It had been years since anyone had been up to the house on the hill. The whispers of the creature that lived there scared the children away and even animals didn't dare step foot on the property. People drove by with a stolen glance or a muttered comment. The town had not forgotten the events of a Christmas long ago, but it seemed no one wanted to talk about it.
The people had seemingly moved on. Some families moved, others stayed, to bring new generations into the perfect little community. But the house on the hill was always dark. And always unmoving. Just the way the people liked it. Until one day, when a new family with a particularly curious teenage daughter moved in….
"Grab that box, Kate." Katherine Grant walked around the side of the truck and picked up a box with the words 'Tom's Crap' scrawled across the side.
'Why can't the brat get his own stuff,' Kate wondered. She carried the box into the small, one story green house and dropped it on the floor. "Oops," she grinned. Walking farther down the main hall, Kate opened the last door to the left. She stepped into the room and was relieved to see a bed. With the sudden move, the Grant's had only been able to pack essentials. "Ok, bed, check. Let's see about closet space."
Kate opened the closet and was met with her reflection. Looking into the hanging mirror, Kate stared at herself. 'Compared to the people living in this town, I'll be a freak,' she thought. Her hair alone would draw stares. Hanging past her shoulders, it was dyed jet black with electric blue streaks running through it. Walking into the house, she had noticed the curtains in the neighbors' windows fluttering, as if they were being pulled aside to spy.
"Kate! Come in here please!" Marigold Grant's high pitched voice broke the tranquil silence of the room. Kate shut the door and walked into the living room. Kate's parents, Marigold and Shawn, and her two siblings, Tom and Justine, were sitting in the living room. Mari smile cheerfully.
"Alrighty! Now that we're all here, your father and I have decided to lay down some ground rules, more for the sake of the neighborhood than anything else." Kate saw Justine roll her preteen eyes.
"One, everyone will be home by their assigned curfew, no exceptions," Mari pointed at Tom. He nodded, although it looked like he wasn't even listening.
"Two, no noise after ten. Meaning, no guitar, Kate. And three, everyone will be civilized and upstanding in this community. We may have come from New York, but we certainly have more manners than most New Yorkers," Mari tittered, as if she had said something extremely funny. Justine and Kate exchanged looks. They were used to their mother's cheerfulness.
Tom sat forward in his seat. "Shouldn't there be a rule against Freak's clothes here," he quipped, motioning to Kate. Before Kate could respond, Mari cut in.
"Thomas! That is exactly what I'm talking about! You're sister has a…unique style of clothing. You have to respect that. Alright?"
Tom nodded. The anger on Mari's face vanished and she beamed at her children. "This is going to work out great, I can feel it!"
Four hours later, dusk was coming down on the town. Countless neighbors had already been over, casting sideways glances at Kate, who had changed into a black skirt, a black top, and black lace up boots that reached her knees. The looks told her exactly what she had already assumed: We think you're a freak, but since the rest of your family is normal, we'll deal with you.
Stepping out onto the front walk, Kate looked up at the stars coming out. Turning, something caught her eye. A huge black shadow loomed above the town. Squinting, Kate could see it was a house. Biting her lip thoughtfully, she opened the screen door.
"Mom, I'm going to take a walk, ok?"
"Sure honey. Be back before ten!"
Kate closed the door and shook her head. Two months shy of being eighteen and she had a ten o'clock curfew. Nuts.
It took Kate fifteen minutes to walk up to the mysterious house. By the time she got there, she was so fed up with the looks of passersby that she felt ready to explode. Opening the gate, she stepped into the garden. Or what had once been a garden. Large bushes were overgrown with weeds and the rose bushes were all withered. A heavy sadness filled Kate. "What is this place," she muttered to herself. Walking up to the front door, she looked up. A large pane of glass was barely holding on up on a higher floor. Something had definitely been smashed through it. Kate wondered what it had been and knocked on the door.
"Hello? Um…I just moved in down the street. I just wanted to say…"
The door slowly opened a crack. The shadows made it hard to see the face that peeked out. Kate tried to smile, though the feeling of sadness had intensified.
"Hi, I'm Katherine Grant. My family just moved in down the street and I just came by to say hello."
The face peered back silently. Kate bit her lip, a habit that came out of nervousness. "Ok. Well, it was nice meeting you." She turned and started going down the steps.
"Wait," a quiet voice said. Kate turned and struggled to contain her gasp. The door was now open fully and the owner of the voice was standing in the light.
"Please don't be afraid. I won't hurt you," he said, his 'hands' moving nervously. Kate shook her head, spellbound. "You don't scare me. I'm from New York."
