Dream for the Dead (Completed/Editing)

2

My first day of school turned out not to be all that bad, after all. I'd gotten through the day, made a few acquaintances in different classes and I'd then made a few more when one girl (namely, Madison) introduced me to her group of friends during the lunch break.
But at the sweet, long-awaited end of that day, on my walk home, it was really quiet and tranquil, and I was glad school was over. It seemed as though nobody else lived too close to the mansion, so I was left to walk alone soon after leaving the school gates, allowing me to replenish my energy and reflect on the day's events. Before I knew it, I was back at the manor gates, and that's when I saw a cute - though, admittedly, awkward-looking - young man, who had to be around my own age, with large eyes the colour of treacle as well as curly, blonde hair sitting under a tree by the mansion, right on the land surrounded by the gates. As I began to walk past, rather speedily as I dreaded the idea of confrontation, he looked up and smiled.
"Hey," greeted the boy.
"Hello." I smiled, and tried to continue walking. But, he stood, and started to walk alongside me.
"My name is Elias," he grinned.
"Tabitha. Most people call me Tabbi."
I returned the smile as I continued coolly, despite the weight of panic in my stomach, "which school do you go to? It can't be Goldstein High, but you look about school age."
"You're new here, right?" he completely avoided my question, and I immediately found his bad manners off-putting.
"Yeah..." I was slightly too irritated and confused to answer with anything else.
"Which school do you attend?"
"Goldstein High School," I replied. "And yo-"
"I used to go there." he looked away, his eyes darkening and his lips turning down the slightest fraction, though it was noticeable.
"And now?"
"So, have you been around the town yet?" he became bright and happy all of a sudden once more, his face glowing, just as I was becoming more annoyed.
"Not yet. I've only been here for a week, and I've been so busy with unpacking I haven't had the time to go sightseeing yet," I laughed lightly, aware that he didn't seem to care in the slightest that he was trespassing.
"It's a nice town," he stated.
"Seems like it," I replied, becoming wary of how close to the mansion I - and he - were getting.
But he seemed harmless enough, so I decided to continue the conversation, "so, where do you live? It can't be anywhere close."
He shrugged.
I laughed, "I'm not asking for the specific address."
"It's pretty close."
He glanced at me, almost suspiciously.
"The pretty estate with the rose garden by it?" I asked.
"No," he peered down at his wrist and quickly blurted, "oh, I've gotta go now. Sorry. I hope we see each other again soon."
He smiled and turned, jogging away. He twisted his torso back to find me for a moment and waved, calling, "bye!"
I returned a small wave, not saying anything, as I was too focused on one very important detail.
He wasn't wearing a watch.

*

"Mum, do I act off putting? Am I boring?" I asked at dinner.
"I certainly don't think so."
She made a concerned face as she slowed her chewing. Tense silence ensued.
Finally, she continued nervously, "were people mean to you?"
"No, no! I made quite a few friends for a first day. It was just this one guy," I smiled reassuringly, "it doesn't matter. He was just really... weird."
"How do you mean?" Mum put her fork down and stared at me. That meant it was time to be serious and tell her everything.
I sighed, "well, this guy was hanging around under a tree by the mansion, he started up a conversation with me, but wouldn't tell me which school he went to or where he lives, and then he checked his wrist and said he had to leave. But the weird part is, he wasn't wearing a watch."
"Maybe you just couldn't see it properly?"
"There definitely wasn't one, he had a short-sleeved shirt on." I stopped eating, too, and asked pointlessly, "I wonder why he was so close to the mansion?"
"That's worrying." Mum's eyebrows knotted together. "Especially with this place's past and a mental hospital being so close by, you know some people would just love to copycat... or even add to the history."
"He didn't look like an escaped patient." I smiled.
"Maybe someone crazy that hasn't been admitted yet?"
We both laughed dryly, and nervously returned to our meals.

*

As I was trying to sleep that night, I was disturbed by noises coming from somewhere deep inside the mansion.
"What's Mum doing at this hour?!" I muttered angrily as I checked the time: it was 2AM. When the noise didn't stop, I decided to wander around, searching for her. Immediately, I spotted Mum emerging from her own bedroom, her head turned away from me.
"What are you doing, Tabitha?!" Mum shouted down the staircase.
"Mum," I muttered into the hallway.
My heart started to beat faster than it ever had before as Mum jumped and turned to face me. Her eyes widened as the noise persisted.
"It's like someone running around in boots on wooden floors," I squeaked, and walked slowly towards Mum, who placed a protective arm around me.
"It's louder than just one person running. It's more like two or three people running."
I decided we had to quickly accept someone was in the house, and my mind went into survival mode.
"They didn't seem to hear you shout. Do you have your phone in your bedroom?" I asked, moving towards the door.
Mum nodded and bit her lip, as if to suppress a sob.
I didn't doubt we both had the same thought: is it Dad?
"Okay. I'll call the police."
I hurried to find the phone and dialled the emergency number.
Mum followed me and closed the door as quietly as she could.
"What could they be doing down there?" she whispered.
When someone picked up, I immediately asked for the police and hastily explained the situation.
"Someone's in our house!" I tried to say quietly, "there, there might be a few of them. We... we hear them running, running, or something! They're really loud." I found it difficult not to cry, and this was evident in my wavering tone.
The dispatcher asked me to stay on the phone, I said okay, told them where we were, and waited for further instruction. Mum gestured for me to hand the phone over to her as we looked anxiously at the door. Before I could hand her the phone, a loud BANG startled the both of us. We jumped and gasped and waited. The dispatcher asked if that was the intruder, and I opened my mouth to answer. However, all of a sudden, the phone died.
"Wha-what? It was fully charged when I picked it up!"
The noises stopped abruptly. Mum and I stared at each other for a few minutes - minutes which, in the confines of these four walls, felt to be years -  before we opened the door cautiously. As it creaked, I cringed.
Mum tiptoed out of the room, "I'll go check downstairs. I'll grab a knife from the kitchen, they can't be there already."