by Alan Wills
“No. There’s me, Megan, her dad, and my mom. What’s your name?”
Megan, who is in her room reading a book, can hear her sister talking with someone. She listens but can only hear Shawna’s voice. She shrugs it off and goes downstairs to help Nakia.
“Will you help me by setting the table?”
Megan smiles. “Sure.”
She is happy to help her new mother. Since losing her birth mother four years ago, she initially wasn’t sure of having one again. However, meeting Nakia for the first time changed everything.
“When you get done, please go and tell Brad and Shawna to come down for dinner.”
Shawna is still looking into the mirror while answering. “I like Megan, and Brad is really nice.” She pauses before raising her voice. “He is not a bad man! He loves my mom very much!”
There is a knock on her door. She ignores it.
“I like school, but sometimes Ms. Carol can be a real…bitch.” Shawna giggles at what she just said.
There is a knock on the door again. This time, the door opens.
Megan peeks inside. “Who are you talking to?”
Shawna points at the music box. “My new friend, Beth.” She turns back to the box that is now closed. Wait, that’s weird, she thinks to herself. I left it open.
Megan follows her gaze, looking confused.
“I was just coming to tell you dinner is ready,” she says, then closes the door and walks down the hall to get her father.
****
Nakia finishes the dishes and puts the leftovers in the refrigerator. She is walking back into the living room as Brad comes down the stairs.
“Well, both girls are down for the night.” He flops onto the couch.
She sits down beside him. “What did it take this time?”
He wipes his forehead. “Two stories and two piggyback rides.”
She laughs. “Is that all? You really do know how to handle them girls.” She leans over and kisses his cheek. “I can’t ever thank you enough for stepping up and taking in Shawna and me when we had nothing.”
He brushes the hair from her face. “Did you really think I could say no to the hottest girl in the bar?”
Nakia pulls her hair up into a ponytail. “Mmm-hmmm. Is that why you were talking to your ex-girlfriend, Andrea Walker, all night by the pool tables?”
He grabs the bottom of her shirt. “Aw, baby, we’ve been over this. Andrea wanted the D, and I wanted nothing to do with that trailer trash.”
She pushes him back a little. “I’m sorry, what? The D?” She leans her head back, laughing. “That’s a good one. You really think you’re a Mac Daddy?”
He pulls her onto his lap with his arms resting on her waist. “Mmmm. I love it when you call me Big Poppa.”
She giggles as she straddles him, leaning down to kiss his lips.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning, Brad is sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee from a mug. He is waiting for Megan and Shawna to get ready for school. It’s his turn to drop them off.
He leans back in his chair and calls out, “Girls, you have ten minutes!”
The girls are trying to decide on what to bring for show-and-tell for the day. Shawna decides to take her new music box. Megan goes back to her room to get one of her dolls.
“You took her for the last show-and-tell. You don’t want to take anything new?” Shawna asks, standing in the doorway.
“I don’t really like show-and-tell.” She picks up a different doll and jams it into her backpack.
“Do you want to take my miniature Lego mansion? You can borrow it for today,” Shawna offers, trying to cheer her up.
Megan hugs her and puts the doll back on her bed. Then they go to Shawna’s room to get the mansion, placing it carefully in her backpack.
“I’ll take good care of it. I promise,” Megan tells her.
Both girls go downstairs.
Brad places his mug back on the table. “Are you girls ready?”
They look at each other and then back at him before saying in unison, “Yes.”
Just then, Nakia walks into the room.
“I’ll take care of it,” she says, taking his mug over to the sink. “Have a good day at school, girls.”
They both give her a hug before going out of the door. Brad turns back after telling the girls to get in the car and wait for him.
“Do you have a busy schedule today?” He leans in for a kiss.
After they connect lips, Nakia answers, “No, not really. Why?”
Opening the door, he answers, “I thought we could meet for lunch. If the day goes as planned, that is.”
“I hope it does, and, yes, I would like that.”
While driving, Brad tries to listen in on the girls’ conversation. He looks in the rearview mirror to see why they are giggling. Shawna has taken out her music box, and they are staring at it.
Shawna places the music box in front of her and asks, “Do you see her?”
Megan is staring hard into the mirror. “I don’t see anything. Who am I supposed to see?”
“Beth! Don’t you see Beth?”
Megan shakes her head. “I don’t see anyone.”
Shawna’s voice rises. “She’s sitting right next to you.”
Megan turns to her left and right. “That’s not funny.”
At that time, Brad pulls in front of the school. “Alrighty, girls. It’s time to get out. School awaits.”
As the girls exit the car, he adds, “Nakia will pick you up at three o’clock. I love you both.”
They wave and say, “Love you, too!” before turning towards the school.
Shawna hears a whisper and stops to turn around and stare at the car. As Brad drives away, she sees Beth in the backseat. Beth turns to look at her through the rear window. Shawna runs to get inside before the bell rings.
CHAPTER NINE
Students are sitting at their desks as the bell rings for class to start. Shawna and Megan put their backpacks away and go to their separate desks. Ms. Carol comes into the classroom.
