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I check the hall bathroom next and again find nothing. I curse under my breath when I open Aislin’s mom’s old bedroom door, and it squeaks. I need to remember to oil the hinges tomorrow. This room is also bare and smells heavily of fresh paint. Both this room and the attached bathroom are empty, along with the spare room beside it.
My steps slow when I come to Aislin’s room. Betsy comes to stand at my side, and I look down at her before looking at the closed door. I stare at it for what feels like an hour. My palms sweat as I reach out and set it on the cool knob. Gritting my teeth and blowing out a deep breath, I turn it and push the door open slowly. I wait for several seconds before letting the light from the flashlight run across the room. I don’t walk inside; instead, I inspect the area from the doorway. I swear I smell her and hear her laughter inside the room. It sends a shiver down my spine, and the same heavy ache weighs on my chest. I don’t let the light linger on any one thing too long, afraid of what it’ll reveal.
I’m a pussy when it comes to this room. I know it. I accept it. And it makes me even more of a coward because I don’t do anything to change it.
After finding nothing out of the ordinary, I close the door, and this one doesn’t make a sound. I rest my head against the wood for a moment until my heart is beating normally again. Betsy nudges her cool nose against my hand, reminding me that she’s there.
“Hey, girl,” I whisper, and she looks up at me. Her eyes look sad as if she knows what I’m going through and wants to help.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
She whimpers once but follows behind me. Obviously, whatever spooked her was a wild animal outside, after all. Aislin’s room was the last room in the house, and no living person was inside; only the ghosts of the past.
