5 Chapter 5:

'Yeah you're probably right, let's make things easier for them.' I replied.

'Yeah! And they'll get enough money and we can be happy again!' she grinned.

'We already are happy kiki. We just need some time to figure things out, that's all.' I smiled.

'Really?'

'Yup.'

'Ok, I'm going to explore the back. They said they have lots of sparrows and other animals. I'd love to take some pictures and stick them up in my journal.' she replied excitedly.

I'm not much of a nature guy myself, I really hate nature exploring and stuff.

'You wanna come with?' she asked.

'No.'

'What? But you just said you wanted to make it easier for us. Come on, don't be so stubborn!' she groaned.

'You know what? Why don't you go ahead and I'll join you right after I finish picking my room.' I lied.

She just wouldn't let me in peace if I said no.

And besides, animals there might be feral and poisonous. She can go and get herself bitten by insects.

'K. I'll be waiting for you. Don't be late!' she exclaimed and ran downstairs.

She's so energetic and lively, the polar opposite of me.

Like sometimes I wonder how we are even related.

she's also very sweet and enigmatic, I've never been that nice my whole life.

'Yeah sure, I'll be right on time.' I chuckled.

Mom and dad were busy receiving the truck. I heard the sound of heavy footsteps and talking and thudding of heavy objects, probably of the boxes.

'Thank you so much for your hard work.' my mom squeaked.

'No problemo! We're just doing our job!' the stranger answered.

I explored the room.

The house was spacious and old.

It was neatly maintained clearly and I can see why my mother was so excited about this, but I haven't seen any 'secret mystery doors' as my grandfather said.

Maybe he was just bluffing and wanted me to be excited about the house as well.

To be honest, it made me feel like this is a letdown.

I grabbed the keys from the table downstairs and went exploring myself.

'Hey kiddo, where are you going with the keys?' dad asked.

'Oh. Just some simple exploring with the mystery doors grandpa lied to me about.' I scoffed.

'Who knows if they are not real? You better go find out tiger! And keep an eye on your sister.' he replied.

'Sure.' I ran upstairs again.

I peered out the window and saw Kiki chasing some birds. Beside her, there was a wild cat standing, glaring at her with its green eyes that can be seen so clear even from upstairs.

It had sharp and yellow teeth protruding from its gums. It growled ferociously and foam flowed down its mouth.

'Hey, get away from the cat, it looks like it's going to eat you!' I warned her.

She searched for the direction of my voice and finally looked up.

She had a puzzled look on her face.

'What cat?' she asked confused.

'The one right behind you, can't you see it? The black cat with green eyes!' I pointed in that direction.

'I don't see anything! stop scaring me!' she cried.

'What do you mean you don't see it? It's right there!' i explained again.

But she didn't really see it.

'Stop it! I told you it's not funny!' she yelled.

'What?' I looked at her confused.

Maybe she didn't see it beneath the bushes.

But it was standing right behind her. Right behind her, glaring at her. You could even feel its jade eyes burning through your skull without even looking at it. But she saw it but didn't?

'Are you scaring me so you don't have to take pictures with me?' she asked mad.

'No, No! It's ther-'

'I don't want to hear it! I'm telling mom!' she stomped inside.

'No! wait!' I shouted from the window, but it was in vain.

And suddenly, it looked right at my soul. It bared its teeth at me and pounced in my direction.

I jumped and staggered behind.

'What is wrong with this cat?' I thought.

That's weird. Really really weird.

I looked down searching for the miscreant, but all I saw was filth and dust.

At first, it pounced at me and now it just disappeared into thin air.

'What the...' I searched the place for the cat but it was nowhere to be found.

Was I hallucinating? Or is my sister playing a prank on me?

It could be either.

But the green eyes startled me.

'Oh, I hope I don't get in trouble for spooking her out.' I sighed and rushed downstairs.

Mom and dad were busy sorting through the boxes that just arrived, and Kiki was nowhere to be found.

'Hey mom, hey dad.' I greeted them.

'Hey Trishy, we were just going through the boxes. The movers just arrived now.' she explained.

'Ok, can I help?' I asked.

'Oh? sure honey, you can start with your room. Did you choose your room already?' she asked.

'Not yet. I'm just looking at which room will be more suited for me.'

Actually, I really didn't take a look at any of the rooms. I got spooked out at the cat and the keys.

Which is not a valid reason not to pick a room.

'Oh...ok, just pick up that stack of boxes and sort them out in your room.' she pointed towards the stack of boxes laying around.

'Ok, you got it.' I rushed upstairs. It's time to find a better room than my sister's.

'And Trishy, before you go, can you call your sister if she's upstairs? Maybe she's upstairs.'

'But she just went to search for you.' I asked confused.

'Huh? no, she didn't come here since we arrived. Why, wasn't she with you the whole time?' mom asked concerned.

[Readers: what reply should Trish use?

1. 'Umm...no she went to the garden to see the animals.

2.'Yes mom, she just might be upstairs. I'll call her for you.' ]

Which one should he choose next? The story changes according to your choice!

(If you don't choose by the fifteenth of August 2022, the story will proceed by my decision.)