Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Perfect!
-.-.-
Months came and went for the Barden Bellas. After Chloe had whimsically crashed into 'Sophomore Year Aca-Auditions' proclaiming that she couldn't graduate due to (purposely) failing Russian Lit, the Bella's found themselves the reigning Aca-Champs. With Chloe as the choreographing Co-Captain and Beca as the Set-List Creator, it was no wonder how the Bellas stayed at the top with ease. And by the time Beca's Junior year had begun, they even had enough funding to buy themselves their own Sorority House.
-.-.-
Wooden floorboards creaked under Beca's weight, signaling the structure's architectural flimsiness. To Beca, this was a warning sign… But to Chloe, it was the building's way of literally crying out for them to buy it.
"It just needs some tender care," she started, "which I know we are fully capable of providing!"
Beca crossed her arms and looked at the redhead with fake annoyance. It was all her fault she was roped into this in the first place… What, with the "help make our dreams a reality" garbage.
"You can sing", Beca whined mockingly in the back of her mind. Yeah, she and five billion others.
Forcing herself back on track with the current ordeal at hand, Beca shook her head. "Chlo, it's falling apart." As if done to prove her point, one of the faded black numbers on the side of the house came clattering to the ground.
"We can fix that," Chloe hummed. Behind the duo, the rest of the Bella cast gave each other disapproving looks.
"I promise you, there won't be much more to fix." The voice of a stereotypical salesman erupted from the space behind the lot, "It's just the little things, really."
Before Beca could respond with some kind of comment, Chloe stepped forward (or backward) and outstretched her right palm towards the gentleman. "You must be Derek! The realtor?"
A blinding grin and forest green eyes answered her, whilst taking her hand in his own. "That's me. Pleasure to meet you…?"
"Chloe. Chloe Beale. ...And these," she removed her hand from the brunette's grasp and motioned towards her fellow Bellas, "are my ladies."
Both of his eyes scanned the girls with both curiosity and amusement, as well as a high regard for whom he was dealing with."Pleasure to meet you, too, ladies." A moment of waiting passed before he started again, "now, let's start the tour."
A blazer-clad arm outstretched itself in a welcoming gesture towards the house, "shall we?"
One by one, the girls filtered through the doorway and into the main foyer. The stench was nothing out of the ordinary… It wasn't sour, old, or rank in any way- but it still felt unwelcome to Beca. Beca, who was now looking around the main floor for anything out of the ordinary. Anything that could be a major turn-off for the rest of the crew. A turn-off that could be used to get them out of this foreign situation.
Unfortunately, there was nothing.
"So this is floor one!" Derek's eyes glistened with an unsaid respect as he scouted the house for possible discussion topics. "Hardwood, admittedly dented, but a cheap alternative would be to lay some carpeting over it." Chloe looked around approvingly. If this was the one, she would surely be in favor for doing such a thing. "The chandelier could be replaced… It's not needed, but it's an old fixture that could become faulty at any time." Without so much as a cue, the group made their way forward and into the kitchen.
"It's a little weird to have a kitchen in this spot, isn't it?" Beca scanned the expanse of wooden cabinets and drawers about them with a quirked brow. "Normally the entrance leads into a living room beyond the foyer. Not a kitchen."
"Well," the realtor began, "that is true for most modern homes. But this house here is a classic- different in every sense."
"Unique is good," Chloe proclaimed. 'You're unique' was timidly resting on Beca's lips, but remained unsaid as seconds passed- as well as her chance.
Derek grinned and nodded once as Fat Amy made her way towards the fridge, undoubtedly looking for snacks. And despite the well-known fact that this house had been abandoned for a solid year, it still came as a shock to the blonde when she opened the door to an empty fridge. "Who leaves a perfectly good fridge laying around? And without food in it?"
"The island is nice," Stacie commented, running her lean fingers across its off-granite surface. Beca silently agreed.
"... Here is living room one," Derek hummed while waltzing off to the right, "and mirrored across is living room two. Feel free to check them out." And they did. One unamused, careless glance at a time. While looking for a new home was fun and all, most of the girls just wanted to know where they would be sleeping for their next two years of college life.
The grey carpeting was stainless, thank the Aca-Gods, but at the same time it was gross. As far as she knew, Beca thought carpets either came in white or an off, speckled tan. Never grey… All it did was give off this eerie, awkward feeling.
After a whole ten minutes of useless chatter, the girls finally got to the highly-anticipated section of their House. The second floor- AKA, the area where the beds would be.
"There are four rooms, two baths. Including the one downstairs." The relator nodded towards the hall and its four doors. "I wish there were five, but sadly it wasn't designed that way." A few seconds passed before Stacie, Cynthia Rose, Fat Amy, Jessica and Ashley bolted towards the rooms. Lilly glared at the Relator as Beca stayed behind to think.
"Is there a basement? In case of severe weather, or something like that?" The suggestion, surprisingly, came from Beca first.
Derek anxiously tapped his fingers on his clipboard as his gaze cast downwards. "There's, admittedly, a problem with that."
Beca's brows popped as she finally found herself interested in his confession. A problem? Promising. "Which is?"
"It's haunted."
"The basement?" Chloe's eye's popped in disbelief.
"Yes. The basement may or may not be haunted."
"Dude!" Though she would hate to admit it, Beca was extremely excited to see how this tale would end. "What? How?"
"It's just a rumor that house owners keep passing down, but supposedly a student died down there a few years ago. You see how the river is just across the way?" The duo nodded. "A break opened up in the wall due to construction. It had built up water pressure and forced a part of the wall to crumble." Derek pursed his lips, "the student drowned with no one around in a matter of hours."
"Woah. That's intense."
Chloe's smile disappeared as she stared wide-eyed at the floor below her.
"Like I said, it's just a rumor. But it's also another spot for someone to sleep in, if they'd like."
Just as Beca was about to question 'who in their right mind would sleep down there', she noticed a familiar body missing.
"Where's Lilly?"
The trio looked around for a few moments, and eventually Chloe and Beca made some 'all-knowing eye contact'.
"Basement," they both murmured at the same time. Of course she was. Where else would she be? Or, a better question, why would she want to be anywhere else?
Before the duo could begin a not-at-all anticipated trek to the basement, their group of Aca-Nerds came erupting from the doors of each and every room.
"... Oh, come on. Please? I promise it's not just because of your junk." Cynthia Rose was tailing after Stacie, trying to convince her into doing… something.
"Just admit you're lying. It'll be easier."
"Okay, I'm lying."
"Great. No. Not alone."
"Please?"
"Chloe, you're going to be my roommate, okay? You're confident with yourself. I can partner up with that." Stacie winked at the ginger who had, until recently, been very confused.
"Okay?" Bright blue eyes narrowed at Cynthia Rose, whom was now standing incredulously before them.
"Wait, you said not alone. So if Chloe's with us…?" Cynthia quirked a brow and smartly crossed her arms. "It's cool?"
Stacie shrugged before looking over both Chloe and Cynthia, "as long as we get the biggest room. Three's a crowd. Unless it's a threeway."
Beca rolled her eyes because, obviously, that was something better left unsaid.
"We're going together," Jessica (or Ashley) proclaimed, motioning towards themselves.
"DJ Deuce and I can share. I would have preferred to have a room to myself, but seeing as how that won't happen…" Fat Amy began, but only before being cut off by Cythia Rose.
"... And whoever the new bait is can sleep in the third room. Both of them."
"Sounds like a plan," the group agreed. Beca and Chloe shared bewildered looks at the democratic agreement that had just occurred before them but said nothing.
"The basement is haunted," a quiet voice behind the lot whispered. "He told me things."