Chapter 4
Ava's POV
The drive to Kempton Park felt longer than usual. The familiar highway stretched out before me, but my thoughts kept looping back to the dream, the cold, and that heartbreaking cry. Pretoria slipped away behind me, but the knot of worry in my chest only tightened with every kilometer I put between myself and my own familiar comfort.
I tried calling Avina again on the way. It rang and rang, but she didn't answer. Usually, she'd pick up, even if she was busy. A small prickle of unease turned into a sharper stab of anxiety. Maybe she was just out in the garden, or maybe her phone was on silent. I tried to tell myself these normal, everyday things, but the image of that cold, steel room kept flashing in my mind.
Finally, I saw the signs for Kempton Park. The green landscape shifted slightly, becoming a little more manicured in places, reflecting the wealthier neighborhoods. I knew the area where Avina and Dave had bought their mansion. It was in one of those quiet, leafy suburbs, full of big houses with high walls and security gates. It always felt a little too perfect to me, a little detached from the real world.
I found their street easily enough. The mansion loomed at the end of a long driveway, even bigger and more imposing than I remembered from the wedding. It was beautiful, in a cold sort of way. The manicured lawns stretched out like green carpets, and the house itself was a grand mix of old stone and modern glass. But today, it didn't feel beautiful. It felt… watchful. Silent. Almost threatening under the bright African sun.
My hands felt clammy as I pressed the buzzer at the gate. A small speaker crackled to life.
"Yes? Who is it?" Dave's voice, a little clipped, a little less warm than usual.
"Dave, it's Ava. Avina's sister. Can I come in?"
There was a brief pause, a moment of silence that felt heavy. Then, the gate buzzed open with a mechanical whine. I pushed it open and walked up the long driveway, my footsteps crunching on the gravel.
As I got closer to the house, the silence seemed to deepen. No birds were singing in the perfectly shaped trees. No sound of life came from within the imposing walls. It felt like the house was holding its breath.
The front door was huge and made of dark wood, even heavier-looking than the mysterious door Avina had mentioned in her hurried call. I rang the doorbell, the sound echoing strangely in the stillness.
The door opened slowly, and Dave stood there. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, but his usually friendly face looked tired, his eyes a little shadowed. He offered a small, tight smile.
"Ava, hi. What a surprise. Avina didn't say you were coming."
"I… I decided to come see her," I said, trying to sound casual, even though my heart was pounding. "Is she around?"
He hesitated for a fraction of a second, a flicker of something I couldn't quite read in his eyes. "She's… resting. She had a bit of a restless night."
Restless night. My dream flashed in my mind – the cold, the hum, the cry. Was it connected?
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "I just wanted to check in on her. We haven't spoken properly in a few days."
He opened the door wider, a forced welcoming gesture. "Of course. Come in. Let me see if she's up to seeing anyone."
I stepped into the cool, spacious hallway. The air inside was still and quiet, carrying a faint, almost clinical scent, like very strong cleaning products. It wasn't the warm, inviting smell I expected from a home.
"It's a beautiful house, Dave," I said, my gaze sweeping over the high ceilings and expensive furniture. But even as I said the words, a shiver traced its way down my spine. Something about this place felt wrong, just like I'd sensed over the phone.
"Thanks," he said, his voice flat. He led me down the long hallway I remembered Avina mentioning, the one with the locked door at the end. Even in the daylight, this part of the house felt darker, colder. The silence here was heavier, almost pressing against my ears.
He stopped outside a door further down the hall, not the one that was always locked. "I'll just see if she's awake," he said, and disappeared inside.
I stood there, my senses on high alert. The quiet of the house felt unnatural. I glanced down the hallway towards the locked door. It looked even more ominous in person, the dark wood heavy and unyielding. A strange pull, a morbid curiosity, tugged at me.
Dave reappeared, his expression carefully neutral. "She's awake, but she's a little groggy. Said she had a bad dream. But she'd love to see you. Come in."
He held the door open, and I stepped inside Avina's bedroom. It was large and airy, with big windows letting in plenty of light. But even with the sunlight, Avina looked pale and tired in the big bed, her eyes a little unfocused.
"Ava!" she said, her voice a little weak, but a genuine smile touched her lips. "What are you doing here?"
I smiled back, trying to ignore the unease that still clung to me. "I just wanted to see you. I was worried."
I walked over to her bed, sitting gently on the edge. Her hand felt a little clammy as I squeezed it. "You really don't look so good, Vina. Dave said you had a bad dream?"
Avina nodded, her gaze distant for a moment. "Yeah, it was… weird. I can't really remember it. Just a bad feeling, you know? Like I'd been running all night, even though I was asleep." She rubbed her forehead, frowning. "My head's been throbbing since I woke up."
My stomach clenched. This was exactly what I'd expected, and yet it was worse. She couldn't remember. But the feeling was still there for both of us.
"Was it about anything specific?" I pressed gently, my voice low. "Anything cold? Or a strange sound?" I watched her face closely, hoping for a flicker of recognition.
She shook her head, a faint yawn escaping her. "No, nothing. Just… dark.And then a really loud buzzing. And I felt like I was being stretched thin. It was probably just the stress of the new house. You know how I get." She forced a small, tired laugh.
I wanted to push harder, to tell her about my own dream, about the baby's cry, about the metallic smell. But something in her eyes, that vague, almost blank look, held me back. It was as if a part of her was missing, or had been smoothed over. And Dave was in the room, pretending to be busy tidying something on the dresser, but I could feel his presence, his ears listening.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay," I said, forcing a lighter tone. "Just thought I'd pop in. Mom was worried too." It was a slight lie, but it made my sudden appearance seem less dramatic.
Avina managed another weak smile. "It's good to see you, though. This house… it's so quiet sometimes. It's nice to have company."
As she spoke, I felt it. A faint prickle on the back of my neck, the same sensation I got when I knew something wasn't right. It wasn't just the silence of the house; it was a deeper silence, almost a *hollow* feeling. And then, a very faint chill in the air, a different kind of cold than the air conditioning. It made the small hairs on my arms stand up. It was the same cold from my dream.
My eyes drifted from Avina to the bedroom door, then down the hallway where the other doors were. I tried to subtly glance at Dave, but he was still turned away, his back to me. Was he hiding something? Was this whole "bad dream" story just a cover?
"It is a very quiet house," I agreed, letting my voice trail off. I stood up, pretending to stretch. "So, have you... have you settled everything in properly? Found everything?" I tried to make it sound innocent, but I was thinking about the photos, and the locked door she'd mentioned.
Avina sighed. "Mostly. Still a few boxes, you know. Dave's been busy with work, so I've been doing most of it." She paused, her gaze going towards the door leading out into the hallway, just for a moment. A tiny, almost imperceptible frown touched her brow, then vanished. "It's fine, though."
But it wasn't fine. I could feel it. The subtle scent of something metallic, like the dream, was still lingering faintly in the air here, under the heavy cleaning smell. And the house... it felt old. Not just old in bricks and mortar, but old in secrets, like it was holding its breath, waiting for something. Or someone.
My visit hadn't calmed my fears; it had amplified them. Avina was here, yes, but she wasn't herself. And the house felt like a trap, even in the bright light of day. I knew, with a certainty that chilled me far more than any dream, that my sister was in danger. And she didn't even know it.
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End of chapter.
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