The Lady Of The House ~ A Story With A Ghost In It

By: Walter G. Esselman

With a start, Ying woke—once again—from That Dream.  

As she fought for control, her fingers curled inward like claws.  But slowly, bit by bit, her body unclenched.  

A quick glance around the school bus showed that, thankfully, she was alone in her aisle.  She hastily wiped the drool from her mouth.

Her head had been lolling against the window.  However, she could not see out, because of the thick plastic.  Plastic, which blocked all the windows, except the front one.  

Ying Fah had not wanted to doze off, but exhaustion had snuck up on her.  

Sitting up straight, she saw a spaceman driving the bus.

At least, the person in the hazmat suit looked like a spaceman.  A hose went up from their suit, and into the ceiling of the bus.  Probably to give the person fresh air, thought Ying.  And more importantly, not to breathe the air in here.

The bus had started to slow down, which is what had woken her.  There was a police car—with its lights on—in front of the bus.

Once stopped, the driver pulled the handle and the door swung open.  Ying stood up, but she did not move forward yet.  

Sookie, who had been sitting up front, stepped into the aisle and peered out the door.  She was a little round, and dressed in borrowed hospital scrubs, like the rest of the girls.  The light blue scrubs definitely did not compliment her complexion, and her hair was a mess.

Suddenly, Ying realized that she was trying to distract herself.  She forced herself to move.  

Out in the aisle, she walked up to Sookie, who looked back at her fearfully.

“I...I don’t know about this,” whispered Sookie.

One of the girls at the back called out.  “What’s wrong?”

Ying was still trying to remember the girl’s name when Sookie answered.

“It’s all plastic out there,” said Sookie.

“What?” asked the girl sharply, but there was fear in her voice, not belligerence.  She marched up to the front and leaned around Sookie and Ying.

“Are you kidding me?” asked the girl, and Ying remembered that her name was Zelda.  

Ying realized—once again—that she was trying to distract herself, and avoid the situation.  Steeling herself, the sixteen year old looked out the door.

Outside was a plastic tunnel, an umbilical.

The spaceman in the driver’s seat waved his hand to get the girl’s attention.  He was trying to say something, but it was muffled by the hazmat suit.  Finally, the spaceman just pointed towards the umbilical.

“I don’t want to go out there,” whined Sookie.

Neither do I, thought Ying.  But we can’t stay in here forever.

Moving partway down the stairs, Ying saw large wooden doors at the other end of the umbilical.  She looked back at the girls, who were all between thirteen and sixteen years old.

“Give me a second,” said Ying, and she stepped down.

Sookie just gave a brief, little squeak, which could have been an assent.

The plastic felt solid under her feet, so she moved down the umbilical.  Blue and red lights from the police car bounced off the plastic, like a demented carnival ride.

“You’re safe,” called a voice through the plastic.

“Bro!?!” Ying cried out as she nearly jumped out of her skin.  Then she felt embarrassed for doing so.  

There was a dark shape just outside the umbilical.

“Sorry,” said the dark shape quickly.  They pointed towards the wooden door, and a man spoke.  “There’s food and clothes in there.  You’ll be okay.”

He sounded like he wanted to be helpful. 

“Er.  Okay.  Thanks,” said Ying uncertainly.

She stepped up to the large wooden doors and noticed a big-ass lock on the outside.  With a feeling of rising dread, she realized that they would be trapped inside.  

But then Ying took a deep, calming breath.  She knew that they could not let her, or any of the other girls, roam free.  This made sense, she told herself.  But still, the idea frightened her.  

Despite all her fears, she reached out.

The left door opened with a lazy squeak and revealed a large house.  At the far end—past the wide stairs— was an iron fireplace, which looked as cold as a mausoleum.  She chided herself immediately for even thinking of such a dark word.  But then again, most of her world felt like a mausoleum these days.

“What do you see?” called out Sookie.

“It’s okay!” replied Ying with a light shout.  She went back to the bus at a quick pace.  “Looks safe. It’s—like—an old home.  But big though.  Kinda dark, but okay.”

Before anyone could ask anymore questions, Ying strode back to the house and went inside.  She figured that they’d just talk themselves into a frenzy, if she waited. 

With a step into the foyer, Ying was struck by how busy the house looked.  Most of the house was done in dark wood with light green carpet going up the wide staircase to the left.  Moreso, it seemed like every piece of wood had been carved within an inch of its life.

The rest of the girls shuffled in, and the big door closed behind them with a dread sound.  As Ying stepped deeper into the foyer, she found that the girls were all following her in a tight bunch.

“It’s Victorian,” said Sookie.

“What?” asked Ying in confusion.  She and the rest stopped.

“The design for the house,” explained Sookie.  “It’s Victorian.  My grandma had one.  It was kinda creepy.”

Ying scanned the foyer.  “Yeah, but at least this one isn’t creepy at all.”

And she and Sookie traded playful, sarcastic smiles.

The front doors crashed open. 

Ying whipped around.  

Two spacemen appeared, escorting a girl with her hands behind her back.  Hanging around the spaceman’s necks were police badges.  The cops stopped and the girl took a few steps forward before she realized that they were not following.  

The girl swung around with a snarl, and Ying saw the handcuffs around her wrists.

The spacemen raised their tasers threateningly, and the girl grudgingly subsided.

“We’re going to throw the key at your feet,” said the first spaceman.  “After we’re gone, you can unlock yourself.”

“You gay cowards,” snarled the girl.  “Scared of a little girl?  You’re both secretly gay.  Is that it?”

But the cops did not respond and just closed the doors with a loud bang.  Ying heard the heavy lock turn, and her stomach gave a lurch.  

“Yeah!  You better run!” shouted the girl, and she started in with some serious—though ultimately uninspired—profanities.

As the cuffed girl railed against the sealed door, a man came from one of the side rooms with a quick stride.  He had on a green sweater and a beret of the same color.  He stopped right by the yelling girl.

“You must be Poppy,” said the man with a measured, baritone voice.

The girl whirled around to face him.

“Who’re you?” snapped Poppy.

“I’m the one who’s going to unlock those silver bracelets,” said the man with quiet assurance.  “If you’ll kindly step away from the key.”

Poppy blinked at him, and then she looked down.  With a step back, the key was revealed.  

The man retrieved it and motioned for Poppy to turn around.

“What if I don’t?” asked Poppy defiantly. 

The man gave a tiny shrug and turned to the rest of the girls.

