Welcome to Dead House

Amanda and Josh call a truce, agreeing not to scare one another on purpose anymore. The rest of the day is busy with the movers and unpacking, and though Amanda is tired that night, she struggles to fall asleep because something feels wrong. Later in the night, she wakes to whispers and the curtains fluttering, even though the window is closed. When Amanda falls back to sleep, she dreams that she, Josh, and their parents are dead. In the dream, Amanda’s best friend knocks insistently at the door to the house, and though Amanda wants to answer it, she can’t and just sits at the table, “picking up bones from [her] dinner plate and eating them” (46). When Amanda wakes, it’s daytime, and the curtains are billowing again even though the window is still closed.

Amanda isn’t the only one who didn’t sleep well, and breakfast is tense the next morning. While their parents unpack, Amanda and Josh agree to explore the neighborhood and see if they can find any other kids their age. After washing dishes, Amanda heads upstairs to get dressed but stops on the stairs in fright. Above on the landing, there’s a girl, who looks down at Amanda with the “coldest, most frightening smile [she] ha[s] ever seen” (51).