. In Tenebris .
"That's the last of it!"
The young woman gave a proud grin, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she took in the massive room around her. The furniture that had been brought in didn't even fill a quarter of it, but she could have cared less for such a fact. At least there was room for she and her roommate to screw around, unlike their old place. The apartment had been cheap and tiny, the walls thin enough that they could hear the moans of the lovers next door.
She shivered in disgust at the mere memory.
Ugh.
"Lu-chan!" a voice called faintly from where her friend and roommate was in the entryway of their new home. "Mind getting this last box? I'm going to run to the shop...Droy called and said someone was causing issues!"
"Sure thing! See you later!" Lucy Heartfilia shouted back. She jogged across the room, taking several strides with her long legs before reaching one of the staircases that led into it. There were two of them, meeting in a small area below a balcony, and Lucy slid down the banister to get down faster.
Levy McGarden had left the box near the door, and Lucy had soon scooped it up into her arms. Judging by the weight of it, Lucy guessed that it was one of the thousands of boxes of books that had come out of their rented storage garage a few streets away from their old apartment. Before meeting Levy a few years back, Lucy had never thought she'd see someone with as many books. Levy had what had to be hundreds upon thousands of them, all stored neatly away in boxes for the most part.
And she'd read almost every single one.
Lucy trampled up the steps to the living room again, this time crossing through the large room with its crystal chandeliers. She ignored the echoing sounds of her shoed feet slapping against the wooden planks that made up the floor and turned down a hallway, going down a few steps and past a grand staircase that led up to the next floor before slipping through a pair of massive oak doors, each one heavier than she.
"Here we are," Lucy murmured as she put the box down, examining what had been turned into a mess of a library.
Every single book Levy owned - and a few of Lucy's, too - had been put in the massive room. None of them had been shelved yet, and there were piles upon piles of books that towered way above her head. How Levy had done that, Lucy didn't know and she refused to question it.
Because questioning it probably meant blowing Lucy's mind.
The young blonde took a final look around the messy library before heading back out, her fingers plucking a remote out of her pocket. Upon returning to the living room - which was probably a good few hundreds of square footage just by itself, she lifted her hand and pressed the play button.
Instantly, music blared out of speakers that she and Levy had spent hours putting up, filling the room with echoing violins. She grinned, enjoying the soft sound of the waltz that played, her feet immediately falling into the familiar rhythm.
Lucy might have left the pressures of a wealthy life willingly years before despite her father's protests, but the unending habits would never leave her soul. Her mother's gentle words had pressed them there and left their imprint long before her death, and Lucy had decided upon her leaving that she'd never ever allow herself to forget them.
Lucy allowed herself to enjoy the time that passed, her mind combing unending thoughts.
The mansion that she now lived in with Levy had been cheap. Cheaper than most buildings this size. Ridiculously so, enough that they'd assumed something was wrong with it. But upon inspection, they'd found nothing wrong. The house was simply cheap.
Both had fallen in love with it - particularly a gorgeous drawing room with a massive tree that the house had been built around. The person in charge of showing them the house told them of the strange tree and how it didn't require any attention whatsoever. It was healthy and was as much a part of the massive mansion of gray stone as the foundation itself. Lucy had run her fingers over the bark and though she'd heard laughter in her ears, but had shrugged the sound off.
Only a few words of pleading to her father had given them the remainder of the money to purchase the building on the spot. Apparently, it was one of the few things he approved of. He wanted her living in a grand way, as if it would convince her to return to her home.
Lucy loved freedom too much to do that though.
A quiet sound left Lucy's lips as she stopped her thoughtful movements in favor of tiredly making her way over to the old couch that she'd helped Levy bring in. It had been a long and tiring adventure, but it had been worth it, and now, Lucy dropped onto the comfortable cushions to read a book that rested there.
The music still filled the lightened room, giving her a sense of openness as she began to flip through the pages of her book, seeking her page out. She didn't read quite as much as Levy, but she was still fond of the idea. Reading was a way of escape, one she'd used for years before she'd left home and found a friend in a strange blue-haired girl.
Lucy remained like that for hours until a heavy door opening and slamming shut alerted her that said blue-haired girl was home. "Levy!" she yelled after pausing the music.
"What?" her friend shouted back with a laugh as she climbed the stairs, her dark eyes dancing with amusement. She appeared at the top, her grin seen from across the room by the snickering blonde who peeked over the back of the couch at her.
