《A New Story》


 Prologue

    I watched quietly as trees and lamp posts whizzed by on the other side of the glass. The sky was cloudy and grey and if I hadn¡¯t been checking the time religiously I would¡¯ve assumed it was nighttime now. While the atmosphere outside may have been dark and gloomy it was rather opposite inside the car. In the front seat was my mother, focused on driving rather than listening to everyone chatter, and on her passenger side was my dad. He was spouting info about our new house as we got closer to our destination. Both of my parents come from old values and even older money. That being said, they aren¡¯t exactly closed-minded either, they try to be supportive of all of our... decisions, in life. Despite not understanding them often.


    In the back of the car was my older sister, Paisley. She was somehow listening intently to both my father and younger sister at the same time. She¡¯s good at that, like she¡¯s good at just about everything. She is lovely and talented and perfect and sometimes I can¡¯t help but be envious of her. I still can¡¯t ever be upset with her though, because she¡¯s got such a pure heart, too. That¡¯s Paisley for you, perfect both inside and out, mostly.


    In the middle was Sophie-Rose. She was six, and an enormous chatterbox. I love her though. She¡¯s always got something to say, and more often than not it¡¯ll make you smile, no matter the situation. Currently she¡¯s buzzing with excitement at the prospect of new adventure.


    I, myself was trying to listen to my dad, really I was. It was hard though, with everything bouncing around in my head relentlessly. Dread, excitement, curiosity, sadness. This new place sounded interesting but I couldn¡¯t decide if I was happy for the change or afraid of it, and what about my life? I had friends and what felt like a purpose at my old home; now I¡¯m much too far away to hang out with them regularly, if at all.


    ¡°Owen, you good back there? You¡¯re foggin up the window.¡± My dad¡¯s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I snapped my head away from where it was leaning against the door.


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m good. Just distracted.¡± I readjusted my glasses slightly and leaned back.


    ¡°Hey hey Owen didja hear that?¡± Sophie bounced.


    ¡°No Sophie, sorry. What was it?¡± I asked


    ¡°Papa said our new house was a palace, we can be princesses and you can be the prince!¡±


    ¡°Papa said our new house was a castle, once. A long time ago. It¡¯s been renovated now but there¡¯s a lot of old areas, it sounds like your kind of thing.¡± Paisley clarified for me, and I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t excited to see it.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll dig it kiddo. There¡¯s a lotta history in this place.¡± Dad sounded enthusiastic about it when he spoke, he was always a pretty energetic guy. I see where Sophie gets it from.


    ¡°Hey guys, look up ahead.¡± My mom¡¯s voice suddenly cut in. I leaned to the left a bit to see what she was referring to, and sure enough there was a bit of a stone tower and what looked like the top of an extravagant building peeking through the trees.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Just a bit further and there we are.¡± She added after waiting for Sophie to calm her excitement a bit. I checked my phone for the time once again. 5:40, it was starting to get darker. We arrived to the area sooner than I was expecting. Another glance up at the sky said it was going to rain soon. I was a little more excited, now that I could see it and the rain was going to fall.


    I felt hot air pass my ear, and a glance backwards told me that Alice had woken up. She wagged her tail at me, and I didn¡¯t bother resisting a quick scratch behind her ears. It looks like she¡¯s excited too. Alice was a big dog, with soft black fur, she could look scary but had a heart of gold. Paisley and I finished the ride to our new home quietly, sharing a look now and then when Sophie said something silly or when mom or dad made a particularly bad joke.


    The movers arrived not long after us, thankfully. I had only just gotten the dog out and on her leash when they pulled into the massive driveway near us. I surveyed the area, aside from the massive building that was to serve as my new home, there was an old tower a short distance away that looked like it had seen better days. There were some pathways and short walls made from cobblestone, and what looked like a fountain obscured a bit by the house. I was about to start up the steps to the front doors when a tug at the leash had me pause. Alice was sniffing around, walking towards the grass. The backyard did seem pretty cool¡­


    ¡°Hey mom, I¡¯m gonna take the dog for a walk real quick.¡± I shouted in her direction.


    ¡°Go ahead and explore honey just head back soon.¡± She caught on in no time to my curiosity, and turned back to the chaos of moving; and with that Alice and I moved on.


    The backyard turned out to be a beautiful sight. Most of it was renovated with the house, with new sheer stones and a huge garden filled with flowers and fruits and vegetables and decorative trees. However, a little bit aways from all of that was the old cobblestone that I saw earlier. There was the fountain, and the tower (Alice refused to even go near it), and this big flat area. All cobblestone, with some short walls around some of it except for where it fell away. Oddly enough despite the old, crumbling status of most of the area, black painted lamp posts stood in several places. Two by the fountain, and four surrounding the ¡®flat spot¡¯. This made the area somewhat easier to see, and I really liked the vibes they gave off.


    I stepped down the stairs to the flat area, the dog in tow, and stepped into the middle. A chill ran through me as cold wetness landed on my nose. I slowly lifted my head as more water began to fall. Looking at the sky above, I felt giddy, almost. It was hard to describe. After stressing about moving all day and now there I was, watching the rain in silence as it fell onto me. I felt like I could just forget I was even upset for at least a little while before I had to go in and go back to worrying. I grinned, and hummed as the water began to come down harder. The rain and the warmth from my face quickly fogged up my glasses, I had to clear them a few times. All of our stuff could get wet in the transfer from truck to house at this point and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to care. Alice wagged her tail and tapped her feet excitedly, sensing my happiness and ease. I laughed a bit. Then my humming turned to singing, and I was prancing around the area almost like I was in an old movie famously known for singing in the rain. Alice, wanting to play, lifted herself to rest her front paws on my jacket front. Normally I¡¯d scold her but dancing is always better with a partner. I finished the song while scratching her neck and swaying and laughed. After getting her to drop off I turned around to the much darker area illuminated mostly by the lamps and relaxed again until I was interrupted by a crack of lightning. I looked in it¡¯s direction for a moment before I could hear Paisley¡¯s voice calling from the house. I ran with the dog to get inside.

 Chapter One

    The sunlight filtered in through the window and made me think of the curtains that I still had yet to unpack. It¡¯s been two days since we arrived here and I still have to get used to my surroundings, I must¡¯ve been awake for hours by now. Getting bored of laying around, I shuffled out of my bed and into the attached bathroom. That was another thing I had to get used to. This place was huge- much bigger than our old home. The first floor had high ceilings and grand chandeliers, and everything was neat and polished. The second floor has all the bedrooms, (several had attached bathrooms and walk in closets) and long corridors that give chills in the night time. I still hadn¡¯t been able to explore the basement and third floor, I didn¡¯t have the time. All my time yesterday and the evening before was spent either unpacking or resting before unpacking some more. Maybe today if I can finish decorating my room I¡¯ll get the okay to investigate the rest of the mansion.


    I observed myself in the mirror while I combed my curly hair. I had fair skin, blonde hair, and a strong jaw. I mostly took after my mother looks-wise, and so did Sophie-Rose. Paisley however got a good mix of both parents, brown hair that is wavy but not unruly like mine, and kind eyes that could rival Sophie¡¯s. Deciding I looked good enough face-wise I went back into my room and sifted through my suitcase to find something acceptable for the day. One of the few things I excel at more than Paisley and Sophie is my sense of fashion, along with history and charisma. Paisley, has great looks, a charming personality, and overall talent for most things. Sophie however, definitely has both of us beat in empathy, and flower classification; she can name the common and scientific name of probably any flower at this point, be it a common wild flower or a rarity in its habitat. Fitting myself in my navy blue sweater and olive green chinos for the day, I grabbed my phone and started heading downstairs to see if anyone was awake, shutting the door behind me.


    Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs I was greeted by a familiar black mass bolting towards me, before she slowed to a stop at my feet. I offered a quick pat on the head and a smile, then headed in the direction she came from. She was at the kitchen if I had to guess. Upon getting closer to said destination I heard some quiet music coming from the crack in the door, recognizing the voice to be Goldy Daun (an old timey singer/songwriter my dad likes), I quickly deduced that it was my father shuffling about in the kitchen. Which was unsurprising, he was the biggest morning person in the family. Pushing the door aside I quietly walked in and sat in a stool at the island as he hummed and chopped away at the fruit in front of him. I silently watched as he set the knife down and picked up what he deemed unfit and threw them away. He turned around to grab at the container of flour he set on the island and jumped upon seeing me.


    ¡°Shhhhh- Shoot kiddo, you scared me.¡± He paused, with a hand on his chest. ¡°How long you been there? It¡¯s a little early for you don¡¯t you think?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Just got here. Been awake for a while.¡± I stated, eyebrow raised. Dad just blinked at me for a moment.


    ¡°Well alrighty then, wanna help make waffles?¡± He changed the topic with a grin, as he turned off his radio.


    ¡°You bet I do.¡± I returned the grin, and suddenly the two of us were side by side trying to remember how to make waffles from scratch without looking it up, because we are stubborn like that. After a failed first attempt and a short but intense flour fight we agreed on a truce, and clapped our hands in a hand shake to seal it, sending another puff of flour into the air.


    ¡°What are you guys even doing?¡± A shocked, amused voice rang out from the doorway. Dad and I both whipped our heads to see Paisley in the threshold of the room and hallway.


    ¡°Uh, waffles?¡± Dad tried. Paisley laughed.


    ¡°Let me see that.¡± She walked past the two of us and peered into the bowl, then at the ingredients on the counter. Then shook her head.


    ¡°Is this¡­ Baking soda?..¡± She said in disbelief ¡°...and syrup? You put syrup into the batter?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ maybe? Is that bad?¡± I can¡¯t bake anything for the life of me most occasions.


    ¡°I mean it does the same thing but you need to put some sort of acid into the batter with it if you want it to taste good. Baking powder is better because it already has the acid mixed in. Unless you¡¯re using buttermilk, which-¡± she gestured to our set-up ¡°you¡¯re not. And you need more syrup if you¡¯re trying to make maple waffles¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ can you do it then? We will help you wherever you¡¯ll need it!¡± My dad offered.


    ¡°Yes I can.¡± She agreed ¡°Dad, you can help me with the batter and plating. Owen, you can get the tableware, and can you make that sweet tea again? It¡¯s my favorite.¡± She finished with a smile. I saluted and we moved around the spacious kitchen, trying to remember where everything was and gathering things we¡¯d need for the waffles and tea. After digging around one of the boxes for a while I managed to get a hold of a white table cloth, and I used it to cover the large table in the next room. I also grabbed Sophie¡¯s vase of flowers that she picked from the garden yesterday to put in the middle. Going back into the kitchen I saw that they almost had the fresh batter completely put together, so I got started on the tea. It¡¯s an herbal tea, with a bit of vanilla, and some blueberry extract (and a few secret ingredients to tie it all together). By the time the concoction was put into boiling water they had already started setting waffles onto plates, and dad was going the extra mile, covering them with whipped cream and the fruit he chopped earlier and powdered sugar. Luckily this process took a while, so that left enough time for me to set the utensils and get the tea cups and napkins onto the table. It was around then that I could hear Sophie-Rose¡¯s tired, but excited voice chanting through the halls that she smelt food. I smiled as I went back into the kitchen. Paisley finished with the last of the waffles and was now helping dad decorate them, while I quickly grabbed a broom and dustpan to take care of some of the flour all over the floor. As I dumped the powder into the garbage, mom walked in looking tired.


