Fan Fiction ❯ Maison de Chagrin ❯ The First Vision ( Chapter 2 )

It was weeks before Alberta thought of the attic again, and the voice calling her name. The family had finished unpacking about two weeks after moving into the house. It was a very hard job, though, since the house was very big, but Nora insisted that it get done, and made each member of the family unpack a certain amount a day, or they would be punished. Even Maurice was forced into unpacking his things.

Then, of course, school started for the children. Alberta didn't like her new high school, but Noel did, making many friends the first day. Even so, he still made sure that Alberta was close to him, since he didn't want her left out. She didn't want to be pulled in, though, and told Noel this numerous times, but he never listened. Maris started kindergarten, and she enjoyed it. She always had stories to tell about what had happened at school, and her mother always wanted to hear them, not because she was overly interested, but because she wanted to keep track of the school, and the people that went there. Nora was an overprotective person, and very eccentric.

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As Alberta slowly climbed down the steps of her school bus, she sighed. School was not enjoyable for her. Noel was coming up behind her, silently urging her faster, for he wanted to get out of the school uniform that was mandatory for students to wear. Finally close enough to actually touch Alberta, he prepared to kick her backpack, but froze when a shriek sounded.

Noel spun around to see if someone on the bus had screeched, but Alberta already knew who had made the shrill cry. Maris was running around the front yard, an old shawl of Nora's draped around her shoulder. She was dragging her favorite rag doll, Lulu, around by the doll's hair, and occasionally tossing the old doll in the air. Alberta sighed again, stumbling down the stairs of the bus quickly, Noel following closely, sending her mental messages, only to have them bounce off of her many thoughts.

Alberta entered the house quickly, throwing her backpack into the closet, where it was supposed to be, and stalked off into the kitchen, annoyed by her day at school. Nothing really happened, she just didn't like school, and used to bed for home schooling, but her mother refused, so she suffered.

Alberta walked into the kitchen, and began rifling through the cupboards, looking for something to eat. Alberta was usually hungry after school, since she never really ate lunch, since she didn't like the food that the food had. So she'd just eat some food that she'd snuck from home.

Alberta pulled a bagel from the cupboard, finally, and pulled a knife from one of the drawers under the counter. She sliced the bagel in half, and was prepared to put it in the toaster when the room went black. She felt confused more than anything, and didn't scream, because she was sure that the power had just gone out, and that her father would fix it.

Suddenly, though, a dim light lit the room, and Alberta spun around to see a man and a woman standing near a table that didn't belong in the room. Alberta was too scared to try to remember where the table actually sat now, for she knew that it was somewhere inside the house.

The man was moving toward the woman, grinning at her. He looked very calm, but the woman looked like she was screaming. No sound could be heard from either of them, though. Suddenly the scene changed, and the woman was hung by her neck from a fixture on the ceiling. A rope was knotted around her neck, but her hands and feet were free, and she clawed at the rope with her fingernails, ripping skin from her neck, causing blood to flow. With her feet she was kicking at the man, who was standing off to the side of the table, looking at her calmly.

The girl's blonde hair was matted against her head with sweat, and an old-fashioned dress was wrapped around her figure. The man was looking on, pushing his long, dark hair from his eyes, and pulling a long knife from his pantaloons. He moved toward the woman once more, and she kicked more furiously, her mouth open, desperately trying to get a mouthful of air.

The man avoided her wild legs, grabbing one of her wrists, and examining the nails, with were caked with skin and blood. He grinned up at her. The girl's face was beginning to change color, and her hands were looking a little weaker, not drawing as much blood, and not tearing as much skin away. Then, in a quick movement, the man slashed the wrist of the hand he was holding. The girl's mouth opened wide, trying to scream, but, of course, no sound came from her open mouth.

The man grabbed her other hand, repeated his action, then began running the sharp blade of the knife along her dress, slicing the dress, and the skin under it. Blood was everywhere, and the girl was limp against the rope, but she was still alive. The man grinned once more at her, pressing his fingertips against one of her bloody wrists. Then, once his fingers were covered in blood, he pressed them against his mouth, liking the liquid from them, and spreading what was leftover on his lips.

The girl then finally died, and the man walked out of the room calmly. Then the scenes changed, showing a few men standing in front of the dead girl, still hung from the ceiling. Words were exchanged, but Alberta only heard a few of them. "Death by her own hand."

The room then returned to normal. Alberta's eyes darted around the room, as if looking for the man or girl, but then collapsed. Her stomach heaved from the images that she had just seen, and she tried not to vomit. Her body convulsed, not obeying her thoughts. `I won't throw up. I won't throw up.' She retched, vomiting on the floor, then rolled over, and passed out.

Nora had heard some noise in the kitchen, and went to see was the commotion was about, ready to find some broken dishes. Of course, she wasn't prepared to find Alberta lying on the floor, a pool of vomit next to her. She screamed immediately, and called for help.

