TITLE: THE PORTRAIT

SETTING: IN A HAUNTED HOUSE LEFT ABANDONED A DECADE AGO

Beta stared up at the gaudy looking place and sighed heavily. She'd walked past it now for the past three months and could not understand why she always had this sudden urge to go inside. She was not brave by any means and saw this as a force tryig to scare the living daylights out of her. Still, she couldn't help but feel that she should walk inside and look around. Just then Storm runs by her and stops suddenly. he looks at her and grins a mischievious one. He was a trouble maker and always had been since they were kids in the first grade, now they were sophmores in high school, yet he still acted the same.
Storm turns to me and with now seems to be a smirk on his face he says, "I dare ya to go in!"
"You must be kidding yourself if you think I'm going in there." Besides I have to get home and help my mother out and then I have to go and help Mrs. Brass out in her art studio. She's going to show me how she starts her paintings."
"That's awesome, but I think it' just an excuse for you not to go in." Storm snorted out. "You're afraid of what you might find in there aren't you?"
"A little bit." I say with an uneasiness washing over me. We both turn back to the house which stands against the sky; tall and looming. I shudder and feel the air around us grow colder then as I look up at the window I see a pair of eyes stare back out at me. I cover my mouth stifling a scream then I turn back to the window to see if what I'd seen seconds before was actually still there; if they were truly real
I stare back at the window to realize that they were indeed real and I then I wondered if Storm saw them as well. I closed my eyes and rubbed them for a few seconds and when I opened them I saw that I was standing in the entrance hallway of the house. I was scared completely out of mind trying to figure out how I'd ended up in the house without exactly using my feet. I also realized that Storm was no longer beside me. I called his name several times but no answer from him, instead there was a boy how was pale as a ghost with dark circles around his eyes. He looked as if he'd been dead forever. Then he spoke in an eerie voice.
"Will you play with me big sis? Can you come and play with me now?"
"Uhm, I'm not so sure how to tell you this, but I'm not your sister." I said stammering a bit. my teeth were rattling and I could feel it in my head. Still he looked at me as though I was his older sister which couldn't be since I had no brothers; just one very annoying younger sister.
"Play with me. You promised me that you would and I really want to play with you today."
"Listen I don't know who you are but I'm not your older sister."
suddenly he stuck out his boney finger and pointed to a painting on the wall. I turned my head to face the wooden wall located beside the staircase where the boy was standing, and there on the wall was a portrait of two smiling children full of life.
Then it hit me hard. Suddenly the room began to spin violently and I realized that something wasn't right. I could I have gone on and left him behind. Tears welded up in my eyes and I began to cry. They fell to the ground; big droplets that made me feel again.
"I'm terribly sorry little brother. I didn't mean to leave you behind all alone." I cried in agony. "I just wanted a break from being the oldest I was tired of having to take care of you all the time."
"Well now you can play with me today can't you? You can play with me forever." He said in his eerie voice.
As I stood there shaking and crying I looked up at him and ask him--"How can I make things better; how can I make it all up to you little brother?"
"Touch the picture of you and me. Find me there find my spirit and then we can be reunited once again." He smiled at me a rather menacing smile, but I didn't comprehend his smile I just wanted to make it right.
I went to the wall and touch the portrait. Suddenly Storm fell into the house on his side staring up at me shaking his head violently. He was pleading with me not to touch the portrait.
"Don't do it Beta It's a Trap!!! This little brat has been trapped in this house for over a decade. His sister fell asleep and he was in the kitchen playing with matches. He lit the house on fire and his sister left him inside to burn to death. She'd forgotten he was left in her care." He yelled out in what seem to be one long breath.
"I know, I sobbed, "I'm the sister who left him behind. This was all my fault."
"It's not your fault you don't have any brothers!!!" Storm screamed.
"Tell me how you know of this story." How do you know about this house?" I asked still tempted to touch the pitcure.
"I know because I'm HIS younger brother. Our oldest sister left him inside. Our mom and dad had to take me to the hospital. You look just like my Oldest sister Mary who is now in an asylum. she went crazy after realizing that she was responsible for it. I didn't really want you to go inside this house. Now we have to go!!"
"I took my hand down from the portrait and just stared at it. It was unreal how much Storm's older sister and I looked alike. I turned and walked to the door. Taylor just stood on the stairs staring at me in anger. It seemed he couldn't go beyond the stairs. There is where he must have taken his final breath and passed away. Storm and I left the house straight away and I left behind that feeling of wanting to enter that creepy house behind. This was a secret that must have been terribly hard for Storm, but he saved me and I am now happy.
*Buzzer*
*Door opens*
Voice of nurse: "Okay Tera are you ready for your medication?"
"My name isn't Tera it's Beta... It's Beta..."
THE END