    ¡°Well, well. Look at you early birds. Making breakfast?¡± She rubbed her eyes, mom was never big on mornings. As any completely sane person should be if you ask me.


    ¡°Waffles! The boys are great at this, they hardly needed any help at all...¡± Paisley teased, I responded by jutting out my tongue at her, and she giggled. Mom rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Oh trust me, I already heard they were incredibly skilled from Alice.¡± The sarcasm basically dripped out her mouth. While the grinning dog wagged her tail behind her, now grey and white on the top of her body.


    ¡°I¡¯ll clean her up after breakfast.¡± I said behind a grin. She looked ridiculous. I moved back to the stove where the tea was cooling in the teapot and poured it into a pitcher filled with ice.


    ¡°Do you wanna get Sophie, momma? Foods all done¡± Paisley said as she and dad were grabbing plates and heading to the dining room, Alice at their heels. I followed shortly after alongside mom, who turned down the hall to get the little one. We placed mom¡¯s seat at the head of the table, with dad to her right and Paisley to her left. I took my seat next to Paisley, and Sophie usually sat beside me or dad, we let her decide once she came into the room with mom. Breakfast tasted great, Paisley¡¯s waffles and my tea went together really nicely, as different as we are we collaborate really well.


    ¡°So, your father starts his new job tomorrow. I won¡¯t have to work for a little longer to help finish getting settled here.¡± Mom started ¡°And as you know this place is very big and very old, there¡¯s a lot that needs to be explored still. All I ask is that you stay out of the tower for now, until we can have someone find out if its stable. The rest of the property is open to you.¡±


    ¡°Can I go in the tower? I¡¯m very small, there¡¯s no way I could make it fall!¡± Sophie practically begged.


    ¡°No can-do kiddo. But momma and I were talking last night, and since we have way too many rooms to really know what to do with, we thought you could do with your own spaces just for you to do what you want with. You can pick any empty room that isn¡¯t already claimed and keep it, and clean it and do whatever you want with it.¡± Dad advertised happily before mom interrupted.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°-As long as you let us check it out and give you permission first.¡± she gave us a look that said ¡®don¡¯t try to pull anything that will get you in trouble or there will be consequences¡¯.


    ¡°Cool!¡± I was ready for this, I¡¯ll explore the basement and pick one of those rooms and it¡¯s gonna be cool. I was already planning what I might do with my own extra room in my head. A look at my sisters showed they had similar expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Once you completely finish unpacking your bedrooms then we will give you the go ahead to start looking.¡± Mom finished, and each child silently agreed to a race using nothing but eye contact. Aside from the normal excitement and conversation, breakfast ended uneventfully; and all three of us were rushing to our rooms to get everything put together.


    I started with my clothes, luckily most things were easy to put away because I folded them before I packed them, but others were more difficult, such as most of my shirts. I had to go on a hunt to find more hangers, and wall hooks for all my accessories. Then I moved to decor, I already had my bed made from the first night here. I unrolled my plush red rug next to the fireplace across the room and put a decorative clock on the mantle, along with a cool candle lantern that was a good mix between old fashioned and modern, and then hung my red curtains over the windows on either side of my bed, they only barely covered the large windows when fully closed, so I tied them open (they look better that way to be honest). Then I hung my large mirror just above my bookshelf, and together they vaguely resembled a vanity. Then I filled the bookshelf with my books, arranged alphabetically. Then placed my all-time favorite works on the top shelf, held in place by my bookends that look like men are pushing them together. Satisfied, I realized that I took way to long on setting up the bookshelf, and rushed to finish the rest of my room. By the time I had finished completely I made a face at the emptiness of the room, I¡¯d be getting more furniture soon, but the lack of furniture made the large room appear impossibly bigger. I took a deep breath and left the room, before I got picky and started moving things around again. When I went back downstairs and into the living room I saw Mom, Dad, and Sophie.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get finished already?¡± I asked as I dropped myself onto the couch beside her, she gestured for me to lean in with a hand cupped on the side of her mouth.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ dad helped me!¡± She whispered. ¡°And I already picked my room, too!¡± I gasped, feigning surprise.


    ¡°You sneaky little girl!¡± I exclaimed and began tickling her till she wailed and kicked out. I laughed with her as I ceased my attack and leaned back. That¡¯s when Alice came barreling in, and she investigated the small child who was still recovering from her infectious laughter.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finished organizing your room?¡± My mother asked, smiling.


    ¡°Yes, I just have empty boxes to get rid of. I don¡¯t like how empty it is in there, too much space.¡± I explained, petting Alice. Mom nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. Especially after we get you kids some more things to fill the space. That¡¯ll have to wait a bit though¡± Dad reminded. Then Paisley finally joined us.


    ¡°Oh darn, I took too long didn¡¯t I?¡± She faked annoyance.


    ¡°Of course not, there¡¯s no time limit here.¡± Mom reassured her, unaware of our unspoken contest.


    ¡°I was the fastest!¡± Sophie raised her hands in accomplishment. ¡°I already picked my room, we¡¯ve been waiting for you here ever since.¡±


    ¡°Oh yea? Lets see it then.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s secret until I get to finish it!¡± She protested.


    ¡°Oh come on! I can help you! We can work on it when mom and dad aren¡¯t home.¡± Paisley tried.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay, but no boys allowed until then!¡± Sophie decided.


    ¡°Whaaat? I can¡¯t believe this.¡± I leaned back dramatically with my arm over my face. ¡°You two are rude, despicable even!¡±


    ¡°I have been cast out in my own home already?! What a cruel family!¡± Dad flopped over onto his side, feigning death. I rolled my eyes at his over the top display and stood.


    ¡°Are we good to explore now then?¡± I asked as I stretched.


    ¡°Yes you¡¯re good to explore now.¡± my mom assented. Paisley and I left the room.


    ¡°Where are you gonna look, Paisley?¡±


    ¡°Third floor, wanna come with? We can look together.¡±


    ¡°Yea, alright. Can we look downstairs first?¡± I asked, Paisley thought for a moment.


    ¡°Yea okay. Lets go.¡±


    The basement was illuminated much less extravagantly than the rest of the house, the further in you went the more the simpler the lights became until they were string lights hanging just above our heads, and they were still pretty, somehow. We passed several doors and hallways before we got to this point. Turns out the part of the basement that wasn¡¯t renovated yet was more of a labyrinth, and we became afraid of getting lost so we turned to go back upstairs. As we did so, a thud rang out down the hall behind us.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± I asked, as we walked slower.


    ¡°Yea¡­ It¡¯s an old house¡­ an animal probably got in somewhere or something¡­¡± She sounded unsure.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good, we¡¯ll have to find someone who can check that out¡­¡± I went along with the theory. Until another thud sounded out, and we both simultaneously began running. We got to a cross roads, Paisley began to move down the hallway to the right when I grabbed her arm.


    ¡°We have to go left!¡± I urged.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we went right, to get here?¡±


    ¡°We did! We are going backwards so its reversed, we have to go left!¡± I quickly explained.


    ¡°Right, right! You¡¯re right let¡¯s just-¡± Another Thud, and I held her arm tighter and pulled her along to the left. I almost didn¡¯t recognize where we were, until the lights started getting normal again, and then we found the stairs and raced up them and nearly tumbled over each other to get through the large doors at the top. After essentially falling through, we laid on the floor to catch our breath. I closed my eyes as the adrenaline began to subside, until I felt something warm and slimy pass over my face. My eyes shot open and I pushed at Alice, who had come to make sure we were okay.


    ¡°No Alice! Stop it I¡¯m fine!¡± I flailed as the large dog attacked my face with puppy kisses. Paisley laughed at my dilemma a few feet away as I managed to pull myself to my feet. Once I managed to find my breath yet again I laughed as well. The entire scenario was suddenly hilarious. A couple of teenagers scared out of their minds from some sounds in the dark basement of their new house. It sounded like an overused story trope. We laughed a while longer together until we heard mom calling from the kitchen for lunch. We still smiled as we approached the kitchen. Where we found mom at the counter, using a butter knife to spread mayo on a piece of bread. She had her glasses on, and her brown hair pushed back with a green headband. On the island were a few plates with sandwiches, and potato chips. Sophie was already munching on her triangle at the end chair, looking too small for the island.


    ¡°You two find your rooms?¡± Mom asked when she noticed us.


    ¡°No, but we¡¯re getting there.¡± Paisley said vaguely. I nodded in agreement. Mom smiled.


    ¡°Alright. Why don¡¯t you two have a seat and have some lunch, you can get back to it after.¡± she waved at the sandwiches on the counter. After all that running, food sounded great; the two of us took a seat and went for it. We made some small talk while we ate, neither of us mentioned what happened in the basement. After lunch we still didn¡¯t immediately go explore, instead we spent some time in the garden with Sophie-Rose and Alice. It wasn¡¯t until later we finally made our way upstairs.


    The atmosphere was easy as we made our way up to the third floor. Paisley and I didn¡¯t say much except to comment on a room here and there. The two of us are close to the point where conversation is rarely necessary if we want to enjoy each other¡¯s company, usually content with comfortable silence. I tugged on her sleeve to bring her attention to a small stairway tucked into the corner of a hallway far towards the back of the house. We slowly walked to it, a little uneasy after exploring last time. The stairway was narrow, and would only allow one person at a time. I observed the view outside the large windows as she started going up the stairs. The sky was a beautiful mix of orange, gold, and pink- a stark contrast against the dark silhouette of the forest around the castle. I could have stared at the sight for longer but my attention was drawn by my sister¡¯s voice urging me to follow, so up the stairs I went. The room at the top was comfortable, but dirty. Hardwood floors and windows were caked with dust, there was a second level in the room closer to the ceiling, accessible by a metal spiral staircase. If the room had been clean and furnished, this could be an incredibly relaxing and elegant space. I could already think of several ideas for what this place could end up being and I knew just how I could make it happen¡­ but then I saw the look on my sisters face. Eyes filled with wonder, I could practically see all the thoughts and ideas swirling around her head as she spun in a slow circle, taking in her surroundings. I knew I couldn¡¯t take this from her. After convincing myself that this space suits her personality much more than mine and that I can find something else later, I finally spoke.


    ¡°You should claim this place.¡± Her head jerked at the sound of my voice.


    ¡°Wait, are you sure? You found it first.¡±


    ¡°Yea I¡¯m sure, you stepped foot in here first. And ¡®sides, this place would really suit you if you got it all cleaned up.¡± I insisted. Before I could say more Paisley was skipping back to hug me. I smiled and gave her a pat on the back, glad that she was so happy about this place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find mom and dad so they can give you the okay to keep this place.¡± I reminded her as she pulled away, and she nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Lets!¡± She said before skipping off to the stairs. I decided as I stood there for a moment longer that I¡¯d look for my own space tomorrow morning. Satisfied, I followed Paisley.

