I walked along the dark and disshevelled hallway. I was always afraid of this old house ever since…
"C'mon Al, go in!" A young boy with silver hair said to the small six year old girl. "Honestly, if you don't go in there…"
"But Max, I don't want to go in there… it looks scary," Alexa said, pointing toward the mansion, which was abandoned for decades.
The wind howled eerily through the house. Al let out a small yelp out of fear.
"I thought so. You're too scared to go into the mansion 'cause it's scary."
"Of course it's scary!" Al said, running back toward home.
That flashback haunted me. I hated how mean Max was toward me back then.
Well, now I'm gonna teach him a lesson, that I'm not scared of this old house.
Suddenly I heard a soft voice singing. It was hard to hear, as it was very quiet, but I could hear it. I followed the voice to a door, which did not look like it had decayed, like the other doors in the old mansion.
I clutched the doorknob with my hand, and then I turned the knob, a little nervous about what was behind it.
What if it was really a vampire, or a specter, or even an incubus!? I turned away from those thoughts and looked inside the room.
Inside, the room was a soft, powdery blue colour. On a small table sat a music box, and near it, the source of the whispery toned voice.
A beautiful girl, around my age, with golden hair and cerulean blue eyes sat, singing along with the music box. Her dress was black and white, which seemed familiar.
"Hello," I said confidently. I was always confident, ever since I was little.
The girl stopped singing and turned toward me, not saying a word. We stared at each other for a minute.
"… Um, my name's Alexa, but you can call me Al or something…" I said, trying to get the blonde haired girl to talk. "But, if you can, please don't call me Allie or Aru…" I added.
"Why can't I?" The sitting girl asked. I turned my head to the side, trying to remember long ago…
"Aru-chan! Where'd you go?" An adult male called out. He looked like he was in his late twenties. His hair was light blue and almost reached his shoulders.
"Here I am, daddy!" the light blue haired four year old girl shouted. She was hiding behind a small pot plant.
Alexa's father smiled toward his small daughter. After all, they were playing hide-and-seek.
"It was what my father called me," I replied to the question. I looked up. The girl's face frowned a little.
"Who is your father?"
"Well, I…" To tell the truth, I couldn't really remember who my father was, as he left when I was only four years old. I only remembered what he used to call me. I also know that he had light blue hair, like mine. My mom won't tell me who he was, so I might as well figure it out myself.
"He isn't here now…" was the best way I could put it. The girl tilted her head a little.
"Oh… did he die?"
"Wait, that wasn't what I said! I just said he isn't here," I corrected. "I don't know when he'll come back."
"Well, that's ok then, I guess," the girl sighed with relief. "My name is Azura, by the way. Is there a reason you're here?"
"You see, I wanted to prove to my older brother that I'm not scared of going into an old house." I avoided using the word 'abandoned', because apparently Azura is still living in it. It appeared she was a little confused.
"Well, if you want, you can have this," Azura said, presenting her music box. "I don't really need it anymore…"
The music box looked a little plain; it was small and colured a magenta-like hue.
"Oh no, I couldn't take it…" I politely refused.
"Please, take it as a gift," Azura insisted. Then again, it did remind me of something…
"OK then, I'll keep it." Azura handed me the tiny box. We both smiled at each other, then I realised the time.
"Azura, I have to go, but it was nice to meet you," I said, rushing toward the door.
"Goodbye, Alexa. Also, if you can, say hello to Reed for me…" Azura said, waving goodbye.
I walked out of the door and closed it. Before I went any further down the hallway, I realised what Azura said. I turned and opened her door.
"Azura, who is-" I jumped a little. The room had changed. It was not the same as when I went in, even though the door stayed the same. The room was now disshevelled, like the rest of the mansion. Also, there was no sign of Azura, either. Was it all a dream, and I'm really still asleep in my bed? I decided to pinch myself, just to be sure. Then I realised I still had the music box clutched in my hands. I walked out of the room, closing the door. I walked down the hallway, toward the front door. As I walked out, my eyes squinted a little at the bright orange scenery. I guess it could have been something like 5:30 or something.
"Hey Al!" My brother, Grey, called out toward me. "What were you doing in there?" He asked, his silvery wolf ears twitching.
"Hn? I was just looking in there…" I replied a bit sheepishly. Grey's face softened. According to mom, Grey had father's eyes. "Look at what I found in there," I said, showing my brother Azura's music box. "By the way, do you know anybody with the name 'Reed'?"
Grey frowned. He always made that face when he was really serious. His face softened again. "Yeah, I do. I was just thinking. You wouldn't have remembered, you were too young…"
This made me think. What could I possibly not remember other than my father's identity?
"I know who Reed is…" My eyes widened.
"Grey, who is Reed?" His ears lowered, as did his voice.
"Reed… is our father…"