CHAPTER 1
"Wasn't it nice of Aunty Edna to leave us the house?"
"Again, how was she related to us?" Asked Thomas in a bored teenage drawl.
Thomas, his dad and Stu, a student, were moving into the house, which a mysterious 'Aunty Edna' had left them in her will. Thomas wasn't happy about moving away from all his friends in Cardiff, into the Welsh hills. His dad however, couldn't wait to get away, ever since Thomas' mum died. Stu – who was named 'Stu' by Thomas – never said a work, he could read and write, but Thomas doubted that he could speak English.
Thomas was plump, short and had a small amount of patience; he had blue eyes and his hair is mousey and has a texture like hay; he was the exact image of his dad. Stu was tall and thin, he had dark hair and blue eyes; he was very active and was a fast runner. While Thomas was in his late teens; Stu looked in his early thirties. Thomas' dad was in his fifties.
"Aunty Edna is my great aunty, so your great, great aunty." Answered Dad. "How are you in the back?" Directing his question to Stu.
"You okay?" He asked.
Stu made the double thumbs up sign and went back to staring out the window.
"Are we nearly there yet?" Whined Thomas, for the seventeenth time, not because he really cared, but he wanted to annoy his dad.
"Yep, you'll be able to see the house soon" answered Dad, oblivious to the whine in Thomas' voice.
"There it is! Our new house!" Announced dad, proudly. It was a dark, damp mansion; in need of a pot of paint and some decorators. It had five floors (not including attics and cellars of which it had many.) It looked like it had just come straight from a Hollywood set.
"How many bedrooms do we get each?" Asked Thomas.
"Well, there are seven bedrooms so you can choose." Answered Dad.
"How many do you want?" Thomas asked.
"I want two, please." Said Dad. Stu put up one finger.
"I will have…" Thomas paused; maths was not his strong subject. "Four then." he added after he worked it out.
"Sure you will," said dad slowly and very sarcastically. "Sure you only want one Stu?" Asked Dad. Stu nodded.
The door creaked open. Inside; darkness. Dad flicked the light switch. A low but huge chandelier flickered into life. They were in the hall. To one side was a grand staircase, spiralling up; along the other side was a series of doors, five in total.
"I want these rooms!" Stated Thomas indicating to the four bedrooms on the first and second floor. Dad sighed.
"What room do you want, Stu?" He asked. Stu nodded to the only door on the fourth floor.
"Ok then, I'll have the third floor." Said Dad.
Thomas lay wide awake on his very cold bed; the light of the full moon was coating his room. He could hear his dad muttering, so he decided to go shut him up. He crept up to the third floor and into his dad's room. The darkness was so thick that you could hardly walk through it. Thomas flicked the light on. His dad was flat out on the bed; mouth motionless, but the muttering continued somewhere above him.
He crept up to the fourth floor walked over to Stu's room and pulled open the door…
The light was on. Window open. Bed empty…