"Go clean your library, would you?" Lucy whined as soon as Levy had walked over. She set her book aside, arching an eyebrow as Levy dropped onto the couch beside her, crossing her legs at the ankle and reaching for the bowl of candy that had been set on their coffee table. Shoving a chunk of chocolate into her mouth, Levy smirked.
"I will. Eventually. I have to get the rest of the books in there before I even think about sorting through them," Levy mused.
"There's more?" Lucy groaned, astonished with the other woman's dedication.
Levy only outright laughed. "Don't worry, I've already asked Droy and Jet to come in and help us with sorting through them. They know how I like my books organized."
"I would hope so, both of them work for you," Lucy replied drily.
Levy was the owner of Magnolia's only bookstore, and was quite well-known for it. Though both had to travel quite a bit to get into the town now, since their home was out in the country, Levy loved her work and had vowed to remain the owner for years to come.
"Ooh," Levy said suddenly. "What if I opened a second shop out here? Do you think people would come? Heaven knows we have the room."
Lucy giggled. "I'm sure we do, but I doubt many people would want to come all the way out here to buy...I was thinking though. What if we turned the rest of the first floor and the second floor into some rooms for people to rent? It'd get us some extra money, and if you did open that second bookstore, it'd get customers."
"I like that." The blue-haired woman's eyes sparkled at the idea. "It'll be a hefty amount of money to set up the place, but...it could be fun. I bet Mira would be willing to help out with food if we payed her for her services. You know how much she wants to extend her business, too."
The blonde grinned in response and clapped her hands eagerly together. "We'll start looking into it after we've explored the place a bit more. We want to make sure there's nothing dangerous on any of the floors, like something that might fall through the ceiling if we're not careful."
"Agreed," Levy replied. She leaned back after popping a piece of candy into her mouth. "So...it's going to take us forever to check out each floor. Why don't we start tomorrow morning since we both have the day off. I'll take the west side of each floor, you take the east, and we'll meet up at wherever that big tree is sprouting up. The stairs seem to follow it so it shouldn't be too hard to find."
"Sounds good. How early are we waking up? I have a feeling that our exploration is going to take a while. Possibly longer than a day, maybe two or three... I mean, we haven't even finished checking out the bottom floor...and we've been here for days!"
"That's with us being distracted," Levy pointed out. "We're distracted by books and music and moving in. I do think we should bring our phones with us though, take pictures and so we can call one another if we get lost…"
"Definitely. I'll charge mine up tonight," Lucy promised. The blonde patted the device affectionately. "You should do the same. You having Droy and Jet work?" Levy murmured that she was and Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully before grinning. "What about calling in Erza? She expressed some interest in coming over...as did Gray, last time I checked."
"We could partner up," Levy thought aloud, her eyes gleaming with approval. "It'd be safer. If you get lost at least you wouldn't get lost alone...who gets who? I call-"
"Gray," Lucy finished. "Sorry, Levy, I took Erza out for some strawberry cake the other day, it's your turn."
They loved Erza Scarlet to death, they really did. She was a kind soul for the most part, but she was rather temperamental and stubborn while Gray was fairly easy-going and went along with what the rest of them felt like doing.
In other words, Lucy would get to check out what she wanted to check out and Levy would get to look at what Erza deemed investigating worthy.
Levy sighed heavily. "Oh, alright, but that means you have to take her out for cake again next month. I like my head where it is, thank you very much."
Lucy laughed, her dark eyes flashing with amusement. "Of course," she said with a grin. She'd won...for now. It all depended on who Erza ordered to take her. And Erza had no idea about this little deal of theirs, which meant that Levy would likely be the one to take her out for cake, whether she liked it or not.
Because when Erza wanted cake, you better damn well get her that strawberry cake she was so fond of.
Levy reached out to poke her friend's arm before climbing to her feet and stretching, her eyes darting towards Lucy for a brief moment. "I'm heading to bed...don't stay up too late, okay? We'll be busy tomorrow."
"Yeah." Lucy grabbed her book again and shot her a quick smile. "See you tomorrow, Levy."
"Night!"
Lucy watched Levy jog across their new living room and slip into another doorway before turning her gaze back onto her novel, her gaze flashing with amusement and excitement.
She couldn't wait to explore their new home!
When the next day rolled around, it found the two women shoveling food into their mouths as quickly as they could, eager to get on with the day's planned activities. Levy was easily balancing the activities of eating a pancake and scrolling through things on her phone, her blue hair shoved out of her face with a headband, while the blonde beside her was simply nibbling at a piece of toast in hopes that it wouldn't take as long to eat.
