Chapter One
14 year old Kymber Williams walked through the over grown yard, her green eyes on her feet, attempting to locate the cracked cement path that looked more like gravel that had been attacked by super glue. No one was there to show them around the house they were considering moving into. Kymber's mother fiddled with the lock box on the handle of the front door while her younger brother, Nick, explored the backyard, climbing all over the old wooden playhouse and swing. Kymber's mother gave up trying to work the lock box and turned away from it with a frustrated huff. Kimber sighed and easily got the lock box open, retrieving the key and unlocking the door. She looked pointedly at her mother then at the door. "Don't say a word." Ms. Williams said stepping over the thresh hold.
"It's a nice place." She said, looking around the kitchen before moving to the master badroom where she poked around the bathroom. The three of them had been searching for the right house in the small town of Battle Ground, Washington. This, they hoped, would be the right one.
"Sure." Kimber said flatly. She headed toward a narrow staircase in the back of the house. She was half way up when something stopped her.
"Are you going to live here?" A small voice said quietly. Kimber whipped around to find a small girl at the bottom of the stairs. She was just a child, maybe six or seven years old, small, even for her young age. She had blond curls and wore a plain white dress with shiny black shoes and white socks. She had the face of an angel, but her expression was indifferent. The only hint of emotion was the mild curiosity hidden deep in her watery blue eyes. She looked like she had just stepped out of Sunday church in the late 17th century.
She didn't wait for Kimber to respond. "I saw you come in. May I look around with you?" The polite manors the girl had only reminded Kimber more of olden days.
"Um.. Sure." Kimber said uncertainly. The girl climbed the stairs and took Kimber's hand in her own.
"My name is Ana." she said flashing Kimber a friendly smile. "I'm sorry if I startled you." Judging by her vocabulary, she seems pretty smart for a girl her age, Kimber thought.
The two ascended the remaining stairs and found themselves in an attic. The area was warmer than the rest of the house. It seemed there were two unofficial parts of the room. The first looked freshly painted in white. The ceiling was slanted and Kimber had to walk in the middle of the room, where the ceiling was tallest, in order not to hit her head. The second had the same ceiling shape, but was painted wildly. The walls were a deep blue, with curving lines and scribbles of all colors and shades of the rainbow. The two explored and went back into the first part of the attic to get a better look.
Kimber noticed a window that was open just a crack and let go of Ana's hand. "I want to look at that." Kimber mumbled to the girl, bending over to get closer to the window. She opened it all the way to find the window lacked a screen. And it was just big enough for Kimber to fit through. Perfect for sneaking out, Kimber thought to herself with a devious smile. She turned around and looked at Ana. "I'll be right back." The older girl said. "Don't go anywhere." She smiled at Ana and the little girl smiled back.
Kimber scrambled through the window. It led to the cover of the backyard patio. Kimber perched on the edge of the roof and looked down. The distance between her and the ground was just higher than her own 5 feet 4 inches; easy to climb down from. She smiled to herself. She liked this house already. She started to slither back through the window. "Hey Ana," She said as she manuevered through the small space. "Where do you--" Kimber had finally gotten back in the attic, only to find that the little girl was gone.
"Ana?" She said. She looked in the colorful part of the attic and went back into the white area, spinning slowly, looking for the girl. When she faced the window she had crawled through just moments before, something caught her eye. She focused on it and her eyes widened in fear and shock. Ana was standing out on the patio cover, the toes of her black shoes hanging over the edge. She was staring down at the concrete below.
"Ana!" Kimber said advancing towards the window. "Get away from there!" A fall from that height for such a small girl could be fatal. Ana looked up and stared into Kimber's eyes. Kimber was terrified. There was an eerie atmosphere about the blond child, now, and Kimber didn't like it. She couldn't stop herself from screaming the little girl's name as she stepped off the roof, completely calm and emotionless.
Kimber hysterically ran down the stairs and fumbled with the dead bolt on the french doors that led to the back patio. "Ana!" She yelled franticly, as she burst outside. There was nothing there but the little barn in the unfenced yard and the few stalks of old corn that grew patheticly. The concrete patio was bare save for some dust. Ana was nowhere to be found.
--