Chapter 1

"Wow it still gives me the chills seeing this house, Miss Rozette as you can see the outside structure may not be much, but what you are looking to see is that the inside may still in order as your aunt left it."

"You haven't seen for yourself?"

My aunt's lawyer stared at me uneasily. Looking at him, for a small blonde geeky looking man, he wasn't handsome, but surely not unattractive. He seemed too timid for his job description as a lawyer, but the way he spoke on the phone while handling business was totally different.

"Well miss it was just so sudden, the death and all,"

He stopped as in to think.

"and it's really not my place to just intrude, I'm sorry if-"

"No, its okay really….so it's been empty since September?"

"Yes, and everything is still up and running, you won't have to worry about anything….Ms. Rozette had a way as not to be bothered by nonsense. All that is left in her will was for you, her great niece, to have the key, along with everything else in her possession, so you would never have to worry about anything. It almost seems as if she knew it would be the end of her time, a shame, and to leave such a young lady alone in the neck of the woods-"

"I'm seventeen and can take care of myself."

And I really could.

The lawyer looked at me with his eyebrows raised and turned to his car, then took a thick stack of papers out of his briefcase along with a pen and told me to sign if I was sure this is where I wanted to start my new life. DUH, like I would want to be dragged to my old orphanage Foster again. I signed the papers and walked up to my new home squeezing the gold cross around my neck.

When I first step into my house, the first thing I noticed was it seemed as if the house was not left abandoned for 5 months. There was not a speck of dust from where I was standing and there were just a few lights on, but I guess that would be needed because all the windows had thick black velvet drapes so that not an ounce of sunlight could find its way in.

The house itself was gigantic; growing up in an orphanage would not have rendered my view of knowing that I now live in an old Victorian mansion. It was like stepping into an early 1800's home.

It was elegantly furnished with beautiful painting I saw as I walked by. My aunt must have married a rich man or something, but I didn't catch a 'Mrs.' when the pronounced her name, only miss. So where did she get the money from? Even better if she knew of my existence, why did she never get me out of that rat hole of an orphanage.

As I climbed the staircase, going into room after room I noticed that I had probably gone into 12 rooms! The lawyer had told me that he thought the house might have 30 rooms, like I was suppose to turn that down, but I think that just might only be on the FIRST floor!

It was starting to get dark out and I was getting a little hungry, the only thing I ate today was a pack of peanut butter crackers Ms. Thompson, the head of the orphanage chucked at me with her big round hands when I left Fosters this morning with the lawyer to catch the plane to Washington from Michigan. Now I am in a bind, where is the kitchen? I have been walking for over an hour now and haven't even seen a glimpse of one. I'm such a fool, even if I do find the kitchen what would I eat, the house has been abandoned for 5 months, now I'm kind of scared to see what has rotted.

I found my way back to the front door and put my bags in the first bedroom where I would be sleeping for the time being. As I made my way back on my hunt for the kitchen I heard what seemed to be a cupboard closing. It didn't scare me because I was always one to not be frightened easily, but I found it strange because it was coming from what looked to be a bedroom? Without a second thought I opened the door, and to my amazement it was a tiny kitchen. What was a kitchen doing right in the middle of bedroom chambers? It wasn't even big; the bed in the room where I would camp out wouldn't even have a way to fit in such a tight space. Who would think to make such a small kitchen?

With that my stomach growled.

What ever big or small, a kitchen is not a kitchen unless it has food.

I opened the refrigerator, hoping that I wouldn't die of the rotten smell to come, to disbelief as I saw that the fridge was empty! Not only empty but seemed as if it had never been used. Now that I think about it, the whole entire kitchen seems to have not been used as if it was just built. I opened all the cabinets and the pantry to see nothing! What human would have a home without even a cup or dish never the less FOOD! What was going on through the head of this weird and mysterious aunt of mines head?

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE FOOD!!!" I screamed storming out of the mini kitchen.

I headed towards my bedroom to grab the bag the lawyer gave me with credit cards that my aunt had left me. I think I saw a gas station not to far away before we hit the woods and came along the property. I headed out of the room going to the front door when I saw a little flash. I turned to see that the light to the kitchen were turned off.

I didn't remember turning the light off when I ran out. The light must have blown, since I'm going to the store I should see if I have enough to buy light bulbs also. As I got to the kitchen to check the light, it came straight on. Strange. I was turning back around when I saw out of the corner of my eye something on the counter.

A loaf of bread, jars of peanut butter and jelly, and a jug of water.

I clutched the handle of the door and slowly backed away holding onto the cross around my neck.

Was I imagining things, or was I like this crazy dead aunt of mine who appeared out of nowhere to make this teenaged orphaned niece a millionaire living in a freaking 100 roomed mansion.

I know that I am not crazy, but there is truly and most definitely any way that I would have missed seeing that food?

I looked at the bread and saw the date, it was fresh and the water was warm.

My stomach growled again, at least my stomach doesn't care, but why is there fresh food in this 5 old month abandoned house?