Haunting of the Bell House, Chapter One

Eve danced up and down like a maniac, screaming at the top of her lungs as she clutched the letter and envelope in her hand to her chest. With her clunky Doc Martens and black tights, topped off by a pleated skirt and corset, she made for one interesting sight by the time William and Bradley came up to see what the fuss was about.

“Eve, what the hell? It sounded like you were kickboxing the floor!” William shouted, covering his ears as Eve’s squealing grew even louder.

“Seriously, what happened, why are you freaking out?” Bradley yelled.

“I got the part! I got the part! Look!” She shrieked, shoving the letter into Bradley’s large hands, pushing him slightly in the process. Bradley looked at the Goth girl incredulously before allowing his eyes to drop to the paper.

After a few moments of smiling, his face broke into a wide grin. He looked over at William, who only looked confused. “She got the part as Mina in the theatrical rendition of Dracula.”

“So?”

“So? So it’s the annual play in our quiet mountain town, everyone shows up to see it, sometimes multiple times if it’s good.”

“And I’ve been auditioning for the annual plays since I was twelve. The best I ever got was to dance as a sugar plum fairy in The Nutcracker.” Eve said excitedly, her pale features and ruby red lips twisted into an almost frightening Joker-like grin.

“I didn’t know you could dance Eve.” William said, accepting the letter as it was passed to him.

“You’ve seen me at parties,” Eve said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, I’ve seen you shake your ass; that’s not exactly ballet, y’know?” William countered, reading over the first page. “Wow, that is a lot of rehearsal time. Are you sure you can swing this and school?”

“Of course I can, it just means a few A’s will slip into B’s this semester.” Eve waved off William’s concern without a care. “But don’t you get it, this is my first step!”

“First step?” The two boys repeated.

“My first step to becoming an actress! To get out of this quaint little Colorado town and make something of myself!”

Bradley looked at William with a stoic face. “She’s doing it again.”

William handed the letter back to the bubbly little ball of darkness before saying. “Remember Eve, get the degree first, and then move to Hollywood. A degree in theatre will help out more than experience as a waitress.”

“I know that!” She snatched the letter and rehearsal schedule away from The blonde boys hands, skipping off to her room, the one with the black door, before slamming it shut to squeal and scream some more.

You find this all to be very droll… who cares what the little wench accomplished, it didn’t matter anyway. One day she would grow old and die, probably end up like you. Wretched and alone.

You flex your mind and knock a few glasses from the countertop in the kitchen downstairs onto the floor, smiling wickedly as they explode with a nerve-wracking shatter. Both boys look down the stairs then at each other. You chuckle as they head down stairs, feeding on the fear and anxiety rolling off of them in waves. Normally the girl was anxious enough to keep you satiated, but sometimes you just liked the flavor that men had… makes you wonder what you were in life. It’s been so long that you can’t even remember.

Drifting through the floorboards you slip into the kitchen, resting atop the refrigerator as the two boys come into the room, cussing at the sight of the broken glass.

“Will, get the broom, I’ll get a bag for all of this.” Bradley says, motioning towards the laundry room, which was off to the side of the kitchen, leading to the garage. You spread out a tendril of darkness and run it along Will’s spine, causing him to nervously look around. You chuckle at his expression.

It was the same one the last person that you killed in this house had. That poor girl never stood a chance, feeding you all that fear and dread, then bringing over a couple friends with a Ouija board to try and coax information out of you. All that did was grant you a stronger foothold, a foothold you still possessed. You heard the realtor tell the three teens that the young girl who had been found dead here had died of heart failure.

You chuckle darkly at that.

Her spirit had moved on, leaving little for you to play with except these three, and the occasional friend or “friend” one brought over. Eve often held little slumber parties whenever William or Bradley were staying over at a girlfriend’s house… oh how you enjoyed those. The poetry readings of how dark the world is, the silly games they’d play, how they’d gossip and joke while sharing a pizza. It almost made you feel alive again… if not for the icy pit deep in your core.

“How do you think this happened? Did we just set them on the counter too close?” William said as he brushed the shattered remains of the glass into a dustpan, before lifting it and dropping it into the large white plastic bad Bradley held out.

“I don’t know man, just drop it.” Bradley said, looking up at you.

Oh ho! Does someone see you? That can’t be it, as he’d most likely have ratted you out by now. Maybe he can just sense that you’re around, the same way that Eve’s cat could before it died in its sleep.

Heh Heh…

“I’m serious man, look at me.” William sounded tense, as if he’d been thinking on this for a while.

“Look, I told you not to talk about it while we’re in the house,” Bradley warned, his voice low, almost a whisper.

“But what should we do?”

“Nothing, nothing yet.” Bradley answered, shrugging his shoulders as if shaking off a case of fleas.

That got your attention… so they think they know of your presence. Wonder what they’ll do?