The next morning, the girl woke up, her eyelids feeling heavy. Ten o'clock sharp, she observed. Marilou inspected her reflection in the mirror, exhausted. Black circles surrounded her eyes, as her long black hair was messy, falling down her shoulders in weird ways. With a heart breaking sigh, the insomniac grabbed her hairbrush, beginning to untie the knots.

She surely looked depressive; she was as well conscious of it. Marilou spent the night worrying at how secure she truly was in the mansion. Tying her hair in a bun, she stepped to the kitchen, grumbling.

Her parents along with her brother Isaac were playing a game called Dixit, as she could hear chuckles echoing in the corridor. Marilou ignored them, passing by the fridge. Everyone shifted to the younger member, who shrugged her shoulders, indifferent.

- You look like you had seen a ghost...Everything's going well, Loulou? Shannon commented, without looking away from her cards

The concerned one raised her left eyebrow in annoyance, opening the fridge as she glance at her mother. Was it really that obvious that she looked like she did?

- Yes, I didn't sleep much, that's all. The girl retorted, preparing herself a cereal bowl

Her twin brother looked up as he heard the noice of the milk in the bowl, then he smiled widely. His gaze dropped to his sister, and, for once, he looked to be interested about her.

- Milk or cereals, cereals or milk? The boy demanded, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes as he watched Marilou with interest.

The young girl arched her brow higher at her brother's questionable request, before sitting next to him at the dining room, feeling his intent gaze at her. As well as her parents'. I wonder what's so important about it, she thought, caught off guard. Marilou looked at her brother before responding:

- Cereals. That way I can make sure I have the right milk quantity afterwards. She affirmed, sliding her spoon as she began tasting her cereals.

Nobody dared to speak in the dining room. Her parents stared at her critically, and her brother looked in full reflexion. Nervous, Marilou pretended not to notice anything and kept on eating. Brutally, Isaac stood up from his chair and started dancing weirdly. Raising his right hand to his forehead to make the letter L, Isaac smiled as he looked happy.

Marilou wanted to die of shame. She glanced at her parents, who looked just as annoyed as she was, yet desperate.

- Yay! I won the gamble! The older twin exclaimed as he sat back down.

Silence reigned again. Philippe cleared his throat loudly, before getting back to the reading of his local newsletter journal. Shannon stared at her nails and pretended to be passionated by them. Isaac kept on smiling, yet he didn't look embarassed at all. Gosh, thought Marilou.

- Anyways, Marilou, why did I hear you yell yesterday evening or night? Don't try and make me think it was only in my head; we all ehard that. Commented Isaac

- Yeah, I don't know how you could be afraid of anything here. The house protects us, and we're safe here. I know well it looks like a haunted house, but you watch too much horror movies. Shannon commented, agreeing

- I thought that you were more mature than that, Marilou. You're not supposed to be scared of that at your age! Philippe spoke for the first time of the evening

Marilou felt her cheeks heat, and so she froze. The teenager wouldn't dare admit what she thought she saw yesterday. They would consider her as a crazy girl, a kid seeking attention. Nervous, she bit her lip and took a deep breath before speaking:

- My throat felt dry, and so I went to the kitchen to make myself a glass of water. I left my room and tried finding my way to the kitchen..

- Why did you scream then? You were scared of the oven? Taunted Isaac, a smirk playing on his lips

Shannon watched her son with that motherly gaze, warning him to ask him to shut up. She shifted her attention to her daugther, looking at her with such a calm expression that it was troubling.

- Continue, Marilou, we're listening. She affirmed, throwing Isaac a deathly glare

- A-and I took my phone to show me the way, and I stepped towards the kitchen...

Her family watched her cautiously, clearly waiting for more informations. Marilou covered her face in her hands and took a deep breath, watching her family members one by one. Her brother looked chill and relaxed, as if he knew what she was going to say. Philippe seemed anxious and bewildered, as if the world was ending hypothetically. Shannon stared at her daughter with a severe look, yet an unreadable expression.

 are so Her throat tightening, Marilou looked away from her mother before announcing:

- Um...I-I walked, and uh...she hesitated, Then I thought I had seen a monster, but it was a spider and I freaked out for nothing.

A crazy laugh bursted into Marilou's family. Embarrassed, the teenager shifted her gaze away and covered her face with her hands again. She wanted to disappear! She could've said something else, but what? The girl waited for the situation to get calmer, fighting against her desire to run away.

- It's hilarious, your jokes are so funny! Her mother declared, wiping the tears she had from her laughter

Marilou chuckled nervously, hating herself for being this way.