Haunted
"Dad. NO." I stamped my foot on the attic floor and I swear I was about to break through. Dad just stares.
"NO." I repeat, just in case he didn't get the idea the first time. He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. He turns to me, looking more than a bit tired.
"Tam, we've gone through this so many times."
"I know. And the more you say it, the less I'm liking it. I don't want to see her. I don't want to have three new step sisters. I don't want to move!"
"Tam..." Dad starts to say, exasperated.
"I don't care, Dad..." I whisper, staring at the floor.
"What's the problem, Tam? What do you want? You're going to meet Ash, Rain and Skye!"
"That's the thing. I don't want to!"
" Dont worry! They know boys...."
"Da-ad...What do they look like?"
"Oh, don't you worry, sweetheart."
"Are you feeling ok? You haven't called me that since Mum died."
"DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT!!!!!!" Dad shouted." Now... go pack your stuff."
"I already have" I muttered... I had never seen my dad like this - not even when Mum had died- which brought up the question: "Dad...how did Mum die?"
"Don't! Just... don't, Tam."
"You never tell me anything! I'm sick and tired of your stupid sad, moody moments! It's driving me crazy! Besides, have you thought about me yet? I don't want to go!"
Yet, ten minutes later, we were in the car, at 5:00 am, travelling to my doom. I thought about where my friends were now. At sleepovers, probably. Having fun. Without me.
Typical.
My thoughts were all mixed up! Everything was confusing. I didn't even know who Dad's new girlfriend was. Or who her daughters were!
"We're here!" Dad suddenly yells, loud enough to wake me from my troubled sleep.
I saw five figures coming towards me. I guessed that one of them was the boy Dad was talking about. The other four silhouettes were Rain, Skye, Ash and her.
"Hey." The tallest one smiled at me.
"Hi..." I giggled, feeling five years old. A slim, blonde girl sauntered up to us and snaked her arm round him, kissing his cheek. I feel a sudden swoosh of nausea.
"What do you think you're doing here?!" She snaps at me.
"Ash?" The boy's smile faltered.
"Not yet, Finn! Shush!"
"Okay... I... I'm okay..." I stutter.
"I'll show you to your room." The twins twirled up to me and linked their arms with mine.
"We'll show you to your room!"
"No. I will." Ash smirks meanly at me. Maybe she wants us alone. So she can run a dagger through me - probably.
"No, guys, you've already done so much today. Let me." Finn puts his arm chum-like round my shoulders. I'm so flustered I don't even see the shock of brown under my foot. The ground rushes up to meet me. I wait for the collision. But it doesn't come. I look up and I'm staring into bright green eyes, the colour of summer leaves.
"You OK?" Finn asks. How couldn't I be with the boy I'm pretty sure I love holding me in his arms?
I could hear laughter. I looked over to my dad, and he was holding his sides laughing, Skye and Rain were biting their lips, obviously trying not to giggle. I don't bother turning to Ash or her. I already know that they're laughing - the biggest smile ever etched into their faces. I shake Finn's arm from my shoulders and run. Run run run. I run until I reach a forest a little while away from the house. I saw a decent-branched tree and shinned up like a cat. I couldn't stop myself. I cried. Cried loudly. I heard someone coming. I held my breath.
"It's stupid. You shouldn't hide. It really gets everyone down." I jumped so hard I almost fell out the tree.
"Finn! Leave me alone!"
"What? And let you fall out of every tree you climb? Trip over every cat that crosses your path? No, I'll pass."
"Leave me alone." I repeat, annoyed that this naive creep is following me.
"T...Tammy?"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT! ONLY MY MOTHER CAN! AND SHE'S DEAD!" I leaped down from the tree and into the house but before I could reach the door, a hand grabbed my wrist.
"Finn!" I shout whirling around. But it was Ash, a miffed expression on her face.
"Finn? What do you mean 'Finn'!? He's my boyfriend! Stay away, creep!" She pulls away as if I was the one who stopped the blood getting to her hand.
"I didn't... No... ASHLEY!" I call to her fleeing back.
"No one likes you, freak!"
Sighing, I climb the stairs with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand that I found in the kitchen. I hope it's not drugged. I get to the landing and smash into someone's chest. Hot chocolate spills everywhere, on the person's shirt, and all over my hair. I stare up through my chocolated fringe and yell as loud as I can: "Finn!"
"Yeah."He answers, dead-pan.
"What are you doing here?" I hiss.
"Going to bed. I lodge here. Kind of." He starts to push past me.
"Hey, come back here! I never said you can go!"
"You don't own me." He says, calm as you like.
"Who said you can lodge here, anyway!?"
"Jude, duh." I wince at the hate in his voice that before, was happiness.
"Who's Jude?" I ask as if it's the most stupid thing I've heard all day.
"The woman your dad says you call 'her'. She does have a name, y'know."
"You don't belong here, freak." I call him, using the very same name Ash called me a few minutes ago and instantly I felt bad. "Look..."
"I don't want to know." He walks off.
Great. Now the only person I was pretty sure liked me, even loved me, now believes I am 'The One T0 Hate'. Honestly, the people here! I trundle into my room, finding all my stuff packed neatly away, 'Jude' in the corner, placing my framed picture of Mum on the shelf above my new bed.
"No!" I scream, jumping on the bed to retrieve it.
"Tam!" She says, mildly amused.
"Leave me alone!" I say for the third time that day. "Do you want to know what I think of this house?" Jude stares.
"Not really, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway."
"This" I spit on the shiny polished floor "Is exactly what I think of this house, Ok?!" I shove her out my room and leap into bed. In two minutes, I am asleep.
