Tania gasped in shock and the glass of water fell from her hands.
Due to the silence of the night, the sound of the glass as it hit the ground and shattered rang through the house causing Ethan to spring up from the bed in shock.
He rushed towards where he had heard the sound and saw Tania standing by the window and looking dazed.
“Tania! Baby, what’s wrong?” Ethan asked sounding concerned.
Tania was speechless and she kept pointing at the window.
“The window?” He asked confused. “Is there something at the window?” He asked again.
Tania still could not say anything as she continued pointing to the window.
Ethan looked at her perplexed and he went to check the window.
He raised the blind up and led around but all he was met with was a dark eerie silence.
He closed the window blind and he felt a chill run up his spine.
“Tania, did you see something?” He asked as he walked up to her and held her.
“Y… e.. ee. sss. sss.” Tania stammered.
“What was it, what did you see?” Ethan asked her as he continued to hold her shoulders.
“No what, who?” Tania corrected.
“Who? It was someone you saw?” Ethan asked again.
“Yes, it was a person,” Tania affirmed.
“And who was this person that you saw?” Ethan asked.
Tania’s lips quivered as she remembered the face she had seen.
It was too shocking and Tania was scared about how Ethan would react if he found out that Ella was still alive.
She knew just how much Ethan loved Ella. It was only Ella’s death that could make Ethan to even look at her and it was also because she preyed on his weakness and grief at that point that she was able to get him to succumb to her advances.
Now it seemed as though Ella was back. Or was it her ghost she saw?
Tania was beyond confused. She was distraught and scared.
Many thoughts ran through her mind. If truly it was discovered that Ella was alive, would she still be able to continue to hold on to Ethan or would he throw away all their years together?
“Tania, you are not saying anything! Who did you see?” Ethan asked again.
“I saw… it … was…, it was..” Tania continued to stammer.
“It was who? Who did you see?” Ethan asked confused.
Tania began to ask herself if it was wise to tell Ethan the truth that it was Ella she saw. She was still contemplating her next line of action when they both heard a sound coming from their daughter’s room.
They looked at each other in surprise and quickly ran to their daughter’s room.
“Grace! Grace! Are you okay?” Tania screamed immediately when she entered her daughter’s room.
Little Grace wiped her eyes still feeling sleepy.
“Mom, Dad? What’s going on? Why are you in my room?” She asked them with her eyes still full of sleep.
Tania sat on the be held her and drew her into a tight embrace. She continued rubbing her head and kissing her forehead.
Ethan also sat on the bed and started rubbing Grace on her back.
Grace was perplexed by their actions as she could not understand why her parents would leave their room and come into her room in the dead of the night to rub her back.
“Mom, Mom, you are suffocating me!” She whined as she disengaged herself from her mother’s firm clasps.
“I’m sorry baby, I was so worried,” Tania said.
“Why were you worried Mom? Did something happen?” Grace asked.
Ethan and Tania exchanged looks. They did not know whether they should tell Grace what they suspected.
Though Grace was just six years old, she was very sharp and smart. She was one of the brightest in her class and her teachers even nicknamed her ‘the ringleader’ because of her ability to lead and make people do what she wanted them to do.
But even with all these characteristics, Ethan and Tania did not think it was wise to tell Grace.
“Mom, Dad, you are not saying anything.” Grace gently reminded them.
Ethan and Tania groaned inwardly because they knew who Grace was and that she would not rest nor allow them to rest until she got them to tell her what was happening.
“Baby, did you see or hear anything strange?” Ethan asked her.
“Strange as in what?” Grace asked her father.
“Something strange, or like someone strange entering your room?” Ethan inquired from her.
Grave thought for a few seconds before nodding her head in the negative.
“No Dad, I didn’t see anyone because I was fast asleep,” Grace answered.
Ethan and Tania exchanged looks again. They were sure that they heard sounds coming from Grace’s roGrace’st they could understand her not seeing anyone because as smart as Grace is, she was one hell of a deep sleeper.
“Alright baby, if you say so, we thought we heard a noise coming from your room and so we decided to come check it out,” Tania explained.
“Oh, that, I guess it must be coming from outside, my window is not locked,” Grace stated simply as she pointed towards her window.
It was when she made mention of it that Ethan and Tania saw that her window was not locked.
They looked at each other and immediately sprang up to their feet. Their thoughts were going in the same direction.
What if the person had come through the window?
Tania began to shiver in fear. Was her nemesis about to catch up with her? Tania knew she would not be able to forgive herself if anything bad happened to her daughter because of her past deeds.
“Grace dear, but I locked your room window this night before I left your room after tucking you in bed.” Tania reminded Grace.
“I know Mommy but my room window has been bad for some time now, it would close at first, but then after a while, it would open a little bit,” Grace explained.
Tania felt a shiver run down her spine.
***