“Good morning, class. How was your weekend?”
Altogether, the class answers, “Good!”
She is standing in front of everyone. “Today, we have our show-and-tell,” Ms. Carol says while standing in front of the class. “Who would like to go first?”
All the students raise their hands, excited to show what they brought to school. Megan is the only student with her hand down.
Ms. Carol steps to the left. “Megan, how about you go first?”
Megan shakes her head. “No, that’s okay.”
Another student offers to go, but the teacher ignores him.
“Megan, let’s go.”
Megan reluctantly walks to the front of the class. The students interact with her as she tells them about the Lego mansion. When her classmates start to ask questions, Megan’s expression lightens. She glances over at her stepsister and gives her a thumbs-up.
Ms. Carol asks who wants to go next, and Shawna raises her hand. When she is picked, the rest of the class groans.
One classmate leans over and whispers to Megan, “She always has to remind everyone she has more stuff than we do.”
Shawna walks to the front of the room with her music box. She holds it while walking back and forth so everyone can see it.
“This is the music box that my sister, Megan, and her daddy bought me. It can hold jewelry, and it plays music.”
She holds the music box up and opens it. It starts to play beautiful music. The students are mumbling about how it sounds.
“This is also where my friend, Beth, lives. Beth got hurt a long time ago. She tells me that some people are bad and deserve to be punished.”
The music continues to play.
Ms. Carol stands up and interrupts her. “Okay, Shawna. I believe that’s enough.”
Shawna points to the closet. “She is st
anding right there.”
Shawna can see Beth standing in the darkness, staring at the class.
“Shawna, it is not nice to tell made-up stories.”
She cannot understand why they don’t believe her.
“It’s not a story. Beth is real, and she is standing right there.”
Ms. Carol walks over, leans down, and says in a low tone, “That will be enough of this make-believe nonsense. Please sit down.”
Shawna jerks away from her. “No, Ms. Carol! Beth is real! She says you are a bad woman, and you deserve what you’re going to get.”
The teacher steps back, staring at her student. “There is no Beth, Shawna! Now stop it, and SIT DOWN!”
Shawna slowly returns to her seat. The box shuts, and the music stops playing.
****
Shawna is sitting in the waiting area outside the principal’s office. Her parents were called in to speak about the incident. She opens the music box and looks down at the mirror.
“I told you that she wouldn’t believe me.”
The secretary looks over at her. The phone rings. She answers the call as the door to the principal’s office opens.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Winters, for taking the time to come and speak with me regarding Shawna. Ms. Carol is worried about her having such an overactive imagination.”
Shawna stands, crossing her arms over her chest. “Beth is not imaginary! She’s real!”
Nakia stares her daughter down. “Enough. Please go wait in the car!”
Shawna tries to protest. “But, Momma!”
Her mother grabs hold of her arm. “Shawna Aisha Stevens! You better get your ass in that car, and I better not hear another word from you.”
Shawna lowers her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
As they leave the office, Brad shakes the principal’s hand. “Again, we are sorry for her behavior. We’ll discuss it with her when we get home.”
“Well, thank you. You folks have a good day.”
CHAPTER TEN
Ms. Carol is grading papers at her desk when the lights begin to flicker. She glances up at them and then at the door. Then she walks over to the door and looks up and down the hall to see if the janitorial staff is in the hallway. Shaking her head, Ms. Carol goes back to trying to get her grading done, but the lights continue to flicker.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Just then, a woman passes by the classroom door. Ms. Carol is startled by what she believes she saw. Using the light from her cell phone, Ms. Carol goes back into the hallway to investigate. When she goes to turn around, she jumps.
“Oh, Mrs. Crabtree! You scared me to death.”
Mrs. Crabtree grabs ahold of Ms. Carol, keeping her from falling.
“I’m about to lock up. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Ms. Carol pats her gently on the hand. “I need to get out of this place anyway. Goodnight, Mrs. Crabtree.”
She nods. “Goodnight, Carol.”
As Ms. Carol starts walking toward the last two cars in the parking lot, Beth follows closely behind her. Ms. Carol starts walking a little faster since it is now dark outside. Beth continues to follow at the same pace. Sensing someone’s presence, Ms. Carol takes her pepper spray out of her purse while praying no one is behind her. When she reaches her car, she turns around with the spray ready, but no one is there.
Ms. Carol takes a deep breath. “Get a hold of yourself, Carol.”
Feeling relief, she gets in and tries to start the car. It won’t start. She tries again, but it still won’t start.
“Come on. Come on.”
She tries to start the car a third time. No luck. Then Carol believes she hears what sounds like a little girl giggling, and music starts playing. When she looks out the front window of her vehicle, she sees her student’s music box on the hood. The music is getting louder. Another little girl laughs. This time, the laughter is coming from right behind her.
She looks into the rearview mirror and sees a woman in a bloody dress. She has pale white skin and long, stringy black hair. Her eyes are milky, and the right side of her head looks mashed in.
