"SLAM" was the sound Mrs. Cooper heard from the kitchen; she swiveled around, took a napkin to wipe her hands. "Raina, is that you?" she yelled from the kitchen doorway.
"noon, Mom," Raina replied, slumping into a sofa.
"So, how was school today?"
"Worse!"
"Positive language, please."
"Oh, of course, today was the best day of my life. I made a lot of friends and won the hearts of the teachers, oh, and I was even awarded a scholarship," Raina replied with a sickly smile plastered on her face.
Her mother burst into a fit of laughter. "Darling, you shouldn't lie to me just because I told you to speak positively," Mrs. Cooper said to her daughter when she managed to suppress her laughter.
"There was nothing positive about today at all," Raina said.
"I understand you might be going through a tough time at school, but you should know it's only temporary," Mrs. Cooper said to make Raina feel better.
"Whatever, I'm starving," Raina said, heading upstairs to her room.
"I'm whipping something up for dinner; I'll call you when I'm done," her mother called after her.
When Raina got to her room, she stood against the door for a few minutes, remembering the unwelcoming faces of her schoolmates as they stared at her like she was an alien. Their facial expressions clearly told her she wasn't welcome.
"Well, what was I expecting? A pool party just to welcome me?" She thought to herself. "Whatever," she scoffed, pulling off her backpack to place it on the bed before laying down herself.
A few minutes later, while she was busy racking her brain over her homework...
"Raina," she heard her mother call for her.
"Ugh," she groaned before getting up. "Yes, Mom?" she said when she got to the kitchen.
"What?" Mrs. Cooper asked with a surprised look on her face.
"You called me," Raina explained.
"No, I didn't," Mrs. Cooper replied.
"You did; I heard you," Raina countered.
"Raina, I just came back inside a moment ago; I was chatting with our new neighbors at the balcony," Mrs. Cooper defended.
"But...I...I...heard...I mean...you..." Raina stuttered.
"Have you been sleepwalking again?" Mrs. Cooper inquired, looking at Raina's face.
"Mom, I don't sleepwalk," Raina retorted.
"Of course; anyway, now that you're here, you can help me with the box in the basement," Mrs. Cooper said to Raina.
"Did you say basement?" Raina asked with eyes widened in fear.
"Yes, you heard me right," Mrs. Cooper replied.
"Why don't you wait for Reggie? He's stronger, you know," Raina suggested.
"Raina, come on; there's just one box in the basement, and I need it now," Mrs. Cooper said.
"And she said she didn't call me," Raina muttered under her breath as she turned towards the direction of the basement.
She got to the door of the basement and, with shaky hands, opened the door. The light below had been turned on by her elder brother, Reggie, when they were offloading their properties from the moving truck to the house earlier during the week. The box had definitely been left there by her brother.
"The dumb drake; he could have just left it in the kitchen," Raina fumed as she ventured down the stairs. She sighted the box beside a big freezer covered in dust.
"There you are," she sighed in relief as she walked towards the box. Lifting it, she turned to walk out but suddenly stopped. She was hearing voices.
"Where is that whisper coming from?" she asked in a low voice, fear visible on her face.
After calming down a little, she realized the voices were coming from the freezer. She dropped the box and walked slowly towards the freezer, dusting the cobwebs around it and placing her hand on the handle. With her heart in her mouth, she tried to open it, but it was very heavy with dust and rust. However, her curiosity got the better of her. Determined to open it, she lifted with all her strength, and with a cracking sound, the freezer slowly opened.
Raina peeped to see what was the cause of the whispering. What she saw caused her to drop the handle of the freezer she was holding up.
"Raina," Mrs. Cooper called from the top of the stairs.
Startled by the sudden call, Raina spun around and almost tripped over the box she had dropped behind her.
"Raina, are you okay?" Mrs. Cooper asked.
Raina didn't answer; instead, she quickly grabbed the box andmade a run for the top of the stairs.
"Finally, what took you so long?" her mother queried as she got to the top of the stairs.
Raina took a long look at the freezer below before finally turning away.
"That must have been my imagination," she muttered to herself, half hoping it really was.
"But it isn't, Miss Raina Elizabeth Cooper," the whisper came from the freezer, followed by a chilling laughter.
"Later in the evening.... "Oh, they are back," Mrs. Cooper said, walking towards the door. She opened it to let Mr. Cooper and Reggie in. "Raina, Reggie is back!... So how was your trip?" Mrs. Cooper inquired. "Fun, I guess," Mr. Cooper replied. "Guess? Did anything unusual happen?" "Nothing unusual happened at the office, except the fact that I might have challenges with a few of the company's staff because it's obvious from their behavior that they don't like me." "Thought I was the only one with such a problem," Raina chipped in as she descended the stairs. "Hi, Dad, hi Reggie." "Hey, sweetie, how was school today?" Mr. Cooper asked. "Just like it was yesterday," Raina replied. "Reggie, anything the problem? You're quite quiet." "Nothing, Mom, I'm just excited for school tomorrow," Reggie replied with a smile. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, bro, but our new school isn't all a bed of roses," Raina said to her brother. "Why did you even have to go with Dad to his office, anyway?" "If not that you are beginning to go deaf, you would have heard Dad talking about me helping out with some stuff at the office during dinner last night," Reggie said, much to his sister's annoyance. "What kind of stuff?" she asked. "Oh, stuff you wouldn't understand because your brain is a little underdeveloped for things like that, sis," Reggie replied, hell-bent on annoying his little sister. "Reggie," Mrs. Cooper said to make him stop. "Call me that one more time, I dare you," Raina, who was now angry, said to her brother. "That's enough," Mr. Cooper warned both his kids. Raina glared at her brother before heading to the dining table.
That same evening, in Raina's room:
Knock knock! "Can I come in?" Reggie asked, peeping into Raina's room. "You're in already," Raina retorted. "Listen, I just want to apologize for getting you angry at...." He trailed off as he caught sight of the drawing on the table. "What's that?" he inquired. "It's nothing," Raina quickly turned the drawing over. "You were saying something," Raina urged her brother. "Look, Raina, I'm just on edge because everything happened so fast. Dad's transfer, the move, a new school... everything and everyone I know is back in Los Angeles. I had a life as captain of Future High School," he explained to his sister. "You have a life here now," Raina said. "I know that, but everything happened so fast. I didn't even have the time to think about it," Reggie said. "You're not the only one who feels that way, but you know what Mom always says: everything happens for a reason, whether good or bad," Raina replied. "Well, wouldn't want to be late for school tomorrow. Gotta hit the bed. Good night, Raina." "Night, Reggie."
As Reggie left the room, Raina took the drawing from the table and looked at it for the umpteenth time. She stared at the image and muttered, "I could have sworn these were the pair of eyes that stared at me from the freezer, but of course, it could have just been a rat. How can a rat even enter such a tight place? Oh, Raina, what exactly did you see?" She kept asking herself that question until slowly she drifted off to sleep.
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