They'd continued on to Mrs Graham's home, Sienna reverting back to her new sunny, smiley disposition, almost as though nothing had happened. The young girl dropped her backpack onto a dining chair as her elderly companion put the package of sandwiches onto the table. The two of them looked at each other for a moment before a slow smile enveloped Sienna's face, "soooo you wanna go play in the basement?" Mrs Graham replied with a small huff of amusement. "I guess we can rearrange a few boxes. If you're sure you're alright..." Sienna just tossed her ponytail back and walked over to the door under the stairs. "Let's do this."

At Mrs Graham's bidding, Sienna put one of the old lady's gardening shirts over her own clothes for protection from the inevitable dust cloud. Finally, armed with brooms and dust cloths, the duo headed down the stairs to the cluttered space below. They stood in the centre of the room and, by the unsteady light of a bare incandescent globe, the two of them took in the piles of boxes that were slowly collapsing in on themselves. Planting her feet in a confidant stance, Sienna put her hands on her hips and looked back over her shoulder at Mrs Graham, "Right then, where do we start?"

They worked for a solid three hours, rearranging and repacking boxes, bagging up items that were destined for re-homing, and chasing dust and spiders from the forgotten corners where they'd built up for innumerable years. As the pile of trash bags grew, a sense of order started to become evident in the stacks of boxes. Some of the lower boxes had sat undisturbed for decades. Inside were mementos and paraphernalia of an entire life. Each layer a time capsule of an earlier era, slowly taking them further back in time as Mrs Graham shared her memories and gossiped about long forgotten events with her inquisitive friend.

It was after 3pm when a loud gurgle reminded Mrs Graham that she had not eaten since breakfast. Sienna seemed oblivious to the passage of time, though a sheen of sweat was obvious beneath the layer of grime that coated them both. "Sienna Dear, are you hungry? I think it's time we stop for a bit. Maybe have a glass of water?"

Surprised, Sienna turned with a small box in her hands, "Stop? But we're almost finished." She shifted her feet slightly, obviously eager to continue.

"We've made a lot of progress Love, but there's still a couple of hours of work..." Seeing the light of Sienna's eagerness fade, Mrs Graham made a decision. "I'll tell you what, I'll go and heat some soup to go with those sandwiches, and you can keep going til I call you. Would that be alright? Will you be okay down here by yourself?" Sienna's teeth flashed white as she smiled in reply, "Of course. I'm just happy I can help."

Mrs Graham walked up the stairs as Sienna settled back to her task, moving the last of the smaller boxes to the stack waiting to be sorted. Picking up a small black box, Sienna turned to the stack. As she moved forward the weight within the carton shifted. Trying to juggle her awkward burden, Sienna almost missed the flash of movement. Using her knee she adjusted her grip while surreptitiously watches the corner of the room. The single bulb lighting the room didn't reach the deep cavity where the water heater was installed. It was there that, from her peripheral, Sienna could see it. An irregular shadow making small jerky movements.

Sienna was frozen in place. The temperature of the entire basement seemed to drop dramatically as fear sent an icy trickle down her spine. She could feel her breaths shorten as her chest constricted. She felt herself shrink as she shied away, withdrawing into herself so as not to be overwhelmed with panic.

It was this action and a strong wave of deja vu that snapped her out of the terror induced reaction.

She was no longer the little girl, hiding under the covers with her eyes scrunched tight. She was not the girl who slept in her parents bed to avoid the chattering noises that came from beneath her own. She most definitely wasn't the girl who ran through the dark with tears trickling down her cheeks.

She was not going to let herself be victimised any more. She was the girl who took on the darkness and won. She was in charge now, and it was time 'they' knew it.

She seemed almost to uncoil, her back straightening, her shoulders squared, and her chin lifted in defiance. Her eyes narrowed as she faced the dark corner. "No fear, just anger."

She said the words quietly, but they rang out in the still room. The almost imperceptible movement stopped as Sienna glared into the darkness. She moved closer, just a couple of steps, still she would swear that the shadow pulled away, recoiling from her angry approach.

"Sienna Dear. Lunch is ready."

Mrs Graham's voice seemed like a physical force, breaking the tension and interrupting Sienna's focus. She glanced briefly at the stairs before turning back to the water heater. She sneered as she addressed the empty room. "I'll be back soon. You might not wanna be here." The shadow seemed to waver, then solidify again, stretching as though it was attempting to reach out. The sneer was still on the girls face as she literally snarled at the dark entity. Once again it shrank back into the corner. "That's what I thought." Smugness emanated from her self satisfied smirk, "Like I said..."

"Sienna?"

"Coming." She put the box she was still holding on top of the stack. As she reached the base of the stairs she turned once more. She looked into the darkness once more and, with one brow raised, stated in a bland voice, "Soon."

She fixed her smile back in place - an easy feat as she remembered the little quiver of fear she had seen ripple through the darkness - then, with a spring in her step, she started up the stairs.

Her happy chatter vibrated through the air. Her bright laughter and undeterred ease acted to further confuse the unseen being, causing it to feel an emotion it had only previously elicited in others.

Fear.

Something wasn't right. Nothing had ever reacted the way this girl had. Her demeanour? The hard glint in her eye? The derisive way she spoke too it? What ever it was, it was wrong.

The entity huddled further into the corner. Yes,she was scary, but worse,

she was coming back!