House Trap

Chapter four: A Grave Mistake

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.