 Chapter Two

    I awoke with a start. My heart racing, covered in sweat. I had no recollection of what I was dreaming about, and yet it still had me awake and aware of everything around me. I layed back down, facing the ceiling and closed my eyes. I waited several minutes, but it was no use; sleep was lost, I would have to wait till I was tired again. Rolling onto my side, I stared into the dark. It was probably just my imagination, or a residue from whatever dream I just had, but something seemed off to me and I wasn¡¯t sure what. I was trying to shake it off but- the door was open. I could see it, right there across the room open just a few inches¡­ I distinctly remember closing it, I thought I should close it again and just ask around in the morning to see if anyone came in for some reason. I sat up, and as soon as my feet touched the cold floor the door quickly closed with a quiet thud. I rushed to my feet, then to the door. Determined to catch whoever was there, when I grasped the door handle and jerked my head through the opening I saw¡­ No one.


    The hallway was empty, but I thought I saw something turning around the corner. Quietly, I went back into my room and went for the lantern on the fireplace mantle, and checked the time while I was there. 1:23 a.m. I lit the lantern using a box of matches on the fireplace and went back to the door, then went down the hall. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to think, I wasn¡¯t scared, I wasn¡¯t angry, I was mostly calm and confused. Walking quickly, I went around the corner, kept down the hall, and stopped at the top of the stairs. I watched over the railing as I went down, eyes peeled for any sign of whatever I saw earlier. I managed to catch a glimpse of it passing the stairs below before it turned around another corner. It moves too fast for me to get a good look at, so all I see of it is a blurry roundness before it¡¯s gone again. Intrigued, I sped up. When I got to the corner I watched it duck through the basement doors. I got a much better look this time, it was higher in the air than I expected, it was basically a ball of white-blue dust or fog. I paused, the basement is too confusing to navigate during the day, and it¡¯s the middle of the night now. Something tells me I should follow it anyway¡­ Reaching a solution in my mind I ran quickly up to my room, and retrieved a spool of string from my sewing drawer, then ran back down. Walking through the threshold of the door I tied the end of the string to the handle of the door, and carried the spool with me. When I turned back around I could see the orb floating at the bottom of the stairs, I couldn''t help but feel like it was watching me. It darted down the hall and to the left before I could move. I chased after it, careful not to break the string. Every now and then I¡¯d stop and wrap the string around a door handle so it would be easier to follow back and less likely to catch and break. Eventually the orb stopped in front of a door, and I approached it cautiously. As I got close it lowered, and shrunk, before it sunk into the keyhole of the door. I went this far already, I might as well keep going. I grasped the handle, and yanked. The door was locked, wonderful. I sighed, and stared at the door a moment longer.


    ¡°Uh, hey¡­ The doors locked¡­¡± I said aloud, thinking whatever led me here might be able to open it. I tried one more time to open the door after getting no response.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll, uh¡­ Come back later?¡± Suddenly feeling ridiculous, I turned around and followed the string back upstairs. Everything seemed much more quiet now that I was no longer chasing something. Not that it wasn¡¯t silent before, it was different then, I was focused. Now I was just left to my thoughts and confusion. Questions like ¡®What was that?¡¯ and ¡®Am I going crazy?¡¯ swirled around my head without end, suddenly the thought of losing my sanity had me unsettled, and that¡¯s the way I stayed after I got back into bed and eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.


    I awoke in the morning incredibly tired, and very confused. I had been convinced last night was a dream, until I went downstairs and saw the string still on one of the open basement doors. I shut the doors and went about my morning normally until after breakfast, wanting to keep my promise to whatever I saw last night whether it was an entity of some kind or a hallucination.


    ¡°Mom, dad? Do you know if the previous owners left any keys or something?¡± I asked tentatively. They looked confused.


    ¡°Well yeah, they did, why?¡± My mom responded after thinking about it for a moment.


    ¡°I found a locked door in the basement yesterday, I wanna see what¡¯s inside.¡± I was afraid of them getting suspicious, so I tried my best to sound nonchalant.


    ¡°Honey, will you go get the box please?¡± She turned to my father, who wordlessly got up and left the room.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Was all I said.


    ¡°Let us know what you find.¡± She said with a smile and a wink. A few minutes later dad walked in with a box. It was bigger than a toaster, and smaller than a microwave. When he handed it to me I saw through the open top that it was full of keys.


    ¡°Good luck kiddo.¡± he said with a laugh, and I left the room. I was determined to get this out of the way already and find out what was hiding in that room. I flicked on the lights at the top of the basement stairs and began following the string. After what happened yesterday and this morning I was surprised that I wasn¡¯t terrified, maybe a little nervous but nothing to make me run and hide. Once I reached the door I pulled a key out of the box at random, and tried it out. Nope, I tried again, and again, and again. Eventually I decided to organize them, I removed every matching key from the box and set them down together (the majority of the keys in the box were parts of a set), I put the keys that were too big in their own pile, I put the small ones in their own pile, then I put all the modern keys in their own pile. The key I was looking for had to fit a worn, old fashioned lock. By the time I was finished organizing that left me with several keys. I tried the ones that had a matching key first, then to the one of a kind keys. Finally I found a match, it was a old iron key with a symbol on the end of it that looked kind of like a leaf or a feather. I dumped the rest of the keys back into the box and set it aside before I slowly turned the handle, suddenly apprehensive. Taking a deep breath, and holding it for a moment, I opened the door. Finally releasing the breath once I stepped inside. The room looked like it had been left untouched for years (which wouldn¡¯t be surprising, given how hard it was to find both it and it¡¯s key), dust was floating around and some even caught on my glasses. That¡¯s not what I paid any attention to though. In the center of the room was an old, ornate rug, and against the back wall was a single suit of armor. I stepped closer to it, and observed it closely without touching it; there was no doubt about it, it¡¯s definitely authentic. Suddenly filled with excitement I took one last look around the room, and left footprints in the dusty floor as I ran out to find my mom. I was able to find her in the study, organizing the bookshelf.


    ¡°Hey Owen, wanna help me set these up?¡± She asked when I entered the room. Normally I¡¯d love to organize the books but my mind was very occupied by my discovery.


    ¡°Maybe later! You have to come with me I found the room I want, please come look!¡± I pleaded, out of breath from running here.


    ¡°Alright alright, where is it?¡± She followed me out the room. I walked faster, unsatisfied with the pace until I realized she wasn¡¯t going to speed up.


    ¡°Basement, kind of hard to find.¡± I answered quickly. She nodded, then finally spoke again once we reached the basement doors.


    ¡°What is all this string everywhere?¡± She said incredulously.


    ¡°It¡¯s so we don¡¯t get lost.¡± I looked back at her with a grin, she responded by shaking her head. When we finally reached the door, I pushed it back open and strolled into the dusty room, and I stood in the middle of the rug with my arms out at my sides.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± I announced.


    ¡°I see that.¡± She waved at the dust in the air, then squinted towards the back wall. ¡°Is that..?¡±


    ¡°Yep! I checked it out already, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s authentic.¡± I answered her unspoken question.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Kiddo that¡¯s probably worth a lot of money¡­¡± She brought up, hesitantly.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, but c¡¯mon it¡¯s so cool.¡± I waved my hands around, she made a face like she was thinking.


    ¡°Okay, you can keep the room and the armor for now, but you aren¡¯t gonna mess with it except maybe to clean the dust off of it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± I saluted. She rolled her eyes.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Now come help me with the bookshelf.¡± I nodded, still smiling. I locked the door as we left, she lifted an eyebrow but didn¡¯t ask. We made quick work of the bookshelf, I alphabetized them by author, while she put them on the shelves. When we finished I left to go find Sophie or Paisley. After not finding them outside or in either of their rooms I checked up on Paisley¡¯s new space that we found yesterday. Where I found her sweeping, and Sophie was lying on a pillow-playing with a feather duster, and watching from the second level.


    ¡°Hi Owen! Where¡¯ve you been?¡± Sophie shouted at me from her perch.


    ¡°I was getting my new space checked out by mom.¡± I said, smugly.


    ¡°Ooooh! Where is it?¡± She asked


    ¡°In the basement, you have to follow a string to find it.¡±


    ¡°In the basement?¡± Paisley joined in, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You sure about that?¡± She was obviously referring to yesterdays dilemma.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Whatever happened last night, whatever I saw- I didn¡¯t think it was dangerous. It had this feeling around it that was hard to describe but easy to trust. I took my mind off of it for now.


    ¡°Can we see it?¡± Sophie requested.


    ¡°I dunno, can I see yours?¡±


    ¡°No! No boys allowed!¡± She protested.


    ¡°Fine then! No little girls allowed!¡± I told her, with finality. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, that means you¡¯ll never be able to see the suit of armor in there¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°What!? Nuh Uh!¡± Sophie said, to which Paisley agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious! Mom¡¯s letting me keep it too.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Prove it! Prove it!¡± Sophie chanted.


    ¡°Can¡¯t! Already told you! No little girls allowed!¡± I refused, then added. ¡°Maybe Paisley can see if she wants, but only because she hasn¡¯t kicked me out yet.¡± Paisley laughed.


    ¡°Maybe later.¡± She said ¡°I told Sophie I¡¯d help with her room after this.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself, but can I borrow the broom and duster?¡± She passed me the broom in her hands, and I took the feather duster from Sophie. I turned before I left.


    ¡°Au Revoir!¡± And with that I ducked away. I wasn¡¯t actually sure what to do with my room yet, I absently tapped the duster against the broomstick as I thought. It wasn¡¯t until I was unlocking the door again that I came up with an idea. I looked at the string around me, and then at the armor in the room.


    ¡°A fashion studio.¡± I said to myself aloud. I haven¡¯t been able to for a while, but I used to make my own clothes, and make adjustments to whatever I bought from the store. School got in the way of that though, and it hasn¡¯t been on my mind. Now that it¡¯s summer time I can get back into it. Smiling, I got to work. Starting with the armor, then working on the floor. I did a once over with the broom, and the dust came off of the rug surprisingly easy, the problem is there was so much of it that I¡¯d have to sweep a few more times to get rid of it all. I was doing my second pass over when I stumbled over the corner of the rug and almost fell. I managed to catch myself at the last second, but the broom handle extended out in my panic. I heard a loud clang as I landed, it made me flinch and my heart thud, I had to take a deep breath before I turned around. On the floor behind me was the helmet from the suit of armor. With a grimace, I carefully inspected it for damage, then placed it back on the armor.


    Still a tad shaken, I looked over the suit a few more times, and noticed something off with his foot. The left metal boot wasn¡¯t flat like the other one. Thinking nothing of it, I kneeled down, and tried to gently press it against the platform. It moved easily at first then seemed to get caught on itself or something, so I pressed harder. It came down onto the platform solidly, and made a clanging noise. I quickly let it go, fearing I broke something, but the foot just popped back up like a spring. Confused, I leaned down with my head near the dusty floor to see if something was stuck beneath the foot before a startling grinding noise sounded out and I jumped. About a foot and a half to the left of the armor, the wall was separating to reveal a hidden room behind it. I fell back and stared, silently gaping even after it finished opening. Unsure if this was even real, I pushed myself forward and waved my hand in the space where the wall used to be. This had to be what that thing was trying to show me last night. I stood on shaky legs, and walked inside. It wasn¡¯t too dark, on account of the old hopper windows with privacy glass; so I could see inside rather well. It was a library, to my amazement. Shelves stacked with books that reach the ceiling, a desk and chair in the corner, and there was a loveseat next to the windows too. There wasn¡¯t as much dust in here as the other room, since the area was sealed well.


