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Description
Chapter One

All she wanted was a normal life, a life in which no one stared at her strangely as she walked down the street of her brand new neighborhood. Hikari pushed her dark hair behind her ear and sighed as she examined her surroundings. The houses were all white with black shingles, the lawns all manicured to a T and without a brown patch in sight. The gates, Hikari noted, were all white picket fences. “An all American neighborhood.” She muttered bitterly as she walked up the steps to her home, that which was identical to all the other homes. She looked inside her home, the boxes piled high to the ceiling. “…Now to clean.”

“Hikari, is that you?” A woman’s voice seemed to float from the front window. “Who else would it be, Mother.” Hikari’s voice responded flatly. A clicking sound responded to the rude reply and she rolled her eyes. Of course her mother wouldn’t punish her for responding her in any tone. She was never punished for anything she did, especially after the accident. “Can you walk to the store? I need you to get me some sponges. The past owners apparently didn’t know how to clean a fridge!” Hikari’s mother called out again and in response Hikari turned around and ran down the porch steps. Her flip-flops were slipping around due to the heat and she fell on the sidewalk, her skin scraping hard against the hot concrete. “Ouch!” Hikari pulled her knee up to her chest and she cradled it. The blood didn’t rush out like she thought it would have, but rather came out slowly in droplets. She got up and wiped her knee with her hand.
“Hey, new girl! That was smooth!”
Hikari looked around for the person speaking to her, her eyes finally resting on a young boy on a tree branch across the lawn from her. He looked to be about thirteen years old, with short blonde hair and a rather cruel grin, she noted. Hikari put a hand on her hip and walked to him. “What is it?” The boy laughed loudly and proceeded to jump off the branch. “You’re moving into that house? Are your parents absolutely mental?” His voice was unusually deep for a kid his age and his presence seemed to be much bigger than his age too. “What’s so bad about it?”
“Nothing bad, really.”
“Then why make me come over here?”
Hikari’s eyes narrowed as she examined the boy and he shifted his weight. “That house is totally haunted, honest. Don’t let anyone know I’m the one who told you!” His voice lowered considerably and she had to move herself close to him to even hear what he was saying. “That house doesn’t seem to like anyone. People move in for a week or so and then they leave.” Hikari felt her heart tighten. A ghost? That didn’t sound too probable, she didn’t believe in them anyways. “Well, that’s interesting. I have to go now.” She spun on her heel and took off in the opposite direction. “Hey---!” The kid shouted but she ignored him.

By the end of the day, Hikari was worn out. The store trip in the hot sun had turned her pale skin a bright pink color, similar to salmon. “You look like a lobster!” Her little sister exclaimed happily. “Shut it, Michelle.” Hikari glared at her sister, a complete copy of her. Their eyes were both wide and brown, their hair the same length. The only difference between the two was the age different and that the elder sister had brown streaked throughout her hair. “Michelle, you know your sister is having a hard time here.” Her Mother said, sitting down at the table and handed them their forks. Hikari glanced at the empty chair at the end of the table. “Why do you keep that chair there?” She asked, picking at the chicken breast on her plate. Her Mother raised an eyebrow. “He sits there.” She said plainly. “Cynthia…” She looked at her Mother and stuffed a piece into her mouth. Rubbery, she thought. “Don’t call me that way. I am your Mother…” Her Mother frowned and let her eyes rest on the chair. “He will come home.”
After a long silence, Hikari smiled a bit. “This house in haunted! I heard about it from a kid across the way.” She gestured to the door. “Oh, scary!” Michelle dropped her fork and hid her face in her hands. “Michelle, pick that up. Hikari, stop scaring your sister. You know that it isn’t true.” Cynthia sighed and rubbed her temples. “This house is perfectly normal.”

