Ghost Child - Chapter One
Ding Dong!
“Love, Mama will be right back.” She removed me from her lap and opened the front door. I heard gasping and stumbling footsteps.
“Ma?” I called out. My small feet carried me fast down the hallway. I arrived in time to see a man in a black cloak move into our house. I looked at his feet but he just seemed to be hovering above the ground.
Although the hood the man wore covered his eyes, I could almost feel his gaze turn to me. All you could see were his pale lips turning upward into a smirk. Sharp teeth glistened through his mouth and he moved towards me.
Suddenly a sharp pain pierced my body and all feeling left me. I blinked but I was looking at myself now. Glancing at what form I was in now, I had a transparent body, like a ghost would. My mother screamed and sobbed as she looked at my actual body, lying on our floor, “Take me!” Mama cried, ‘Leave my child alone!”
“Ma no!” I tried to shout out but she didn’t seem to hear me.
The man in black held out a bony, white hand to my ghost and I was back in my body. Sitting up, I was just in time to see Mama’s ghost leave her body. The man in black held out a wooden box and Mama’s ghost floated into it.
“Where’s my Mama?” I cried out.
The man was just leaving the house when he turned his head around and whispered, “Ghost Child.” He vanished and I sat on the floor crying.
* * *
My body jerked up and my face was covered in sweat. I glanced at the clock, 9:19 a.m. Something about my nightmare seemed off. Like it was a memory, not a dream. I shrugged and climbed out of bed. Down in the kitchen a note was on the table.
Rina,
Gone for a week. Look after yourself.
--Dad
I hated my father. He was always leaving on unexpected trips. I decided to go on an early morning jog. Running to my room, I slipped on gray sweat pants and a red camisole. Downstairs I put on my running shoes and grabbed my gray bag to sling onto my back.
I jogged out the door and the crisp morning air added goose bumps to my arms. Shaking my arms out, I set out at a steady pace to the local park. Being on track team, volleyball team and softball team of my high school had always kept me in shape.
At the park, I drank down half of my water bottle from my bag and started breathing heavily. When I turned around, my heartbeat accelerated. A white wolf spazzed and turned into a human. The human had white-blond hair and light blue eyes. He turned to me and I gasped. The guy turned away from me and started walking. Curiosity and fear compelled me to go after him.
“Wait!” I called out.
With a glance over his shoulder, he turned into an alleyway. Stupidly, I followed. He had his back to me and I ran to him. He raised his arms and at the last second, I touched his back. Everything flashed before my eyes and I blacked out.
* * *
“Look, she’s waking,” A male voice whispered. Another voice shushed the first.
“Let her wake up on her own.” A third voice said bitterly.
My eyes fluttered open and my vision was blurred, I blinked a couple times and everything became clear. I was in a bed in a room that I was not familiar with. Three guys were sitting in various places in the room. When they saw that I was awake, they ran to my bed.
A question pushed against my lips and I let it escape, “Where am I?”
“The Ballingdon Mansion,” A redheaded boy said happily. He had bright green eyes and a huge smile
“No, I think she means to ask who we are,” A brown haired guy rolled his striking ice blue eyes. I sat up and eyed the three guys warily. “I’m Lex and this is another reality than you’re from,” the blue-eyed guy said.
“I’m Brad!” The redhead said proudly, his eyes shining.
“I’m Heath,” The guy I’d seen in the park smiled shyly.
“Rina.” I nodded but kept my eyes on Lex. I really looked around the room for the first time. It was huge. A closet was to my left and a bathroom was next to that. I was till in my cami and sweatpants. I jumped from the bed and opened the closet door. I was filled with a ton of clothes. Next, I opened the bathroom door; that was also huge. I gasped at all this, taking it in when Brad asked me, “Do you like it?”
I nodded.
“Good. This is your room.”
I swung around on my heels and almost glared at Brad, “What? I need to go home!”
Lex rolled his eyes, “You can’t. I told you, you’re in another reality,”
“So…I’m living…here?” I asked slowly.
Heath nodded. Brad smiled. Lex shrugged. I frowned.
“You don’t want to live with us?” Brad’s voice dropped an octave.
“N-no! It’s just that, um, I don’t know you.” I tried to search for the right words, “But since I’m staying here, I’ll get to know you better…I guess…”
The smile came back to Brad’s face and he hugged me. I squealed when he did so and from the corner of my eyes I saw Lex grimace and then a frown creasing his forehead.
What did Lex care? I thought to myself as I tried to get from Brad’s death-grip. I finally wriggled free away from Brad and sighed, “Um, I need some sleep. I’m kind of tired.” I noticed Lex’s eyes flash a red but turned back into blue. Did I imagine it? No, I couldn’t’ have, but I did ignore it.
Lex cleared his throat and said, “I’m thirsty anyway,” he stood up and practically ran from the room. I didn’t’ bother asking Brad or Heath about him because they rushed out after him.
I went into my new super-sized bathroom and peeled off my clothes and turned on the shower. Rinsing out my hair, I started thinking about life in The Ballingdon Mansion. The guys seemed nice enough but they all looked like they had a suspicious past, and they looked at me like I had one too. I’d get to their past if I had to force them. I stepped from the shower and dried off, throwing on a pair of jeans and a green camisole.
How did everything fit me perfectly? That seemed suspicious too. I looked into the closet again and found a pair of flip-flops that matched my cami. I checked over myself in the mirror, fixed my bangs so they swept across my left eyes and frowned. I’d always hated my hair. Auburn was such an ugly color and my eyes, brown, yuck!
Sighing, I trekked down a flight of stairs and walked into the kitchen. I gasped at the sight before me. Brad was sitting on the counter with giant, gray wings sprouting from his back. Heath was eating some sort of cereal, which was normal, but Lex was sitting down with a bag of blood in his hands. He licked his lips and teeth and then noticed me.
“Rina!” He stood and threw the blood bag into a nearby trashcan. Brad jumped down from the counter and cautiously maneuvered to me.
“What are you?” I asked in a horrified voice, stepping back a little.
Heath raised his head to look at me, “Werewolf,” he volunteered and stood also.
“Fallen Angel.” Brad murmured and slowly the wings seeped into his back, creating a sound like a cat scratching a couch.
“Vampire.” Lex stated calmly. Of course, leave it to me to be in a house full of mythical creatures. I took a curious step forward and sighed,
“Well I’m just human.”
I didn’t miss all three guys exchanging a worried and knowing glance with each other.
Feel free to PM if you have any questions.