Haunting

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

After a half a dozen trips up the stairs to bring all her black rubbish bags filled with clothes and boxes of books, cd’s, and movies up to her room, Shannon collapsed on the couch next to her father who was flipping through the local phone book looking for a pizza place that delivered, because apparently Northwood doesn’t have a Pizza Hut.       

“Where are the sheets?” Shannon asked her father after he found one that met his requirements.

He pointed behind him to the large pile of boxes stacked against the wall. “Thanks,” Shannon muttered sarcastically. “You’re a lot of help, old man.”

“Always ready to do my bit.” He said as he dialled the phone.

Shannon paused. When her father was distracted it was like he forgot he was mad at her, or disappointed in her, and it felt like it did before Jess and all the crap that came along with it. 

Shannon continued over to the boxes and started sorting through them with a sigh.

Why the hell aren’t any of these labelled? She asked herself half an hour later when someone began knocking on the door half-heartedly, probably expecting it to be a prank.     

Her father passed her money as she stood up and walked over to the door. When she opened it she saw a kid about her age standing there shivering in the cold breeze. He wore nothing but a red t-shirt with Tony’s written on it and a matching red visor. The boy was short, almost as short as her, which was saying something, because Shannon was little.

“Hey,” he said, a grin forming on his face when he saw who opened the door. “That’s $32. You guys just move in?”

“Yeah,” Shannon replied, handing over two twenties.

He handed over the pizza’s and gave her another once over. “Are you going to Northwood?” he asked, meaning the high school Shannon supposed.

Shannon shook her head. “No, I’m going to Andrew Whiting.” She answered.

“That’s too bad; we could have had some fun.” He said while wiggling his eyebrows dramatically, telling Shannon that he was only half serious at most. He jumped up and down briefly, running his hands up his arms. “I’m Jordan.” He said, holding out her change.

“Keep it,” she told him. “And I’m Shannon.”

“It was lovely meeting you, Shannon.” Jordan called as she closed the door in his face. Ind of rudely, but that was her style.

“Pizza’s here!” Shannon called out, and she heard two pairs of footsteps come racing down the stairs and into the living room.

Kelly and Missy took the pizzas from her hands and sat down on the scuffed floor boards in the living room in front of Harrison. Shannon shook her head at the two little pigs and grabbed a slice of her veggie pizza. It wasn’t half bad. The pizza that is, the conversation sucked.

After dinner Shannon finally found the bedding and took hers upstairs to make her bed.

After the ordeal of making her bed Shannon frowned. The bed was facing the fireplace and the last thing she wanted was to fall asleep thinking of demon Santas climbing down the chimney so they could eat her brains. She heaved a sigh and began moving her bed next to the door so that she could see out her window while lying in bed. After some, okay much, struggling Shannon finally had it where she wanted. She moved back to examine her handy work and saw a weird stain on the wooden floorboards.

“Dad!” Shannon yelled down the stairs.

“Yes Shannon?”

“There’s a weird stain on my floor.”