guess.”
“See you.”
As soon as the door shut, I held my head in my hands, head throbbing and thinking.
If I went to Miss White to try and defend my case before Elise got to her, I might have a chance…but it might look like I had done it if I’d already known what I was suspected of before she came to talk to me.
Then again, how could I prove myself innocent, even if I waited for her to come to me? I knew it was no normal person doing these things—it was almost certainly the real ghosts that haunted this place. I couldn’t pin it on anyone, and there wasn’t really any way I could prove them to be real…
I stayed locked up in my room for the rest of the day, unable to face coming out and seeing Elise’s face. The only time I came out was near the end of dinner, when everyone except the staff had left for bed. It earned me a few disapproving looks as I ate lukewarm green beans and casserole in the corner while the cooks cleaned up, but I didn’t care.
I would have to tell Frank about this tonight. He couldn’t really do anything for me, but if I was unable to see him later on, I had to make sure he knew why.
Time was running out, I could definitely feel it. I still had no idea what I was going to do, and if the preschoolers got a fright tonight—highly likely—Elise would take the opportunity to turn me in.
I was trapped.
“Um, thanks,” she said quietly, walking in and sitting on my bed. Her polite phrase surprised me; a few days ago, we would have been all laughs and no formality. It also coldly reminded me of the growing distance between my and my friends.
I lowered myself next to her. “What do you want?”
“Er, well,” she sighed, fiddling with her nails and not looking at me, “I just thought you ought to know something.”
“What?”
“…See, some of the kids have been really weirded out lately, you know? Especially the preschoolers staying in the north wing of the house.”
A chill went up my spine. “What do you mean?”
“They keep waking up out of nowhere, screaming and babbling about things that aren’t there. Just last night, James and Alexander both kept gibbering about ‘a big man with red eyes’ saying someone was going to get them.”
I bit my lip, and Carey’s face twisted with confusion, but she let the words continue to spill out of her mouth.
“Anyway, you know Elise, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you think?”
“Um, well, she’s saying to everyone that it’s you doing that stuff, dressing up as those figures and scaring all the kids.”
My stomach sank slowly. If she tells any of the caretakers…I opened my mouth to retort.
“I didn’t say you did it!” she said defensively. “I just thought you should…you know…be informed. She’s going to be telling Miss White any day now.”
“But I wouldn’t do something like that.”
Carey shrugged, still looking timid, like she was afraid I might attack her. “I know. But Miss White’s going to believe her either way; you know that, she loves Elise. And you’re still my friend, I mean, I don’t want you kicked out of here or anything...”
“But…I …” I felt helpless. “Won’t you back me up? Prove it wasn’t me? You and Amanda?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know if I can…I just…”
“You mean you don’t believe me?”
“No, nothing like that!” she said, looking stricken. “Karen, you’ve been my best friend since I moved into this place. I trust you, believe me, but I don’t know if I can help you, because I don’t want to be taken as your partner in crime for this. My birthday’s in a couple weeks, and I want to leave with a good record…” She grimaced. “Although…”
“Although what?” I prompted.
“I was just wondering…you know, when you woke up everyone that first night…was it really a nightmare, or did you just—“
I clenched my teeth. “It was a bad dream. That’s all.”
“Okay.” She fell silent for a moment, then stood to leave. “I guess that’s all.”
“All right, then.”
“All right,” she echoed with the same distance as when she’d first entered the room. “See you later, I guess.”
“See you.”
As soon as the door shut, I held my head in my hands, head throbbing and thinking.
If I went to Miss White to try and defend my case before Elise got to her, I might have a chance…but it might look like I had done it if I’d already known what I was suspected of before she came to talk to me.
Then again, how could I prove myself innocent, even if I waited for her to come to me? I knew it was no normal person doing these things—it was almost certainly the real ghosts that haunted this place. I couldn’t pin it on anyone, and there wasn’t really any way I could prove them to be real…
I stayed locked up in my room for the rest of the day, unable to face coming out and seeing Elise’s face. The only time I came out was near the end of dinner, when everyone except the staff had left for bed. It earned me a few disapproving looks as I ate lukewarm green beans and casserole in the corner while the cooks cleaned up, but I didn’t care.
I would have to tell Frank about this tonight. He couldn’t really do anything for me, but if I was unable to see him later on, I had to make sure he knew why.
Time was running out, I could definitely feel it. I still had no idea what I was going to do, and if the preschoolers got a fright tonight—highly likely—Elise would take the opportunity to turn me in.
I was trapped.