“My name is Major Edmonton Hargraves, on leave from the United States Army,” said the man.  He had a wide, close-trimmed mustache and a hangdog expression.  “I am here to help.”

“But...but you’re not in a suit,” said Sookie with a sputter.

“No, I’m immune to the virus,” replied Major Hargraves.

Poppy glared at him.  “And the army too.”

“What?” asked the Major of her.

“How is it that you just happen to be immune?” asked Poppy suspiciously.

The Major just shrugged at that.  “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, right,” sniffed Poppy. 

The Major spoke thoughtfully. “Not too long ago, the kids were arguing over whose turn it was to load the dishwasher, and then my daughter came home from school with a flu bug.  Or so we thought.  So, when they asked me to help you...what could I say?”

“What could you,” said Poppy thoughtfully, and she nodded her chin at his pinkish apron.  “Cute apron.”

“My wife gave me this sweater last Christmas,” said the Major in a sad, quiet voice.  Then, he turned back to the rest of the girls, and he put on a brave smile.  “You ladies must be exhausted.  The good news is that I’m almost finished with dinner.”

“You’re cooking dinner?” asked Sookie in surprise.

“Basic chow, but it’ll fill you up,” said the Major.  “And right now, I’m going to be the only adult here.  So, let’s go upstairs so that I can show you to your rooms.”

The Major started to walk around the girls when there was a disgusted noise behind him.

“Excuse me!” huffed Poppy.  She turned around and impatiently proffered her handcuffs.

But the Major just ignored the snark and took off her handcuffs.

Freed, Poppy spun around and glared at him.  Ying realized that she was trying to stare him down.  But with a disgruntled sound, Poppy looked down first.  

“We get rooms?” asked Ying with a hopeful prompt.

The Major looked over at Ying, and he spoke like a good host.  “Of course!  Let me show you.”

The Major led the girls up the wide stairs to the second floor, and a long corridor with doors on either side.  He stopped before the first room on the right.

“First, the bathroom,” said the Major.

“I need that,” said Sookie.  She looked a little shocked by her outburst, but she was not embarrassed enough to stop.

Poppy started to laugh as Sookie ran into the bathroom, and she turned to incite the others to also mock the girl.  

But Ying spoke with urgency.  “Low-key, I’m next.”

In fact, most of the girls were dancing in place.  

So, Poppy’s face fell into a sullen state; momentarily defeated.

The Major moved to the stairs.  

“Why don’t I just run downstairs to check the oven, and then I’ll be right back,” he said, and zipped down the curved stairs.

While everyone was still taking a turn, Sookie leaned towards Ying.

“Did you check the medicine cabinet?  There’re only a few pills in it,” said Sookie. 

“You mean—like—loose pills?” asked Ying.

“No, you know those little packets with only two pills in ‘em,” said Sookie.  “Well, there’s only three packets of Motrin.   And two packs of Tylenol.”

“Huh,” said Ying with furrowed brow.  “Maybe someone didn’t know we were all going to be here.”

“I don’t think so,” said Zelda.  “The closet is full of Tampon boxes.”

“Well, that’s dope,” said Ying.

“Yeah, I would’ve hated to ask the Major about that,” said Sookie softly.

“I wouldn’t,” said Poppy, and she jutted out her chin belligerently.

Ying stepped away from the crowd and looked around.  

There were doors on either side of the hallway and she saw some names on them.  Walking to the first door on the left, she saw the names “Sookie Sandmore” and “Griselda Ramirez” written in Sharpie on masking tape.

“Um, Sookie and Griselda?” called out Ying.

“What?” asked Sookie.

“Zelda,” corrected Griselda quickly. 

Then both girls looked at each other in surprise.

“I think this is your room,” said Ying.

“Ooooh, cool,” said Sookie as she walked forward.  “I wonder if we can go in?”

Ying turned the knob and let the door swing open.  

“Your name is on it,” she suggested reasonably.

“True,” admitted Sookie tenuously, and she went in with Zelda following.

The Major bounded up the steps and stopped by the open room.

“Ah, I see you found your rooms,” said the Major.

Sookie whipped around.  “Oh...sorry!”

“No, no, it’s okay,” said the Major quickly.  “Every room was set up ahead of time.  And everyone has a dresser with clothes that should be in your size.”

“I wondered why they wanted my measurements,” muttered Ying.  “I thought they were being weird.  Or—at least—weirder than usual.”

“So, we’re forced to room with someone?” said Poppy archly.

“Right now, we’re going to have to make do, the best that we can,” said the Major sympathetically.

Ying moved down the hallway and saw her name right below “Poppy Milkin”.

“Yippee,” she muttered despondently.

“Why don’t you all get into some real clothes, and we’ll meet downstairs in ten minutes to eat?” said the Major helpfully as he moved back to the top of the stair.  “I’ll be in the foyer if you need anything.”

As the Major went downstairs, Ying opened the door to her room.  It was covered in dark wood—like the hallways—which gave it a somber tone.  But there were two mattresses on metal frames with pillows and blankets. 

“Well, at least it’s not the hospital,” she reminded herself.

“Out of the way,” snapped Poppy, who shouldered Ying aside and stalked into the room.  

“Bro,” growled Ying, but the other girl just ignored her.  

Not stopping to look around, Poppy went straight to the window and opened it up.  

Ying could see an opaque plastic covering outside.

Poppy rapped her knuckles against it.  The plastic sounded thick and sturdy.

As much as Ying wanted to not like Poppy, she decided to try and make the best of it.  Maybe they had just gotten off on the wrong foot. 

“I guess we’re here for the duration,” said Ying sympathetically. 

But Poppy whipped around and glared at her.  “This is crap.”

“It’s safer for everyone,” shrugged Ying.  She went over to the two Ikea dressers—which stood in a corner—and saw that one had her name on it.

Soon, she left the room dressed in a tee, yoga pants, and most importantly a cute little yellow hoodie, because it was a little chilly inside the house.

Ying saw Sookie coming out of her room and put on a brave smile.   But Sookie was looking with uncertainly at the mom jeans she wore.

“I don’t know about these,” said Sookie uncertainly.

“Better than scrubs,” replied Ying.

“True,” said Sookie brightly.  “I don’t ever want to wear scrubs again.”

Ying scrunched up her face.  “They made me feel like a leper.”

“I saw a fireplace downstairs,” said Sookie with mischief in her eyes.  “Do you think the Major would let us burn them in there?”

And both girls grinned at that thought.

