He wakes up from what he believes to be another nightmare. It is morning, and there are sounds of laughter coming from downstairs.
“Brad! Breakfast is ready!” Nakia calls out to him.
Rolling out of bed, he looks out into the hallway, making sure he is alone. He then walks into the bathroom to prepare for the day. As he stares at his reflection in the mirror, the woman’s image from his dream appears and then vanishes. Brad spins around, but no one is there. Strange. For a moment, he had a weird feeling that he wasn’t alone.
****
After breakfast, Brad drops the girls off at school. He pulls in front of the school behind a blue Sonata. The driver of the vehicle is having a hard time getting her son out of the car.
“Must be a new student. I remember when Shawna didn’t want to get out of the car on her first day,” he tells the girls while leaning out the window to see if he recognizes the woman.
The girls are engaged in conversation, neither acknowledging his statement. As they exit the car, Shawna stops to look over at the cars in the teachers’ parking lot. She watches as one of them is towed away. After putting their backpacks inside their locker and grabbing what they need, the girls walk into the classroom to find a new teacher standing in front.
Shawna thinks to herself, “That must have been Ms. Carol’s car.”
The teacher introduces herself and asks everyone to take their seats. As Shawna looks out the window, a glimpse of Beth appears, and the two smile at each other.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Brad tells his co-worker he is not feeling well and will finish working from home. Once he walks through the door, he drops his keys on the counter. Moments later, his cell rings. It is his wife.
“Did you get the girls to school on time?” Nakia asks.
“Yeah. I came back to the house, though. I’m going to finish some paperwork, but first, I’m taking a nap. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
Concerned, Nakia asks, “Are you okay?”
He takes a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “I’m fine. Just had some weird dreams.”
Nakia hands a document to her secretary to make copies. “Well, get some rest, and I’ll see you tonight.”
He glances at a text on his phone. “Yeah. Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”
Hanging up, he reads the text again and then deletes it. He places another call, and a woman answers.
“Is your family gone?” the woman inquires.
He smiles. “Yes, I’m all alone.”
“Do you want some company?” she says in a seductive voice, making his manhood rise.
“You know I do.”
“Get ready for me. I’m on my way,” she says before hanging up.
****
Brad wakes up from his romp in the hay with his mystery lady. He looks at his phone and sees he has overslept. His phone reads five o’clock.
“I slept the whole day. I can’t believe this.”
He dials his wife’s number, but the call goes to Nakia’s voicemail.
“Hello, you have reached Nakia Winters. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message after the tone, and I’ll return your call at my earliest convenience.”
He shakes his head. “Babe, I am so sorry. I overslept and missed picking up the girls from school. I promise I’ll make it up to you––”
Brad stops leaving his message when he hears laughter coming from upstairs. Walking slowly up the stairs, he can tell it’s coming from one of the girls’ rooms. He approaches Shawna’s door, where he can hear the music box playing. As he slowly opens the door, the music continues to play. The box is open on the floor.
“What the––?”
He turns it over and back again. He then stares into the mirror, seeing the beautiful woman from his dream again. He turns around as she starts walking toward him. He wants to scream but can’t because she kisses him. He can’t resist. It is like he is in a trance. Her black eyes hold him frozen in place as blood runs from both of their mouths. When Beth pulls away, he can hear her whispering his name.
Nakia walks into her daughter’s bedroom to see what the girls are staring at. Her husband is standing there in a daze.
“Brad.”
He doesn’t answer.
“Brad!” she yells.
Finally, he snaps back to reality. “Did you see her?”
Nakia looks confused. “See who?”
“The woman dressed in white. She was standing right there.” He points beside himself.
“Honey, you are scaring the girls.”
“Not me, Momma,” Shawna says.
Nakia turns to them. “Why don’t you girls go downstairs and help by putting the groceries away?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they reply in unison.
But, first, Shawna goes over and picks up the music box by his feet. She looks up at him and gives him a sinister smile.
The girls then go downstairs, leaving Brad and Nakia to discuss what just happened. The conversation becomes muffled as the girls take one step at a time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Everyone is sitting at the dining room table. Nakia walks in from the kitchen, placing a large bowl of spaghetti and a platter of garlic bread in the middle of the table. Brad watches her sit