    I walked in further, and observed everything around me carefully. I saw a switch on this side of the room on the floor and felt tempted to test it out. I was worried that I¡¯d get stuck though, so I opened my phone to see if I somehow had service. To my luck and surprise, I did! So I stepped on the button, like how the suit of armor would¡¯ve, and watched as the wall began to close. Once it did, I clicked the button one more time and the wall once again slid open. I felt like I was in shock, this is the kind of thing that only happened in books and cartoons. I was about to start looking over everything else in the room, but I heard a singing voice coming from the hallway. Suddenly panicking, I stepped on the button one more time and ran through the gap in the wall as it shut, I didn¡¯t stop once I was on the other side though, I kept running until I got to the still open door, thankful that no one was in this hallway yet and quietly closed it as I waited for the wall to finish shutting and making noise. I saw marks in the floor where the dust was disturbed, and ran to the broom to start sweeping everything in that area away as fast as I could until I heard a knock at the door.


    ¡°C-Come in.¡± I stuttered, and took a deep breath as the door opened to calm myself. Paisley was on the other side.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She said casually, oblivious to my inner turmoil. She looked around. ¡°Cool room Owen. I totally thought you were kidding about the statue.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a statue, but thanks.¡± I eased up a bit, and kept cleaning. ¡°Thought you were helping Sophie?¡± I wondered aloud.


    ¡°I was, but she told me I was doing it wrong so I left her to do her own thing for a while.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Ah, somehow that doesn¡¯t surprise me.¡± Sophie was just as stubborn as dad and I, if not worse. She was Six after all, she will probably grow out of it at least a little bit. The two of us continued messing with the broom for a little while longer until we got hungry and we went upstairs for lunch. The string was getting annoying at this point, so I drew a small map on the back of my hand after we ate, then I cleaned up the string and went into the garden with the dog and my sisters. It was nice to get my mind off of things for a little while, first a dust ball in the middle of the night, then a suit of armor, then a hidden room behind it? It was kind of a lot for one day. I threw the tennis ball I had in my hand for the umpteenth time for Alice to chase, but she stopped just before she picked it up, and stared at something intently off to the side. I walked closer to see what she was looking at, but the movement startled the creature. Next thing I knew Alice was sprinting after a small white rabbit around the garden. I tried distracting Alice to no avail. The rabbit saved itself by hiding in a large rose bush, more toward the back of the garden. I watched as Alice shoved her head into the shrubbery and flinched, hoping she didn¡¯t catch any thorns. I jogged over to her to try and get her to come out, but she pulled back on her own right as I got there. She looked at me, tail wagging, and right there, between her big brown eyes was a little blue caterpillar. I laughed at her and plucked the tiny creature off of her nose, and placed it on one of the roses before I tugged on Alice¡¯s collar to bring her back inside.


    Later that evening, I was reading in the living-room while mom, Sophie, and Paisley made dinner. I¡¯d help, but I wasn¡¯t much use in the kitchen, and Sophie was already taking care of that, so I was content to just stay out of the way. The story I was reading was set in victorian times, and the main character was a strong young woman who wanted to make a name for herself outside of just being a nobleman¡¯s beautiful daughter. The story was great so far, and had potential to be one of my favorite books if finished correctly. It was around then that I heard what sounded like a car door closing, and I was greeted by the sound of my father walking through the front door. I closed my book and quietly walked into the entryway. My dad had his back turned as he hung his coat on a hook and slipped off his shoes. He turned back around and flinched upon seeing me.


    ¡°Good lord, kid. You gotta stop sneaking up on me like that.¡± He sounded exasperated. My lips twitched, I took a secret joy out of startling him like that.


    ¡°How was work?¡± I asked, straight to the point.


    ¡°Oh it was good actually, everyone was very respectful.¡± He sounded happy to talk about it.


    ¡°Big surprise there, you being at the top of the food chain and all.¡± I lifted an eyebrow at him as I spoke.


    ¡°I may be up there but I¡¯m not at the tippy top just yet, I still have to answer to people too.¡± He explained.


    ¡°You have like one boss, the two of you are the ¡®people¡¯ you just mentioned. Who is he anyway? He sounded cool when you talked to him through email.¡± I followed him as he started walking through the house.


    ¡°Yeah he¡¯s alright. We didn¡¯t get to talk much today, we were both pretty busy.¡± He suddenly stopped walking. ¡°Where is everyone?¡±


    ¡°Kitchen, making dinner.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± and he continued walking again, now in the direction of the kitchen. I yawned, tired after a long day, and kept up with him.


    Dinner was like usual, except I wasn¡¯t very hungry. I felt like I was lying to everyone by not telling them about what I saw and what I found but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to speak up about it.


    ¡°Owen honey, you doing okay?¡± I heard my mom ask, after I yawned for what must¡¯ve been the millionth time.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯m just tired, I didn¡¯t sleep well last night.¡± My parents exchanged looks.


    ¡°Maybe you should turn in early tonight. You look like you need rest.¡± She urged, my dad nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Uh, yea, okay. I¡¯ll go do that now. I¡¯m not very hungry anyway.¡± I got up from my seat, and backed away until Sophie grabbed my arm. I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.


    ¡°G¡¯night Sophie. Night guys.¡± I turned and left, after receivinggoodnight wishes from everyone else. I briefly considered going to my room in the basement, but then quickly changed my mind. I had enough excitement for one day. I got ready for bed, slipped under the covers, took off my glasses, and immediately fell asleep. I had a dream that I was a wealthy young individual from the victorian era, struggling to break away from someone else¡¯s shadow.

 Chapter Three

    It¡¯s been a few days now since I found the secret library behind the suit of armor. I spent a lot of time in there, I had to rush getting my sewing things out and into the main room to avoid suspicion, and I keep the door locked most of the time unless I¡¯m actually working on a project. So far no one has caught on that I¡¯m hiding something, and I plan to keep it that way for the foreseeable future. There¡¯s a lot of interesting stuff in the library, some of it in languages that I can¡¯t read; on the desk there was a much smaller book. When I inspected it I found that the writing inside was handwritten, and nearly illegible, I assumed it was a journal from the last person to see this room. Sometimes I¡¯d sit over it for hours, reading or trying to decipher the horrible handwriting. Other times I¡¯d pick a random book from the shelf and hope it was in a language I could understand. When I wasn¡¯t in the library though, I was with my family. Ironically, I was reading while me and my family sat in the living room and talked about life. Paisley was talking about how she was narrowing down her college hunt, she said she wanted to stay near home. Sophie was talking about wanting to learn tap dance. Mom and I didn¡¯t have much to say, we were the more quiet ones in the family. Then it was dad¡¯s turn.


    ¡°So, I was thinking, in just a little while or so we should be more than settled in, right?¡± He was facing my mom, who nodded. Then he continued.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get straight to the point. I want to throw a party here, not like a crazy birthday party mind you.¡± He looked at Sophie, who suddenly looked really excited. ¡°But more of a get-together for lots of people with lots of food and socialization and what-not. We could invite our neighbors down the way, people from work, kid¡¯s you can invite your friends if they are willing to make the drive up¡­ What do you guys think?¡± My eyes snapped up as he spoke, I hardly even processed when my mom started asking him all sorts of questions. I was just thinking about my friends, or one friend specifically. My best friend, his name was Duncan, and he could drive, I might be able to convince him to stay with us for a few days if he isn¡¯t busy. Dad had just finished answering moms questions when I zoned back in.


    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s fine with me if everyone else agrees.¡± Mom complied. All three kids also quickly assented.


    ¡°Great! That settles it. The only problem now is what kind of party?¡± He clapped his hands together. Sophie raised her tiny hand in the air.


    ¡°We could have a princess party, where everyone gets to come and be royalty at a ball with pretty music and dancing.¡± She said.


    ¡°I was gonna say it could just be something a little more simple than that, like a banquet.¡± Paisley input.


    ¡°Boo! Boring!¡± Sophie interjected. I looked at the book in my hands, the young woman just received an invitation to a masquerade party, and she was planning out how to blow everyone away.


    ¡°Why not both?¡± I said, interrupting Paisley and Sophie¡¯s short-lived argument. When they looked at me I continued.


    ¡°We can each incorporate our own elements into it, Sophie wants a grand ball, you want a simple banquet, we can have a masquerade party.¡± I paused, thinking for a moment of the proper words to use. ¡°It can be victorian themed, which gives Sophie her ball, and we can have a lot of food tables around for people to pick and choose, with fancy drinks and music, and everyone can just hang out and socialize. Throwing masks into the mix makes it more fun.¡± I finished. They were quiet for a moment before Sophie raised her hand again.


    ¡°I like that, we should do that!¡± she put her hand back down.


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m game for that.¡± Paisley shrugged and nodded simultaneously. Then we all looked at our parents. Mom had a grin on her face, like she thought something was funny, but dad looked unsure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that guys, we wanna make a good impression, and aren¡¯t masquerades outdated even before we add historic themes into the mix?¡±


    ¡°Nah, trust me, everyone secretly always wanted to go to a masquerade party at some point in their lives. I guarantee it.¡± I reasoned with him.


    ¡°Well, alright, I guess I can ask around but don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± He sighed. I nodded once, then turned back to my book. Fully prepared to be told later that there would be no masquerade¡­


    The next day, dad got home from work for the week while we were setting the table for dinner.


    ¡°Owen, guess what?¡± He said as soon as he practically burst in the room. It was my turn to be startled, I jumped. Then looked at him as he started talking again.


    ¡°You were absolutely right, kiddo. I was having a conversation with Hanson, my boss, this afternoon. I brought up the whole get together party thing, and then told him your ideas and he loved it! He told me that he ¡®knows plenty of people who would love to attend a masquerade¡¯ including himself. He said if I can make that happen he would be happy to come, along with his family. So, unless there are any objections, may I suggest we start planning a masquerade ball?¡± He spouted, hardly stopping for breath. That was a lot of new information. I looked at everyone else, who seemed to be on board. I smiled, this was gonna be cool.


    We spent the next several days setting up and getting everything ready. We finally had a date in mind, and everything was going according to plan. I sat on the loveseat in my library, I felt ready to text Duncan.


    -Text Conversation 1:30 p.m.-


    Owen: Hey man, what¡¯s up?


    Duncan: aaaAAAAH!


    Owen: ?


    Duncan: You!


    Duncan: I haven¡¯t heard from you in a like a week!


    Owen: Sorry, things have been chaotic here.


    Duncan: Like thats some excuse, I don¡¯t know if I can forgive you¡­


    Duncan: Leaving me in the dust like that¡­ Awful¡­


    I rolled my eyes, and grinned to myself. He was always so over dramatic, but I really appreciated it sometimes.


    Owen: I missed you too, Dunk.


