Driving through the gates of Webber Manor, Elizabeth Webber absentmindedly reaches out to turn the volume knob on her car, allowing a silence to fall over her as she makes the drive back to the home that she had been torn away from nearly ten years ago.
The grass has overgrown, nearly as tall as she stands, having not been tended to in many years. The road has begun to crack, losing the darkness that her family had prided themselves in maintaining, lending a haunting appearance to the entrance of the land.
As she pulls up to the front steps of the estate, she notes the weeds that have overtaken the walkway, many potted plants having long since wilted away, no longer giving the warm welcome that her mother had once worked her hands to the bone to perfect. Flowers at the door not only lends beauty, but a sense of welcome, her mother had once said to her. If only she could see it now.
With shaky hands, she reaches into the front pocket of her blue denim jeans, pulling out the antique skeleton key that unlocks every door and every drawer in the house. Fiddling with it between her fingers, she remembers begging her father with every fiber of her being to just hold the item.
She had sworn up and down she'd never use it. All she wanted was to touch it. To feel the texture of the key and, in some ways, the power it held in unlocking all the secrets locked up within the place she called home. He never once gave her the permission, though, never once allowing her to hold it in her grasp. If only he could see her now.
Taking a deep shaky breath in, she slowly steps towards the door, sliding the key into the lock with such gentleness in pure fear of breaking it. The key, much like the manor, has been in her family for generations, no one really knowing how it came into her family, only that it has always been theirs for as long as anyone could remember.
People speculated, of course, something her family had always known was inevitable. Far be it from the towns people to let a juicy gossip opportunity like the origins of the family's estate to pass them by. For the less imaginative, it is believed that her family had acquired the house through shady dealings, such as the mob.
Of course, for those with the more imaginative theories, it is believed that one of her ancestors, dating all the way back to the 1800's, fell in love with the wrong family, inevitably ending in a duel between the patriarchs of each family. The estate falling into the hands of the victor as a wedding present to the couple on their wedding.
Between the two, many other theories have come to light, some crazier than others. Some more romantic. And others, well, others are just downright impossible, completely implausible. After that dreadful December night, the rumors only grew stronger and stronger with Elizabeth in the center of the gossiping storm.
The moment her maternal grandmother, Audrey Hardy, caught wind of what the town had been spewing from the gossip mill, she packed Elizabeth up and shipped her as far away from the town that she could manage. With a long standing reputation within polite society, the elder woman couldn't risk keeping her around. Not with all the rumors floating around.
It won't be for long, Audrey had assured her, certain that the gossip would die down eventually, once they had a new bone to chew on. Something, evidently, the town is known for. But it never did die down. Nearly ten years later and people are still speculating. Still gossiping. Their whispers echoing through the town.
Elizabeth never blamed her grandmother for sending her out of town. In all honesty, it had been the best thing for her, to be away from it all. From the dark memories, the painful nightmares, and the watchful eyes. Wholeheartedly, she had intended to oblige her grandmother, having sworn that she wouldn't return until her grandmother deemed it so.
That day never came, though.
Before her grandmother could find it in her heart to allow Elizabeth to return, the elder woman passed away, leaving Elizabeth with the dreadful decision of whether or not to return to town for the funeral. Of all the things that she had believed would befall her grandmother, never once would she have believed it would be a simple case of pneumonia.
Pushing open both doors, she pauses for a moment in an attempt to let some fresh air into the estate stepping through the threshold, taking a few moments to take in the place in all its former glory. The smell of hot chocolate haunts the halls of the place, the memories of her life there echoing through the silence, as she slowly makes her way around the house.
White sheets hide the furniture from her sight, a thick layer of dust making the sheets look almost as haunting as the driveway, something she was beginning to notice about most of the estate. It had been foolish of her to believe, but a part of her had hoped that her grandmother would have at least taken minimal care of the place. If only she had stayed.
Slipping her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, Elizabeth pulls out the offending contraption that had broken the stilled silence with its persistent ringing, jabbing her finger at the little green button before holding the thing to her ear. With not too many people calling her these days, there was no guess work in knowing who was calling.
"Mrs. Lila Quartermaine." Elizabeth's voice goes soft as she slowly settles down onto the bottom steps of the stairs. "How are you?"
"The better question is how you are, my dear." the elder woman responded in that loving way she always utilizes when speaking to her. "I know it must be difficult to be back in the estate after all these years."
"Its a little more overwhelming than I had imagined it would be." Elizabeth admits, glancing around the main area of the home. "Don't worry about me, though, I'll be just fine."
"Regardless of whether or not that is true, it is up to me on whether or not I worry." Lila voices in her scolding tone. "Now, will I be seeing you for dinner?"
"Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Quartermaine, but I'm all set." she politely declines the offer, knowing that dinner with her meant dinner with her family and she wasn't exactly a family favorite. "Speaking of which, I should really let you go. I know you enjoy a good rest before dinner."
"Elizabeth, dear, I just want you to remember that you're not alone." Lila voices after a long moment, her emotions causing her voice to grow thick. "If you're ever in need of anything, anything at all..."
"You'll be the first to know." Elizabeth assures, leaving out the fact that she's probably the only one that would care. "You are truly my guardian angel, you know that?"
"Trust me, sweetheart, I'm no angel." Lila chuckles softly before clearing her throat. "Take care, Elizabeth."
"I will if you will."
Sliding the cellphone back into her pocket once the matriarch ends the call, Elizabeth makes her way back to her car to unpack her things, needing to get things settled before it gets dark out. The electric company have assured her that the estate will back into working order by nightfall and she wants to be settled in before she gets started on dinner. Lasagna. Her family had it every Saturday night. Strange how this will be her first meal in the house without her family. If only they could be there now. If only.