Susan sat on her bed, staring at an open book she clearly wasn't reading. Her eyes were empty, her mind spinning in circles.
Madam Tari should've known this house is haunted. She has to know what I'm dealing with.
Or maybe she really doesn't. No one else ever experienced this… except me.
Is everyone lying? Why am I the only one seeing weird stuff? Why not the others? How do I even explain this to her?
She sighed hard, snapped the book shut, and tossed it onto the bed. Then she covered her face with both hands. At this point, she had no idea what to do. She was done—completely drained. She couldn't stand living here anymore. The fear kept poking at her, day after day.
Ever since that night two days ago, she didn't dare go to the bathroom alone at night. Even during the day, she needed someone nearby. And every tiny sound inside this boarding house made her heart jump like a bomb going off.
The only way she could move out was if she got her one-year rent money back. She'd already imagined it—if Madam Tari agreed, she would find another place immediately. Even if it was far. Walking an hour to campus would still be better than living in constant terror here.
But if Madam Tari refused?
Then she was stuck. Completely stuck.
And after what happened at Bella's birthday party—Uncle Andy's daughter—Aunt Sanny's attitude made it obvious: her aunt hated her and would happily make her life harder.
Enough. I have to at least try.
She stood up, slapped her hand on the table for courage, and took a deep breath.
She paced back and forth, battling indecision. But eventually, the fear burning inside her turned into determination. After staring at her bedroom door for a long moment, she finally stepped toward it.
Knock… knock… knock.
She stood at the door of the first-floor house—the main house where Madam Tari stayed. The black Honda in the garage meant she was home.
Please don't let her be taking a nap…
Susan's hands twisted nervously.
Click… click…
The locks turned. Susan's heartbeat jumped.
Joko opened the door, his usual gloomy face staring at her with a confused frown.
"Ugh… uhh…"
He lifted his chin slightly, basically saying, What?
"Um… is Madam Tari here?" Susan asked, trying very hard to sound casual.
"Aghhh… uuhhh…"
Joko stepped aside and opened the door wider. Susan slipped off her sandals and walked in.
She sat on the guest sofa while Joko knocked on Madam Tari's room.
Not long after, Madam Tari came out wearing a long batik house dress. She already looked annoyed.
"What now?" she snapped, glaring at Joko. Her tone alone showed she hated being disturbed.
He pointed at Susan.
Madam Tari looked at Susan with a sour face, shut her room door behind her, and walked over.
Susan tried to calm her racing heartbeat.
"You. What do you want? I hope this is really important, because you woke me up from my nap." She sat down in front of her.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. If I could delay this, I wouldn't bother you. I know that you—"
"I don't have time for long speeches." She cut in sharply. "Just tell me what you want."
Susan froze. She knew the woman was rude, but she didn't expect this level of irritation.
"I… I want to ask for your help," Susan said softly.
"Help? What help?" Madam Tari crossed her arms, her eyes cold and judging.
"I want to ask for a partial refund of my annual rent… because I'm planning to move out."
Silence.
Thick, uncomfortable silence.
Madam Tari leaned back, staring at her like she was studying something disgusting. Susan shifted nervously.
"You want to move?" she asked without emotion.
"Yes, ma'am. This house… I don't feel comfortable here. I've been disturbed by a ghost. Several times." She didn't bother hiding anything.
"A ghost?"
The woman squinted her eyes and smirked—not surprised, not confused—more like mocking.
The expression shocked Susan. She expected Madam Tari to laugh it off or deny everything. Instead, this reaction felt like—
She already knows.
"Yes, ma'am. It's happened many times. And yesterday was the worst. I saw her myself—a girl in white—standing on the stairs to the third floor, staring right at me."
"Hmph." Madam Tari scoffed. Her smile grew, but it wasn't friendly—it was… unsettling. "Go on."
"I'm just asking… maybe you could return some of my rent, so I can move out." Susan's voice grew small.
"Okay, let me ask you something."
Madam Tari leaned forward, still staring sharply.
"Anything," Susan said, clinging to a tiny hope.
"Has anyone else experienced what you experienced?"
"Uh… I'm not sure. I can ask around—"
"No need. I'm sure no one has. If they did, you wouldn't be the first one coming to me with this nonsense." She brushed her dress casually, though it felt like she was brushing Susan off.
Susan's chest tensed.
"If you want to move, go ahead. I won't stop you. And I'm pretty sure your aunt already knows about this, so I don't need to talk to her."
Susan's heart dropped.
She knows about Aunt Sanny?
Fear crawled up her spine.
"You know, I'm a very logical person. And your excuse for asking a refund? Honestly? It's ridiculous. I didn't expect you to use something so lame. I misjudged you. Thought you were smart. Guess I was wrong."
Susan swallowed hard, trying not to let her emotions explode.
"But one thing's clear," she continued, standing up.
"I'm not refunding anything. Consider yourself lucky if I pretend I heard nothing today. Because what you just said basically counts as bad-mouthing this place. I can sue you for defamation, you know."
She stepped closer.
Very close.
"So here's my advice: think carefully. If you really want to move out, go ahead. Be my guest. But be careful. Don't let any ghost stories spread outside—especially from your mouth. I won't stay quiet if anyone tries to ruin this house."
She leaned near Susan's ear, whispering:
"And if you want to test me… go ahead. I'll show you who I really am."
Her voice was calm. Too calm. And that calmness was ten times scarier than yelling.
When Susan finally walked back to her room, her whole body was still trembling. There was something dark—something frightening—behind Madam Tari's eyes and the way she moved. Something Susan couldn't explain.