The Dark Place (#FrightFest2016 Gold Winner)

The Dark Place - Chapter Five

Chapter Five

1

Tamicka's eyelids were sealed tight, her long lashes glued together with sleep. Her slumber had been dreamless but she felt a lot better for the rest. She climbed out of the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, then, still feeling groggy, she rubbed the crust from her eyes with her index fingers.

She couldn't believe that she had slept through the whole of the morning. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside locker told her that she had been asleep for the best part of five hours. She remembered Mrs. Hughes helping her back into bed, but apart from that, her memory was a fog.

Tamicka felt weightless when she stood up. She tried to take a step away from the bed but her legs would not respond. Frightened that she would topple over at any second the little girl quickly sat back down on the soft mattress.

What's wrong with me?

A tingling sensation ran through her legs. It was like butterflies and pins and needles all at once and it seemed to be spreading. Come on Tami get a grip. Take a sip of water and everything will be fine, she thought to herself as she reached for the emergency glass that she had left on the bedside table. It was empty.

Great.

Tamicka slid down off of the mattress again and slipped her mud-encrusted feet into her slippers, then she eased herself up wondering if her legs would turn to jelly and fold right under her.

They didn't.

After a quick shower, Tamicka changed into a white cotton dress and a pair of pink canvas shoes. She brushed her hair and crowned herself with a white Alice band that had tiny pink flowers printed on it, then stood in front of the full-length mirror and looked at the girl who faced her without really seeing her.

            The downstairs hall was every bit as impressive as Tamicka had remembered. The crystal chandelier sparkled like diamonds and Tamicka wondered how Mrs. Hughes managed to take such good care of it. It was hard to imagine the old woman at the top of a high ladder polishing each individual teardrop of glass single-handed. The little girl smiled as the picture passed through her head.

            One of the doors to her left opened and her father emerged a moment later with a bundle of papers under his arm. He fixed his eyes on Tamicka immediately and for a second she thought that she saw a tiny smile tug at the corners of his mouth, and then he looked away and carried on walking to the room closest to the front of the hall and disappeared inside.

At the bottom of the stairs, Tamicka turned right and walked towards the last door on that side, the one that led to the dining room and kitchen. It was half open and from inside she could hear Mrs. Hughes talking away to herself. The thought of seeing the kind old lady again brought another smile to Tamicka's lips and she suddenly became aware of her hunger as her stomach grumbled.

Maybe Mrs. Hughes will fix me a snack.

"...what with it being her first night in the big house and all that."

"Little one?"

Tamicka froze at the sound of the girl's voice. She was in there with the old woman and they were both talking as if they were old friends. Tamicka took a deep breath and stepped a little closer to the doorway. She kept out of sight and listened, wondering what she should do next.

Suddenly Mrs. Hughes came into view with a big grin on her thin lips, a grin that became even wider when she noticed the little girl standing at the opening to the kitchen.

"Oh my word, you do look a picture," said the old woman. "Come on in little-one, there's someone here who wants to meet you."

Tamicka felt the churning in her stomach as she crept into the room and looked at the girl seated at the table.

"Hello, I'm Penny," said the pretty, dark haired girl.

"Hi, my name's Tamicka, pleased to meet you," Tamicka's reply was almost a whisper.

Penny was much taller than Tamicka, and she had the longest hair the younger girl had ever seen. There didn't seem to be the slightest particle of malice in Penny's large brown eyes. In fact, they were friendly and comforting, and her smile looked genuine enough.

 "You two girls must be starving. Why don't you both take a seat in the dining room and get acquainted while I make something for you to eat, you're nothing but skin and bone the pair of you," said Mrs. Hughes bending down to take a large frying pan out of the cupboard next to the sink. "Go on now, shoo the pair of you. I'll call you in when it's ready."

The two girls looked at each other and giggled. "Come on Tamicka, I think we'd better do as we're told,"

"Sure." Tamicka laughed. It had been the first time she had really laughed in ages. It felt strange, but it was a good kind of strange.

As Tamicka crossed the threshold between the kitchen and the dining room the tiniest whisper passed through her head.

"Don't trust her."

Author's Note

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