Paige's Club

Chapter 3. The Gloomy Figure.

"Look in the mirror", Lucinda said behind him.

Why?

He had not recovered from the shock of seeing her legs floating in the air and the way her voice was echoing in his ears propelled more bafflement in him. Then he tightened his lips and raised his head slowly. Casting a puzzled look at the mirror, he saw a figure behind him and blinked in doubt about what he'd just seen.

Was it not Lucinda who was standing behind him a few seconds ago?

The figure was black, faint, and transparent such that he saw through it. Facing downwards, its thick, black, and lengthy hair covered its face. He watched in terror as the figure began to raise its head slowly. To be sure he wasn't dreaming, he turned to confirm what he was seeing but found nothing.

Suddenly a ghastly face erupted in the mirror; its eye sockets were empty and blood was gushing out profusely while gnashing its teeth. At this point, Clayton didn't know whether he should scream or not because the pressure on him was extreme. Cold sweat began to slide down his back while his heart slapped violently against his chest, aching. To his greatest shock, a bloody hand broke out of the mirror, choking him at once, and pulled him brutally until his head banged against the mirror and blood sprouted out of his forehead instantly. Meanwhile, he was screaming and struggling all along.

Clay!

" Clay!" Lucinda's voice echoed in his head, intruding on his imagination.

Terror sparkled in his eyes when it opened and he realized in amazement that he was sitting on the floor which contradicted his experience. Then he cast a confused speculating gaze upon her. "Lucinda?!"

"What's wrong, huh? My phone rang, and then I realized I left it at the bar so I went to pick it up." Lucinda said, standing and gazing down at him.

Nah, she was telling a lie! A damned lie! What he'd seen was bløody real. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers and looked back at them but there was no blood stain as he expected. Wait. Were all those scenarios only an imagination?! He then raised an intense speculating gaze at Lucinda again and said, "I…I thought you were bleeding…"

"Bleeding?"

"Yes," He asserted. "You asked me to look in the mirror…"

"Mirror?" She asked with a puzzled look. "I never said that." She paused briefly and said, "I don't understand, Clayton. Why are you suddenly looking so weird?"

This made his gaze upon her more fierce, and curious. "Your legs were floating in the air…and you were bleeding in your eyes."

Though his gaze sparkled with some strong expressions, she couldn't comprehend their impressions because when they were kids, Clay usually tricked her on several occasions and was fond of frightening her. "You must be kidding, Clay."

Glowing with disbelief, his eyes trailed from her head down to her toes. Her feet were not floating this time…and—Jeez! He didn't know what to think.

***°°°**

Lunasha, Lucinda's first daughter, was lying on a couch in the living room and munching rice crispy when she heard a bang on the door. She paused the movie she was watching, walked to the door with the packet of rice crispy in her hand, and opened it. "Mom!"

"Hey, darling." Lucinda tilted and pecked Lunasha's cheek and got inside. "Where's Elise?"

Mouthful of rice crispy she said, "She's been sleeping over an hour now."

Lucinda thudded on the sofa and exhaled. "Is your dad…"

"Where the fuck have you been?" Ryan's irate voice interrupted her.

Lucinda was startled by hearing his voice so suddenly. She glanced at him; he was in raven shorts and a ruddy cardigan and was standing a few distances away by the stairs with both hands in his pockets. The way his hair spread around his face and his grimace notified he was still mad at her.

Before she left for Clay's home they had a momentous argument and she had gotten her husband angry so she didn't inform him before leaving. "I'm sorry, Ryan…"

"Sorry be damned!" Ryan snapped.

He jeered at her until she couldn't condone it anymore and another series of arguments began. Lunasha watched them while blocking her ears with her fingers. Sometimes her parents lived like enemies and she hated it when dad lost his temper with mom. She thought innocently.

She was still watching her parents when a shadow emerged on the wall. She wondered if it were Elise…but Elise was only a five-year-old and wasn't this tremendous. And she could see that the figure had massive, long hair and was wearing a short gown—she guessed. She then turned slowly to the stairs where it appeared the figure was standing.

Each step Lunasha took was as though the figure was adjusting backward such that she couldn't get close to it. "Elise?" She called cautiously. As she got to the flat floor before climbing the next stairs, she couldn't find anyone. In a second, she heard a door creaking, then she climbed the stairs quietly.

It was a three-story building and here on the second floor had several doors. When she stepped there, she was expecting to see a door open, but all the doors were shut. So, which door creaked? They were the only people in the house and Elise was the only one up here. "Elise?" She called again.

Standing outside Elise's room, she grasped the knob and opened the door. "Elise?" Elise's bed wasn't dressed and she wasn't lying on it either. Lunasha got in and looked around. "Elise?"

The door creaked softly as she pulled the knob, then she shut it mildly. Elise was a crazy fragile kid sister and could do wonders, but where have her wonders taken her this time? Lunasha began to open each door, calling on her sister but there was no response.

When she opened the study room, she ran into Elise who was holding up a knife. Initially, Lunasha didn't see her. "Christ! Elise, you scare me!" Fixing her curious blue gaze at the glittering knife Elise was lifting, she exhaled and said, "And why the hell are you with that?"

Her eyes darting bewilderedly, Elise's tender voice quivered as she said, "I was hearing footsteps."

"Footsteps?" Lunasha echoed her sister and hesitated. "That was me."

"No," Elise quibbled. "It wasn't you. I saw it on the wall…it wanted to take me."

"What wanted to take you?" Lunasha raised her brown scanty thin brow.

"It's gigantic and gloomy…and" Elise began to sob.

Looking down at her little sister, Lunasha could see the fear glistening in her bulky brown eyes while tears welled up, then she pulled the knife off her hands gently and drew her closer. "Nothing's gonna take you, okay?! You've got Mom and Dad… and you've got me."

As the girls got out of the study room, the door banged itself and they fidgeted. Cuddling each other, they turned, gasping in fear as they saw that same shadow behind them…close to them, stretching its huge terrifying hands toward them, and covering them with its gloomy shade.

***°°*