Rachel followed her as she exited the kitchen. They were back at the foyer; she walked across it to the opposite side. When Rachel entered the room, she instantly knew she was in the living room. Her face swerved to the left, a distant folding door was closed. She faced back to the main area of the living room eyeing the brownish chesterfield couch with the quilt-looking throw pillows, and love seat that was probably exceedingly expensive. Various magazines on the end table by the love seat lay as if they haven't been touched while the other end table by the chesterfield couch had a lighted, reddish-brown table lamp. A patterned rug lay at the entrance of the living room. As Rachel stepped on it, she gazed at the valance, then the pleated drapes; the light gray fabric was embroidered with flowers. Between them, three symmetrical, squared windows, revealing the trees and brightly colored flowerbeds outside the house.
Rachel noticed that the room lacked an entertainment unit, but the fireplace got her attention. It's larger than the average home fireplace. The fireplace screen had an elegant, ornate design on it and on top of the mantel stood pictures of the family. Each photo showed the family happier than in the last. A Bergère chair stood at the corner of the fireplace. "It's probably used for sitting down and reading a good book by the fireplace," Rachel thought. The living room's theme expressed comfort and a down-to-earth place (due to most of its brownish color). At the far end of the living room, a little hallway led to another room. Rachel barely saw the sliding door.
"Where does that hallway led to?" Rachel asked curiously.
"To the study room, there are shelves full of books that surround the square room...let's just study in the living room; I don't really like the study room," she said. "Let me just get my stuff from there. She went toward the sliding door, and opened it. She quickly came back with her textbook and notebook.
"Now, what chapter did you need to understand?" Rachel said. They were now both on the comfy carpet, as they placed their textbooks and notebook on the square coffee table and began the session. The first hour of teaching Alicia was a breeze. Rachel was so glad she understood how to solve the problems. But onward it became quite difficult as Rachel got frustrated teaching her. She got weary of repeating herself while Alicia gazed at her, bewildered. It took a while before Alicia understood one particularly difficult chapter (Rachel remembered how students flocked to Mrs. Toussaint's after-school session for help in that chapter.) Alicia's face glowed with felicity once she finally got the questions right from the sample problems. "Okay, we still have a few pages to go."
Rachel, looking rather drained, glanced at her watch and was taken aback by how late it was, "Alicia, I can't, I have to get home. It's ten minutes to 10."
Alicia's face changed instantly, she looked very worried. "Okay, you can come over tomorrow."
"Um, actually this is the only time I've to help you." Rachel replied. Her bothersome eyes pierced at Rachel as if she's lost in her thought, probably thinking of what to do.
"I've got it!" she said rather loudly, "You can stay overnight; it will be like a slumber party!"
What! No, No, No , Rachel thought but didn't want to be mean so she replied by stating her mother wouldn't like the idea of her staying at someone's house overnight.
"Let me talk to your mother." she replied. Rachel couldn't believe it, why would Alicia go to such lengths for help with schoolwork.
"You don't have to do that, I have my cell phone." Rachel said. Her quick thinking told her to pretend to dial her mother and say that she insisted on her daughter to be at home. Rachel went into her back pack and dug inside it. Alicia waited, watching her every move. With a befuddled look on her face, she couldn't figure out why her cell phone wasn't in her back pack.
After seven minutes passed, Rachel continued her unwavering search for her cell phone and refusal to abandon her brilliant scheme of leaving Alicia's home. Alicia made a beeline to the living room's phone. "What's your phone number?" Rachel stopped searching and gave it to her, hoping her mother wouldn't answer the phone. For the most part, on Fridays, she's either sleeping or out somewhere with another soccer mom.
"Hello? Is this Mrs. Evans?...I'm Alicia, your daughter's at my house helping me study and we didn't finish all the pages that I had to cover, so I'm, like, wondering if she could like stay over...She can sleep at the guest room which has everything she would need to stay here...She told me to ask you."
"What! I didn't say that!" Rachel exclaimed. Alicia turned around, as she beckoned Rachel to hush.
"Yes, she said that," Alicia said, and then they kept on talking for awhile until Rachel's mother finally gave her an answer.
"Really? Great!" Alicia said happily.
Rachel looked stunned by her reaction, did her mother just agree for her only daughter to stay in someone's house that she didn't really know?
"I need to talk to my mother." Rachel said to Alicia. She happily handled the phone to Rachel. "I need a drink and to make sure my brother and sister are in their room, sleeping." she said as she rushed out of the room.
"Mom, how could you agree for me to stay here?" she said harshly.
"Rachel, you're helping a fellow classmate," she replied, "and maybe you can finally have some fun and relax. Maybe make a new friend."
"What? You're letting me stay in someone's house that you and I don't really know?" she said.
