"Tão fofo! (So cute!)" Lea said for the fourth time, as she patted the soft fur of the very big and fat cat that was currently blocking their front door. "What color is he?"

"Black and white." Alice smiled as bright yellow eyes looked at her intensely before closing as the cat softly meowed. Adjusted the five shopping bags on her shoulders so they wouldn't fall off, Alice bent down to rub her fingers under the cat's chin, instantly instigating a loud purr from the big cat.

"Can we keep him?" Lea asked, turning her attention to Alice and making the best puppy eyes she could muster. It was an almost infallible technique, she had perfected a few years ago. All she needed was to glance up, blink a few times so her eyes looked glossy with unshed tears, slightly puff her naturally rosy cheeks and push her bottom lip forward in a small pout. "Pretty please."

Alice hummed thoughtfully, very tempted to say yes, as her eyes bounced between Lea and the feline. She was an animal lover and the cat was very cute, and she had to admit that she found it hard to say no to her niece when the girl made that face. However, the more she observed the cat, the more she knew she couldn't agree with Lea's request. The feline, who clearly didn't suffer from bad nourishment - on the contrary, anyone could see he ate too much - had shining and groomed fur, and a friendly attitude towards strangers, which made her believe he had an owner. Besides, he was inside the building, she doubted a stray could enter so easily. Her digits brushed against something smooth and cold concealed under the black and white coat of his neck, and she used her other hand to comb the fur away, revealing a small black collar with a silver round tag, the word 'Oreo' engraved in it.

"We can't keep him." Alice turned the tag around, frowning when she didn't find any more information written on the metal surface.

"Why not?" Lea whined, unhappy with her aunt's refusal.

"He has a collar. Which means he has an owner." Alice petted the cat's head one more time before standing up and rearranging the shopping bags, the straps starting to bite into the skin of her shoulders. "Right, Oreo?"

The cat meow in response to his name.

"Oreo? Is that his name?"

"Yeah. Pretty fitting, não achas?" (don't you think?)

Lea chuckled. "Yeah" It fit him perfectly. Oreo was round like the cookies, had the same colors, and was also very sweet. "Well, which apartment does he live in?" Lea asks, her voice sounding a little dejected.

"The collar only says his name." Alice sighed, as she walked over to Oreo, careful not to step on his tail, opened the door, and let the bags fall from her shoulders into the floor.

The cat jumped, startled by the sudden noise made by the paper bags colliding with the ground. But as soon as he saw the bags, he ran to them and quickly got inside the smaller one. His fluffy tail and rear legs remain outside from lack of space.

Collecting the other bags, Alice placed them on the countertop so Oreo wouldn't jump inside and fill the rest of their new winter clothes full of fur. The days were getting colder as they reached the middle of November and they hadn't been prepared for such low temperatures.

Lea reached down and grabbed the cat, pulling him out of the bag, so Alice could place it near the others. Thankfully, Oreo doesn't thrash against her hold, although his eyes are glued to the bag, following Alice's movements as she place's it on the counter. "So, now what? We knock on every door until we find the right one?"

Alice frowns, her lips twisting to one side. She didn't like the idea of going around knocking on people's doors. Yet there isn't any other option. "I guess."

With a big resigned sigh, she grabs her keys and softly guides her nice out of the house and into the door right in front of theirs. The building had twenty floors each with four apartments, except for the last floor which had only three. She just prayed the cat hadn't climbed up too many floors. Alice knocked on the door and after a minute of no response, she knocked again.

"Maybe no one's home..." Lea murmured as she patted Oreo's head.

Moving to the next door, they did the same thing. This time the door opened, but just a crack. An old man with a big hunchback peeked outside, his small eyes overflowing with distrust.

"What do you want?" He rudely asked.

"Hello, sir. We live next door and we found this cat-"

"Leave!" The man yelled as he quickly pulled a wooden cross from his pocket and shoved it in front of their faces. "Leave I say! And stay away! I don't want you bringing evil into my house!" The old man closed the door with all his strength leaving Alice and Lea lost for words.

Oreo curled his body, his fur spiked as he hissed in the direction of the old's man door.

"That was creepy… Let's try the floor below." Alice suggested.

Lea nodded, murmuring sweet words at the frightened cat. Alice placed one hand on Lea's shoulder as they descended the steps.

Once on the nineteenth floor, Alice hesitated unsure which apartment to go to first. For sure, their neighbors weren't all crazy like the last one.