However, Ying’s eyes soon sank down.  Around her left wrist was a red metal band.

“Actually, I really wish I could get rid of this thing,” said Ying.

“Our medical ID bands?” asked Sookie and she looked at hers.  “I’m starting to get used to it.  Though I do wish I could take it off sometimes.”

“I just woke up with it on,” said Ying.   She turned it over, and the metal was fused together underneath her wrist.  “I mean, was it welded on me?  I wasn’t burnt if it was welded on.”

“I don’t know,” said Sookie softly.  “And it has everything on it, name date of birth, blood type…”

“Mine has my bra size,” said Ying.

And Sookie snorted with laughter.  

“Stop that,” she admonished.  “You made me snort.”

Ying chuckled, and it felt good.

Down in the foyer, a slightly happier Ying was the first to arrive, soon followed by the rest of the girls.

The Major smiled.  “I’m sure you’re all feeling better.”

“Maybe...after a shower,” said Zelda.

“Um, do we really only have the one shower?” asked Sookie.

“The only other one appears to be off my room,” said the Major.  “Maybe during the day, we can arrange a schedule, so that you can use that one too; after I’m out for the day of course.”

“Of course,” said Poppy mockingly.

But the Major just ignored her.  “Now, let me show you where the dining room is.”

The dark haired man led them past the iron fireplace to go deeper inside the mansion.  But as Ying passed the fireplace, a chill ran down her back.

Through a door on the right was a long dining table, which was already set.

“Wow,” said Sookie with a trembling voice.  “Is...is that for us?”

“Absolutely,” said the Major, and then he admitted.  “Actually, I couldn’t find anything else so, fine china it is.  Please be gentle with it.  Now, take a seat and I’ll bring your food out.”

As everyone sat, they looked vaguely uncomfortable.  Before anyone else could say anything, a door swung open.  

The Major came through carrying a large metal tray.

“Is that real silver?” asked Sookie, staring at the tray.

“Are those hamburgers?” demanded Poppy with derision.

“Burgers and tater tots,” confirmed the Major.  “And yes, the tray is probably silver.  Really, I just needed a big tray, and this one fit the bill.”

“And what if we’re vegetarians?” asked Poppy snidely.

The Major set the tray in the middle of the table.  “Is anyone?”

That led to a chorus of shaking heads.

“Thank God,” said the Major.  “But if someone was, we would improvise.  This time together is going to be a challenge.  However, we can get through it, if we work together.”

“I don’t even know why we’re here,” grumbled Poppy.

“Ah, that’s because we’re A-something carriers,” said Sookie.  “Isn’t it?”

“Asystematic carriers,” said Ying.  “Like Typhoid Mary...but much, much worse.”

Poppy rolled her eyes.  “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Don’t you?” asked Ying in surprise.

“I feel fine,” said Poppy.  “I could run around this house twice without breathing hard.”

“But the point of being an asymptomatic carrier is that—despite how we feel—we are dangerous,” said Ying patiently.  “Each one of us.”

“Before they took my phone away, I read an article that said that this was all a government conspiracy against kids,” said Poppy.

“Why?  Why would they even do that?” asked Ying in confusion.

“Why does the government do anything?” shrugged Poppy.  “Maybe it’s a military experiment gone wrong.  Whatever it is, It’s Them, not me.  I’m a victim here, a prisoner.”

“I read a lot of articles too,” countered Ying.  “And only one real doctor disagreed with the diagnosis.”

“See,” said Poppy with satisfaction.  “A voice of reason.”

“Except that he thought that the virus was made by aliens, who tried to save the planet from the human race by making us zombies, but it didn’t quite work right,” finished Ying.

Poppy turned a flinty glare on Ying.

In that quiet moment, Sookie spoke in a hushed voice.  “I just thought that there was a cold going around school.  I mean, a few of us felt like we were just coming down with something, you know.   Then, everyone I came in contact with...they….”. She looked like she was about to cry.

Ying reached across the table and put her hand over Sookie’s to comfort her.

“It’s going to be okay,” said Ying to Sookie.

“They better let us out soon!” said Poppy dangerously.

“They can’t,” said Ying, and her voice raised. She took her hand away from Sookie.

“Well then…,” started Poppy, and her voice raised in a snarl.

“That’s enough!” said the Major in an authoritative voice.  

Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.  

“You are all under quarantine,” said the Major.

“But…,” started Poppy.

However, the Major just stared her down.

“Now,” said the Major, when he was sure that everyone was listening.  “We are not so bad off.”  This was met with noises of disbelief, and even Ying raised a questioning eyebrow at that.  

The Major continued.  “States are scrambling to place you kids somewhere safe, where you can be apart from the public.  I’ve heard tales of putting kids in old prisons, or abandoned mental institutions.”

“That would suck,” whispered Sookie.

“I agree,” said the Major with a little smile.  “So, I’m personally happy that I’m not there. But, we are going to be here for a while.  The good news is that the owners don’t want much from us for our time here.  So, we just need to make due for now, and work together.  I want to make this experience as easy as possible.”  And he gestured at the untouched silver tray.  “Now, let’s dig in.”

One by one, each girl leaned back in her chair with a content smile and a full belly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a real meal like that,” said Zelda.  “Even if it was only burgers and fries.”  She looked quickly at the Major.  “No offense.”

But he just waved away her concern. 

“Anyone going to have that last burger?” asked Sookie hopefully.  When no one said a word, she grabbed it.  “The nurses where I was decided that I needed to lose weight.  They were practically starving me.”

“Why would they think that?” asked Poppy snotilly.

However, Sookie did not either notice, or care.

“No, I’m talking about getting a small salad for the whole day,” said Sookie.  “I tried to explain to them that I needed more calories, but…”  She just trailed off and bit into her burger.

“What the hell?  Some help that is,” said Ying.

“I need to make sure that my supervisor knows about that.  That’s actually dangerous.  Besides, if you don’t eat much, doesn’t your body just start trying to conserve weight because it thinks it’s a famine,” said the Major.

“Exactly,” agreed Zelda.

“Well, related to that, I am going to need to put a kitchen rotation together to help me,” said the Major.  “But for now, don’t worry about the dishes, we need to go to the library.”

This got a chorus of confused noises while Ying looked curious, and Poppy’s face grew red with anger.

Standing, the Major motioned them all out into the main hall.  Returning the way they had come, he led the girls back to the foyer and past the iron fireplace.  Ying—without even realizing it—gave the fireplace a wide berth.  

Along the left corridor, and under their rooms, he took them to a door.