"Honey, you worry too much. Nothing is going to happen, I mean come on, you're in the house of Mr. Hausefalle, the guru of home security! You're probably safer over there than here."
"Come here and pick me up NOW!" Rachel fired at her mother with a harsh whisper.
"Rachel, someday you'll thank me for this, see you tomorrow," she said then sounded a kiss on the phone but Rachel hung up.
Alicia saw Rachel's angered face and asked her if her mother had changed her mind. Rachel shook her head and reported she was staying over. She marched to the closest table and sank into the carpet.
"Okay, no time for chitchat, let's get to work." Rachel said as she hurried to the opposite side of Rachel on the carpet.
It got tougher and tougher for Rachel to tutor Alicia. She didn't seem to understand the logic of how to solve some of the math problems. Exhaustion, Rachel stared outside as Alicia struggled to solve a math problem. The clouds resembled puffy-gray smoke flowing from some sort of distance cigarettes as it covered the sky. The night got unusually somber, like you're in a ghost or haunted house movie. Although Rachel gazed at this, she wondered more on how she's going to get her other tasks done before the weekend is over.
"Okay, did I get it right?" she asked as she put her paper in front of her. With attentive eyes, Rachel looked at the paper and then said, "No." Alicia cast a sad face, almost in tears.
"Look, I think Mrs. Toussaint should help you instead of--"
"No, I have to get this today. I can't give up now, please!" Her face grew sadder each second. "My dad told me this afternoon if I don't get good grades this semester, I couldn't go to Santorini, Greece with my friends this summer."
Rachel felt hoodwinked, so that's why she's studying so hard. Alicia had never been a studious person or one that cared too much about her grades. Rachel couldn't help but feel Alicia was using her. The more she thought of it, the more she felt kind-of-sick.
"Alicia, I need to use your restroom." Rachel said.
"Sure," she said obliviously. "I'll just keep on trying to solve these problems."
Rachel went out of the living room and arrived at the foyer of the house when she heard the doorbell ring. Who could that be at this time, Rachel thought, but she didn't really know the Hausefalles' well enough to judge them. It might as well be a relative visiting so close to midnight. Rachel thought as she decided to answer the door but before she reached for the door handle, Alicia said, "I got it; you just go on and use the restroom." Rachel spun around and went to the left side by the stairs, which was where the rest room was. Inside, it felt and appeared like you were in a five star hotel lavatory as Rachel marveled at it. She closed the door behind her, and then tilted her head to the flowery drop chandelier that lit the place.
Alicia jetted herself from the living room carpet and strolled toward the front door. She was taken aback once she opened the door and saw the person that stood by it. "My goodness, what are you doing here?" Alicia said.
"We need to talk, inside," he said as he stepped right into the house without hesitating. Alicia was about to close the door, when another person stopped the door from closing. He quickly entered the house before Alicia could stop him.
"Who are you?" she narrowed her eye at the stranger, then spoke to the first person that entered into her house, "Jay, who is he?"
"He's a friend of mine," he replied absent-mindedly, he looked very worried as he strode back and forth the circular-marble floor, raking his slick black hair.
"Why did you come to my house at this hour?" Alicia asked.
"I need the money," the person named Jay replied. Meanwhile the other person that forced his way into the house was now behind Jay. He had a low-cut brown hair that almost made him bald with a face that looked like a twenty something-year-old thug. His eyes now narrowed at Alicia in a suspicious manner but Alicia didn't pay attention to him. Her only concerned was why her very close friend, Jay, was acting strange.
"Huh...," she replied at first, not understanding what he meant. When Jay pretended to sniff something into his nose, Alicia understood him. "I thought I told you I'll pay next week."
"I need it now, Alicia, I'm in trouble. I really need it," He said, terrified.
Alicia couldn't stand to see him this way. She also remembered Rachel was still in the restroom so she told him to speak with her in the library room and that she would be back to meet him there. Jay knew where it was as he directed the other person to follow him meanwhile Alicia hurried upstairs to her bedroom. After she arrived, she ransacked her drawers to see if she had any forgotten or hidden money then dug into her purses. With some change in her hand, she shut the drawers and went downstairs. She passed the living room, and entered the short hallway that led to the library room. Jay nervously moved to and fro in the room while the other guy stood calmly, reading a book from the bookshelf. He gingerly set the book back in gap of the shelf after noticing Alicia's presence.
"Here!" Alicia said as she handed the money to him. Jay looked at it and then gave it to the other guy.
"$50! That's not close enough, man," the guy snapped, making Alicia's heart skip a beat.
"But this-" Jay said pitifully, but the guy cut him off.
"Man, if you don't get the money today, it's our necks!" he snapped. "And I'm not going out like that, especially for something you did," He said, pointing a finger at Jay.
"Jay, what's he talking about?" She faced him.