    Duncan: </img>">


    Owen: I was actually gonna ask if you were doing anything on the 20th next month?


    Duncan: I¡¯m never doing anything my guy. Why?


    Owen: Parents are throwing a masquerade party here


    Owen: I wanted to know if you¡¯d be able to come and like stay over for the weekend or something.


    Duncan: Absolutely oh my god.


    Duncan: How many people get to tell their friends that they went to a masquerade party at a castle?


    Owen: Of course that¡¯s your motivation. Lol


    Duncan: hahaha, nah I¡¯m just messing with you.


    Duncan: but in all seriousness. I will see if I can sneak away from work for a few days. Luckily you told me now instead of like, the day before¡­ cough¡­


    Owen: THAT WAS ONE TIME


    Owen: also, the theme is victorian, so try to make it a little old timey, I don¡¯t think anyone will notice if its not accurate.


    Duncan: Good to know, thanks for the intel. I gotta go, boss is coming back. Bye man!


    Owen: Bye! Text me later.


    I stared at my phone a moment longer, still smiling to myself. I missed Duncan, he was someone who really helped me feel comfortable being me, and I was lucky enough to be able to help return the favor. I sighed, and left the library to sit at my desk that I set up in the fashion studio after closing the wall. I stared at my sketches in front of me, trying to decide what I was going to wear at the party. I threw one design into the trash can into the corner, and quietly celebrated not-missing. Then turned back to the drawings. One sketch was military inspired, one was basic victorian inspired, and one was something that kind of reminded me of mardi-gra. I heard a knock on the door, and went to unlock it.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked as I got closer.


    ¡°Little old lady!¡± a young voiceresponded, I smiled.


    ¡°Little old lady who?¡±


    ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t know you could yodel!¡± I opened the door.


    ¡°I thought I said no little girls, Sophie-Rose¡± I teased.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, please? You spend so much time in here! Besides, I need help with my outfit and I don¡¯t know who else to go to.¡± She pleaded. I smiled and opened the door wider.


    ¡°Come on then. Help me figure out what to wear too and I¡¯ll help you.¡± I went over and sat back at my desk. Sophie followed and climbed onto my lap. I held the papers up for her.


    ¡°Tell me what you like the most out of these drawings.¡± She pointed toward the military one.


    ¡°I like the hat, and the arm dangly things.¡± Then she pointed at the victorian look, ¡°I like the colors in this one.¡± and then she pointed to the weird one ¡°I reeeallly like the frilly stuff in this one.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to put something together.¡± I set her off of my lap, and she explored the room. I quickly sketched a new design based on what she liked from the originals, and I think I finally got something I liked.


    ¡°Hey, you need to give it a name!¡± I looked up, to find her standing in front of the armor.


    ¡°Oh? What were you thinking?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Angelica!¡± She shouted. I laughed for a little bit, I didn¡¯t originally think of the armor being so feminine as the name Angelica, but I could see it.


    ¡°Alright, her name is Angelica then. Now come look at this sketch.¡± Sophie ran back over, and I handed her the paper.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s so cool!¡± She wiggled in place for a moment.


    ¡°Alright! Now, let¡¯s figure out something for you. Do you have any old dresses that you don¡¯t wear anymore?¡± She nodded, and tugged on my hand to follow her to her room. I locked the door before we made our way there, as usual. When we were in her closet she pointed to a whole section of hanging dresses.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wear any of those anymore. Unless I have to.¡± She commented, as I began to look through them. I pulled out a purplish-red dress, it had no volume, it was basically like a thick nightgown with long sleeves.


    ¡°That one¡¯s boring, I only wore it once and even then I didn¡¯t like it.¡± I nodded in agreement, but held onto it. It could easily be repurposed. I pulled out a few more dresses that stuck out to me, and listened to her complaints about them as I did so. Until I came across a pale beige dress, with small embroidered flowers on the skirt. It¡¯s sleeves were a little ugly but that was really the only problem with it. Upon closer inspection, I saw many of the flowers had a very similar color to the red dress. I held it up to Sophie, eyebrow raised.


    ¡°That one reminds me of a dusty couch.¡± Was all she said. I laughed.


    ¡°Do you still have your petticoat?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± She said.


    ¡°I think I can make this a really pretty princess dress for you.¡± I finally spoke my thoughts.


    ¡°Do it!¡± She jumped, and then her and I went back downstairs to take a few quick measurements before I started my sketch.


    By the time the 19th rolled around, we had everything prepared. Paisley went out and got her own off-white dress with three of her friends who all made their way up together, I added some white lace to her mask as per her request. Mom and dad wore matching outfits, but dads mask had a long obnoxious nose, and moms had a large feather darting off the side. The modifications on Sophie¡¯s dress made her look like a true princess. There was purple-red fabric draped along the sides and back of the dress, and there were button-like decorations on the torso, and over the top of it all was the same reddish dress, cropped down drastically to form a shrug jacket. There were also realistic red roses lined along her waist, and framing her mask like a crown. She loved her new outfit, and couldn¡¯t wait to wear it the next day. I myself was just finishing adding some roses and flowers to my own hat (Sophie requested I match her in some way, so I included my own set of flowers). I pinned the last flower down, and turned it over to observe from the front. I heard my phone ring, picking it up without checking who it was I answered.


    ¡°Owen L. Lancaster.¡± I said as I moved to place the hat on the mannequin wearing the rest of my outfit. A loud screaming noise greeted me on the other line.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH- hey it¡¯s me come open the door.¡± Came the other voice.


    My first reaction was to drop my phone, but thankfully I restrained myself. My second reaction was to sprint out of the room, up the stairs, to the door as fast as I can. When I got there I slammed open the front door and grabbed my best friend in an embrace. He started screaming again as he hugged me back, thankfully much more quietly, and I even joined him this time. When we pulled back I saw his phone in his hand and remembered to hang up on mine. He was wearing his pyjamas, he was the kind of guy who wears comfortable clothes for a long drive. He has brown hair, shaved in the back and sides but longer and styled at the top. His voice got deeper in the past month, that or I haven¡¯t gotten used to hearing him in person after only texting for a month. It was so good to see him.


    ¡°Hey, come on in. There¡¯s a lot we gotta talk about.¡± I said as I started walking back in. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you though. I missed you so much, it feels like longer than about a month.¡± He smiled and returned the sentiment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop that bag off in my room, then I¡¯ll show you around.¡± The two of us went around the house at a slow pace till eventually it was dark out and there was one place left that I had to show him. We ran into Paisley and her friends when we were on our way to the basement.


    ¡°Ladies¡­¡± Duncan said quietly, and let them pass. A couple snickered at him but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Alice, who was following the girls, changed direction and went with us. When we got to the room I fumbled with my key for a moment before I remembered I left the door unlocked on accident. I opened the door, and ushered him inside.


    ¡°This is what you ¡®really had to show me¡¯?¡± He started as he walked in the room. I locked the door behind us. ¡°No offense bro, but compared to the rest of the house this ain¡¯t that big of a deal.¡± I smiled, knowing what was about to happen.


    ¡°Actually,¡± I stopped talking, and walked over to the armor that he was looking at. ¡°This is what I really had to show you.¡± I said smugly, and stepped on Angelica¡¯s foot. I stepped back as I waited the few seconds it took to start moving, Duncan turned, about to say something, when he was cut off by the now familiar grinding sound. His head whipped back to the wall as the hidden room revealed itself. Once the door opened, I casually walked inside the small library, and lit all the candles. Alice sat at my feet beside me, and I turned back around to find Duncan still standing outside the door.


    ¡°Dude¡­ What?¡± He asked, wide eyed, and mouth agape.


    ¡°This is what I wanted to talk to you about.¡± I said as I sat on the loveseat. He finally walked in, looked around, and sat beside me.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± he paused. ¡°Start from the beginning.¡± and I did. I explained my first day here; followed by the second, when the basement was making noises at Paisley and I; I told him about the early morning after, with the glowy dusty orb that led me here; then the armor, and accidentally finding this place while I tried to fix it. I also told him that nothing else weird has happened since then.


    ¡°I am feeling inclined to not believe any of what you just said but¡­¡± he gestured around him. ¡°I see no reason not to though. After all of this¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel the same, honestly. And I¡¯m the one who dealt with all of it.¡±


    ¡°Man¡­¡± Duncan leaded forward, ¡°Its insane.¡± he put his hands on his forehead.


    ¡°Not as insane as the last guy who was here.¡± I got up and went over to the desk. I grabbed the journal from where I left it and brought it back over to Duncan. ¡°Listen to this.¡± I flipped to one of the random pages I had bookmarked and began to read.


    ¡°¡®They tell me that I am crazy and at this point even I believe this to be true. But there is no denying that in some of my so-called delusions there is a truth far greater than reality would have you believe.¡¯ There¡¯s more after that but I can¡¯t make it out, this guy¡¯s handwriting is horrible.¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Duncan held out his hand. I passed the book over to him. He stared at it intently for a moment, brow furrowed.


    ¡°It says: My only hope is that someone, someday, might see the truth as well.¡± He translated.


    ¡°How did you even read that? I couldn¡¯t make out hardly any of it.¡± I wondered.


    ¡°I helped grade elementary english papers man. But hold on think about that for a second.¡± He changed the topic.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, unsure where this was going.


    ¡°Dude like, what if that thing you saw had something to do with this? What if it wanted you to find this?¡± He was starting to get excited.


    ¡°I mean, that would make sense I guess¡­¡± I suddenly felt much more curious about what this guy was talking about. ¡°But why me?¡±


    ¡°I dunno man. Maybe you seem familiar to it somehow, that¡¯s how it goes in the stories¡­¡± He trailed off. We sat quietly for a moment.


    ¡°Do¡­ you wanna help me figure it out?¡± I asked after a few beats of silence.


    ¡°Abso-freaking-lutely.¡± He had a fire in his eyes. Duncan loved anything supernatural and mysterious, so this was right up his alley.


    ¡°Okay, if you want you can take that with you. You figured out what it said after like five seconds where it probably would take me five hours.¡± I exaggerated.


    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll let you know what I find. Better yet, if I have the time I will translate the whole thing on the computer and send you the file.¡± He was already making plans. ¡°You can be the field guy, and I¡¯ll be the guy at the computer telling you where to go and what to do it¡¯ll be sick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like a buddy-cop show but alright.¡± I snorted, and checked the time. ¡°Dinner will be soon, we should get out of here before someone comes to check on us.¡± We got up, I ushered Duncan and Alice out the door and pressed the button from that side before stepping through. We hung out in the fashion studio for a while, I showed him my outfit for tomorrow, until surely enough there was loud knocking on my the door. Opening it revealed Sophie hand still in the air, then suddenly she raised both hands high


    ¡°Duncan!¡± She ran in and into the arms of my best friend, who picked her up and swung her around.


    ¡°Hey little one! It¡¯s been a while huh?¡± He grinned at her, as he set her onto his hip. They always got along nicely, it was nice to see. Sophie nodded then looked to me.