“I think you’ll like this,” he said mysteriously.

“Yeah, right,” grumbled Poppy.

The Major swung open the library doors.

“Wow!” exclaimed Sookie.  

Zelda led the charge into the library, which was stacked, not only with books, but a big screen TV, DVDs and games systems.

“Oh!  We got a XBox 360, a Playstation 3, and a Nintendo Wii!” said Zelda with joy.

“Nothing new?” asked Poppy with a disappointed huff.

“My wife and I were waiting for Christmas to finally upgrade.  And the scientists outside also scoured their homes for stuff too,” said the Major by the door.  “We were very worried about boredom because idle hands….”

Ying looked over at Zelda.  “Low key, do we have Mario Kart?” 

Zelda quickly skimmed through the slightly-used games and held up Mario Kart.

“And we have four wheels to play,” said Zelda excitedly.

Soon, Ying’s Bowser kart charged into first place on the Rainbow Road.  She grinned fiercely.

Poppy suddenly swung her hip sideways.  She knocked into Ying causing her car to veer.  Bowser went off the edge of the road to his momentary demise.

“Whoops,” said Poppy with a mean little smirk as she pulled into first place. “Sorry.”

“Are you kidding me?” demanded Ying in anger as her Bowser kart reset.  “You did that on purpose.”

“Just a little accident,” said Poppy in a singsong voice.

“Bull,” retorted Ying.  Reset, her kart began racing again from seventh place.  She swerved to get a power up, and then slalomed through the other cars.

Poppy closed on the finish line.

“Payback is a…,” started Ying.  She fired a blue shell and knocked Poppy out of first place.

“What the fuck?” demanded Poppy.

Ying crossed the finish line with a satisfied smile.

“You gay bitch!” snapped Poppy, and she whirled around to glare at Ying.  “You did that on purpose.”

“I used the game to beat you,” responded Ying calmly.  “Unlike you bumping me.”

Poppy spat.  “That was an accident.”

“Yeah, sure,” sniffed Ying.

“Listen, you…,” started Poppy.

“That’s enough,” said the Major loudly.  He walked over and bent over the Wii.  “Where’s the off button?  You’d think that—since I bought this all those years ago...”

“I can step out,” said Ying in a placating tone.  “I already won two races.  That way the rest can keep playing.”

“It’s late,” said the Major, without any heat in his voice.  “And you’ve all had a long day.  Ah, here it is.” He turned off the Wii and straightened up.  “After Homecoming last fall, my daughter and her friends stayed up most of the night playing this game, and they made so much noise that...”  His words dried out, and he stared blankly ahead.  

After a moment, Sookie gently spoke.  “She...she was one of us, wasn’t she?”

And the Major just nodded, ever so slightly.

“But, she’s not here, is she?” asked Sookie.

The Major did not respond, and Ying saw a sorrowful darkness cover his face.

“Why don’t we all go upstairs?” said Ying quickly.  She gave an exaggerated stretch.  “I’m actually quite beat.”

Herding the other girls out of the library, Ying maneuvered them towards the staircase.  

Before she left though, Sookie called out.  “Goodnight Major.”

But he did not reply.

Turning, Sookie caught up with Ying.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Sookie.

“I...I don’t know,” said Ying.  “But it just seemed like we better give him some space on that one.”

Zelda asked earnestly.  “Okay.  But what happened to his daughter?”

“And why isn’t she here too?” continued Sookie in a whisper.

Ying pulled back and let the rest go up the stairs.  

Her eyes were pulled towards the cold fireplace, and for a moment, she thought she saw a pinpoint of light near the flue.  Then it winked out.

“You okay?” asked Sookie, who had stopped on the steps.

Tearing her eyes away, Ying looked up and put on a brave smile.  “Sure.”

***

Ying woke up again from That Dream, and she was nearly in convulsions.  She could not even utter a noise.  

In an odd way though, she was almost getting used to waking up in agony.  

Slowly, she unclenched.  

Looking around, she remembered that they were in that weird old house, and no longer in the hospital.  That made her feel somewhat better.

But then she noticed that Poppy’s bed was empty.

Maybe she went to the bathroom, thought Ying, which made her realize that she needed to visit there too.

With a yawn, Ying swung her legs out of bed and stepped out onto the frigid wood floor.  

She nearly cried out.

“Bro, we really need some slippers if we’re going to be here long,” grumbled Ying as she slipped on her shoes, eschewing socks.

Stepping out into the corridor, she went to the bathroom.

It was only when she was halfway back, that she realized that Poppy had not been in there.  Stopping outside their room, she saw that the other bed was still empty of Poppy.  Part of her—the part that had not had a decent night's sleep since this all began—wanted to go back to bed.  

But That Dream was waiting for her, like an alligator at the watering hole.  

Unconsciously, Ying took a step away from her bed.

Not wanting to go back, she decided to look for Poppy.  That would kill a few minutes, she decided.  She quickly settled on checking the kitchen, in case Poppy had gone there for a midnight snack.

Down the stairs, Ying was moving across the foyer when she stopped dead in her tracks.  Slowly, her head turned to look deeper into the house.

Within the iron fireplace was a huge roaring fire.  

It sent out a bright glow into the dark house.  And before the fireplace, was an old high-back wicker wheelchair.  It was pointed away from her and towards the fire.  

From Ying’s vantage, she could see through the wheels and to the burning logs beyond.  But no legs dangled over the front.  Still, something scared her about the seemingly empty wheelchair.

Willing herself to move, Ying went to the first room on the right.  She was pretty sure that she could pass door to door, all the way to the kitchen.  

And that would keep her away from that fireplace.  

Since there was no sign of Poppy in the first room, she kept going.  Here and there, a lamp would give some light but not much.  In the next room, she noticed that a chair had been knocked over near a window, but she did not stop.  

Plastic sealed that window shut.  Like a tomb, she thought nervously.  But then Ying chided herself.  She was letting the house spook her.  

Through the next door, she heard the sound of something opening and closing.  A light was coming from just underneath the next door.  Desperate to be back into full light, Ying took off, her heart racing.

Bursting through the door, Ying gave a relieved chuckle as she was bathed in fluorescent light.

Poppy jumped at the noise.  She was by the sink with its little window above.

“What the...?” asked Poppy in surprise.

“Oh, sorry!” said Ying happily.  “Just glad to be back in the light again.  This house is spooky at night.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” demanded Poppy.  “And why are you here?  Spying on me?”