"Baby, you don't need to worry about that, just try to find more money." He said.
"I don't have any-look, just wait until next week." she said pleading to him.
"Baby," he approached Alicia, as he clasped both of her arms. "Please, I know there is a way you can come up with the money, my life is on the line here." As he said this, he fixed his worried eyes upon hers then shifted his face and gazed at the books on the shelf. His face lit up. He let go of Alicia's arms and began ransacking the books from the shelf.
"What are you doing?!" Alicia screamed at him, "These books are very important to my father, stop it!"
"Where's the safe box you told me about two weeks ago?" He said as he shoved a chunk of books toward the wooden floor.
"Please, Jay, stop this now!" She ordered but he kept on doing this as the other guy watched him, saying nothing.
"Stop this or I'll call the police!" she shouted at him.
"Don't you dare do that." Jay said as he kept on searching for the safe box.
"Watch me!" she said and turned to step out. Once she was about able to take the next step into the living room, someone gripped her by the wrist.
"Now, we don't want to get the cops involved, do we?" the guy said looking dead serious at Alicia.
"Jay! Tell him to let go of me." She said.
"He will if you promise not to call the cops." Jay replied.
Alicia couldn't believe Jay would let this guy treat her this way. It finally sunk in to her that her life is in trouble. She was terrified.
"Okay," she said softly. The guy finally let go of her. It didn't take long before Jay finally found the safe box behind the memoir section of the bookshelf. He asked Alicia for the combination but she didn't know it. Jay felt hopeless at that point but the other guy told him that he got something in the car that might open the safe, so he left them alone in the room.
"Who is that guy and why are you doing this?" Alicia asked. She stared with pouched eyes at the scattered books on the floor. "How am I going to arrange them back in order!"
"I got him into trouble for what we did this week and last!" he said.
"But you told me that I could pay later on, how is it my fault?" Alicia said.
"Well, my boss wants it now!" he said to her.
"Jay, you could talk to your boss and tell him that someone would pay for it next week," Alicia said, "Please don't take my father's money in the safe." Alicia knew she'd be in a lot of trouble if her father finds out that his safe had been opened as she wiped off the tears from her eyes.
"Sorry but I have to," he said sadly. The other guy came back with a black gym bag. Alicia decided to talk to the other guy as she pleaded for him not to open the safe and that he should tell their boss she would pay them next week. He didn't look at her or seemed to care for what she said as he brought out his tools and began to work on the safe. Alicia felt like she had to do something to stop them from breaking into her father's safe. So she decided in her mind to call 9-1-1. She slowly backed away from them while the two men were occupied with the safe. As she took the final step that led her out of the library room, she realized her left shoe sole squashed a fallen, leather-covered book. With haste, Jay turned around and saw that Alicia had already left the room. Alicia ran across the living room and reached for the distant monitor on the wall. She almost got close to the monitor when someone pinned her down the carpet.
"What do you think you're doing," Jay said angrily in her left ear. He flipped her body quickly to face her.
"GET OUT!!" Alicia barked at him.
"This is all going to be over soon," he replied back, maintaining his strong grip on her entire body.
"You're not taking whatever is in that safe," she said. "Get out!" She constantly struggled to free herself from his grip. Finally she got her left arm freed and punched his left temple. He let go of her, screaming in pain as a massive headache pounded in his head. In revenge mode, he clutched her blond hair and banged her head hard on the carpet. She used her right leg and kicked him in the groin. He fell down, cursing in pain. Alicia felt very dizzy; her head pounded, she had an earthquake of a headache. She slowly zigzagged her way to the monitor on the wall.
Arriving at the monitor, her eyes barely saw the buttons on the monitor as she attempted to call 9-1-1. She was about to punch SEND, or thought she did when a sharp pain jolted her back shoulder. The intense pain spread from her back to her whole body, it was a pain that she never felt in her life. A hard object also protruded from her back. She weakly tried to remove whatever it was while slowly turning around. Her bleary eye sight noticed Jay still on the ground in pain but far away from him was the other guy, who gazed at her in a menacing manner. Alicia felt hopeless as the pain from her back intensify so much that she fell to her knees then landed, face down onto the carpet ground. She took in her last breath.
Jay forced himself up as the pain has eased up a little bit. He realized someone was on the ground and noticed that it was Alicia. He ran toward her and saw a knife's blade jutted from her back shoulder. He spun her body around and cradled her lifeless body. Jay brushed several strands of hair away from her closed eyes, gazing at her face. Then he looked across the hallway. Staring back was a stolid face of his friend from a distance, glancing at the body.
"Why? Why! Did you kill her, Scott?" he exclaimed as he began to whimper.
"She was about to call the police, you moron," Scott replied heartlessly, he approached Alicia's motionless body. He flipped her over and gripped the heft, pulling the knife out of her back. Scott then cleaned the bloodstain knife on her shirt.
