Ch 2 - Don't Say the j Word

“What? What happened?” Panicked Nada ran into the lounge, the scream ringing in her ears.

“What?” Her mom from the sofa sandwiched in between her two nieces.
“What, what? Can’t you hear that?” Nada threw her hand up in the air.
The air was silent, the scream now just a faded memory. Four puzzled faces stared back at her.
“Someone screamed. Out there, in the hallway. Who was it?”
“What are you talking about? We were all here watching TV. You must have heard the TV sweetie.” Her aunt rolled her eyes.
Anger coursed through Nada, how dare she roll her eyes at me? “No, it wasn’t the TV, it sounded real, like one of you. Like you saw a spider or something.” She struggled to keep her voice level.
“We were all here, Nada. Maybe you just heard someone out in the street.” Her cousin Momi spoke from spot of the sofa.
Nada knew it wasn’t anyone out on the street, it was right there in the hallway, which direction Nada wasn’t sure of, but she was certain that it she wasn’t imagining it.***The next few days passed by uneventful, until one Thursday when Nada was standing at the front door energetically waving goodbye to her mum’s family as they headed back to Pakistan. This day couldn’t have come soon enough, Nada couldn’t wait to strip the bedsheets from her bed and dive in. Two weeks of sleeping on the floor was two weeks too many in her book.
As the car drove away Nada slammed the door shut and revelled in the silence, no TV blaring and no sounds from the kitchen. She had the whole house to herself. Taking the steps two at a time, she ran to her bedroom and let out a gasp of horror, the room looked as though a tornado had been through it. Tissues, wrappers and carrier bags lined the floor, the cupboard was left open, the bed was unmade and towels hung from every hook and corner. Stomping over to her bed, she stripped it and began work clearing the room. An hour later, Nada surveying her surroundings, wiping the sweat from her forehead she threw open the cupboard in search of her favorite pale pink top. Wait a minute, what’s missing from this picture? Nada scrunched her brow in concentration, her cupboard seemed emptier, she searched for her top but couldn’t find it, next she ruffled around for her favorite pair of jeans, that too was missing. Did my cousins steal my stuff? She closed the door and sat back thinking hard. Yes, she remembered all her clothes, freshly washed as she put them on the top shelf just a couple of days ago. They should be in her cupboard but they weren’t there now. They had to have been stolen, but why? My clothes would be too big for the girls, so why would they take them? Nada vowed to take it up with her mother when she returned home. Taking out her cotton underwear she placed them on the immaculately made bed and headed into the bathroom for a well-deserved shower.
Twenty minutes later, Nada rinsed off and reached behind the blue shower curtain for the towel that was hanging on the rail. As her arm extended outwards a smooth cold metallic surface brushed against her, yanking her arm back the curtain re-arranged itself so that it was touching the wall once more. Nada stared at it, she didn’t think any such surface was out there, dangling in mid-air like that, she had lived in this house long enough to know that her hand should have touched the towel, not some foreign object.
The knowledge made her heart beat harder, faster. Her breath came in short ragged gasps, clutching her arm she stood frozen, too scared to move. The next few seconds ticked by in slow motion, she squinted at the curtain as if she could see through it, what was that? Was that a shadow? Her mind must be playing tricks on her, maybe she was too wound up by her recent visitors. Blinking twice she drew in a deep breath of moist air, she couldn’t stay in the bath tub all day. With no other option Nada whipped the curtain away, the room was filled with fog, thick and heavy. Grabbing the towel Nada rushed out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom.
She stood shivering on her carpet, the towel still gripped in her hand, trying to control her breathing. Just what was happening to her? She shook her head, it seemed silly now, feeling something that wasn’t really there, hearing voices that weren’t really there. Deciding to get dressed she walked over to the bed and stared at the covers. Where the hell has my underwear gone?She looked on the floor and even under the bed, she was sure she had left it on the covers, hadn’t she? Towelling herself off she walked around the tidy room, if they were here, then she would have seen them. Nada wasn’t stupid, something was going on, all of this couldn’t be her imagination could it? Dropping the towel she spun on her heel and let out a scream, draped over her lamp, knickers first, then her bra was the underwear she was looking for.

Now she was certain, if she hadn’t put them there, who the hell had?