    ¡°Momma said it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± She began to wiggle her way out of Duncan¡¯s grasp, who gently set her down. She then ran out of the room, her little feet making tapping noises as she went. We exchanged looks before we made our way out of the room, locking the door as we went. On our way to dinner I requested that he keep quiet about our¡­ Investigation. He swore to secrecy, and with that, we spent the rest of our night acting as much like normal teenagers as we could.

 Chapter Four

    Duncan and I woke up early to double check that everything was ready and set up and get some last minute decor done. We wanted everything ready by 5:30 p.m. which gave us plenty of time to make sure everything was in order. Mom watched my nervous antics casually, before sending me out into the garden to relax for a while. Duncan and I sat in the grass, eventually Sophie joined us, and listed the names of any plant that Duncan pointed out. At some point I chilled out enough to go back inside and we spent our day relatively normally until about 5:15, when Duncan grabbed his outfit and mask and we went into the studio for any minor readjustments. His suit was brown, and matched his hair. He also brought a vest and a small top-hat that was more for style than for actually being used as a hat, and a simple white mask. I gave him a little dark red rose to pin to the lapel of the suit.


    I put on my outfit first. It starts at the bottom with dark grey, knee high boots, with a row of gold buttons from top to bottom. There were off-white pants tucked into the boots, they were high-rise, with more gold buttons along each side. I had some blue and black trimmed ruffles that hung off the back-left side of the pants, with flowy fabric that hung to my shins beneath it. Then the coat, which I turned into more of an overshirt and tucked into the pants; it was blue and had three-quarter sleeves. The coat also had decorative shoulder pads, one with gold chains attached to the collar. I also had an old, blue military hat, with the flowers, and more flowy fabric hanging off the end. My mask was white with a few black and gold details in the mix.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I change in here do you?¡± He was already taking off his shirt as he said that. I laughed.


    ¡°By all means, go ahead. It¡¯s up to you.¡± I said as he turned his back toward me. He was wearing a new binder, it was black. No longer the old stained white one he wore for ages. I silently appreciated it, the white one desperately needed to be retired. We both finished getting dressed, and gave each other our absolutely necessary wolf-whistles and check-outs before we tied on our masks. We went back upstairs, and saw that the people my parents hired had arrived and were doing their part before the time for the party to start, which was 6:00. I actually felt much more calm, behind the mask. Not that I was afraid of social situations, it was just easier to have that sense of anonymity. Time between 5:30 and 6:00 passed quickly as the hired workers and guests started arriving. All sorts of different people walked through the door, sometimes one lone person, or even a whole family. I had many people approach me to compliment my attire, as I did to others as well. I got tired, eventually. Duncan and I sat on the couch in the living room when there were fewer people hanging around there, and read together. Duncan was much less fond of socialization, I was happy to take a break with him for a while.


    People left and entered the room frequently while we got lost in our pages, every now and then he¡¯d reach over and point out something in the journal, and every now and then I¡¯d tell him something interesting or funny that happened in the story. I was quiet for a while though, because the heroine of the story was having a conversation with a girl she was friends with. They were talking about life and hardships, but the heroine eventually broke, frustrated with her life. She was falling into a deep depression, and couldn¡¯t help but pour her heart out to this woman. The heroine was going be forced to marry a man she didn¡¯t love soon, and her heart broke over and over at just the thought. Then to my utter surprise, the girl kissed her. I read further, the heroine ended up panicking and turning away, convinced that the other girl was giving her affection out of pity, because she saw her friend with a man. I wanted to scream at her to turn back, that she was misunderstanding- the girl obviously really liked her, the man was marrying someone else for crying out loud! Before I could start on the next chapter a voice interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± A rather deep voice made itself known. Duncan and I both looked up from our books.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said, and Duncan waved. The man in front of us was wearing a mostly purple suit, and a black mask. He had dark skin, and dark eyes. He looked young, anywhere between my age, and my older sister¡¯s age. He shuffled awkwardly for a moment.


    ¡°Is this seat taken?¡± He gestured to the chair beside the couch, just to my right.


    ¡°No go ahead.¡± I nodded. He sat down.


    ¡°Not big on parties?¡± He asked quietly, trying to make conversation.


    ¡°I like them okay, but him?¡± I gestured to Duncan, who was reading again. ¡°Not so much.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± He said, quiet for a moment. I could clearly see he wanted to talk, but wasn¡¯t quite sure how to get there. I humored him.


    ¡°My names Owen, and who are you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m Liam. Nice to meet you.¡± He relaxed slightly. I nodded.


    ¡°What brings you to the party, Liam?¡± I asked, trying to get him to talk more.


    ¡°My dad does.¡± He sighed, and smiled a bit ¡°wanted me to get out of the house for a little while.¡± he said it like a joke. I snickered.


    ¡°Relatable.¡± I said with a smile. Liam smiled more, then looked at the book in my hands.


    ¡°What are you reading?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Oh this? It¡¯s called ¡®Blue Heron Red¡¯. About a girl in the victorian times, and her life and adventures and what-not.¡± I held up the book, showing the cover of an insignia with a blue heron on it, the insignia was turning red at the bottom. It was supposed to be symbolic.


    ¡°Sounds neat. What¡¯s happening in it so far?¡± He asked, curious. I sighed.


    ¡°Well, the main character¡¯s friend basically just confessed her love for her but she doesn¡¯t think she¡¯s being genuine, and now she¡¯s running from the situation, and it¡¯s all just a mess.¡± I explained, frustration evident in my tone.


    ¡°The girl is in love with the other girl?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yea it surprised me at first too but I think they¡¯d be happy together. They have a lot of chemistry.¡± I clarified, hesitantly. I watched for any reaction on his face.


    ¡°Oh cool!¡± He beamed. It was an innocent smile, I could see he didn¡¯t dislike it, and he didn¡¯t get weird about it either. Which I appreciated. He opened his mouth to keep talking, but a tall bald man walked in. With a thick black moustache under his grey mask.


    ¡°Liam my boy, there you are!¡± the man said a little loudly. Duncan¡¯s attention was once again drawn away from the book. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking all over for you, come, I want you to meet our hosts.¡± Then the man turned to me, he¡¯s been smiling this whole time.


    ¡°And who might you be? The tall man looked between me and Duncan, who shrunk back slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Owen L. Lancaster, this is my friend, Duncan. And you are?¡± I stood and extended my hand as I spoke, this man seemed like the kind of guy who you might want to be on his good side.


    ¡°Oh! I beg your pardon, I didn¡¯t realise you were Roland¡¯s son. I¡¯m Murphy Hanson, please, call me Murphy.¡± He shook my hand with a firm grip. I could see Liam watching the interaction from the side, looking both awkward and startled.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s good to meet you Murphy.¡± It felt weird using his first name, and I nearly hesitated before I said it. ¡°I won''t keep you anymore, if you wanted to go ahead and find my parents.¡± I took a step back, giving them more space to move if they were going to leave.


    ¡°Actually, if you could help me find them that would be great. I admit I have a bit of trouble navigating your lovely home.¡± Murphy requested, and I could practically see both Duncan and Liam deflate. Not wanting to offend or anything, I nodded. I made eye contact with Duncan, who took the hint and stood up. He walked alongside me while I started walking out the door.


    ¡°Where did you see them last?¡± I asked.


    ¡°One of the living-spaces toward the back of the house, heading toward the patio I believe.¡± He responded quickly, before moving onto questions of his own. ¡°So Owen, how old are you?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°17.¡± I answered, a little confused.


    ¡°Oh? Well, Liam here just turned 18, himself.¡± He told me. Unsure of what to do with this information, I just nodded for a moment, then said ¡®cool¡¯.


    We reached my parents after he continued on, asking more awkward questions. I stuck around for a bit during the introductions that followed, then Duncan and I quietly walked away when we saw an opportunity. I thought we got away unnoticed, but I looked over my shoulder as we went through the doorway, and locked eyes with Liam. The man quickly looked away, after getting caught staring. He said nothing though and I continued on with Duncan through the house.


    ¡°Wanna go get food?¡± I asked as I watched one of the hired men walk by, carrying a tray with glasses of champagne on top. Duncan¡¯s response was immediate.


    ¡°Yes. Please.¡± and then we were walking towards the dining room. There were a lot of people in here, including Paisley and her friends, who each had a glass of sparkling juice in their hands (at least I assume it was). We managed to swipe some snacks from the table, then we hung around my sister and her group. After a few minutes of socializing with them, Liam approached again. I didn¡¯t notice until my sister looked up at him, with her award-winning smile still on her face.


    ¡°Hello, I like your suit! It¡¯s a nice color.¡± She said. Liam looked down at himself and I could see his cheeks darkening slightly.


    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s a nice dress you got there too.¡± He said in response, with a smile. He was suddenly much less awkward than before, and I felt a little frustrated for some reason. I brushed it off as he turned to me.


    ¡°I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second?¡± I furrowed my eyebrows at his request, but nodded. I turned to Duncan, to tell him I¡¯d be back, but when I looked at him he was¡­ Flirting? Oh wow okay, he was absolutely flirting with one of Paisley¡¯s friends. The girl was short, and she had a cute bob-cut and soft brown eyes beneath her lilac mask. She seemed to be responding to Duncan as well, giggling with him, not taking her eyes away. I lifted an eyebrow, and left him to it. I turned back to Liam.


    ¡°Somewhere with less people, yea?¡± I asked, and he nodded shortly after. I gestured for him to follow me, and we went for a short walk into the garden where there were much less guests. We passed Sophie while she played with the other young guests and the dog.


    ¡°This okay?¡± I asked when we were in a more quiet area, still in sight of most of the people though. I seemed to interrupt his train of thought.


    ¡°Oh, yea.¡± He said. He seemed tense again, so I started walking, it seemed like he felt more comfortable moving around the garden; I wanted him to get whatever he wanted to say out, already.


    ¡°I mostly just wanted to apologize,¡± he started, following closely. ¡°For my dad, if he said anything that weirded you out or something.¡± He added.


    ¡°I mean, dads are weird, so it¡¯s fine I guess. I won¡¯t lie it was a little awkward.¡± I laughed, a tad humorlessly. We were nearing the stone pathways now, but we didn¡¯t stop. Liam laughed too.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± He sighed, ¡°He gets excited sometimes when he sees me socializing. Which is weird, because it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have friends or anything.¡± he paused, like he was thinking. We were by the old fountain now, he took a seat on its rim and I sat down next to him.


    ¡°Do you just not get out much or something? My parents can get super pushy about me going out if I spend too much time inside.¡± I contributed to the conversation.


    ¡°Erm, in a manner of speaking, yea.¡± he sounded like he was going to say more, but seemingly got frustrated about something. ¡°Can I take the mask off for now? It¡¯s a little uncomfortable. I don¡¯t wanna break any ¡®masquerade rules¡¯ or anything...¡± He said the last part in a weird voice, and I laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine with me.¡± I permitted, and he smiled. He reached up and removed the offending material. Feeling weird being the only one with a mask, I untied my own as well. I readjusted my hat after, but while I did so I glanced over to see Liam staring at me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked him. He flinched slightly, and casually looked away again. Facing forward now. He had kind of a sharp, handsome, alert face. He also had what looked like a diamond stud beneath his eye.