“I saw that you weren’t in your bed, and I was...concerned,” said Ying, but now the truth felt a little lame.  “But maybe you were just hungry after all.”

Poppy’s face was a cloud of emotions, which flitted by so quickly, that she could not even guess at them.  

“Yes,” said Poppy quickly.  “I was thinking of a snack, but decided against it.  So, I was going to...” And she turned around and took a glass from the drying tray.  “...to have some water.”

Ying got a weird vibe that something was off as Poppy drank, but she was so exhausted.  

And this weird old house was really throwing her off. 

“Okay…well, I’m going back up,” said Ying.

Poppy yawned, which seemed to surprise her.  “Yeah!  I guess I’m going to head back up too.  I’m done for tonight.”

Following Ying, Poppy went back through the rooms and into the foyer.

Ying’s eyes immediately flicked over to the fire, which was still blazing.

However, the wicker wheelchair was now pointed towards them, empty.

“Who started a fire?” asked Poppy.  And her voice sounded so loud in the silence, that Ying nearly jumped.

“I mean, it wasn’t lit when I walked past,” continued Poppy.

Ying became terribly aware that the ceiling was two stories high in the foyer, and now the upper part was shrouded in darkness.

“Maybe the Major,” suggested Poppy, but even she sounded skeptical.

A fetid smell reached Ying.

“I think we need to go,” said Ying with a tight voice.  “NOW!”

Ying grabbed Poppy’s forearm and towed her along.  They hit the staircase running.

Lights were flickering around them.

Soon, there were noises behind, but Ying did not dare look back.

Past the bathroom, she saw their open door.  Ying stepped aside and got Poppy in first.  Jumping into the room, Ying saw—for half a second—the lights at the top of the staircase flickering.  

And something was moving across the ceiling.

Ying pulled the door shut and put her back to it.  But even as it had closed, there was a powerful stench of decay.  Then something scraped hard against the door.  

Looking around, Ying nodded at the nearest Ikea dresser.  

“Hey, can you get that over here?” asked Ying in a low voice.

But Poppy was still standing in the middle of the room, looking away.

“Poppy!” hissed Ying.  “I need your help.”

Swinging around, Poppy growled.  “Why’d you drag me up here?”

Ying opened her mouth to speak, but she could not find the words.

“You’re just trying to drag me around, trying to scare me,” spat Poppy.

“Not as much as I’ve scared myself,” admitted Ying.  “I just...I don’t think we should go back out there.”

Poppy made a disgusted noise and went back to her bed.

“Don’t talk to me anymore tonight,” she said, and flopped down, still fully dressed.

Pressed against the door, Ying realized that she could not hear any more noises outside.  But she was loath to move just yet.  

There was an old fashioned keyhole in the door, but she was sure-as-shit that was not going to look through that.

So, she stood guard a while longer.

However, it was not long before her eyelids began to droop.  As much as she did not want to sleep, she was starting to flag.  

Taking a chance, Ying stood away from the door and went over to the first dresser.  But now she felt silly moving a dresser.  

Cautiously, she sat on the edge of her bed .  But she did not lay back.  Instead, she watched the door.

***

Ying burst through the front doors and onto the gravel driveway in her slippers.  She clutched her dressing gown tight against the chill morning air. 

The impudent wind caught her long, dark hair and whipped it around her face.  

 She saw the horses and cart.  Her husband of many years had just wiggled the reins and their hot horses drove forward in earnest. Then he saw her.  But Ying’s gaze was fixed next to him where that damned Irish maid sat.  The one who had just turned sixteen.

“Phillip!” cried Ying with a strident voice.  “What’re you doing?”

The horses suddenly looked towards the house and screamed in terror.  They shot towards her.  Phillip was doing something with the reins, but he was ineffectual, as usual.

“You wouldn’t dare,” growled Ying.

But the horses were not stopping.  One frothed at the mouth. 

Ying finally tried to move, but not fast enough.

A horse knocked her flat, but managed not to step on her.  However, the cart wheels ran right over her legs, just above knee.

She was conscious long enough to see the cart stop farther down the long driveway.  But as the servants ran out to attend to the lady of the house, the cart started to pull away.

For an unknown amount of time, the lady of the house drifted in and out of consciousness.

She woke to hear the doctor saying something about her legs, but she could not quite understand him.

The next time the lady of the house woke, the doctor was amputating her remaining mangled leg.  Sweet blessed darkness fell over her as he sawed.

A time later, the lady of the house woke in front of the iron fireplace.   She sitting in her wicker wheelchair, and the fire warmed her stumps.

But the wet gangrene had already settled in.

***

“What’s this?” demanded a distant voice.

Since she had not fallen into That Dream—for the first time in weeks—Ying was able to recover quicker.  

She woke, still sitting on the edge of her bed, with her legs dangling over the edge.

Someone pounded on the door.

“Poppy!  Ying!” called a voice from outside.  “Are you decent?”

Enough dull light came through the plastic covered window to show that it was morning.

“Tell’em to go away,” grumbled Poppy.

Standing, Ying walked over to the door and opened it.  Her attention was totally captured by a looming Major.  His face was red with anger.  

“Please come out Ying,” said the Major in a tight voice, and he stepped aside.  Then he looked back into the room.  “Poppy, please come out as well.”

“What if I don’t want to?” replied a surly voice.

“Poppy Milkin, Now!” said the Major, with a whip crack in his voice.

That must have done the trick because Poppy was suddenly out in the hallway, looking a little stunned.  

By now, all the other girls were out of their rooms, looking bewildered as well.  The Major, who was standing in front of Ying’s door, turned around.

“I know this is going to be a trying time,” said the Major in a tight voice.  “But we’re also guests here, and this is a problem.”  

The Major stepped aside and Ying’s eyes grew wide.

Scored across the door were four long gouges.  

Ying looked at Poppy, who was also taken aback.

“What?” asked the Major.

Blinking, Ying suddenly realized that he was addressing her.  “What?”

“That look,” said the Major.  “Between you and Poppy.  What happened last night?”

“Um,” started Ying.  “I’m not sure, to tell you the truth.”

“You’re not sure,” said the Major slowly.

“I was having trouble sleeping, and I went downstairs and saw that the fire was lit in the fireplace,” said Ying.

“Wait, what fire?” asked the Major.

“Didn’t you light a fire in the fireplace, the big iron one downstairs?” asked Ying.

“No,” he replied slowly.

“Well, see...this is why I’m saying that I’m not really sure,” said Ying.  “I think someone chased us.”