Carol closes her eyes and mumbles, “This is not real. This is not real.”
Beth leans up, stopping by her ear, and whispers, “But I am real, Carol.”
Carol screams. The car starts rocking as Beth slashes skin with her long, sharp nails. The screaming continues as blood splashes on the windows.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The clock beside the bed reads midnight. After tossing back and forth for some time, Brad sits up abruptly, looking around. Nakia is sleeping peacefully beside him. He sits on the side of the bed to get his bearings before standing up. Then he goes into the bathroom to splash water on his face. Looking in the mirror, he grabs a hand towel to wipe his face. He turns off the light to head back into the bedroom but pauses when he hears music coming from one of the rooms.
“Where is that coming from?”
As he walks down the hall, the music gets louder. He opens Megan’s door to find her asleep. A woman giggles. He turns around but doesn’t see anyone. Next, he makes his way over to Shawna’s room. The music is still playing as he opens the door. Then it stops.
She is sound asleep, but the music box is open in the middle of the floor. Brad walks over, picking it up. Drawn to the mirror inside, he stares at it for a few minutes. A woman dressed in all white is standing behind him. She’s gorgeous, and Brad is suddenly attracted to her. He turns to face her, mesmerized by her long black hair and shiny skin. Her slanted eyes draw him in even more as she reaches for him. She draws closer and closer to him. He embraces her, feeling her against his chest as Shawna still sleeps. The woman kisses his neck. Brad starts to hear the music playing from the box. He winces in pain as though something has bitten him. The woman steps back to reveal blood covering her mouth and dripping down her chin. As her skin turns a pale white and her eyes darken to black, Brad goes to scream.
He wakes up from what he believes to be another nightmare. It is morning, and there are sounds of laughter coming from downstairs.
“Brad! Breakfast is ready!” Nakia calls out to him.
Rolling out of bed, he looks out into the hallway, making sure he is alone. He then walks into the bathroom to prepare for the day. As he stares at his reflection in the mirror, the woman’s image from his dream appears and then vanishes. Brad spins around, but no one is there. Strange. For a moment, he had a weird feeling that he wasn’t alone.
****
After breakfast, Brad drops the girls off at school. He pulls in front of the school behind a blue Sonata. The driver of the vehicle is having a hard time getting her son out of the car.
“Must be a new student. I remember when Shawna didn’t want to get out of the car on her first day,” he tells the girls while leaning out the window to see if he recognizes the woman.
The girls are engaged in conversation, neither acknowledging his statement. As they exit the car, Shawna stops to look over at the cars in the teachers’ parking lot. She watches as one of them is towed away. After putting their backpacks inside their locker and grabbing what they need, the girls walk into the classroom to find a new teacher standing in front.
Shawna thinks to herself, “That must have been Ms. Carol’s car.”
The teacher introduces herself and asks everyone to take their seats. As Shawna looks out the window, a glimpse of Beth appears, and the two smile at each other.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Brad tells his co-worker he is not feeling well and will finish working from home. Once he walks through the door, he drops his keys on the counter. Moments later, his cell rings. It is his wife.
“Did you get the girls to school on time?” Nakia asks.
“Yeah. I came back to the house, though. I’m going to finish some paperwork, but first, I’m taking a nap. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
Concerned, Nakia asks, “Are you oka
y?”
He takes a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “I’m fine. Just had some weird dreams.”
Nakia hands a document to her secretary to make copies. “Well, get some rest, and I’ll see you tonight.”
He glances at a text on his phone. “Yeah. Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”
Hanging up, he reads the text again and then deletes it. He places another call, and a woman answers.
“Is your family gone?” the woman inquires.
He smiles. “Yes, I’m all alone.”
“Do you want some company?” she says in a seductive voice, making his manhood rise.
“You know I do.”
“Get ready for me. I’m on my way,” she says before hanging up.
****
Brad wakes up from his romp in the hay with his mystery lady. He looks at his phone and sees he has overslept. His phone reads five o’clock.
“I slept the whole day. I can’t believe this.”
He dials his wife’s number, but the call goes to Nakia’s voicemail.
“Hello, you have reached Nakia Winters. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message after the tone, and I’ll return your call at my earliest convenience.”
He shakes his head. “Babe, I am so sorry. I overslept and missed picking up the girls from school. I promise I’ll make it up to you––”
Brad stops leaving his message when he hears laughter coming from upstairs. Walking slowly up the stairs, he can tell it’s coming from one of the girls’ rooms. He approaches Shawna’s door, where he can hear the music box playing. As he slowly opens the door, the music continues to play. The box is open on the floor.
“What the––?”
He turns it over and back again. He then stares into the mirror, seeing the beautiful woman from his dream again. He turns around as she starts walking toward him. He wants to scream but can’t because she kisses him. He can’t resist. It is like he is in a trance. Her black eyes hold him frozen in place as blood runs from both of their mouths. When Beth pulls away, he can hear her whispering his name.