The rest of the dinner was uneventful and as Hikari did the dishes, she wondered if this was really as interesting as life was going to get. Her father, the one man that she admired and strived to impress, disappeared from work one day and only left a message saying that he’d be back someday. Her Mother named her Hikari because she was apparently sparkling when she was born. She hated her name, a dark cloud seemed to form in her mind, and it had only caused her to be made fun of. Teachers would comment on how she wasn’t Asian, kids would make fun of her for it. Hikari drained the water and looked around the kitchen, her eyes stopping on something on top of the fridge. As she focused more, she realized that she was staring at nothing. “This house is strange, huh?” She said out loud to no one in particular. As she wiped her sopping hands on her jeans, a prickle went over her arms. “….?” Hikari ran out of the room and into the den where her sister was watching something that involved fluffy bunnies. “Michelle, are you cold?” Michelle looked up at her from the overstuffed chair she resided in. “It’s hot! Hot!” She giggled as she snuggled under the blanket she was in. “Hot? And you’re using a blanket?” Hikari sighed and patted the little girls head.
“Because it’s really cold.”
Michelle frowned at Hikari and shooed the hand away. “That’s why I am using the blankie.” Hikari nodded and walked to the large front window. The perfect weather of the day had faded into a black night, the moon hidden behind the large clouds that came in from the west. “It’s going to storm.” Her Mother chirped happily from the staircase. Hikari made a small noise in response. The wind blew the large trees back and forth as large raindrops began to pat against the window. “I’m going to my room and unpack. I am putting up my posters too.” She said loudly and ran up the stairs past her Mother, who was putting up the family photos on the wall. “Be sure to get to bed early! We’re going to visit your Grandmother if the weather allows us to, of course.” Ignoring her, Hikari shut the door. A blast of wind welcomed her into the room and she groaned. “I am so stupid!” The curtains blew as if they had life of their own as she slammed her double windows shut. The boxes nearest to the window were soaked, she noted as she opened them. Her favorite clothes were, of course, the things that were wet. If only my luck was better! She thought and picked up the box to place it in the bathroom that she had all to herself.
If there was one thing her Mother had done right, it was giving her the upstairs bathroom for her own use. As she wrung out her wet clothes, she just realized how large the bathroom was. The largeness of it made her feel small.
It also felt like someone was watching her in the corners.
Hikari spun around and looked, her eyes wild. She had for sure felt something this time. “Am I going crazy?” She shook her head and hung the final clothes on hangers. The wind seemed to respond to her as her windows shook with the wind.

The birds were the first thing that woke up Hikari from her deep slumber. The second was the repeated calling of her name from her little sister who was calling from behind her locked door. “Hikari! Hikari! Wake up! Mom says that if you don’t wake up and have breakfast that she’ll never set up the computer!” Michelle’s voice was muffled but loud enough to make Hikari groan. She lifted her head and glanced at the clock that read 8:28. It seemed that her bed wanted her to stay in it forever, as the blankets snuggled around her legs. “…Tell Mom I’ll be down soon.” She flung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up, all the while staring outside. The bad weather continued as the rain poured against the window. Feels like me, such the drama queen. She smiled a bit to herself then glanced at her desk. The smile that was on her face slid off as the clothes she had hung up the night before appeared on her desk, all folded and organized by color.
Hikari ran out of the room like it was on fire and skidded down the hall, almost falling down the stairs. “Watch out!” Her Mother said sharply as Hikari slid into the kitchen. “Did you go into my room last night?” She asked, her voice rising so she could be heard over the television. Her Mother shook her head. “No, you know you told me to not touch your clothes.” Hikari put a tip of her finger into her mouth and nibbled. “Stop that, Hikari. That’s a horrible habit.” A churning in her stomach made Hikari only chew harder. How did it happen then?

The telephone rung loudly, interrupting her thoughts. “Hikari, can you get it?” Her mother was busy flipping a pancake and was attempting to reach the phone. She let out a deep sigh and picked it up.
“Hello, Emerson residence.”
“Hikari? It’s Grandma. Listen…”
Hikari listened to her Grandma listen about how the rain was flooding her road and how she was already on her way to the house with her pet bunny in tow.
“…So that’s what’s going to happen. Can you tell Cynthia?”
“Sure Grandma, we’ll see you then.”
Hikari let out an unintentional loud sigh and sat herself down. “What did your Grandmother say? She wants us to be late?” Her Mother laughed as she put the pancakes onto their plates. Hikari glanced at her and let a smile crawl onto her lips. “No, she says that she is on her way and is bringing her Hoppy. She also said that she is going to be here until we are unpacked.” Hikari’s Mother dropped the spatula and, as her jaw stayed lowered, walked over to Hikari. “No joke?” She said, slowly. Hikari shook her head, “No joke!”

As a horn honked from the driveway, she slid out of the kitchen. “…At least it will be an interesting day.”

