There was a kid who lived in a mansion found on top of a hill, shrouded and hidden from the rest of the world with overgrowing trees. It looked more like a palace to others, while to some it was merely a sight to behold.
Everyone is free to enter and they'd be greeted like guests. That was how it was like in town. Everyone was friends and are of course free to visit.
But that was before.
"There's no way anyone would enter a haunted house," Beth murmured to herself.
Little plastic teacups with molded-in engravements painted on with dark red and blue markers were arranged around a circle on a pink picnic mat. There were also waterfilled plastic kettles with the same marks as the teacups placed in the middle along a small plastic dish that had biscuits on them,
Beth decided she'd have a tea party today. There were no cartoons during the afternoon on a Sunday and her Mom was out to fetch groceries. There was not much to do.
Of course, there were lots of toys and she was ignoring all that, but she was really in the mood for a tea party today.
It's a Sunday after all! It's time for leisure, for relaxation, a time for gathering after church.
Beth and her family don't actually go to church. That was just what she learned in the movies her mother liked. Period dramas, she'd hear her say.
Beth would sneak inside her mother's bedroom once in a while and catch her watching them with a big bowl of popcorn in her hand.
Those were usually the nights when her dad didn't come home or was out late because of work. Her mom would be in a mad mood and so she would hide away in a dark spot as she watched the movies along with her in silence.
Little Beth took a teacup out of the set and placed it closer to her front. She grabbed the tea kettle by its handle and gingerly poured clear water onto the cup. Her hands were shaking as it struggled to keep up with her own picture of elegance.
Next, she stood on her knees and drew the other cups closer towards a purple elephant, a monkey missing nose, and a mouse with a tiny blue party hat. She each poured them the same amount of water and asked each for their preference with the number of sugar cubes in their tea. The toys of course could not answer and so she left their tea cups be after waiting for a few seconds for a reply that would not come.
Beth went back to her spot and sat down with her legs folded, not crossed. Manners, she smiled to herself upon the thought.
She raised her cup with one hand upon the handle and the other on the plastic saucer, then said, "Have a lovely afternoon ladies. May you enjoy your tea and refreshments." Her squeaky voice made the opening words more playful than regal. It was nonetheless cute.
It was just a pity that no one else would be able to see such a sight.
After her first sip of the tasteless liquid, she set the toys down and once again sighed.
Her toys were in front of her, her tea set was ready and she had finally snuck some biscuits from her mother's stash left from her past lunch and recess reserves when school was still on.
It was one of those days that could have been perfect, if only she had someone to play with.
Her mom didn't like playtime. Her father was instantly out of the question. Her friends were from downtown so it was hard to invite them over. She could try to ask them out, but every time they step inside the gates and not even passed the dried-up fountain, they would run away.
Beth couldn't blame them. Even she gets scared of her own house at certain times.
The halls of the mansion were dark at night. The walls were old but the lights were new. It was sometimes not working, maybe because the new wasn't compatible with the old. They need some bit of tinkering once in a while.
That and how empty the whole place feels with the lack of people with the help gone for the summer and her parents being always away, Beth knew that she was truly alone.
"I'm glad you are all with me," she said to the toys in her tea party. "Mr, Elephant, Mr. Monkey, Mr. Mouse, when will I know your names?"
It was a silly question, but it was a problem for her nonetheless.
It was easy to just give them new names. But just like the wirings in her house, she somehow knew that the old wouldn't suit the new. 
Just like her mom and her dad. Also, it was like her and her older sister.
Beth wasn't naive. She was a kid, but she hears voices. She might not fully understand most of them but that doesn't mean that she was clueless.
The toys in front of her except the tea set belonged to someone else.
"Ri'cca must've named them," she thought to herself. "Inside this house with no one to talk to, I'm sure I would if I was in her place."
And Beth was in the same place. She played on her own, roamed the halls with no sitter, and hide away in specific spots waiting for someone to find her. She was in the very house that Rebecca, whom she liked to call Ri'cca, once lived in and spent the time growing up.
Rebecca was her sister, or at least she was told. They would hang out once in a while when they were young. It was never that often. It was mostly when Beth's mother and their dad weren't home. She doesn't understand how and why but that somehow leaves Rebecca in a good mood.
But when she got into high school things changed. Once in six months became never. There were no more play times. She wasn't even sure if they were still sisters.
How do you become sisters? When you don't want to anymore, can someone just quit? Beth thought how sad it must be for the sister who was left behind by the one who did.
She looked out once more at the front yard from the open window of Rebecca's room. Then around the place that has now become her favorite place in the house, She always liked playing here. With Rebecca gone for the summer, the room has now been empty. It's spacious and it looked like it was for a noble girl's fit. A princess even!
There were the pretty-looking curtains, the big-sized fluffy bed, and of course, the special-looking vanity that Beth used when she was in her dress-up mood. It made playing with the imagination ten times better! Like she was really in the place of her dreams and not just an empty house surrounded by a dried-up and dying garden.
Beth settled the half-empty plastic tea cup back down. With her thoughts still wandering far from where Rebecca was, she stood up and walked slowly towards the window. She rested both her elbows on its panes and supported her head with her hands as she slouched with a sigh.
Rebecca looked like a stranger and acted like a stranger yesterday. Beth could tell that she wanted to run away right at the moment that she saw her, And she did immediately when her mother came around.
She acted like a little kid that day. She wished she could've acted more like a grown-up. With grace and elegance, one of her favorite characters would've said.
But she couldn't help it. It was ages since they had a proper talk. Even inside the house, they didn't do much aside from the occasional glances and some blank stares. Those didn't mean anything in her opinion.
If only they weren't in a different situation, whatever that means. (Her mother's words, not hers.) Maybe they could've talked about how beautiful these gardens once were, or how pretty and magical the whole mansion really is. Maybe she could've told her about secret passages the house has like those movies she's watched. If only...
If only they were sisters again.