Chapter 10 Nelli Part 2

• We continue the rest of the tour until we come to the stairs. “Upstairs, is Nelli’s part of the house. She has her own library, a playroom, a gaming room, an indoor pool, and anything else she needs up here. You will notice that she doesn’t ever come downstairs. It’s just best that way. Now let’s go meet her. I do ask one thing. Don’t ever directly look into her eyes. It tends to upset her. She also might be quite sleepy because it is getting close to her bedtime.” “Ok. Sure.” I give him this not so happy smile as I am not sure after all this that suddenly I want to meet her. Something is quite off about all of this. By now the hairs are pricking the back of my neck so hard that I could swear I was shocked with an electrical current. Suddenly I see a flash run down the stairs and to the front door. I look at Mr. Stillson shockingly as he falls backwards and topples a couple steps downward. “What the.” I stop in mid-sentence as I watch a very young girl run back up the stairs with a strange looking doll in her arms. I carefully do not look into her eyes but make the mistake of acknowledging her before she takes my hand and tries to pull me up the staircase. I hear a loud boom come from behind me as I see Mr. Stillson yell out after he stomps his foot on the ground in protest. “Nelli, back upstairs right now!” Startled, Nelli immediately runs up the stairs after releasing my hand and straight through the doors. “I am so sorry about that! I don’t know what happened. She is never allowed down here. I am going to have to make sure her doors are locked before the guests arrive. OOnce again, I am sorry. I didn’t want your first contact with her to be so shocking.” “Well, it did throw me for a loop.” “Just make yourself comfortable. I am going to go make sure she is secured and that everything is taken care of before too long. All I really need you for tonight is to stay upstairs with her while the guests are here and then after to make sure she is indeed asleep for the night. We will take care of everything else tomorrow.” I make my way back downstairs to find Ms. Stillson rushing back and forth with a very concerned look on her face. She is screaming something about an item is missing and if she doesn’t find it before the guests get there then there will be hell to pay. I find a vacant couch and sit down out of the way, hoping Mr. Stillson will come back soon. When he doesn’t, the hairs on the back of my neck stand erect. My fingers start to fidget with the velvet upholstery next to me as I sit back and wait. I find myself counting the red tiles on the floor underneath my feet and then I look up to see Mr. and Mrs. Stillson hurriedly go in the next room and start to raise their voices. I don’t have to strain to listen in on the argument that they so passionately are in the midst of. Mrs. Stillson is screaming at Mr. Stillson and telling him that Nelli is ruining everything like she always does and why should she have to cancel the party. His voice raises over hers and then suddenly grows quiet, then I hear a little girls giggle upstairs.