Description
Chapter One

All she wanted was a normal life, a life in which no one stared at her strangely as she walked down the street of her brand new neighborhood. Hikari pushed her dark hair behind her ear and sighed as she examined her surroundings. The houses were all white with black shingles, the lawns all manicured to a T and without a brown patch in sight. The gates, Hikari noted, were all white picket fences. “An all American neighborhood.” She muttered bitterly as she walked up the steps to her home, that which was identical to all the other homes. She looked inside her home, the boxes piled high to the ceiling. “…Now to clean.”

“Hikari, is that you?” A woman’s voice seemed to float from the front window. “Who else would it be, Mother.” Hikari’s voice responded flatly. A clicking sound responded to the rude reply and she rolled her eyes. Of course her mother wouldn’t punish her for responding her in any tone. She was never punished for anything she did, especially after the accident. “Can you walk to the store? I need you to get me some sponges. The past owners apparently didn’t know how to clean a fridge!” Hikari’s mother called out again and in response Hikari turned around and ran down the porch steps. Her flip-flops were slipping around due to the heat and she fell on the sidewalk, her skin scraping hard against the hot concrete. “Ouch!” Hikari pulled her knee up to her chest and she cradled it. The blood didn’t rush out like she thought it would have, but rather came out slowly in droplets. She got up and wiped her knee with her hand.
“Hey, new girl! That was smooth!”
Hikari looked around for the person speaking to her, her eyes finally resting on a young boy on a tree branch across the lawn from her. He looked to be about thirteen years old, with short blonde hair and a rather cruel grin, she noted. Hikari put a hand on her hip and walked to him. “What is it?” The boy laughed loudly and proceeded to jump off the branch. “You’re moving into that house? Are your parents absolutely mental?” His voice was unusually deep for a kid his age and his presence seemed to be much bigger than his age too. “What’s so bad about it?”
“Nothing bad, really.”
“Then why make me come over here?”
Hikari’s eyes narrowed as she examined the boy and he shifted his weight. “That house is totally haunted, honest. Don’t let anyone know I’m the one who told you!” His voice lowered considerably and she had to move herself close to him to even hear what he was saying. “That house doesn’t seem to like anyone. People move in for a week or so and then they leave.” Hikari felt her heart tighten. A ghost? That didn’t sound too probable, she didn’t believe in them anyways. “Well, that’s interesting. I have to go now.” She spun on her heel and took off in the opposite direction. “Hey---!” The kid shouted but she ignored him.

By the end of the day, Hikari was worn out. The store trip in the hot sun had turned her pale skin a bright pink color, similar to salmon. “You look like a lobster!” Her little sister exclaimed happily. “Shut it, Michelle.” Hikari glared at her sister, a complete copy of her. Their eyes were both wide and brown, their hair the same length. The only difference between the two was the age different and that the elder sister had brown streaked throughout her hair. “Michelle, you know your sister is having a hard time here.” Her Mother said, sitting down at the table and handed them their forks. Hikari glanced at the empty chair at the end of the table. “Why do you keep that chair there?” She asked, picking at the chicken breast on her plate. Her Mother raised an eyebrow. “He sits there.” She said plainly. “Cynthia…” She looked at her Mother and stuffed a piece into her mouth. Rubbery, she thought. “Don’t call me that way. I am your Mother…” Her Mother frowned and let her eyes rest on the chair. “He will come home.”
After a long silence, Hikari smiled a bit. “This house in haunted! I heard about it from a kid across the way.” She gestured to the door. “Oh, scary!” Michelle dropped her fork and hid her face in her hands. “Michelle, pick that up. Hikari, stop scaring your sister. You know that it isn’t true.” Cynthia sighed and rubbed her temples. “This house is perfectly normal.”

