Haunting of Lily Frost Read Online Free Page B

feeling.
    Max is obviously not feeling the same way, because he tugs on Dad’s arm. ‘Come on.’
    Smiling again, Dad puts the key into the lock and starts carrying on with his ridiculous ceremony. ‘Hello, house. Have you been waiting for us?’
    But before he can open the door himself, the door just sort of swings open on its own. He laughs nervously.
    â€˜I guess the answer’s yes. What a great welcome.’
    â€˜Looks like no one bothers locking their doors in Gideon,’ says Mum. ‘That’s the nice part of being in the country. All that trust.’
    â€˜Yeah. Or the estate agent just forgot to lock the door.’
    They both glare at me like they can’t believe I’m still trying to bring everyone down. Mum shrugs and Dad goes back to rallying the troops.
    â€˜Come on, everyone, let’s go and see our new home.’
    Max pushes past all of us and rushes inside. Mum and Dad follow, but Ruby and I hang back. As we finally step into the hallway, a dank smell wraps round us, like no one has been here for a very long time.
    Behind us the door shuts quietly and the house kind of seals us in. I can’t help myself. I step back and check that the door will still open, before I can relax enough to explore any of the rooms.
    Ruby notices. ‘Lil, there’s no such thing as ghosts.’
    â€˜Yep. I know that.’
    â€˜So what’s wrong with you?’
    â€˜Other than the fact that I don’t want to move to Gideon?’
    â€˜Yeah, other than that.’
    â€˜There’s something strange here. Something creepy,’ I say.
    â€˜Well, in Chinese culture the number 4 is pretty unlucky,’ she says.
    â€˜It’s more than unlucky.’ I raise my eyebrows. ‘It’s spooky; that’s what it is.’
    Ruby almost smiles at me then. There’s definitely something she’s not telling me, but I guess there are things I’m not telling her either. Like I’ve already looked at the house online, I know it’s got an attic and I know the attic is a place I’m scared of, but also somewhere I really want to see.
    So I hurry to the stairs, and as I take one step, my heart starts to race and my skin gets clammy, like whatever’s up there is waiting for me. ‘Rubes? You coming?’
    â€˜Yeah, in a sec. I’m going to find the toilet.’
    I should wait for her. I don’t want to go up alone, but I also don’t want to be in this house any longer without seeing the attic. It’s like knowing you shouldn’t look at something horrible, but you actually can’t look at anything else.
    The stairs creak as I tread on them. They feel like they might snap under my feet and let me dangle. If I die on the staircase today, at least I’ll be spared the joys of Gideon. As I reach for the banister, an electric shock zaps me. Like when you touch a slide after someone else has slid down it. I jerk my hand away. I pass the landing to the second floor of rooms, and keep going up.
    There’s a red door at the top of the stairs. It’s a glossy, bright red and I wonder who would paint a door such an intense colour. It’s like a warning and I’m not sure why, but my heart’s beating crazy fast as I turn the metal handle and push the door open. Then it’s like something jumps me, kicks me from behind. I feel myself going down, crashing through the doorway and hitting the floor.
    And that’s all I know.
    I come to, gasping for breath as the dirt on the floor fills my nose and mouth and makes me cough. The smell is old and strong, like an op shop filled with junk. I want to pull myself up, but I hurt and I can’t move my legs. Everything feels glued to the floorboards. Slowly I can roll over a bit, so at least I can see around the room. There’s a tall antique-looking mirror standing on a frame in the corner. I want to go to it, but I can’t move. I’m pinned to the floor,