A/N: I would recommend putting the video on loop.
Light flooded the nearly barren hallway. It shone through the windows in the living room/kitchen area, since all the curtains were open. No artificial light mixed with the natural version due to the lights being shut off as well. Everything in the house appeared to be normal, except for the girl lying unconscious in the hallway. Much like the curtains and lights, she had been placed into a certain position. That spot pertaining to how things were before she had woke up on the previous night.
Now, it was the bright and early morning. Her (e/c) eyes blinked open steadily before they shut again. The amount of light felt foreign, as its intensity seemed to burn her orbs. (F/n)'s head ached substantially, like it had been hit with a heavy rock. In her awaking state, though, she could recount events from last light. Switching on the lights in the living room and dining room, closing the curtains in that particular space, seeing the pillow magically appear back on the couch, all of those details played in her mind.
(F/n) recalled turning the doorknob on the front door to escape the madness, yet her vision went dark before she could exit the home. Recovering from her position, however, caused her to consider if any of those things really had happened. Everything, which she had changed in that span of time from last night, had reverted back to the positions that they were in before she had moved them. Even she was back in the hallway spot, where she had woken up last night. So, had she really been awake last night? Or, had her hit to the head caused her to be out for nearly twenty-four hours, since it was nine in the morning?
It was possible that she had dreamed all of that up; it was possible that she allowed her sleeping mind to play tricks on her. Perhaps, her sleep had merely caused her greatest concern to come to life in her dreams. Honestly, it seemed more reasonable than assuming that the house was haunted. Still, what if what happened last night had been real? Could she really push that possibility away?
Part of her still wanted to reach for that front door and open it to the outside. At the same time, however, she had been knocked out whenever she went for that escape exit. Having the same thing happen twice seemed suspicious. Then again, it depended upon the fact of whether or not the second time was real.
Whatever the case her head was only hurting more as she thought more. Just trying to figure out a solution was painful. She would grab a pain reliever from the medicine cabinet. Afterwards, she would get something to eat.
Before she could reach the bathroom, though, there was a knock on the door. Since she was using the right hallway wall as support, she leaned against it more and wondered who it could be. Perhaps, it was some mail for Nathan. Still, she didn't want to go charging for the front door anymore. The past time or times had been enough; she didn't wish to be unconscious again.
"(F/n), are you in there? A package came for you, and I thought that you would like it now rather than later," her mother's voice called out.
Her eyes widened at the voice, as she mentally jumped for joy. It was a painful jump, though. Still, she couldn't leave her mother waiting at the door, but the potential consequences of opening it weren't pleasant. If there was something in the house with her, would it really knock her out with someone standing on the other side? That would only draw more attention to it, right?
Hearing her mother call again, she managed to answer, "I'm coming. Give me a moment."
She would make a gamble and hope that nothing would happen upon her opening the door. So, she placed her right hand against the wall and walked next to it. She held her left hand to her head, as though that would push the pain away.
As she progressed closer to the door, Drem stared between the inanimate object and the little doe. A string of curse words left his lips, as he panicked a little. He wasn't expecting someone at the door so soon. Usually, Nathan's mail wouldn't come for another two days. So, who was at the door?
Drem could easily see the hopeful gleam in his doe's eyes. There was a good chance that it was someone she knew, someone who she thought could help her. Granted, if she was looking for aid, then she didn't entirely believe that last night's events were a dream. Regardless, he didn't know what to do. He could pull that one action now, but he didn't desire to at the moment, since it would increase his chances of giving himself away more.
Likewise, locking the door would only raise suspicion in the doe and might cause suspicion in the individual on the other side of the door. Perhaps, it was better to have her open the door, so that he could see who it was. He had destroyed her phone, so that she wouldn't be able to call people to the house. In the end, though, it would seem that someone familiar to her came anyway. "What a pain in the a**," he grumbled out to himself.
The door opened, and she expected something to go wrong, but nothing did. Instead, her mother smiled at her and asked if she could come inside. Of course, she permitted her parent in before she closed the door. She wondered, though, if that had been the last time for her to ever open the front door safely.
Concerning her mother, the older woman went over to the kitchen counter and set the box on it. (F/n) wondered what it could be, as she tried to recall any items, which she had recently ordered. A smile spread onto her lips upon remembrance. Inside the box had to be her new mystery book. "Thanks for bringing it over, mom. Can I ask a favor of you, though, while you're here?"
"Of course, what is it, sweetie?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could the check the house for me. You know, see if you can find anything suspicious within it. I've just had the feeling of being watched for a bit now."
"Hmm, where is this feeling come from?"
"Well, don't you feel that strange atmosphere in the air here?" (f/n) asked, seeming to feel a chill right behind her.
"I do, but Nathan does collect antiques. Some of them have some interesting histories behind them. Take for instance that decorative urn over there on the kitchen counter in the corner. It used to house someone's ashes, but the ashes were lost. No one knows when they were gone from the urn, but the item does set quite the eerie mood in the house. Maybe, its previous resident has come to seek revenge," her mother joked, moving her hands in a dramatic gesture.
"I'm serious, mom. Can you just check the place out for me? It will put my mind at ease, knowing that you can deem the house safe."
"If you're that worried, I'll look over the place. I think it's just the atmosphere that some of the antiques are creating. You've, no doubt, heard about some of the others when Nathan has chatted with your father and me. Just keep that in mind, (f/n)," she answered before she walked off to inspect the home.
Of course, she had heard about some of the other antiques' stories. Nathan, after all, talked about them so frequently. For instance, there was the statue, standing on a small rectangular wooden table, by the front door. It was of a dancing man, but the paint was wearing off. This item weighed about forty pounds. Apparently, though, it had fallen off of a shelf in its previous owner's home. At the time the owner had unfortunately been walking by. The statue collided with its owner's head, and the owner died soon after. Honestly, she didn't know why Nathan had wanted such an object in his house. For now, she would sit on the couch and take a pain pill after her mother left.
So, perhaps her mother was right. Maybe, her feeling of unease was caused by some of the antiques. Hopefully, that was the case. Still, she was glad to have her mother looking over the place for her. Regarding Drem, however, he was worried. The older woman might very well check under her daughter's bed. She would most likely find it odd that her daughter's wallet and contents of the wallet were thrown under there.
With this in mind, he sped off towards the room and waited for the woman to arrive. He would change the items' locations, as the woman went around the room. Drem was certain that his doe would stay in the living room. She had after all taken a seat on the couch soon after her mother left. When the woman arrived, he prepared himself for his task.
Frankly, he desired to just kill the woman. Such an action wouldn't go over too well with his doe, though. Not that he cared about her feelings, but he didn't wish for her to freak out. She would know that something was wrong, and he would have to speed his plans along. Additionally, someone would come looking for the deceased. The long term effects would wipe out any benefit from the short term ones. Personally, he would just be pleased once the cursed woman left. He desired to play with his doe, and the woman was interfering with his plan. There was one benefit to her visit, however. If she told her daughter that the house was safe, his doe might back off on her suspicions for some time. That false sense of security would only add to the fun.