The rest of the dinner was uneventful and as Hikari did the dishes, she wondered if this was really as interesting as life was going to get. Her father, the one man that she admired and strived to impress, disappeared from work one day and only left a message saying that he’d be back someday. Her Mother named her Hikari because she was apparently sparkling when she was born. She hated her name, a dark cloud seemed to form in her mind, and it had only caused her to be made fun of. Teachers would comment on how she wasn’t Asian, kids would make fun of her for it. Hikari drained the water and looked around the kitchen, her eyes stopping on something on top of the fridge. As she focused more, she realized that she was staring at nothing. “This house is strange, huh?” She said out loud to no one in particular. As she wiped her sopping hands on her jeans, a prickle went over her arms. “….?” Hikari ran out of the room and into the den where her sister was watching something that involved fluffy bunnies. “Michelle, are you cold?” Michelle looked up at her from the overstuffed chair she resided in. “It’s hot! Hot!” She giggled as she snuggled under the blanket she was in. “Hot? And you’re using a blanket?” Hikari sighed and patted the little girls head.
“Because it’s really cold.”
Michelle frowned at Hikari and shooed the hand away. “That’s why I am using the blankie.” Hikari nodded and walked to the large front window. The perfect weather of the day had faded into a black night, the moon hidden behind the large clouds that came in from the west. “It’s going to storm.” Her Mother chirped happily from the staircase. Hikari made a small noise in response. The wind blew the large trees back and forth as large raindrops began to pat against the window. “I’m going to my room and unpack. I am putting up my posters too.” She said loudly and ran up the stairs past her Mother, who was putting up the family photos on the wall. “Be sure to get to bed early! We’re going to visit your Grandmother if the weather allows us to, of course.” Ignoring her, Hikari shut the door. A blast of wind welcomed her into the room and she groaned. “I am so stupid!” The curtains blew as if they had life of their own as she slammed her double windows shut. The boxes nearest to the window were soaked, she noted as she opened them. Her favorite clothes were, of course, the things that were wet. If only my luck was better! She thought and picked up the box to place it in the bathroom that she had all to herself.
If there was one thing her Mother had done right, it was giving her the upstairs bathroom for her own use. As she wrung out her wet clothes, she just realized how large the bathroom was. The largeness of it made her feel small.
It also felt like someone was watching her in the corners.
Hikari spun around and looked, her eyes wild. She had for sure felt something this time. “Am I going crazy?” She shook her head and hung the final clothes on hangers. The wind seemed to respond to her as her windows shook with the wind.

The birds were the first thing that woke up Hikari from her deep slumber. The second was the repeated calling of her name from her little sister who was calling from behind her locked door. “Hikari! Hikari! Wake up! Mom says that if you don’t wake up and have breakfast that she’ll never set up the computer!” Michelle’s voice was muffled but loud enough to make Hikari groan. She lifted her head and glanced at the clock that read 8:28. It seemed that her bed wanted her to stay in it forever, as the blankets snuggled around her legs. “…Tell Mom I’ll be down soon.” She flung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up, all the while staring outside. The bad weather continued as the rain poured against the window. Feels like me, such the drama queen. She smiled a bit to herself then glanced at her desk. The smile that was on her face slid off as the clothes she had hung up the night before appeared on her desk, all folded and organized by color.
Hikari ran out of the room like it was on fire and skidded down the hall, almost falling down the stairs. “Watch out!” Her Mother said sharply as Hikari slid into the kitchen. “Did you go into my room last night?” She asked, her voice rising so she could be heard over the television. Her Mother shook her head. “No, you know you told me to not touch your clothes.” Hikari put a tip of her finger into her mouth and nibbled. “Stop that, Hikari. That’s a horrible habit.” A churning in her stomach made Hikari only chew harder. How did it happen then?

The telephone rung loudly, interrupting her thoughts. “Hikari, can you get it?” Her mother was busy flipping a pancake and was attempting to reach the phone. She let out a deep sigh and picked it up.
“Hello, Emerson residence.”
“Hikari? It’s Grandma. Listen…”
Hikari listened to her Grandma listen about how the rain was flooding her road and how she was already on her way to the house with her pet bunny in tow.
“…So that’s what’s going to happen. Can you tell Cynthia?”
“Sure Grandma, we’ll see you then.”
Hikari let out an unintentional loud sigh and sat herself down. “What did your Grandmother say? She wants us to be late?” Her Mother laughed as she put the pancakes onto their plates. Hikari glanced at her and let a smile crawl onto her lips. “No, she says that she is on her way and is bringing her Hoppy. She also said that she is going to be here until we are unpacked.” Hikari’s Mother dropped the spatula and, as her jaw stayed lowered, walked over to Hikari. “No joke?” She said, slowly. Hikari shook her head, “No joke!”

As a horn honked from the driveway, she slid out of the kitchen. “…At least it will be an interesting day.”