Free The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie

little girl on the other side of the door.She hasn’t honed her skills yet, doesn’t know how to perceive a demon’s touch. The creature pulled away as though Sunshine’s flesh burned it.
    It latched on to Katherine easily, wrapping itself around her, soaking into her skin. Did she notice the layer of moisture that sprang up on her flesh? Probably not. Most don’t. Like her adopted daughter, she reserved her focus for the cries on the other side of the door. It will take hours for the shift to occur in her body and mind, days for her eyes to dim almost imperceptibly, weeks for her hair to lose its luster and her skin to grow pale. The creature isn’t in a rush. It knows exactly how much time it has.
    I drove away not long after midnight, but now, just a few hours later, I am back. There is other work I could be attending to, but I tell myself that none of my work is more important than this. Than her.
    And so I am watching.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    The Morning After
    Mom and I sleep in the living room. Well, sleep might not be the right word for what we do. First, I scrub my face and hands clean, using the kitchen sink because I can’t stand being in that bathroom a second longer, wondering what kind of monster could hold a little girl under water even as she struggled so hard that there are scratch marks in the tile. We debate over whether to call the police. “And report what?” I ask. “A flooded bathroom with a malfunctioning lock?” Then we collapse onto the couch in the living room. We don’t turn off the lights; I don’t particularly feel like being plunged into darkness again anyway. We just sit there, holding hands, staring at the wall across from us. At some point I guess I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, it’s morning, and the scent of Mom’s coffee is wafting in from the kitchen, and I’m stretching my arms above my head, blissful in that brief moment between being asleep and being fully awake when I don’t yet remember that the scariest thing that ever happened to anyone happened to us last night.
    Okay, maybe not the scariest thing that ever happened to anyone. But it’s gotta be up there on that list somewhere. It’s certainly the scariest thing that ever happened to me.
    â€œMom?” I say, padding into the kitchen.
    â€œMorning, sweetie,” Mom says as she pours herself coffee. “My goodness, what a night.”
    â€œUnderstatement of the year.”
    â€œMy neck is killing me,” she says, tilting her head back and forth. “Maybe after work tonight you can rub it for me?”
    I shrug.
    â€œThat’s the last time I sleep on the couch,” Mom says with a sigh.
    I shake my head. “I’m not heading up those stairs anytime soon.”
    â€œPlanning on going to school in the clothes you slept in? Very glamorous.”
    â€œI don’t care.” Who cares what I go to school wearing? I notice that she’s fully dressed, her hair drying down her back. “Did you take a shower ?” I shudder, trying not to imagine her having to step over a puddle of dirty water in order to get to the tub.
    â€œOf course I showered,” she replies. “I shower every day. And you should really get a move on if you’re planning on taking a shower before school. I can give you a ride today if you hurry.”
    I shake my head and reach for a mug and pour in some coffee. I add a ton of sugar—I don’t exactly feel like filling my mouth with bitterness this morning; I can still taste some of last night’s mildew—and make my way toward the stairs. I close my eyes, and a flash of what happened last night fills my imagination. I shake my head. Mom’s right. I can’t wear these clothes to schooltoday. I look down and see that my shirt is filthy: stained brown with the rusty water.
    I remember the fear I felt when I fell into it, terrified that it might be blood.