Page 82 of My Sweet Dollie, You Have to Love Me
“He was so different tonight. Like, we’ve had arguments before, and they’ve been bad, but there was never physical violence.”
“He is vile. Isn’t that stuff in there your mom’s? Why would he break that when it’s all you have left?”
“I found out he cheated,” I say, stepping on the first step.
“Oh, and it’s suddenly your fault. Of course! Come on, death by intruder sounds better for you, too, but don’t worry, it won’t come to that. This guy was your hero, after all.” Annabelle winks and taps the purse hanging over her shoulder. “But I have pepper spray, just in case.”
“Annabelle.” We stop at the gargoyle, the blood just around the corner. “Their blood is still on the carpet.”
“Why haven’t you pulled it up?”
“I can’t come up here. Tonight was my first time, and that’s only because Shane and whoever were fighting, and everything was happening downstairs.” Vomit rolls in my stomach, making me feel ill with everything that’s happened. “I fell backward and don’t know what happened after that. I don’t know how I got to the reading room.”
“Maybe you have a concussion. We should get you checked.”
“I feel fine, I just…”
“But you might not be.”
“I’ll take my chances, I just don’t?—”
“You don’t want to be up here?”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Okay. Go back down. Wait wherever you feel safest, and I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“What if you get hurt?”
“The chances of whoever hurting me after saving you are slim. I’ll be fine, and if you’d rather wait in my car, that’s okay, too.” She reaches for her keys and drops them into my hand. “It’s yellow. You’ll love it.”
Her key is yellow, too, and I smile as I accept it. “It’s okay. I’ll just wait in the foyer.”
A nod from Annabelle and our hands unlinking have us moving our separate ways. She disappears out of sight after opening Mom and Dad’s bedroom door as I reach the foyer.
A familiar chill returns, almost like a cold hug from someone who isn’t here.
“Princess.” The whisper is cold against my neck, raising the hairs there.
The pace of my breathing increases, and the cold in this damp space causes a fog around me.
“Dad?” I whisper back.
There’s no sign of him as I look around.
There’s no reply, either.
The only sound is the piano and a tune I remember trying to learn in childhood, coming from the music room.
“Who’s there?” My lip trembles, along with my whole body.
The offer of Annabelle’s car grows more tempting. I glance down at the key in my hand before eyeing the second floor.
There’s no sign of Annabelle, and depending on where in the house she is, there’s no guarantee she can hear the music, but from where I stand, there’s a chilling echo around the tune.
The music stops, and I wonder if it was ever really there.
“Fuck, I really am not getting enough sleep.” I run my hands over my face, feeling the hollows beneath my closed eyes.