Before they could choose, one of the doors open to reveal an old woman. When she saw them, she smiled brightly. "Oreo, you rascal! Did you sneak out again?"

At the sound of his name, the cat jumped from Lea's arms and run towards the woman, his body bumpy softly against her legs a few times before disappearing inside the apartment.

Lea pouted at the lack of farewells from the feline. She wanted to pet him some more.

"Hello. We are new here, we moved to the apartment upstairs." Alice extended her hand in greeting. "I'm Alice Silver, and this is my niece, Lea."

"Hi." Lea waved, quickly retracting her small hand to hide behind her back near the other. Her body rocked softly back and forth in her heels as she continued looking in the direction in which Oreo ran off.

"Olivia Robertson, nice to meet you both." Olivia grabbed Alice's hand, giving it a little shake. "I heard everything. Don't take it personally, the crazy Fisher is like that to everyone."

"Oh. Hmm, sorry about the… commotion." Alice finished, unsure about the best word to use to describe what happened with the old man.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, child. Here, please come in." Olivia opened the door fully to let them in.

"Oh, we don't want to disturb you." Alice waved her hands, palms facing forward.

"Nonsenses. You won't be disturbing me. It will be nice to have company."

It was hard to say no to such a friendly lady, so Alice accepted the invitation.

Lea entered first, teal orbs scanning for the small light that was Oreo.

"Lovely place." Alice praised in a cordial behavior, as she looked around Olivia's apartment. It was a clean space, smaller than their house and with a closed-up disposition. Old but sturdy-looking furniture occupied most of the space, their surface decorated with many different kinds of knickknacks, from delicate porcelain figurines to art pottery.

The walls were full of photo frames and colorful drawings, the work of small children for sure. In one of the crayon pictures, she could read in large sloppy letters 'love granny.' Alice chuckled at the two stickman-style figures, whom she assumed the bigger was Olivia and the smaller was her grandson. Her eyes diverted to the photos, absently registering the happy faces of family members and friends and important moments of the older woman's past.

"Make yourselves at home. I'll bring you some cocoa and cupcakes." Olivia gestured to the sitting area before disappearing behind a dark green door that led to the kitchen.

Not an open space like our apartment. Alice noted before grabbing Lea's hand and directing her to the sofa, warning the girl not to stumble on the coffee table and other furniture.

The previous owner had told her he had made a few renovations, but seeing the old woman's apartment she realized that their house had suffered not a few, but a major renovation.

Olivia's living room was filled with bulky dark furniture, the couch almost engulfing them as she and Lea sank into the old green-colored cushions, splattered with a white and pink floral pattern. Multiple soft pillows that seemed to be hand embroidered covered the sofa. Alice wasn't sure if they were made by Olivia or if she brought them. She was more inclined to the first option, after spotting some yarn balls in a basket, half-covered by what looked like a folded unfinished flower pattern embroidery.

In front of the sofa was a rectangular coffee table with a frame crafted to imitate bamboo and a glass top.

Olivia returned quickly with a tray, balancing three steaming mugs and a plate full of freshly baked cupcakes. The rich and sweet aroma of vanilla filled the room, creating a pleasant and warm atmosphere.

"Careful it's hot." Olivia advised as she handed the mugs to the two Silver girls and placed the tray on the small table.

"Mrs. Olivia-"

"Just Olivia, dear." The older woman corrected, her back to Alice and Lea, as she rearranged pillows to make her sit more comfortable.

Alice nodded. "Then, Olivia. About Mr. Fisher, he was… acting strange. Did we do something to upset him?"

"Don't worry about him. You see, he's a sour soul, old age and isolation can do that to a person. But don't let it bother you. He doesn't have anything against you, it's your apartment that he has a problem with."

"How so? What does my house have to do with Mr. Fisher?" Alice asked confused.

"Don't you know about what happened there before?" Olivia turned, a single brow arched high on her broad forehead, as she stared intensely at the younger woman.

Alice shifted a little uncomfortable. "The previous owner told me an accident occurred a few years back and someone die…"

Olivia barked a sarcastic laugh. "An accident you say. More like a-" She stopped herself as she looked at Lea, suddenly remembering the child's presence. "… Now that I think about it, I also made some cookies. Alice, will you give me a hand in the kitchen?"

"Oh, sure." Alice nodded, understanding the meaning behind the question.

What could it be so bad that Olivia didn't want to share in front of Lea?