    ¡°Is that a piercing on your cheekbone?¡± I asked suddenly. He looked back over, surprised. I leaned back quickly after I realised I had been leaning closer to get a better look.


    ¡°Yea, it is.¡± His hand came up and he touched it briefly. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just never seen one there before, it¡¯s cool, I like it.¡± I told him honestly. He smiled then. A real smile. Teeth and everything as he said thank you. It hit me right then and there. My heart skipped a beat and everything, this guy was way too handsome. I took a deep breath and smiled back.


    ¡°Can I have your number?¡± he asked suddenly, and it shocked me. I must¡¯ve made a face, because he was suddenly talking again. ¡°I just- you seem cool, I wanna be able to keep in touch after tonight¡­ is that okay?¡± I blinked at him for a moment. Then started moving again.


    ¡°Yeah, right. Yeah.¡± I said as I reached into my coat for my phone. We traded devices while we put our contact information in. When he gave me my phone back I saw he set his contact as ¡®LI AM I AM¡¯ I laughed, and he gave a light chuckle back. I got a text from Duncan as I was thinking of what to say next. I turned to Liam.


    ¡°Duncan¡¯s asking where I am. I should head back inside.¡± I said as I grabbed my mask and began tying it back. Liam followed me up a few feet, until I caught his attention. ¡°Liam, you might wanna put your mask back on. We don¡¯t wanna break the ¡®masquerade rules¡¯.¡± I warned jokingly as he hastily retrieved his mask. He had a grin on his face when he turned back around.


    We started walking back to the castle, talking along the way. He was really cool actually, once he got over his initial nervousness. We found Duncan waiting by the door as we got closer, I think he was watching, but I couldn¡¯t see too well from that far away without my glasses. When we got close he spoke.


    ¡°Hey¡­ What were you guys talking about?¡± He asked us. I wasn¡¯t sure if Liam wanted me to keep the topic private, so I tried to come up with something vague. Before I could open my mouth, however, Liam spoke.


    ¡°I was just apologizing about my dad being awkward.¡± He spoke truthfully, after looking around to make sure the man wasn¡¯t present.


    ¡°Yep. It was really weird.¡± Duncan said bluntly. I shook my head. Liam nodded along, then looked somewhere in the distance.


    ¡°I think my mom is looking for me, maybe we¡¯ll catch up later?¡± He asked, then started slowly walking away.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± And with that, Liam made a finger-guns motion with his hands and left. I watched him leave the room with an older looking woman.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Duncan said, watching as well.


    ¡°What?¡± I turned to my friend.


    ¡°What were you really talking about?¡± He asked, tone sly.


    ¡°You heard him, he literally just apologized for his dad being awkward.¡± I told him, as we began walking further into the house.


    ¡°And after that?¡± He urged.


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know what you want from me. We just talked about parents being weird for the most part. We talked a bit about ourselves as we got up here but nothing significant.¡± I was genuinely confused.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± He gave up for now. We found ourselves in the main hall by the stairs, there were a lot of people scattered throughout it for some reason.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I nudged him, ¡°That girl, you were giving her goo-goo eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lacey. She¡¯s pretty, I actually see her back home all the time but never had the confidence to talk to her.¡± He lifted a finger to his face. ¡°Mask helps a lot with that. It¡¯s obvious who everyone is, but it still helps, thinking no one can actually see the face you¡¯re making.¡±


    ¡°And how did it go? She seemed into it.¡± I wondered. Duncan grinned.


    ¡°Got her phone number.¡± He seemed so pleased with himself. I smiled for him, I was tempted to tell him I got Liam¡¯s number as well. He kept talking though, and I let him go on, until I saw Liam walk into the room. He was with Paisley. I saw them talking but I couldn¡¯t hear what about, and Liam¡¯s head was turned away, so I couldn¡¯t try to piece whatever he was saying with his mouth. They stopped walking, and faced each other. I saw Paisley make the face she always makes when she asks for clarification. Her head tilted forward, eyes open, and eyebrows raised; he must¡¯ve asked something or said something unexpected. Suddenly she slowly grinned, then laughed. He brought his hand to the back of his neck, shoulders raised. He was flustered. I could feel myself becoming annoyed. Then she held out her hand, and he hurriedly grabbed his phone. She was putting her number in his phone. She chuckled a bit longer, and patted his arm as she walked past, and she left the room. I quickly looked away, frustrated. Duncan noticed the change, and watched me stew for a moment. I didn¡¯t think I was making a face, but he reached forward and grabbed my wrists to get my attention.


    ¡°You okay man? We can go somewhere else if you need to.¡± He asked. I took a deep breath, and pulled my hands back.


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m fine, just a little tired I think.¡± I said, he made a face like he didn¡¯t believe me, but didn¡¯t ask anymore. I looked back over to where Liam was, he turned, and we locked eyes again. I quickly looked away, I was the one caught staring this time. I could see him starting to walk over, and I looked to Duncan. I was about to ask him to come up with an excuse to leave, when I stopped. ¡®Why am I running away?¡¯ I thought. I wasn¡¯t upset with this guy, but the impulse to turn tail and run was so strong for a second. I took a few more deep breaths, and turned to greet him as he arrived.


    ¡°Hello again.¡± I said politely, he smiled.


    ¡°Hello.¡± He turned to Duncan, ¡°Sorry, I think I¡¯ve forgotten your name?¡±


    ¡°Duncan, hey.¡± He nodded to the taller teen.


    ¡°I¡¯m Liam, nice to officially meet you.¡± He said in response, and Duncan nodded. He turned back to me. ¡°My family is going to be leaving soon, I thought I¡¯d drop by one more time to say goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, I hope you enjoyed yourself.¡± I smiled gently.


    ¡°I did, thank you.¡± He looked me directly in the eye when he said that, I had to remind myself to stand my ground, I didn¡¯t turn away until he did. Why was this so intense?


    ¡°Well, I have to go now. Bye!¡± He was still smiling, and he stepped backwards, then added ¡°I¡¯ll text you later!¡± then he turned and left the room. Duncan and I were quiet for a while. Guests slowly began making their way out of the house, till eventually the last family was leaving, and Sophie was waving to them from the doorway. It wasn¡¯t until later when Duncan made a sudden realization.


    ¡°Wait, he has your phone number?¡± His head shot up from the journal, startling me. I laughed at him for a bit, and he stayed convinced the rest of his time with us that I lied about what we talked about that evening.

 Chapter Five

    It¡¯d been a few months since the masquerade party, and a lot has gone on since then. Everyone had their bedrooms and side rooms all set up for the most part. I¡¯ve stopped spending so much time in my library, after Sophie¡¯s complaint that I spent too much time in my side room. Duncan and I are still investigating what was going on with the Journal owner (who Duncan affectionately refers to as ¡®JOwner¡¯), and based on some of the things he described, and some of the things that have already happened, we figured out that something bad went down on the property at some point. We still had yet to find out what. A lot of what was written in the journal had us running around in circles like chickens with their heads cut off, we would go all around with theories that would seem to line up until we find something else in the journal later that shatters the whole thing. Duncan is also seeing that girl, Lacey now. Paisley tells me that she¡¯s so much happier now that she has him, and I tell her the same of Duncan.


    Paisley, Sophie and I were sitting together in Paisley¡¯s loft on a plush sofa she had brought up. Paisley was texting someone, smiling to herself, and Sophie was playing with her new tablet. Our parents left yesterday to go on vacation for a couple weeks, they somehow managed to find the time to be able to go on vacations frequently. My phone buzzed, it was Liam. We¡¯ve been talking a lot these past few months, we even hang out in town sometimes, and I¡¯ve met a few of his friends. I find myself growing attached to him just about everyday, which is concerning. I¡¯m pretty sure he likes Paisley, he texts her a lot too. It doesn¡¯t surprise me though, I¡¯m used to it by now. Paisley is just nicer and prettier, and she¡¯s a girl. Those are three things she¡¯s got to make him like her more than me, so I try to stay content with just being friends. It was hard sometimes though, sometimes he¡¯d say something really sweet and I almost want to tell him how I feel in the heat of the moment, but I can¡¯t ruin my first friendship with someone in this area over a boy-crush. I don¡¯t even bother acting like that¡¯s not what it is anymore, luckily the only one who ever asks me about those kinds of things these days is Duncan. I finally checked my phone.


    Text Conversation: 12:04 a.m.


    LI AM I AM: Hey


    Owen: Hi Liam


    LI AM I AM: Whats up man?


    Owen: Not much, hanging out with sisters. We are all on our phones, lol.


    LI AM I AM: Oh, Pais is there?


    Owen: Yea, she is. Why?


    LI AM I AM: Nothin, I am talkin to her too, she didnt say she was right next to you.


    Owen: Ah¡­


    Owen: Wait, why does that matter? Lmao


    LI AM I AM: It doesnt, I just thought she was hangin out in her loft


    Owen: She is, so am I


    LI AM I AM: Oh shoot I just realized this probably sounds weird doesnt it?


    Owen: yyyyep.


    LI AM I AM: Shoot im sorry. I actually gotta go real quick. Ill text you later


    I sighed, and put my phone down on the couch. Paisley started giggling. I looked over at her, and she was staring at her phone.


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± I asked her, afraid of the answer.


    ¡°Liam.¡± Yep, there it is.


    ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been ranting about something for a while now. It¡¯s funny.¡± She was quiet for a moment, she glanced at me, then back at her phone and laughed again as she got another text. Incredibly frustrated, I grabbed my phone and stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going outside with Alice for a bit.¡± I started walking to the door.


    ¡°Really? But it¡¯s raining?¡± Alice sounded concerned suddenly.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± I said as I descended the stairs. Hearing Sophie shout a farewell at me from the bottom.


    The water outside was cool, it felt nice against my skin. The dog ended up refusing to go outside, so I went out alone. I went back to the flat stone spot and danced in the center until I was tired. Our parents had each of us learn the waltz at a young age, I was the only one who enjoyed it. I closed my eyes and moved my feet in the basic pattern, then sped up and allowed my footwork to become more complicated. At one point I finished the song in my head with a twirl, and a bow. I stood again, breathing heavily. Dancing requires focus for me, so it was something I did every now and then when something was bothering me and I needed to think of something else. Like Paisley and Liam, I wanna be supportive so much but I can¡¯t help but get angry at her. I don¡¯t want to be angry at her, she doesn¡¯t deserve anyone¡¯s anger. I sighed, and looked up at the top of the house, then at the tower. It was faint, but I could¡¯ve sworn I saw something in the top window. I rubbed away the water that had collected on my glasses and looked again. I still saw it, it had a whitish blue hue. My eyes grew wide as I realized what it was. I pulled out my phone to take a picture, but the lense was all foggy, it wouldn¡¯t show up in the rainy weather. I decided to go inside. I approached the old door hesitantly, then looked up at one of the windows once again. Making up my mind, I pried it open and stepped inside.


