Chapter 4- Happenings in the night

"Come on, let's go."

"Go where?" Tessa asked as she rolled the dice and took another bite of popcorn.

"Out."

"Out?"

"Yeah, it stopped raining, why don't we just go for a walk on the beach, and see the house."

"Zoë. We can't Mom and Dad will punish us. And Grandma will kill us. And can you imagine if the father disapproves?"

"I don't even want to think about that. You're right." Zoë sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

"Yes, we will, now sit down and take you're turn, I'm winning." Tessa said.

"This game loves you."

"No I'm just good at it."

"Let's take a break." She said, getting up abruptly, just as her sister was about to roll the dice. "Let's get some ice cream."

"Okay." Tessa followed her.

………………..

Monica awoke several hours later in her husband's arms. He had wrapped his arms around her in a protective fashion, and she had a hard time getting him to let go. He was fast asleep, she turned over to look at him closer and she kissed him. She loved him so much he was probably one of the best things that had happened to her. Soon she settled back into his arms and tried to fall asleep; but she couldn't so she put on her robe and retreated downstairs. She went to the kitchen for a glass of water, where she ran into the girls, having ice cream, upon seeing this she decided to join them.

"Hi Mom!" Tessa said, "Care to join us."

"You read my mind." She said pulling up a chair and sitting with the girls. Zoë pulled out an extra bowl and spoon.

"We're glad you're here. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yes, I just woke up randomly." She laughed. "What about you two?"

"We never tried." Tessa admitted.

"That's okay, it's summer. You deserve it." She smiled.

"How's Sophie doing with the big girl bed?"

"Wonderful, she loves it." Monica said, eating her ice cream as she talked. "In fact, after ice cream I should go and check on her."

………………..

Early the next day, Andrew, Monica and the girls were walking on the beach. Or, rather, Andrew and Monica were walking, Tessa and Zoë were walking about twenty feet a head of them and Sophie was running as fast as her little legs could carry her in order to keep up with her sisters. Monica laughed as she watched their littlest girl.

"She's so cute, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is. Do you think that can be considered an accomplishment?"

"What?"

"That our children are so cute." He asked.

"Maybe. Can you pick a favorite?"

"Of course not."

"Neither can I."

"They are cute for different reasons though."

"Yes, they are. For example, I love Zoë's eyes."

"Tessa looks just like you."

"And that's a reason for her to be cute?"

"Yes." He stopped and kissed her softly.

"What about our wee Sophie?"

"She's just cute all over. Her personality, especially."

"Yes. I agree." Monica said, as they came up to where Sophie was sitting by herself in the sand, playing with a shell she'd found.

"What are you doing, Sophie?" Andrew asked. His daughter smiled sweetly at him as she proudly held up the shell she'd found.

"That's pretty sweetheart." Her Mother smiled as both of her parents got down on their knees in an attempt to be closer to her level. "Do you think it's pretty?" Sophie nodded in reply.

"Hey, um where are your sisters?"

"I don't know." She said, clearly clueless.

………………..

"Tessa, Tessa, that's it!"

"What's what?" Tessa asked.

"The house. The house Dad was talking about." Tessa stopped and looked up. Up on the high cliff before them was the house their father had warned them of.

"Dad said not to go near it."

"There are no such things as ghosts! He's probably just making it up."

"Probably being the key word."

"That's right." Tessa rolled her eyes at her little sister.

"Come on Tessa, we never have fun!"

"Yes we do!"

"Okay, that's not what I met, I met that we never do anything spontaneous, or out of the ordinary."

"We glow and we can't die, how much more out of the ordinary do you want to be?" She asked sarcastically.

"Fine then, I'm going." Zoë said as she began walking towards the house, leaving her sister standing there in the sand. Tessa pondered this for a moment as she did every time that Zoë decided to do something that she wasn't supposed to. Should she go with her, or should she not? Came the age-old question. Tessa sighed as the age-old answer came to mind; and that was to go with her, so nothing would happen to her.

"I just want you to know that I'm not particularly happy with this."

"Okay." Zoë said, she didn't care.

So the sisters made their way up to the house. By the time they got there Tessa was even curious about what was really in the house. Or who was really in the house. She felt like if there were to be a ghost she'd have no idea what she'd do; how she'd react. Finally they came to the door of the big, dilapidated house. Zoë knocked. No answer. She twisted the doorknob and the door swung open with a squeak! The girls tiptoed into the house; careful to not make a sound. They clung to each other's hands tightly as they walked down the long, dark, obviously once grand corridor into the depths of the house. Zoë could tell that Tessa was scared. Her palms were so sweaty. Tessa made the same observation regarding her sister. The girls were being very careful about how they walked and were sure that they were making no unnecessary noise. Suddenly they heard footsteps behind them; the sisters turned instantaneously. They exchanged brief glances as they turned back to walking. Then suddenly, the hallway ended, and ran into another hallway facing the other direction, which presented them with the dilemma of not knowing which way they should go. The sisters peered down the left side of the hallway. It looked a little bit lighter than the right side. Tessa wanted to go down the left side, but Zoë pulled her sister down the right, darker corridor.

Tessa felt very apprehensive about this and she tugged at Zoë's hand. They walked down the hallway further and further until they reached a room. It looked to be a dining room of sorts. There were suits of armor standing near the fireplace, each of them holding spears. It reminded Tessa of Miss Havisham's room in Great Expectations.

"Tessa, I'm scared." Zoë whispered, her voice reaching a normal level by the end of her sentence. Those had been the first words uttered when they were in the house. Suddenly a chill came over them and they felt they were not alone. Suddenly a spear flew out of the hand of one of the armored suits. With out a word the girls fled the room, running faster than they'd ever ran in their lives. Zoë was speechless and Tessa muttered the Lord's Prayer under her breath. Both sisters clung to each other like they'd never let go. Once they got outside they continued running. The thought occurred to Tessa that if they had a car they would have got in, drove until it ran out of gas, got out and kept on running. Both girls breathed a huge sigh of relief when they saw their parents and they ran straight into their father's arms, by this time they were both shaking and crying their eyes out. Monica, sensing that something was horribly wrong, picked Sophie up and held her close.

"Daddy, it was horrible!" Tessa said, sobbing into her father's shirt. Zoë couldn't even talk.

"What happened?" He asked his daughters, very concerned.

"We went to the house." Tessa whispered.

"You mean the one I strictly forbid you from?" Both girls nodded silently as they cried.

"We weren't alone." Tessa explained quietly. "It tried to kill us."

"Well," he said as he wrapped his arms around the girls. "Let's go back to the house and talk about this." His wife followed.

………………..

"So," Andrew said as they sat down in the kitchen to have ice cream. "Why did you disobey me?"

"Because Zoë thought that going to the house would be fun." Tessa said.

"Oh you did, did you?" Zoë nodded silently.

"Okay girls. I'm glad you're feeling better. And I love you. But I'm afraid you're not leaving this house for two weeks."

"Two weeks!" The girls groaned.

"Two weeks. Don't worry." He told them, as he kissed the tops of their heads as he left the room. "You'll find stuff to do."

"Wow two weeks. Thanks Zoë!"

"Sorry! I thought it would be fun. I thought Daddy was kidding! Hey, we're in this together, don't be so mad at me!"

"Okay, and you're right. We are in this together. I forgive you."

Zoë smiled back, thrilled that her sister was not unhappy with her in the slightest.

………………..