“Who?” asked the Major.

“Again, not sure,” said Ying.

Poppy let out a huff.  “Someone was playing a practical joke on us.  To scare us.”  And she looked around at the other girls suspiciously.  

“You were also out of your room?” asked the Major.

And Poppy—for half a second—looked caught, but that might have only been because she was unprepared for the question.

“I went to the kitchen for a snack,” said Poppy.

“And then someone chased...just Ying, or the both of you?” asked the Major.

“Both,” said Ying.  “I found her while I was wandering, and then…”  But her voice trailed off.

“Right,” said the Major.  “No more going out of your rooms at night.”

Sookie started to raise her hand. 

“Except to go to the bathroom of course,” added the Major.

And Sookie lowered it.

“What if we sleepwalk?” asked Poppy snottily. 

But the Major just gave her a hard look, and Poppy looked down first.

“Now, since we are guests here, part of our—rent if you want to call it—is to clean this place up,” said the Major.

This led to a chorus of groans and complaints.

“None of that,” said the Major.  “This house hasn’t seen much in the way of occupation for awhile, so most of what you’ll be cleaning is dust.  But we will have to go through the house from stem to stern.  Now, breakfast is ready downstairs.  That is actually why I came to get you.  You are going to go eat, and then meet me in the foyer in 15 minutes.  Let’s go!”

Breakfast was quick and quiet.  

Ying took a big scoop of eggs, because she had a sinking feeling that she was going to need protein.

Sookie collected the dishes as they finished.  No one moved though, or even made eye contact.

Finally, Ying stood up and left the room.  However, she found that her path led her towards the iron fireplace.  

Light streamed in from a few windows high up, and electric light lit the rest of the area.  She hesitated by the fireplace, and then took a few steps towards it.  There was no wicker wheelchair in sight, and—more troubling—there were cobwebs inside the ancient iron fireplace.

From behind her, a concerned voice asked.  “Are you okay?”

Ying jumped and turned around.

Even though he had been at a respectful distance, the Major still took a step back.  “Sorry.  I can loom with the best of them.”

“It’s okay,” said Ying quickly, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

“So, about the fireplace…,” started the Major uncertainly.

A chorus of young women walked—a little reluctantly—into the foyer.

“I guess we’ll table that for now,” murmured the Major.

“Or ‘fireplace’ it for now,” suggested Ying.

And that got a quick smile from the Major, but he was stern by the time they had gathered around a neat pile of cleaning equipment.

“We’re just going to clean the dust and dirt from the years,” said the Major.  “This will be a bigger job at first, but later, it should just be a quick pass.  If you find some huge mess—or problem—come and find me immediately.”

“What?  Like blood dripping from the walls?” asked Poppy with a snide tone.

“It’s an old house, and things break,” said the Major calmly.  “Now, at this time, jobs are assigned by rooms.  Ying and Poppy, you are mopping the basement.”

“Oh joy,” said Poppy drily.

With buckets filled in the kitchen, Ying and Poppy were shown by the Major where the basement door was.  It was down the right hand corridor near the iron fireplace.

The stairs squeaked, but solid enough.  The sides of the stairs were open, so they had an almost 360 degree view of old crates and boxes in the basement.

“What a dump,” groaned Poppy.

“At least we don’t have to get rid of all these boxes,” suggested Ying.

“Not Yet!” countered Poppy quickly.  “They’re going to make slaves of us.”

Ying was going to respond, but then she stopped herself.

“Anyhow,” said Ying as she got to the bottom.  She was going to say more, but she got distracted.  “Oh!  I found the washing machine.”

Ying went across to the West end of the basement.

“And the washer and dryer look new,” said Ying.

“Who cares?” grumbled Poppy.

“Eventually, we’ll need clean clothes,” replied Ying.

“This sucks,” growled Poppy.

“And we’re not cleaning the fireplace,” said Ying with a shudder.

“What?” demanded Poppy.

Turning slowly away, Ying did not bother to respond.  Instead, she looked at the floor with a sigh.

“Well, the sooner you get started,” she told herself.

Putting down her bucket, Ying started to reluctantly mop the floor.  After a long moment, Poppy took her bucket and went in the opposite direction.

Ying was not sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

Mentally breaking the floor into chunks, Ying would finish one large square, and then move on to the next.  She was dipping in her mop when she saw movement.

Looking up, she watched a pile of boxes near the stairs for a full minute, but she did not see anything further.  

Further away, Ying saw Poppy at the East end of the basement, far from where she had seen the movement.

“I don’t like basements,” whined Ying, but she kept mopping.

Despite making decent time, Ying was starting to get a little lonely, and definitely a lot bored.

Poppy let out a noise.

Desperate for a distraction, Ying put aside her mop and walked over to the East side of the basement.

“Did you find something interesting?” asked Ying hopefully.

Poppy whipped around.  “What?”

The angry look on Poppy’s face made Ying pause.

“I was just coming over to say ‘hi’,” said Ying tentatively.

“You’re not my manager,” snapped Poppy.

“Yeah!  I know,” agreed Ying quickly.  “I wasn’t checking up on you.”

“Right,” grumbled Poppy, implying that she did not believe that for a second.

“I’ll let you to it,” said Ying, and she hastily backed away.  

By the time she got back to her bucket, she was fuming.  What the hell was wrong with Poppy? she wondered in frustration.  She doesn’t have to be an asshole all the time.  We’re all stuck here.

Ying tried to not let Poppy’s attitude bother her, but it was no use.  When the Major called down for lunch, she was still cheesed-off.

Leaving her mop and bucket where it was, Ying headed up first.  

It felt wonderful to get back onto the first floor again, but she still gave the iron fireplace a wide berth.  

Lunch was burgers once more.

Near the end of their meal, the Major spoke.  “I need some help cooking tonight.”

“I can,” said Sookie quickly.

Poppy made butt-kissing noises.

“Better than dusting,” sniffed Sookie dismissively.

“Or mopping,” added Ying.

“I was never a big fan of mopping either,” agreed Sookie sympathetically.

After lunch, Ying headed back.  But the moment she reached the basement floor, she felt her mood sink once again.  She went over to her mop and bucket, only to find them scattered across the floor in a large puddle.

“What the hell?” demanded Ying.  

Splashing through the puddle to her bucket, she grabbed it and stormed back to the stairs.

Poppy was walking towards her mop.

“Did you knock over my bucket?” asked Ying with heat in her voice.