Noel, who had been in the den, flipping through channels, still in his school uniform, jumped up at his mother's call, and ran into the kitchen. He found Nora kneeling on the floor, cradling Alberta. He looked at the scene, and asked, "What happened?"

Nora looked up at him, noticing him for the first time. "I don't know," She said shakily. "I heard a noise, and came in here, and found . . . and found . . . " Nora couldn't seem to get the words out, and after a few times, broke into sobs. Noel hurried over to her, grabbing Alberta's limp body as his mother removed her hands from under her daughter, and moved them to her face, catching the tears that were falling.

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Alberta woke some time later in the den. She was on the couch, on her back. Her throat hurt slightly, and her head ached also, though she couldn't remember exactly what happened. All she remembered was that she had seen some girl get killed. Then she must have passed out, for she didn't know how she had gotten from the kitchen to the den.

Noel suddenly entered the room, and jumped a little when he saw that Alberta was awake. "How do you feel?" He asked her softly, dropping into an overstuffed chair on the other side of the room. Alberta looked at him blankly, then shrugged her shoulders, and closed her eyes, signaling that she didn't feel like talking to him anymore.

Noel watched his sister for a few minutes. Alberta fell asleep after a few minutes, and Noel's attention moved to the television, which he switched on. He flipped through channels for a few minutes before stopping on one channel, and watching the program before him.

Alberta shifted after about half an hour, waking up again. Noel only glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes this time. Then he went back to watching TV. It was only when Alberta moaned slightly did he finally looks at her. She was squirming, looking frightened. It looked as though she wanted to get up, but was too weak.

"Ali, what is it?" Noel asked, sounding concerned. Alberta didn't look at him, just struggled to get off of the couch. She finally was able to swing her legs to the floor, but couldn't move any more after that. "Ali . . . " Alberta finally looked at Noel. He saw the fear in her eyes, as she tried so hard to stand up. "What?"

She didn't respond to him, really, just began repeating to herself, "Must get that table out of my room. Must get that table out of my room. Must . . . " Noel stood, and moved toward his sister, wrapping an arm around her waist, and helping her up. She tried to pull away, but found that she couldn't, and then allowed her twin to pick her up off the floor.

Noel carried Alberta up the stairs to her room. The task wasn't hard at all, since the girl was so thin. He reached her room quickly, and put the girl on the bed. Alberta's eyes were unfocused as she gazed around the room wildly. She finally stopped whipping her head around, and looked straight at the table next her wall. She pointed at it.

Noel looked where she was pointing, and saw the table. He didn't understand why his sister looked so afraid of it. "What, Ali?" He asked her, removing his gaze from the table. "What's wrong with that table?" Alberta continued to point at the table, not answering Noel.

"Evil," She muttered. "Evil." She tried to get up, but, again, found that she couldn't support her weight. Alberta finally looked at Noel, and ordered him to move the table.

"Why?" He asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and looking back and forth between Alberta and the table. She didn't answer him, simply growling low in her throat, and jabbing her finger in the air toward the table. Noel focused on the table, finally, and noticed the stain in the middle of it. "Do you want me to clean the stain off?" This was the only question Noel could think of. He knew it sounded stupid, but his sister was acting like a maniac.

"Evil," She repeated. "Must remove evil." Noel seemed to understand, walking over to the table, and moving the random papers littered on the table to the floor. He grasped the edge of the table, and pulled it along the floor, much to Alberta's happiness. Noel finally pulled it into the hall, and then went back into Alberta's room.

"Evil gone now," Alberta was now murmuring to herself. "Evil won't haunt me now, because evil isn't in my room." She tossed her head back, letting loose a shrill laugh that made Noel jump.

"Ali, are you okay?" Noel asked the girl, cutting off her laughter. She looked at him, regarding him slowly. She nodded after a few minutes, and fell backwards into her pillows, closing her eyes on impact. She fell asleep once more, and Noel exited the room quickly, almost running into the table.

Noel moved the table away from Alberta's room, and into a guest room down the hall. He didn't know why the table bothered his sister so much, but, if she went crazy over it again, like she did before, he wouldn't have known what to do. He moved the table against the wall, then left it there, going back into his own room, and shutting the door behind him.

Up in the attic, the girl stood, watching sleeping Alberta through the floor. Alberta's room was directly under the room with the blood-covered door, though she didn't know this. The girl in the room grinned, and then giggled. Alberta thought that if she got rid of the table, she wouldn't have another image. Alberta knew more would come, and thought that moving the table into another room would stop them all together.

The girl giggled once more, and tugged at the rope around her neck, even though it was stuck there for eternity. Then, she turned to the others in the room, motioning to them, for she couldn't speak. The other beings smiled, and moved throughout the room, plotting to themselves. The girl took one last look at Alberta, and then moved into a corner of the room, laughing to herself one last time.

A/N: The ending is kind of rushed, but I wanted this up today. I might rewrite it later, but I'm not sure. I always say that I'm gonna rewrite bad chapters, but then I never get around to it. Oh, well.

Please review. I might have another chapter up in the next few days, but I might not. Sometime soon, hopefully.