Once in the kitchen, the older woman closed the green door, an unpleasant screech following the motion. Olivia murmured something about old and rusty hinges in need of oil as she reclined against the countertop.

"It wasn't an accident, it was a brutal murderer." She whispered, so Lea wouldn't hear them. "The man killed his wife and his two sons and then killed himself. It was horrible, from what I heard there was blood everywhere. Since then some people believe that the house is haunted."

"Haunted? Why?" Something in Alice's chest started to swell. Anger, alarm, and a little fear, but mostly anger. She was mad at the owner for not informing her about this. He had sugarcoated the situation.

Maybe she should have been more suspicious about the cheap price and the owner's desperate behavior to sell the house. But she would never imagine that something so morbid could have happened. Would it have influenced her choice of buying the apartment? No. But, bloody hell she could have gotten an even better deal if she knew what had transpired.

"I don't mean to upset you or anything but if I was you, I would like to know about this... The truth is that after the incident, the apartment stayed empty for a few months." Olivia reached for one of the cabinets and took out a plate, giving it to Alice for her to hold. On the corner of the counter, near a microwave yellowed by the years, was a glass jar full of chocolate chip cookies. Opening it, she tilted the jar, letting a bunch of cookies pile up on the plate. "The landlord made some renovations and was able to rent it to a nice family. But after a while, strange things started to happen."

"What things?"

"They started hearing strange noises during the night, and some things disappeared or were moved from one place to another. And the same thing happened to other people who lived there after that couple. I'm not one to believe in such tales of ghosts and spirits but… it wasn't just one or two incidents. Everyone that lived there after that… atrocity, experienced the same strange events."

It was unsettling to think her house could be haunted. At the same time, it was absurd to feel like that, because she didn't believe in ghosts, she was a doctor, a woman of science, yet the thought of living in a haunted apartment was a little disturbing.

They returned to the living room, and after placing the cookies next to the cupcakes, Alice took her place near Lea, who narrowed her eyes at her, but thankfully didn't ask what the secret meeting was all about.

Olivia sat on her usual spot on the matching armchair half-covered with a blue blanket and a bunch of pillows. She rarely used the sofa, finding it too saggy for her sore back.

The armchair squawked gently as she sat, and Oreo came running from an adjacent white door ajar across from the kitchen entrance, jumping swiftly to his owner's lap despite his round and heavy form. Next to that door was another, probably the bedroom and bathroom.

"Thank you for the hot cocoa. It's delicious." Lea smiled from over the mug, unaware of the stain on top of her upper lip - a mustache made from the sweet hot beverage.

Olivia's lips curled up at the sight. "I'm the one who needs to thank you. For returning this rascal." She patted Oreo with one hand as she grabbed the hot mug with the other. She blew gently at it before taking a sip of the dark and sweet liquid. "He runs out from time to time. Likes to go upstairs and meow at that strange young man's door. I guess it's because of all the crawling creatures he has."

"…crawling creatures?" Alice asked, words spilling slowly and hesitantly.

Did she really want to know? Sometimes ignorance is a blessing.

"Yes. I'm not sure exactly, but I've heard the landlord grumbling with Mrs. Rose – the window from the ten floor - about it. I think he mentioned snakes, spiders, lizards, and other things like that."

Alice shivered visibly at the word 'spiders'. She hated those creepy creatures from hell.

"Bizarre choices for pets, if I may say." The older woman commented as she took a bite of one of the cupcakes. Her brown eyes twinkled and she hummed noisily. "You need to taste these! I've been experimenting and mixing recipes, and I think these are the best so far."

Alice glanced at Lea, her niece reaching for her third cupcake had already devoured four other cookies.

"Don't eat everything, Lea. You will leave Mrs. Olivia with nothing for later."

"Nonsenses. She can eat as many as she wants." The older woman smiled kindly. "Go ahead, dear. Take more if you want." Olivia reached for the plates in the middle of the coffee table and pushed them more toward Lea. "The more you two eat the fewer pounds I gain!" She threw her head back and laughed vigorously as she tapped her protruding stomach. "I love to bake but because it's just me, I end up eating everything. Many years have gone by since I was a slim and young gal." Olivia glanced back at one particular black-and-white photo of a beautiful young woman smiling brightly at the camera.

"You know, back in the day I used to dance ballet…"

Alice nodded, smiled, and asked some questions here and there, as Olivia recounted stories of her youth.

The light outside the windows slowly dimmed as the hours passed.

"Thanks for hearing an old woman's boring stories."

