I walked over to my closet, and opened the oak wood doors, so that I could pick out my outfit for the day. My brother was already dressed and was waiting outside for me. Once I picked out my outfit, I walked over to the mirror to inspect my reflection.

I wore a casual blush-coloured blouse, accompanied by plain black leggings and a pair of black wedge boots.

Once I was happy with my outfit, I made my way out of my room, down the stairs and out the door, where my brother was patiently waiting for me.
"About time!" my brother said, while rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
"Well, at least, I'm done now".
My brother nodded and stood up from where he was seated, and started to walk.

"Come on".

"Coming!" I called out, and started to jog up to my brother.
"So, where are we meeting?" my brother said, checking the time on his watch.

" I'm not sure, but I'll ring".

I pulled out my phone and dialled Violet's number.
"Hey"

"Oh, hi, Brook!"

"I was wondering where we will meet"

"We can meet at Ma'am Anya's cafe shop, if you want to"

"Sure! But where is it?"

"Well, how about you meeting me at my house and we can go together?"

"Sure!"

"OK - see you there"

And, with that, I hung up the phone and told my brother about the change of plans.

We finally made it to Violet's house. I then reached my hand out and knocked three times on the red oakwood door.

After a couple of seconds, we heard the muffled sound of someone shout "Coming!" Not long after that, the sound of footsteps running came into ear shot. Not long after that, the door handle moved, causing the door to open and Violet to step out.
"OK, guys, are you ready?" Violet said, clasping her hands together and giving us a closed eye smile.
"Yeah, we're ready" my brother and I said in sync.

We walked out of Violet's front yard and onto the grey cobblestone path. It was a silent walk to the cafe. No one knew what to say. I was thinking of all the questions I should ask Violet, not sure on how much information she knew about the house.
"We're here",  Violet said, pointing to a small building at the end of the street.

The cafe had a trimming of linnet gold, the rest of the exterior of the building was black. There were two large bay windows, allowing you to see into the cafe. On the top of the shop was a sign saying "Ma'am Anya's cafe shop"  As we walked into the shop, we were met with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and cake. The interior of the cafe looked similar to a dolls house. It had elaborate trimming and bright colours, from the floral patterned seats to the pictures on the wall. Altogether, the cafe gave off a Victorian vibe.

"It's a lovely place", my brother said, with a look of contentment on his face.

"I agree", Violet replied, walking up to a vacant table, which had been previously cleaned by a waitress.

Violet, Alex and I sat down at the table and started to look at the menu. I decided to order a Mocha. Alex and Violet ordered a Latte.
"Hello, are you ready to order?" a woman said, while getting a note book and pen from her apron.

"Ah, yes, Alex and I would like a Latte and Brooklyn would like a Mocha, please". Violet Said to the waitress. The waitress finished taking down our order and then walked back into the kitchen.

"OK, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Violet asked me.
"W-well, we were wondering...do you know anything about the past in the house? Was there a girl in her 20s or 30s living there?"
Violet's face paled. All she did was nod.

"Where do I start?" Violet said, as the waitress came over with our drinks.

"Here you go! If there is anything else you would like, just call me over"

"OK, thanks" Alex said, before the waitress went to the next table.

Violet grabbed her Latte and started to blow on it, attempting to cool it down, before taking a sip. Once Violet took a sip, she placed the cup back on the saucer, and looked me in the eye.

"It was a while back, before I was born. The house, which you now live in, had been vacant for years; no one seemed to want to buy it.
Eventually a couple came round and bought the house, wanting to start a family."

"Do you know the woman's name?" I questioned Violet, but all she did was shake her head.

"No one talks about it. Whenever I bring it up, everyone changes the subject. I never investigated the mystery. If no one wants to talk about it, there must be a reason why. By what I'm about to tell you, I think I know why".
Violet took a break by taking a sip of her Latte, and then she continued.

"The woman was loved by all, and was very active in the community. Her husband was a bit more quiet, but he was a nice man. His wife worked at a pharmacy, and in her free time helped the elderly in the nursing home. She also used to be a volunteer at a youth hostel, but I'm not sure where.
One day she went to work. Once her shift was over, she went home. But the next day, her boyfriend 'soon to be husband', rang the police saying he woke up and she was nowhere to be seen. Her car was still at the house. The only evidence was that of a forced entry, the handle on the back door had been smashed in. Two days after her disappearance, they discovered a tattered, dull blue square neck shirt on the side of the road, which was similar to the one she was wearing the day she went missing. That was the only evidence found, no blood, no other pieces of clothes and no body. A year later, Molly moved in".

After Violet finished, she looked at me for a reaction.

"Where did you get this information?"

" It was the only thing the library had on the case."

"So, do you think Molly has anything to do with it?" I questioned her.

" I'm not sure, but she seems off.." Violet then trailed off, thinking on what to say next.

" I agree, something isn't right with her", my brother said, nodding his head in agreement.

"I caught her carrying one of her dead cats into a room. I never saw the cat since"

"Did you check the room?" Violet said, taking her final sip of her Latte.
"No, she locks it".
"She's hiding something", my brother said, while searching for his money so he'd be able to pay for the drinks. All I could do was nod in agreement.
"I wonder what her intentions are..."
~~~
We paid for our drink and excited the building, and made our way home.

Once we said our goodbyes to Violet, we started to walk back to our house. I felt as if someone was watching me. I began to feel uneasy.
"Do you feel like someone is watching us?" I whispered to my brother, ensuring no one was around.
"Yes, I feel it too".

We made out way back into the house, keeping an eye out for someone spying on us. As I turned to close the door, I saw a hunched figure standing at the end of the lawn. The figure noticed me staring and turned around and started to limp away.

Once the mystery person was down the road, and out of sight, I turned around and ran to my mother, knowing that my father wouldn't believe me.
"Mom!" I called out
"Yes?" My mother replied, placing down the earl grey tea and facing me.
"I saw someone at the end of our lawn and, while my brother and I were walking home, I felt like someone was watching us".

My mother got up out of her chair, causing the sound of wood scraping against the porcelain tiles.
"Look, Brook, your father told me that your night terrors had returned. Is this correct?"

All I did was nod my head.

"I think we should get Molly's friend who specialises in pavor nocturnus to check if you're OK.

I was infuriated!
"B-"
My mother never let me finish my sentence.
" YOU ARE GOING TO SEE HER, no matter what".
I just nodded. There was no point in getting into an argument with her, so I went to my bedroom.

As I opened my bedroom door, I saw Molly rummaging through my stuff.
"What are you doing?"
The sound of my voice made Molly jump.
"Oh..I was just putting away some stuff"
"Oh, OK, I said, not completely believing her.
"Well, I must be going"..
As Molly walked out of my room, I caught a glimpse off one of my necklaces.
"Molly?"
I shouted out to Molly, stopping her in her tracks.
"Yes?"
"Is that one of my necklaces?"

Molly took a second to answer. When she did, she everted her gaze, so she wasn't looking at me.
"The link has given away and I was going to fix it" Molly said while empathising the t in it
"O-oh, thanks"
"No problem" Molly then turned around with a brutish look in her eyes. She proceeded to limp her way back into her bedroom, slamming the door with great ferocity, causing a picture to fall on the ground and shatter. Not wanting to be alone in the hall, I walked back to my room.

Once I opened my bedroom door, I walked over to my bed and sat on it, swinging my legs backwards and forwards, waiting for dinner to be prepared.
~~~
It's nearly time...
She won't last any longer, once I'm done with her.

End of chapter 11