    The only light in the tower was whatever came in through the windows. I was nervous, but determined. I started climbing. Most stairs were stable and made of stone, but others, wooden, and just wedged into the stone on either wall. I took extra care on those stairs, but none broke. Eventually I made it to the top, just a few more steps to go. I slowly climbed, and I could see the blue hue around the corner. I was on the last wooden stair, it must¡¯ve been rot from the water that was leaking in but it was much less sturdy. The second I felt it creak I was leaping off and onto the next stair, a second too late and I would have fallen down, I saw the wooden stair just barely holding onto itself. Heart pounding, I turned back around and went up the last two stairs.


    I expected it to disappear the moment I got there, but the white-blue foggy dust ball thing stayed in place. Watching me, near the largest window. I took a few more steps into the room, and looked around. There were drawings on the walls. One was of the tower I was in; one of an old man in ragged clothes, hunched over a book; one of two people, a man and a woman, they were holding the earth in their arms and embracing it; there was a bright shining sun painted on the ceiling, just above the tower; there were plenty of others around, too. I walked over to the man and woman, if the sun was in the sky, then why was the earth on the earth? I gently touched the faded blue and green planet. Then noticed the wall getting brighter around my shadow. I turned around again, face to face to the orb, or, face to dust? It just hovered there, like it was looking past my face and into my mind. Suddenly it backed away, and I followed a few steps until I was standing in the center of the tower, then stopped. It moved around the room in a slow circle, just around me. Then it stopped after a couple laps- just in front of the earth. Then it blasted out the window. I chased after it, but as soon as I got to the windowsill it was gone. Completely disappeared in the rain. I leaned back, and looked at the sky a moment before turning back and and taking as many pictures of the walls as I could. On my way down I kicked the broken stair off as much as I could so no one would make the mistake of stepping on it. I went inside, completely soaked.


    I quickly sent the pictures to Duncan as soon as I was into new clothes as I dried my hair. I heard footsteps rapidly stomping down the hall. I assumed it was Sophie, until Paisley slammed open the door, face red and wet with tears. She was breathing heavy, and she kept trying to tell me something but her words were too fast and slurred together. I had to calm her down.


    ¡°Hey hey hey Paisley, calm down.¡± I began, I held her arms, so she would look me in the face. ¡°Just breathe, it¡¯s okay, take a few deep breaths and calm down.¡± I had never seen her have a panic attack before. Something bad must¡¯ve happened. After a few minutes of shushing and reminding her to breathe, she finally calmed down enough to speak.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°It¡¯s Sophie.¡± She said, and I paled. ¡°She disappeared. I can¡¯t find her, it¡¯s- we-¡± She kept cutting herself off.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll figure this out together.¡± I tried to reassure her, my voice wavered.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± She said after taking a breath. We ran through the halls, eventually coming to a stop at the end of the hall on the second floor, only, there was a fake panel in the wall. It was pushed away to reveal a staircase going down. I looked at Paisley.


    ¡°I, we were exploring. And we found this. And Sophie wanted to go in and I was curious too and I wasn¡¯t thinking and we went in together and-¡± she had to take a breath, she was still crying. ¡°There were two hallways, I told her to stay put at the bottom of the stairs while I checked it out. But she must¡¯ve¡­¡± She trailed off.


    ¡°What did you see down there? Were there any clues where she might¡¯ve gone?¡± Paisley looked at the ground.


    ¡°Nothing, except she said she saw a light blue ball of mist. I thought she was playing around but now she¡¯s gone and I can¡¯t find her and I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± She sobbed. My mind halted when she said ¡®light blue ball of mist¡¯ like the dust that I¡¯ve been seeing. It didn¡¯t take her somehow¡­ Did it? I heard Paisley saying something.


    ¡°We need to call our parents.¡± She was saying.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± I nearly shouted. ¡°We can¡¯t. Not yet. Let¡¯s look for her first, there¡¯s still a chance she wandered off and got lost.¡± That seemed to make Paisley think.


    ¡°What else would have happened then, if it wasn¡¯t that?¡± She asked quietly. I was quiet too, for a moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    We spent what must¡¯ve been hours looking for her. We used up several spools of string by the end of the day, just trying to find out how to navigate the small passageway. At one point we found a door that led into the basement, which made it even worse. Now there were two large mazes in this house that apparently had more than one secret passages and rooms to look through. We kept looking well into the morning too. Eventually I had to force Paisley to sit on the couch and eat something. She yawned.


    ¡°You can get some rest, if you need.¡± I said gently.


    ¡°No, no I can¡¯t!¡± She protested heavily, but I could see her eyes starting to droop. We continued looking, till about 9 a.m. she was struggling keeping her eyes open even while standing.


    ¡°Paisley, get some rest. You can¡¯t keep looking if you¡¯re dead on your feet like this. Take a break, I¡¯ll keep looking.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°What about you?¡± She looked right at my tired eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll get help.¡± I said.


    ¡°Who? Mom and Dad are on vacation, all our friends are over five hours away, and no one would believe this would be an emergency based on what we know...¡± She pointed out. Not all of our friends, actually, and Duncan would probably get here as fast as he could.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something. Go, sleep.¡± I commanded, and continued to command until she finally went to sleep on the couch. I sighed. Then reached for my phone that I had been ignoring all day. All yesterday? Time became a blur for me when I didn¡¯t get any sleep. I had several missed notifications, mostly from Duncan and Liam. I called Duncan after I left the room. He answered quickly.


    ¡°Dude, my shift starts soon, what¡¯s going on?¡± He grumbled from the other side, he didn¡¯t like talking on the phone, but at this point I couldn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Sophie. She¡­¡± I quieted my voice in case Paisley was still awake. ¡°She¡¯s disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh my god. Is she¡­ What happened?¡±


    ¡°Duncan, listen to me very carefully.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to phrase my next sentence. ¡°I think the dust ball had something to do with it. I can¡¯t figure it out alone, I can¡¯t tell my parents, and I don¡¯t want to scare Paisley. I need your help.¡± I finished.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He said after a moment. I nodded, then answered when I realized he couldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± I finally said. He was quiet again for a few more seconds. Then I heard people in the background.


    ¡°I have to go. Family emergency.¡± He didn¡¯t even wait for a response, I heard a clutter and someone¡¯s voice calling for him to wait. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a few hours, I¡¯m gonna bring Lacey. She can help, or at least be there for Paisley.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, my voice was starting to break.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna be okay, Owen. We can figure this out together. I¡¯m getting in my car now, I gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Just a few hours man, I¡¯ll get there as soon as I can.¡± He said, then hung up. I stared at the dark screen for a moment. Tears beginning to fall. I took a few deep breaths to control myself, then opened my phone again. I got a text from Liam sometime this morning.


    Text Conversation: 8:46


    LI AM I AM: Hey, you guys okay?


    LI AM I AM: You both went silent yesterday. Let me know if some things going on¡­


    Text Conversation: 9:29


    Owen: Yea actually.


    Owen: We need your help


    Owen: Please


    My hands were shaking as I sent the texts. I was 99.99% composed of nerves, and fear, and self hatred. What if the ball in the tower was only there to distract me while all of this happened. What if- my phone started ringing before I could finish the thought. It was Liam.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± I whispered, not trusting my voice.


    ¡°Owen, talk to me. What¡¯s going on.¡± He sounded panicked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain, the short version is Sophie disappeared.¡± My own breathing sped up. ¡°We can¡¯t find her.¡±


    ¡°When did she disappear?¡± He tried to keep his tone calm.


    ¡°Sometime after we were talking yesterday.¡± I felt a wave of remorse. I left the house because I was jealous. I wanted to scream and pull my hair out. If I had chilled out we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess and now Sophie¡¯s gone, Paisley¡¯s freaking out, Duncan was probably speeding to get help, and Liam was yelling at me through the phone- Wait, why was he shouting? I suddenly realized I was crying. Which was surprising, since my glasses completely fogged up and made it nearly impossible to see. I slowly started to calm my breathing. Liam spoke up again after he heard the slow breaths.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, take it easy. I¡¯m on my way. Do you want me to bring the police?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, god no.¡± I mumbled. ¡°I can tell you why later, just¡­ please come help.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I sniffed.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna hang up now, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± I mumbled. I felt like a wreck. A train wreck. I was in the wreck, just hit by a train head on. I thought about going back to keep looking, but decided to wait until Liam came. I heard a car pull up, and I went to the door at the same time as him. I opened it, and he pulled me into a gentle hug. Then he stood back and looked at me.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t slept, have you?¡± God I must look horrible right now.


    ¡°No. I just convinced Paisley to rest, she¡¯s on the couch.¡± I told him, thinking he¡¯d like to know.


    ¡°Okay, have you eaten?¡± He asked. I realized that I was so focused on getting Paisley taken care of, and Sophie found that I completely forgot about myself. I was starving, I couldn¡¯t imagine what Sophie was going through. I shook my head no.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with that. Then you can tell me everything.¡± He led me inside. He made sure I ate and tried to get information out of me. I was hesitant the whole time, until I caved.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± I said. He followed. I started walking towards the basement. I began telling him as we went.


    ¡°Before I start, I want to warn you that this is all going to sound crazy.¡± I said, then continued. ¡°One of the first few nights I was here, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a whiteish-blueish ball of like dust or fog, and it brought me to this room in the basement, and the next day I found a secret entrance in that room. Then I didn¡¯t see it ever again, until recently. I was outside in the rain and I saw it in the tower. I was told specifically not to go in the tower but when you see a large glowing ball of dust you get kind of curious, so I went anyway. And inside was a bunch of drawings on the walls, and the blue ball hovered around me and watched me and left. Then I go back inside, and Paisley comes running, and what does she say that Sophie saw before she disappeared? None other than a pale blue mist ball.¡± I unlocked the door and slammed it open.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, that is a little hard to believe...¡± He said after my speech. ¡°But I do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, standing next to Angelica.


    ¡°I believe you.¡± he repeated.


    ¡°Good.¡± I said firmly, and stepped on the metal foot. I walked over to where the wall would open. I didn¡¯t bother looking back at Liam¡¯s expression, I was on a mission. Pretty boys will have to wait. Once inside I went straight for the desk and began rummaging around in case I found anything useful. I found more journals, papers with drawings on them, and a multitude of other random stuff. I dropped them onto the desk and began sorting through them. Liam came beside me.


    ¡°Owen, I wanna help, what can I do?¡± Then the two of us spent the next several hours coming up with ideas, not getting anywhere. We sat there, each with a journal in hand and a notebook for writing down ideas or translations when Duncan came in, Lacey in tow. I didn¡¯t have the time or patience to comment on someone I didn¡¯t really know being in my library. I quickly recounted what happened when Sophie disappeared. We each bounced ideas off of each other, back and forth. Eventually becoming passionate, and raising our voices.


    ¡°I already told you that can¡¯t work! Especially since we don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re even ghosts at all!¡± Someone said.


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t just keep sitting here, Duncan did you find anything on them, yet?¡± Another person asked.


    ¡°Not any more than last time you asked!¡± he crowed.


    ¡°Did anyone find the other drawing that went with this?¡± Someone cried.


    ¡°I think I saw something for it over here.¡± Another babbled.


    Conversation such as that kept on. No one thought to check the time until Paisley herself walked into the doorway of the library, some papers comically floated to the ground before her, and everyone was shouting. No one actually noticed her presence, though. Not until she opened her mouth to speak.