She'd never been more excited to do something that she was to explore the upper floors.
"Want to finish down here ourselves before we call in for back up and head upstairs?" Lucy suggested with a hesitant smile. She took a rather large bite of her food and then glanced over to the petite woman beside her. Levy was squinting thoughtfully at her.
"...yeah," Levy finally agreed. "It'll be easier that way. I'll take the eastern area, you take west when we're done eating. That okay?" She tucked a longer lock of her short hair back behind her ear despite already wearing her headband.
"Definitely," Lucy agreed willingly. She hopped to her feet after shoving the last bite into her mouth. "Shall we?" she teased, playfully offering a hand to Levy.
"We shall," Levy laughed as she accepted Lucy's hand and let her drag her to her feet, stuffing the last of her pancakes into her own mouth. The pair quickly did the dishes before hurrying to their rooms to get dressed for the day's later activities.
Lucy dressed simply. She tugged a shirt over her head, rolling up the long sleeves before reaching for a pair of jeans and tugging them on over her curvy hips. She decided to put some shoes on - a set of comfortable boots - because who the hell knew how fixed up certain locations were? She followed the boots up with a simple sweep of her hands to gather up her hair so it wouldn't distract her from her work.
After she was done, Lucy shoved her phone into her pocket and then flounced out of the room to go to the living room and wait for Levy there. she was beyond surprised when she discovered that the other woman was waiting on her instead.
And she wore an apologetic look. She threw her hands in the air, frantic. "I'm sorry!" Levy wailed, "Droy just called, and-"
Disappointment raced through the blonde's mind as she sighed and waved her off. "And you have to head back to the shop. Don't worry, go ahead. I get it."
Levy thanked her with a grateful look, stooping to grab her purse. "You can go ahead and start exploring if you want, Lu-chan. Just keep your phone on hand so you can call someone if you get lost. Okay?" She smiled sweetly as Lucy threw her arms around the other woman's neck with a squeal.
"Thanks, Levy!" Lucy beamed at her friend and then bid her farewell before scampering off to explore the rooms of their house.
I'll finish up the first floor and then head straight for the top, Lucy decided, nodding to herself. She'd have to be careful, though, as she knew that the upper floors might not be as safe as the commonly used first and second stories.
It was a little lonely, she admitted to herself as she made her way through the long corridors of what had once been a beautiful and well-kept mansion that housed the royalty of Fiore hundreds of years before. Her lips curved into a gentle smile as her feet clattered against the floor noisily, dust flying around when she nearly ran into an old wardrobe that had been tossed out of a room.
Coughing, Lucy swiped at the air around her face until it went away. Ugh.
She picked her way around the destroyed wardrobe, commenting to herself on the fact that she'd probably need to find a way to get it taken out of the house. It was broken and not able to be fixed from what she could see.
Lucy hummed as she swept around the first floor of the mansion, using her phone as a flashlight to avoid tripping and hurting herself in certain rooms. She found what had once been the old servant's quarters, and she was grateful that the previous resident had redone the main part of where they lived, keeping it clean and updated technology wise - including the remodeling of a room into a newer kitchen - because the kitchen she found herself looking at was disgusting.
By the time she'd finished the first floor, it was approaching noon - nearly four hours later.
She groaned as she seated herself onto a root of the healthy tree that somehow survive within the depths of the stone mansion, sunlight dappling down from the skylight above. It was a beautiful tree, a massive spiraling oak, with leaves rustling in an imaginary breeze. She leaned back against the trunk with a smile, deciding that this is the next place she'd read at.
Lucy allowed herself a good fifteen minute rest before the young blonde hopped back to her feet, her head tilted slightly as she glanced in the direction of the stairs. The staircases led up several floors, and Lucy sighed at the fact that she was willingly going to climb what must have been well over five hundred steps simply to satisfy her curiosity.
Lucy patted the oak tree's trunk with a gentle smile.
"For some reason," Lucy murmured to it with a kind smile, "You make this house feel safe, even with all of the scary and dark corners. You know that?" She hesitated before reaching up to gently break off a twig, tucking it into her back pocket.
While she didn't carry a weapon to fend off any evil birds, at least she'd have a sacrificial twig.
Maybe they'd accept it as a token of friendship?
"I'm losing my mind in this place," Lucy sighed, shaking her head and moving on, heading for the stairs.
