Lorraine wakes up to a thumping noise on the door. Or is that on her window? She can't tell. Glancing at the alarm clock on her nightstand, it reads 3:15 AM. Who is possibly awake around this time? Thinking that it's probably the sound of the mouse that has been invading their house in the past week, Lorraine rolls on her back and pulls her cover higher. She makes a mental note that she's going to call pest control tomorrow as she closes her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lorraine's eyes shoot open. This can't be a sound a mouse makes. Is it Aubrey? She tosses her blanket aside before propping herself up. For some reason, her eyes roam over her surroundings to make sure there is nothing strange in sight. The moonlight shimmers through her window, illuminating the floral brown wallpaper in her spacious bedroom. While sliding her feet into a pair of slippers, Lorraine glances to her door with anticipation before pushing herself to walk across her room.

Once she opens the door, the dark and empty hallway on the second floor comes into view. The stillness is so thick that what Lorraine hears now is only her own breathing. She tiptoes towards Aubrey's room, not wanting to wake up the sleeping girl -if she's asleep. Leaning in, she carefully presses her ear to the door but she catches nothing. There is also no sign of light from the gap under Aubrey's door. She must be asleep.

If it wasn't the mouse or Aubrey, where did the noise come from?

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Lorraine jumps as the sound is louder this time, brutally piercing the morning stillness. There is no doubt the thumping is coming from downstairs. Is there someone at the door? Who would that be? Since her family house is located between the pine forest and a large farm field, people wouldn't be that stupid going through all the trouble to get here at 3 A.M. for whatever reason. Or maybe this is the stupid kind? Lorraine now regrets not keeping her family rifle loaded.

With heartbeats pounding against her chest, Lorraine trudges down the stairs. Her hand clutches along the stair railing while her eyes sweep over the hallway on the ground floor, anticipating any kind of movement.

It's when she hears a screeching sound coming from the main room, making Lorraine freeze on her spot. Is there someone in the room? Is it Aubrey? Ignoring her growing uneasiness, she sidles to the source of the noise.

There is no one in the living room, but the television is on, revealing the static screen glaring in the darkness. Did Aubrey leave it on? Has it been like this all night? Sighing at the thought of an unnecessary electricity bill, Lorraine strides to the table and picks the remote control before turning off the TV. She needs to remind Aubrey to be more aware of their financial situation.

Still curious about the thudding sound, Lorraine walks over to the window and peeks through the gap of the curtains. She sees nothing except for an empty and dark front porch. If there is no one there, who made the noise then? Was it a wandering goat from the other farm again? Or maybe the boar from the forest? Her father once told her about an injured boar making a commotion in the backyard when she was still an infant. Thinking of the possibility, she makes a beeline to the kitchen and skims through the window, but the backyard is as empty as the front yard.

Lorraine stands in the middle of the hallway, waiting for the next thumping sound to strike. She needs to make sure it's not coming from inside the house, otherwise, she will need to call the local sheriff. Every second is torture as her anxiousness escalates. It feels like she's being watched but she fights the urge to run back upstairs. She has God on her side. There is nothing to fear.

A sudden hissing sound fills the air one more time, prompting Lorraine to leap in fright. Not believing her ears, she jogs to the living room. To her horror, the TV screen is on again, displaying the random black and white dots.

She quickly snatches the remote control from the table and presses its red button. Something is definitely wrong. Goosebumps prickles across her arms and neck as the incident reminds her of all those strange things that happened eighteen years ago. This is just too familiar. Without thinking twice, she jumps to the TV stands and unplugs the cable before dashing back to her room.

No, this can't be it. Not again.

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Lorraine can't sleep for the rest of the morning. With a bible pressed to her chest, her eyes remain open while her mind wanders. After an hour of contemplation, she lets out a deep breath, interlaces her fingers, and closes her eyes. It's time to let the peacefulness of the Holy Spirit take over her mind. God will never give her more than she can handle.