"NO." I repeat, just in case he didn't get the idea the first time. He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. He turns to me, looking more than a bit tired.
"Tam, we've gone through this so many times."
"I know. And the more you say it, the less I'm liking it. I don't want to see her. I don't want to have three new step sisters. I don't want to move!"
"Tam..." Dad starts to say, exasperated.
"I don't care, Dad..." I whisper, staring at the floor.
"What's the problem, Tam? What do you want? You're going to meet Ash, Rain and Skye!"
"That's the thing. I don't want to!"
" Dont worry! They know boys...."
"Da-ad...What do they look like?"
"Oh, don't you worry, sweetheart."
"Are you feeling ok? You haven't called me that since Mum died."
"DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT!!!!!!" Dad shouted." Now... go pack your stuff."
"I already have" I muttered... I had never seen my dad like this - not even when Mum had died- which brought up the question: "Dad...how did Mum die?"
"Don't! Just... don't, Tam."
"You never tell me anything! I'm sick and tired of your stupid sad, moody moments! It's driving me crazy! Besides, have you thought about me yet? I don't want to go!"
Yet, ten minutes later, we were in the car, at 5:00 am, travelling to my doom. I thought about where my friends were now. At sleepovers, probably. Having fun. Without me.
Typical.
My thoughts were all mixed up! Everything was confusing. I didn't even know who Dad's new girlfriend was. Or who her daughters were!
"We're here!" Dad suddenly yells, loud enough to wake me from my troubled sleep.
I saw five figures coming towards me. I guessed that one of them was the boy Dad was talking about. The other four silhouettes were Rain, Skye, Ash and her.
"Hey." The tallest one smiled at me.
"Hi..." I giggled, feeling five years old. A slim, blonde girl sauntered up to us and snaked her arm round him, kissing his cheek. I feel a sudden swoosh of nausea.
"What do you think you're doing here?!" She snaps at me.
"Ash?" The boy's smile faltered.
"Not yet, Finn! Shush!"
"Okay... I... I'm okay..." I stutter.
"I'll show you to your room." The twins twirled up to me and linked their arms with mine.
"We'll show you to your room!"
"No. I will." Ash smirks meanly at me. Maybe she wants us alone. So she can run a dagger through me - probably.
"No, guys, you've already done so much today. Let me." Finn puts his arm chum-like round my shoulders. I'm so flustered I don't even see the shock of brown under my foot. The ground rushes up to meet me. I wait for the collision. But it doesn't come. I look up and I'm staring into bright green eyes, the colour of summer leaves.
"You OK?" Finn asks. How couldn't I be with the boy I'm pretty sure I love holding me in his arms?
I could hear laughter. I looked over to my dad, and he was holding his sides laughing, Skye and Rain were biting their lips, obviously trying not to giggle. I don't bother turning to Ash or her. I already know that they're laughing - the biggest smile ever etched into their faces. I shake Finn's arm from my shoulders and run. Run run run. I run until I reach a forest a little while away from the house. I saw a decent-branched tree and shinned up like a cat. I couldn't stop myself. I cried. Cried loudly. I heard someone coming. I held my breath.
"It's stupid. You shouldn't hide. It really gets everyone down." I jumped so hard I almost fell out the tree.
"Finn! Leave me alone!"
"What? And let you fall out of every tree you climb? Trip over every cat that crosses your path? No, I'll pass."
"Leave me alone." I repeat, annoyed that this naive creep is following me.
"T...Tammy?"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT! ONLY MY MOTHER CAN! AND SHE'S DEAD!" I leaped down from the tree and into the house but before I could reach the door, a hand grabbed my wrist.
"Finn!" I shout whirling around. But it was Ash, a miffed expression on her face.
"Finn? What do you mean 'Finn'!? He's my boyfriend! Stay away, creep!" She pulls away as if I was the one who stopped the blood getting to her hand.
"I didn't... No... ASHLEY!" I call to her fleeing back.
"No one likes you, freak!"
Sighing, I climb the stairs with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand that I found in the kitchen. I hope it's not drugged. I get to the landing and smash into someone's chest. Hot chocolate spills everywhere, on the person's shirt, and all over my hair. I stare up through my chocolated fringe and yell as loud as I can: "Finn!"
"Yeah."He answers, dead-pan.
"What are you doing here?" I hiss.
"Going to bed. I lodge here. Kind of." He starts to push past me.
"Hey, come back here! I never said you can go!"
"You don't own me." He says, calm as you like.
"Who said you can lodge here, anyway!?"
"Jude, duh." I wince at the hate in his voice that before, was happiness.
"Who's Jude?" I ask as if it's the most stupid thing I've heard all day.
"The woman your dad says you call 'her'. She does have a name, y'know."
"You don't belong here, freak." I call him, using the very same name Ash called me a few minutes ago and instantly I felt bad. "Look..."
"I don't want to know." He walks off.
Great. Now the only person I was pretty sure liked me, even loved me, now believes I am 'The One T0 Hate'. Honestly, the people here! I trundle into my room, finding all my stuff packed neatly away, 'Jude' in the corner, placing my framed picture of Mum on the shelf above my new bed.
"No!" I scream, jumping on the bed to retrieve it.
"Tam!" She says, mildly amused.
"Leave me alone!" I say for the third time that day. "Do you want to know what I think of this house?" Jude stares.
"Not really, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway."
"This" I spit on the shiny polished floor "Is exactly what I think of this house, Ok?!" I shove her out my room and leap into bed. In two minutes, I am asleep.