A/N: I suppose I could blame this idea on my recent obsession with mystery/horror stories…I've been reading Alfred Hitchcock recommended stories and Edgar Allen Poe like mad…so yes….I'll say it right out front…it's probably more than a little weird/spooky/creepy. But hopefully, you enjoy that type of thing…as long as it involves Albel and Fayt. XD
Disclaimer: I can't really claim ownership to anything…if I ever get around to publishing my own book…then maybe I'd be able to talk. XD
Fayt was cold, wet, and very alone. He had unfortunately become stranded outside in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with absolutely nowhere to go and no idea what to do. He wished he could have gone home, but home was miles away.
Fayt trudged wearily along. He had run out of money already and he was still a long way from where he needed to be. He had run away from home, planning on moving in with his aunt and uncle, but they lived in the next state and the bus driver had dropped Fayt off as soon as his bus fare had run out.
A slight wind picked up along with the rain, blowing at Fayt's flimsy jacket and swirling the leaves along the sidewalk. Fayt put his hands in front of his face to guard against the storm and he stumbled blindly along until he crashed into a rusted old mailbox.
Fayt blinked awkwardly and looked up at the house, a crumbling old mansion behind forbidding black iron gates. However, the hinges on the gates were rusted from lack of use and it would not be difficult for Fayt to force his way inside.
The gate opened with a terrible creak that made Fayt wince. He then eased himself through them into the front yard of the mansion. The grass was yellow and withered and what had once been a beautiful garden of many different types of exotic plants was now dead and overrun with weeds.
Because of the general look of disrepair to the house, Fayt had assumed that no one had lived there for years and he could just go inside and get out of the rain. But as he approached the house, he was astonished to see a pale light flickering in one of the windows.
Fayt stood on the narrow porch, staring at the vines covering the side of the house. He looked up and the roof and noticed a few tiles missing. He debated with himself whether it was better to risk the rain or the house collapsing on him. After a particularly loud clap of thunder, Fayt finally made up his mind.
Fayt's eyes first latched onto the old, rusted doorknocker, but after a particularly nasty spider crawled out from under it, Fayt began searching for the doorbell. He couldn't find a modern doorbell, but he did find a rotting piece of string attached to a little bell. Fayt pulled on it and the bell made a faint tinkling sound. Fayt jerked his hand back as several insects starting crawling down the string.
A loud echo of the bell, sounding like it was a hundred times bigger reverberated through the house. Fayt jumped backwards with a start. The echoes gradually died down and then all was silent again.
Fayt was starting to believe that maybe, despite the vague glow of the light, nobody really lived there after all. He was trying to convince himself to find a window to break in or something like that, when he heard a soft shuffling sound from inside the house.
Fayt waited in petrified silence as the sound drew closer and closer. Finally, the door slowly creaked open.
A tall, thin man with shoulder-length matted brown hair opened the door. He stared at Fayt for a moment with vacant red eyes before muttering, 'What are YOU doing here?"
Fayt shivered. The man's voice was deep, but raspy as if with lack of use. And something about the man's gaze unnerved him. "Err, I'm sorry to bother you…but it's raining and there's nowhere for me to stay. Um…I was wondering if perhaps you might let me spend the night here? Or at least until it stops raining?"
"Very well," the man muttered. "But you will be entering into our pact."
"P-pact?" Fayt asked worriedly.
"Yes. I cannot let you stay here for free." The man turned from the door and began walking with a dignified, but shaky stride towards the stairs. "You will have to earn your keep here."
"Oh," said Fayt, feeling relieved. "That's no problem" He glanced about the house, seeing why his benefactor wanted his help. The inside of the house was almost as bad as the outside.
"Good." The man beckoned Fayt to enter the house and Fayt did so carefully, jumping each time the floor creaked.
"The House of Nox has seen better days," the man sighed, sinking wearily down into a couch at the foot of the stairs. The cushions emitted a thick cloud of dust and the man coughed as if trying to clear mucus from his throat. At last, he subsided with another weary sigh. "How long ago it was that we had multitudes of servants. Now, we are left with just a simple girl. So much to be done, so little help to do it."
"This mansion belongs to a noble family?" Fayt asked, sounding surprised.
The man turned towards Fayt, but seemed to look past him. "Yes, the House of Nox. I'm Lord Albel Nox." He waved his hands tiredly. "No, don't apologize about not knowing or you would have addressed me properly. It hardly matters anymore."
Fayt looked down. "I'm sorry. What exactly happened for your family to fall from its high standings?"
Lord Albel shrugged vaguely. 'Not much. There was some row between my father and our old butler. Upon his resignation, he cursed the house and its occupants to misery and solitude. Several unpleasant things have happened to servants after that and most of them left. I had to take on all their duties until Sophia showed up. She agreed to stay on as a maid in exchange for a room and food. Nothing's happened to her so far."
"Do you think anything will happen to me?" Fayt asked worriedly.
"Oh no. If anything were to happen to you, it wouldn't be on your first day. Of course not. Nothing ever happened right away. So, you'll be safe, at least for now."
Fayt laughed nervously. "That's good to know. Err, what would you like me to do around here?"
"Sophia will show you," Albel said simply. He clapped his hands together. "Sophia, I need your assistance!" His voice rose with a slight wavering to it.
A thing girl with pale, hollow cheeks descended down the stairs. Her dark, greasy hair was tied up with a faded red ribbon, but a few strands hung down limply. She stared at Fayt for a moment with glassy eyes and then turned listlessly towards Albel. "Yes, sir?" she asked in a faint voice.
"This boy is spending the night with us in return for a little housework. Show him something to do."
Sophia nodded and began walking stiffly over to a small table. She stood there and waited for Fayt to follow. Fayt gazed at the table. It was relatively clean, except for a few leaves and potting soil that had spilled out from the pot of a dead plant. Most things were in far worse shape than the little table, but perhaps Sophia wanted to start him out on a small project.
Sophia picked up a grimy rag from a scrap heap in the corner and tossed a second rag to Fayt. She began wiping down the table with an air of indifference.
Fayt looked at the dirty scrap of fabric. "Um, Lord Albel? Am I really supposed to clean with this?"
Albel sat up and peered at the cloth from across the room. "Oh, heavens no," he said sharply. Fayt was relieved.
"Sophia," Albel admonished. "You know better than to use good silk for cleaning." He gave Fayt an apologetic look. "That was my father's best handkerchief."
To Sophia, he said firmly, "I have told you time and again where to find the old rags. Now, don't let it happen again."
"Yes, sir," Sophia said softly. She made here way into the other room.
Albel sighed. "After working here three years, she doesn't know silk when she sees it. Ah well, at least you have good eyes. What's your name, boy?"
"Fayt Leingod."
"I don't know of any Leingods around here," Albel mused
"I'm not from around here," Fayt explained. "I ran away from home."
"Ah," Albel said with a breathy sigh. "I remember what it was like being young and careless like you. " He paused to think. "Come to think of it, I wasn't much older than you when Sophia first came here. She's such a pretty girl, far more beautiful than a maid should be. But, I have no desire for women or I should have married her on the spot. There's no accounting for taste, I expect." He laughed humorlessly.
Fayt frowned thoughtfully as Sophia slowly dragged back into the room. He couldn't find anything remotely beautiful about her. Well, as Albel had said…there was no accounting for bad taste.
Albel smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. "Well, in your run from home I hope you've find plenty of interesting adventures. It's nice to meet new and exciting people, isn't it? Well, I'll be off to bed now. Finish up with the cleaning and Sophia will show you to her room."