"Dear Lord, I pray for Your protection as I begin this day. You are my hiding place, and under Your wings, I can always find refuge. Protect me and Aubrey from trouble wherever we go, and keep evil far from us. Amen."

When the clock strikes six, Lorraine gets up and prepares herself for the Sunday mass. She's planning to see Pastor Marlon after the service to consult about the strange occurrence from a few hours ago. Besides God, he's the only person she can confide in since he's also the man who helped her and Claire through those dark moments.

Oddly enough, Aubrey's bedroom is still shut when Lorraine is done getting dressed. This is unusual because Aubrey is always up early on Sundays. Softly, she knocks on Aubrey's door.

"Aubrey, are you awake yet? It's time for Sunday mass," Lorraine calls. "You need to hurry up if you're not dressed yet." When she hears nothing from the other side, she knocks again. "Aubrey?"

Nothing.

Despite their agreement on not entering each other's room without consent, Lorraine still believes that she should still be able to do it for a possible emergency reason. Like now. After the weird occurrence a few hours ago and Aubrey not responding to her, Lorraine can't think of a better idea than pushing the door open.

In the next second, Aubrey's dark bedroom comes into view. Sunlight streams lazily through the gap between the window shutters that don't close properly. Aubrey is lying under her cover on her bed; her heavy breathing is evidence that she's still in deep sleep. Judging from the books that are scattered over the floor next to her bed, she must have stayed up late studying.

She needs to wake up nonetheless. The Sunday mass is important. After missing it last week, Aubrey should attend the service today because distancing herself from the church is a bad sign. Lorraine can't afford the same mistake she did with Claire; if only Aubrey knew. But Lorraine promised Claire that the story will be buried so deep that no one will ever hear it again, including her own daughter.

Lorraine strides to the window and pushes it open, letting the warm sun sneak in and wake up the sleeping girl. Turning around, she sweeps her surroundings with her eyes. The room doesn't look like a little girl's chamber anymore. The pink wall has now turned to deep teal color and the posters of those fairy tale characters are no longer there. After Aubrey turned thirteen, Lorraine gave her more privacy and liberty to do whatever she liked with her space.

Shivering from the sudden coldness that pricking her skin, Lorraine rubs her palms over her arms as she steps closer to the bed. It's when the sight of a familiar object on Aubrey's desk stops her from walking farther. Slowly, she averts her eyes to the old wooden jewelry box that makes her blood run cold.

Is that...? How did it end up here on Aubrey's desk? No, this is impossible. It can't be the same box.

With a shaky hand, Lorraine reaches out to touch the box. She needs to see if it's real. She has to know what is sitting inside; if the mirror is there. The forgotten memories are beginning to come to the surface, sending the twist in Lorraine's gut.

"What are you doing here, Lorraine?" Aubrey croaks, causing Lorraine to shriek.

"Aubrey." Lorraine put her hand over her chest, calming her thumping heart. "I've been trying to wake you up, but you didn't hear me."

Aubrey brings her hands to cover her eyes. "Can you close the shutters? The light is too bright. My head hurts."

"Are you not feeling well?" Lorraine hurries to close the window. "It must be the flu."

"Maybe. I'm just so tired right now. I'm going to rest today. Can't miss the exam tomorrow."

Lorraine weighs the situation before she finally sighs. "That sounds like a reasonable choice. Do you think you will be alright if I'm back in two or three hours?"

"Yes. I will be asleep anyway. Please, convey my apology to Pastor Marlon for skipping Sunday mass today."

"Alright." Lorraine nods as she turns on her heels and heads to the door. Something about this room gives her the urge to flee. Before she closes the door, she decides to ask the question that is now burning into her head. "Aubrey, how did you find that jewelry box?"

"Huh?"

"The one you keep on your desk. The wooden box."

"Oh. Found it in my mom's box in the attic a couple of months ago. I thought I would keep this one. It's special."

"How so?"

After a dreadful pause, Aubrey says, "It spoke to me. And they said you would love to have it back, too."

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