Adam

As Alice walked up the steps to the Hawthorne house, she started getting a sinking feeling. ‘They did seem pretty serious when they said a ghost was living here,’ Alice thought. She quickly shook her head, trying to forget what they had said. ‘Ghosts aren’t real,’ she told herself. By now, Alice had reached the door of the Hawthorne house. Slowly, Alice put her hand on the cold doorknob and opened the door. As she stepped inside the towering building, a cold breeze swept over her. She shivered as she stepped further into the house and closed the door behind her. “Weird,” she whispered to herself, looking around the house. The furniture the previous owners had left weren’t dusty and no spiders nested in the corners. Alice continued to walk around the house.
She gasped and almost screamed when she spotted a teenage boy sitting on the couch, reading a book. He looked over at her, then back at his book like this was normal for him. “Humans,” he whispered, shaking his head. Alice was confused by this boys actions and words. After thinking about something to say to him, all Alice came up with was, “Do you live here?” The boy looked up at her, a surprised look on his face. He sat his book down and stood up. He walked over to her. Alice’s eyes followed him. He darted left then right. She continued to watch him. Eventually, Alice said, “What are you doing?” The boy stopped moving. “You can see me?!” he asked, his eyes wide. “No, I’m just imagining you standing there,” Alice said, sarcastically. The boy didn’t say anything. “Umm, should I go?” Alice asked slowly.
“No! Please stay!” he said, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. Alice slowly sat down and pulled her hand away from the strangers. “I’m Adam. Adam Hawthorne,” he said as the sat down. “I’m Alice Kauffman,” she said, but then added, “Your last name is Hawthorne? Like the Hawthorne family that first lived here? Are you related to them?” Adam nodded and showed a small, shy smile. “I’m the Hawthorne’s son,” he said. “And you’ve been living here by yourself?” Alice asked, skeptically. Once again, Adam nodded. “And your parents don’t care?” Alice asked. Adam shook his head. “No, there’s really nothing they can do about me living here alone,” he said. Alice was a bit confused, but didn’t ask Adam any more questions about the house or his family. He didn’t seem too comfortable talking about those subjects.