When she found them, she turned the flashlight back on her phone and shone it up the steps to investigate what was at the top, searching the stairs for any sign that they'd break. But rather than wooden steps, she found old stone steps, and she didn't hesitate to start up them. Her footsteps echoed around her, and she ignored them with determination, pausing to put on music when the silence grew to be too uncomfortable.
The waltz filled the air. Her feet glided along the stone and wooden floors as she moved to climb the next set of stairs, and then the next set. She continued to climb until she was out of breath and only halfway to her destination, seating herself on a step and pausing her music so that she could call Levy.
The blue-haired woman answered on the first ring. "Everything going okay?"
Lucy grinned and replied breathlessly, "Perfect. There's a few things we should get cleaned up on the first floor. I'm heading to the top to check it out up there...are we sure that there are ten stories? It looks more like fifty from the amount of ridiculous stairs I'm climbing."
"Stop being dramatic, you baby," Levy laughed. "See anything suspicious yet?"
Lucy's voice echoed as she peered up at the upcoming climbing she had to do. "Nope. I have a twig from that tree though. Don't worry, I can fend anything off with my twig. I'm sure that it'll do me good to have grabbed it."
"Yes," Levy drawled as she shuffled something about that sounded like papers, "Because a twig will convince some kind of massive bear that you're the more powerful of the two."
"There's not going to be a freaking bear up here," Lucy huffed, rolling her eyes. "And you called me dramatic...anyways, everything going okay at the bookstore?" The blonde stood and prepared herself to begin climbing again. Her feet began to move and she admitted that at least she was getting a good workout.
"Yeah...Droy was panicking over nothing really, but since I was here, I figured I'd take my day off tomorrow instead. Oh! Customer's here, I gotta go. Be careful! Talk to you later!"
Click!
Lucy grinned, shaking her head at how quickly Levy had hung up and turned her music back on as she continued to climb, switching the music to a new waltz that gave the final flight of stairs an almost haunted look as she climbed them. Upon reaching the last story, Lucy let her chocolate eyes slowly glance around, searching the empty space around her.
There weren't any halls, she was surprised to discover. There was a massive space, with old half-rotted wooden tables and chairs and old papers scattered about. She plucked one up with a curious look and studied it, but couldn't understand the crazy amounts of math done on it. So she dropped the paper and moved on.
The waltz echoed around her as she playfully glided from place to place peeking in the doors that lined each wall. The rooms were all empty until she reached the last one, which opened up into another corridor. Curious, Lucy shone her light around and then slid into the corridor, following it with care.
It ended up leading down a flight of steps. There were wooden and old, which made her nervous, but she descended anyways, never letting her phone get out of reception in case things didn't go her way. It was dark, and she could barely see more than a few steps in front of her, but still she continued on until she reached the bottom.
Lucy sneezed. It was dusty, and she shone her light around again to investigate with that waltz still echoing around her. It was dulled, she mused thoughtfully, sighing as she stepped further into the room that it had opened up into.
"Huh," she huffed out loud and then sneezed again before taking in the stains on the floor. A shiver went down her spine; was that blood?
She was kneeling to investigate the stains when movement caught her attention. It was in the corner of her eye, capturing her gaze with ease, but it was too quick for her to do anything about.
She screeched in surprise when something caught her by the upper arm and hauled her back to her feet, slamming her harshly into a stone wall. She opened her mouth to scream in surprise but a calloused hand slammed over it, and she began to thrash desperately in an attempt to free herself. Her phone, still playing the waltz, clattered to the stone floor, probably shattering the screen in the process.
Pain flashed through her when the harsh grip tightened, and she found herself regretting that she'd ever set foot in this beautiful yet haunting mansion.
The light turned the person pinning her into a silhouette. She couldn't see their face as they leaned in close, could only feel the hot breath on her face and hear the growl that filled the air, drowning out the centuries old waltz.
And she could sure as hell feel the hateful and piercing glare that rested on her face.
Cringing, her breath coming out in rapid and quick panicked gasps, Lucy fought back the urge to whimper. There's someone else in our house and they failed to mention the damn possibility -
And then she saw the horns that spiraled off of the top of her attackers head, black in the horrible lighting. She thought she might have seen a flash of light as they began to speak, voice hoarse from lack of use and just as deadly as she expected it to be.
"Who the hell are you?"
Whew! Time to start a new one! Welcome to In Tenebris, which I've mentioned a few times! I'm so excited for this. I've been working on this one for quite some time. I'm hoping you'll like it! This'll be updated every Saturday (if my lazy ass can keep up). So...see you next week!