Whipping around, Poppy glared at her.  “What?”

“I found dirty water all over the floor back there,” said Ying.

“What’s that got to do with me?” snapped Poppy.

“Did you knock over my bucket?” asked Ying again, this time through clenched teeth.

“I didn’t touch your stupid bucket,” snapped Poppy.

And Ying could not tell if she was lying or not.

“Okay,” said Ying, and she stomped back over to the puddle to start cleaning that up.

By the time the Major called an early dinner, Ying was hot, sticky and miserable.  Reaching the dining room, she melted into a chair feeling sorry for herself.  

The kitchen door banged open, and Ying jumped.

“Sorry,” said Sookie as she came in with a large covered dish.

“It’s okay,” sighed Ying.

“Hard day at the office dear?” asked Sookie with a sweet grin.

Ying chuckled.  “You could say that.”

“Let’s see what this does for your mood,” said Sookie, and she lifted the lid.  The enticing aroma of spaghetti wafted over to her.

Ying sat up straighter.  

“Oh!” she muttered in happy surprise. 

“Thought that might perk you up!” grinned Sookie.  

The others began to filter in, and they were drawn to the table, like moths to a flame.  Soon, the Major arrived, again with the silver tray, but this time laden with piping hot garlic bread. 

“Oh!  I love garlic bread!” exclaimed Poppy happily. 

Hungry and tired—not only from the day’s work, but the hardship and pain of these past weeks—the girls tucked into their food and ate ravenously.  Even Poppy looked cheered.

But towards the end of dinner, Poppy spoke up.

“Oh Major, I was just wondering what our emergency plan was?” asked Poppy, with a seemingly innocent voice.

“Emergency plan?” asked the Major, prompting for more.  

“Well, all the windows are covered in hard plastic,” said Poppy.  “It's not like we can get out.”

“Hold on, she’s right.  If there’s a fire in here, we’re trapped,” said Sookie and her voice became tight with worry.

“I doubt that’s going to happen,” said the Major.

“But IF there was one,” said Sookie.

“Then we’d roast like little piggies,” said Poppy, who was looking at Sookie out of the corner of her eye.

Ying snuck in.  “Or shrews.”

Poppy stopped and looked at Ying in confusion, but several of the other girls—who had had Shakespeare recently—let out giggles.  Poppy glared around the table.

The Major used that interruption to take control.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said.  “I’m going to talk to the team outside after lights out.  We could use a plan.”

And Sookie smiled in relief.

Standing, the Major gestured towards the door.  “Now, let’s take the rest of the night off.”

***

Ying woke from That Dream again.  

Sorrow bit down hard on her.  But slowly, she came back to herself.  She had gone to sleep hoping for that other nightmare—about having her legs amputated without anesthesia—but no such luck.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, and the snot from her nose, she looked across the room.  Poppy’s bed was empty, again.

Something about that gnawed at her ferociously.

Ying got up but flinched at the cold floor.

“Really need slippers,” she grumbled.

After checking the bathroom, Ying went to the stairs.  When she was halfway down, she saw that the fire was casting a glow across the beautiful hardwood floor.  She really wanted to go back to bed, but then she remembered that That Dream was waiting for her.  

The sixteen year old girl practically skipped down the stairs.  

Across the room, the fire was roaring, and the wheelchair was pointed towards it.

“Why are you out of your room?” asked a voice behind her.

“Yeek,” cried Ying, and she whipped around.

Even though the Major was not that close, he was still looming.  

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said apologetically.

“Bro!  If you’re sneaking around...,” said Ying with a sharp edge to her voice.

The Major’s face hardened.  “I was walking around making sure that everything was okay.  Which is my job.”

Ying took a deep breath to calm herself.  “Okay.  You’re right.  Sorry.”

“But the question still stands,” said the Major.  “Why are you out of your room?”

Ying wanted to talk about That Dream. It rattled hard against her teeth.  

But she found herself talking about something else.

“Poppy isn’t in her bed,” she said.

“Do we know where she is?” asked the Major in concern.

“No…,” started Ying, but then she stopped.

The Major waited for her to continue.

“I think she’s trying to escape,” said Ying finally.  “I don’t have proof, but…”

The Major made a small, encouraging noise in his throat.  “But sometimes our gut is right.  However, the house is locked tighter than a drum.”

“True.  But what about the basement?” asked Ying.

The Major started to speak, but then he paused.  

A wry smile came across his face.  “I suppose asking you to go back to your room would be futile.”

“Please?” asked Ying, a little desperately.  

The Major nodded.   Stepping around the girl, he moved towards the heart of the house with her following.  

Suddenly, he froze.

“I didn’t start a fire,” said the Major slowly.

“Yeah.  Something about that...I don’t know,” said Ying.

The Major looked at her quizzically. 

“Can we deal with that another time?” asked Ying earnestly.

“One problem at a time?” he asked.

And she nodded enthusiastically in agreement. 

“Okay,” he said.

Giving the fireplace a wide berth, they headed for the basement door.  The Major had still slowed to peer at the empty wheelchair, so Ying reached the door first and started to open it.

“Wait,” said the Major, and he shot to the door.  “I should go down first.”

Ying smiled and tried to make light of it.  “It’s no big deal.  I don’t have much self-preservation left, not after the last few weeks.”

But the Major suddenly looked stricken. 

“Are you thinking about suicide?” he asked quickly.

“What?” asked Ying in confusion.

“You can talk to me...if you are,” said the Major, a little desperately.  “I’m here to help.”

“Um, no, I wasn’t planning on hurting my…,” started Ying.  And then a cold horror fell over her.  “Oh no, your daughter.  She...she couldn't take the guilt.”

The Major tried to find the words.  “I...I don’t know what I missed.”

“Oh no,” said Ying softly.

Suddenly, she reached out and hugged him close.

“I’m so, so sorry,” she murmured.

For a moment, the Major let himself be comforted.  But then he cleared his throat and stepped back from the sixteen year old girl.

“Um, right,” said the Major uncomfortably.  But he was no longer wound as tightly.  “We better keep looking.”

The Major went down the steps first and turned on the basement light.  However, it looked dim, and the open sides of the stairs were still shrouded.  Ying wiped a moist eye.  She followed, first thinking of her own family, and now of this makeshift group, thrown together.

Suddenly, something tripped Ying and she flew right into the Major’s upper back.  As they began to fall down the stairs, she saw the mop handle which had tripped her.  It pulled back into darkness, beside the stairs.  Then there was the tumbling and the pain, and she finally found herself on top of the Major. 