At the coffee table rested the three mugs, now cold with crusts of dried brown residue sticking to the ceramic white glaze and the almost empty plate, except for a single abandoned cupcake surrounded by crumbs.

"They aren't boring! I like your stories, they're interesting and funny." She turned to the side to see her niece sleeping, her small body reclined at an uncomfortable angle against the sofa. How long had she been sleeping? "She's just tired." Alice defended meekly.

"Thank you, dear." A sad smile pulled at the corner of Olivia's chapped lips. Her short fingers scratched the cat's back, as it purred noisily and incessantly, like the sound of cicadas during the hot summer days. "Even with Oreo's company, I still get lonely."

Alice couldn't help but glance at all the photos carefully arranged around the room. "What about your family?"

"They moved to Detroit two years ago. My daughter invited me to move with them, but I declined." Seeing Alice's confused expression, Olivia chuckled dryly. "You must think I'm crazy. How could I decline the opportunity of being together with my family and leaving Gotham for good? Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter and grandson and I miss them very much, although they call me every day. But, Gotham is my city." She opened her arms, moving them in an elegant and fluid motion, gesturing around the room. "This's my home. It's where my things are. Where past memories lay. I've lived here for almost forty-seven years, I can't just move."

Alice couldn't understand that. She had moved many times, from different cities to different countries and different continents. To her, her home was where her family was. Where Lea was. Of course, there had been places where she enjoyed living more than others, but in the end, she wasn't attached to material goods. Since she was small she was always moving from place to place. Maybe that was the problem. She had never stayed enough time in one place to get that attached to it. Perhaps, if she lived for forty years in the same place, she would also be like Olivia, unable to let go of it.

Memories of rough hands grabbing her wrists, fingers forcefully probing the curves of her body and a mouth full of yellowed teeth breathing on her neck overflowed her mind. Swallowing her suddenly dry throat, her hands clenched into fists, opening and closing a couple of times before she was able to take a deep breath. Quickly, Alice shoved the horrible images into the far back of her mind.

Not in Gotham, that was for sure.

There was no way this damned city could ever become their home. She was going to keep her promise, live there for two years, and then get the hell out of there.

Olivia's lips were moving but Alice wasn't hearing anything she was saying. Shaking the negative thoughts away, the brunette focused her attention back on the older woman.

A little later, they said their goodbyes, Lea was still sleeping as Alice lifted her into her arms with a small level of difficulty. Her niece was getting too old to be carried around like this.

The apartment was dark and cold when they entered. Alice went straight to Lea's room, depositing the girl on the bed. She would wake her up when was time for dinner.

Back into the kitchen, Alice started the boring chore of cutting the clothing labels and turning the garments inside out before tossing them in the laundry basket. After a few minutes, she stretched her arms up in the air, popping out the accumulated tension on her shoulders, before reaching inside the shopping bag for the last piece of clothing. To her confusion, the bag was empty. Her eyebrows moved down into a frown as she confirmed if there was no piece left inside the other bags. She checked the floor and the hallway for the missing sweater, yet she found nothing.

The two sizes too big dark sweater she brought early that day was nowhere to be found.

Her mind started to drift back to the conversation with Olivia.

"They started hearing strange noises during the night, and somethings disappeared…" Her neighbor had said. "…or were moved from one place to another."

Alice recalled another incident, her missing keys at the night she and Lea went to that charity event Bruce invited them to. A couple of days later she found them between the sofa's cushions, which was strange since she knew for sure she had placed them inside the bowl near the entrance. She remembered perfectly putting the keys there.

A low bang echoed behind her, making her jolt and turn quickly, teal eyes shifting around looking for the source of the noise. Alice placed a hand over her heart and choked out a chuck as she determined that the bang came from outside.

"This is stupid." She murmured, fingers scratching the fine hairs behind her neck.

There were perfectly logical explanations. For example, Lea forgot she had taken the keys out of the bowl, and the sweater fell out of the bag inside the car on the drive back home.

Alice grounded herself, pushing all her worries about her supposed haunted home aside.

I don't have the time to think about such absurd things.

A sad frown pulled at her features, her eyes moistening as she observed the calendar on the kitchen wall.

After all, tomorrow is

Tomorrow was her brother's death anniversary.


I've been so busy, I didn't have much time or energy to write. But I'll try to post more regularly.

Also, regarding the few words I write in Portuguese or in other languages, I'm placing the English translation right next to it in between parentheses.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Until next time,

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