"I'm glad that I put this in the gym bag," He said, smirking at the jagged knife. Jay kept on hugging her dead body, caressing her face, staring at it while his light tears rained on her pale face. Scott watched over Jay with disgust. Removing his eyes from this pathetic sight, Scott glanced at the monitor on the wall and noticed that Alicia hadn't called 9-1-1 because the screen showed nothing. But what Scott didn't notice was a little timer below at the right side of the screen. It began to do a countdown.
"Scott, man, why did you kill her!" Jay said angrily.
"Get over it, Jay," he shouted back, "we still have matters to deal with remember... Now, we need to put her body in the car and get rid of it."
"No!" Jay said.
"Okay then, you can go to jail," he simply said, "I mean you do have your fingerprints on her body."
Jay realized that and although he didn't actually kill her, he could still be charge with involvement of her death. He felt so terrible but he knew that there was nothing he could do to bring back Alicia. He stood up and did what Scott told him to do.
Rachel has never taken this long to use the restroom at someone else's house. She wondered why Alicia hasn't knocked at the door and exclaimed her concern yet.
It is Alicia after all, Rachel thought,why should she care about me? Rachel stood up and flushed the toilet. Rachel maintained her glare of amazement on how attractive the Hausefelle's restroom was. Everything was in its place. The restroom was quiet, peaceful and anyone using it couldn't hear noises outside and vice versa. Rachel washed her hands with the scented purple soap and guessed Alicia was probably waiting for her with another math problem.
I hate being used, Rachel thought, remembering the reason Alicia really needed her help so badly. She removed her glasses to wash her face. Grabbing the paper towels by the sink, she dabbed it with running water and cleaned her face gently. She tore off another towel and dried her face. Rachel heaved a deep sigh at the thought of teaching and explaining the math problems to Alicia over and over again before she put on her glasses. She seized the drenched paper towels and tossed them into the cubed trash bin beside the sink.
She paced toward the door, wrenched her hand on the doorknob and opened it ajar to see two guys carrying Alicia's dead body at the circular foyer. They headed for the main door, whispering harshly at each other, mostly cursing. Rachel almost screamed when she witnessed this but cupped her mouth with her left hand, slowly closing the door with her right. She breathed heavily; her heart throbbed rapidly against her chest, confused by what she saw. Her face was numb with shock. She felt nauseated. She knew the dead body has to be Alicia, and she recognized one of the guys. She didn't know the almost bald, low-cut brown haired guy, but she knew the guy with the slicked, dark hair. He was the person that didn't laugh when Alicia's clique guffawed at Kristen this morning at school. Rachel never knew his name till he heard it from the other guy, now she knew his name is Jay.
A little less nauseated, she groped the doorknob and opened it ajar. She peeked; they weren't anywhere to be found, at least not at the foyer of the house. Rachel assumed they were outside. Now panting, she pressed her heart, attempting to calm herself down all the while tiptoeing out of the restroom. Her plan was to head for the kitchen and find the backdoor to run away. She crept her way to the kitchen, going across it when she overheard a voice. Her heart leapt and body flinched. The loudspeaker's voice filled the entire kitchen. It was a robotic voice, a lovely lady's voice that seemed to give a warning to everyone in the house as it said,
THE STANDBY COUNTDOWN BEGINS NOW
YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TILL HOUSE TRAP
Rachel became scared and confused. Who had programmed a timer for the house trap to be on? She didn't bother to think about it. She knew she had to get out of the house before the killers would see her here. They might still be in the house and have heard the message, Rachel thought and hoped she was wrong. She progressed toward the door but then she also remembered something. She remembered meeting Alicia's brother and sister in this kitchen.
Oh, no did they kill them too? Rachel thought. I didn't see them carrying their bodies.
Rachel didn't know what to do, could she risk checking their room to see if they were there? They're dead, Rachel. she told herself yet her conscious told her to check. It also added, What if they're still alive and you left them for dead at the hand of those killers? Her conscious overweighed her thoughts, she couldn't bear to live her life with the guilt of'could have' or 'should have'. Rachel bit her lower lip. She knew she didn't have much time to decide what to do; the killers could come back in the house. The House Trap is going to be on in a second; she doesn't want to be trapped inside.
So many scenarios popped into her head. She decided to listen to what her heart and her gut told her to do. So, she let go of the doorknob, reversed into the kitchen and entered the foyer. The main door remained open and harsh voices penetrated inside from a far distance. Rachel felt a little better as she hurried upstairs.
A brief message from Mike Mauthor: just a small reminder that if you like what you read don't forget to vote. Invite someone that might enjoy House Trap to check it out here. Lastly, Keep checking for new chapter update, I promise I'll not go over a week!! Have a great day:)