Embarrassed, she quickly rolled off him and got unsteadily to her feet.

Ying saw a shadow, deeper in the basement, moving about.  Looking down, she reached out to help the Major up.

“I think someone tripped me,” said Ying apologetically.  “Might be Poppy.”

The Major tried to get up, but suddenly wavered.  Ying tried to grab him in time, but he crashed to the ground.

“I think that fall rang my bell,” said the Major with an unsteady voice.  “Gonna need a second.”

Ying heard glass breaking.  “I don’t think we have it.”

At the East wall, Poppy used the mop handle to break the small basement window.  There was only a little moonlight outside, but she could see a bush, which was right in front of the window.  Having broken the majority of the glass, she started to knock out the smaller shards, so that it was safe to climb through.

Flying in high, Ying tackled Poppy’s head and shoulders, and they fell to the ground.  Ying tried to grapple the other girl and pin her down.  But Poppy squirmed out from under her and jumped on top.  

Ying lashed out with a punch.

“Ouch!  You punched my boob!” cried Poppy in surprise.  Ying’s next blow was to the kidneys and Poppy started to fall over.

Ying got out from under her and tried to hold Poppy to the ground again until the Major arrived.  She glanced up, but she did not see any sign of him yet.

Poppy jabbed back with her elbow and caught Ying right in the solar plexus.  The breath exploded from Ying, and she collapsed to one side.

Scrabbling across the floor, Poppy grabbed the mop and turned to brain Ying, but then realized that she was still prone on the floor.  Turning, Poppy went back to the window to clear it.

“I thought Orientals were supposed to be smart!” snapped Poppy as she worked to clear the stubborn bits of glass.  “I mean, all this...this is all a lie!  There is no sickness.  No quarantine.  And once I’ve reach the city, I’m going to prove it.   I’m going to prove that the government killed my brother and parents, and then framed me.”

To her left, a movement caught Ying’s attention.

Not ten feet away—in the dim light—something rose behind ancient crates.  Undulating, coiled strands of dark brown hair snaked up.  They took ahold somewhere above, though the ceiling itself was smooth.

Lifted up by her hair, Ying saw a gaunt woman rise into view, and a fetid smell rolled towards the girl.  

Recovering her breath, Ying pushed herself up.  She scrambled away from the gaunt woman who swung around some boxes by her hair.  Now, Ying could see that the woman was legless.  And that the stumps were greenish-black with wet gangrene.  

In a hoarse voice, Ying called out to Poppy.  “We gotta go.  Now!” 

Ying grabbed the other girl’s arm and Poppy whipped the mop at her.  Ducking just in time, Ying backed up a few paces.

Poppy growled.  “I’m going out.  And I promise—really—to tell others that you are trapped here.  But that’s the best I can do.”

Ying jumped forward and shoved Poppy away from the window.

“That’s not going to stop..,” began Poppy when the gaunt woman grabbed her.

Long dark nails sunk into her shoulder flesh, and the gaunt woman pulled Poppy up. So surprised was Poppy, that she dropped her mop. 

“Ying!” cried Poppy. 

And then she gone, pulled back into the shadows. 

Deeper in the basement, there was a sudden shriek of terror, followed by an empty silence. 

“I...I think I may have a concussion,” said the Major from behind Ying.  

The girl picked up the mop and held it like a staff.  She turned a little bit, obviously guarding the window out.  After a moment, Ying found her voice.  

“No, you did see that,” said Ying.  

“Okay,” said the Major slowly.  “But what did I see?”

Ying thought about that.  “You saw one of the people in quarantine try to escape.  She tried—well—she did hurt both of us.  We stopped her, and she disappeared deeper into the basement.”

“But that…,” faltered the Major.  

“Major!” said Ying in a strong, even tone.  “Can you call the people outside?  We need to get this window blocked up, and we should look and see if Poppy is…”  But she stopped, unable to continue.  “Well, I just don’t want to wander around this basement alone, looking for her.”

“Amen,” agreed the Major.

***

“They are saying that Poppy died of fright,” said the Major to the rest of the girls in the library.

It was the following afternoon, and—at his right hand—Ying stood like a sentinel. 

“But...but that’s not really what happened, is it?” asked Zelda tentatively.  

“I don’t want anyone wandering around here at night,” said the Major.  “It seems to be safe enough during the day, and at night, your rooms appear to be safe.”

“From what?” asked Sookie nervously.  

“Whatever it is, it’s scary,” said Ying.

“But what was Poppy doing in the basement?” asked Zelda. 

“She was trying to escape,” said the Major.  

“What!  Why?” cried Sookie in shock. 

“She didn’t think she was sick,” said the Major.

Ying added.  “She was trying to warn people that we were here.”

“So…she was in denial?” asked Sookie.

“We all deal with our guilt in different ways,” said Ying softly.

***

Ying was headed for the library door when the Major caught up with her.

“It’s still early,” he noted.

“I thought I’d go up and read for a while,” said Ying and she showed the “Prisoner of Azkaban” in her hand.

The Major’s face got serious.  “But, are you okay?”

Ying was about to bravely say ‘Yes’, but then she hesitated.  Finally, she admitted in a soft voice.  “I’ve been having really bad dreams these past few weeks.”

***

Later, after a good talk, Ying took her toothbrush into the bathroom and began to scrub her teeth.  The reflection showed an Asian girl who definitely needed a good night's sleep, as well as some conditioner in her hair.  

Tomorrow, she had to ask the Major about making a grocery list.  Regular things that they needed, like conditioner, and slippers!

In the mirror’s reflection, a face jutted forward, and Ying’s breath hitched.  She glanced behind her, but there was no one there.  

But in the mirror, Poppy glared at her with jet black eyes.

“Your fault,” snarled a distant voice.

And Ying straightened.  Her eyes narrowed.

“Are you kidding me?” snapped Ying.

The shade of Poppy seemed taken aback.

Ying jabbed her toothbrush towards the ghost.  “You were a plague dog. We all are.  And you were going to go loose.  And everytime I sleep, all I see is my little brother trying to breathe.  Desperately trying to breathe.   And I held his hand as he suffocated to death.”

And with a dismissive sniff, the lady of the house went back to brushing her teeth.

Author’s note: Thanks to Carmen, Nick and Camille for playing Mario Kart...I mean, helping me research a vital scene in the story, so that it was accurate.  [Sometimes research can be a lot of fun.]