The Manse

Chapter 2

Daytime

===O0O===

It was morning now and the rain had eased down to a gentle yet constant pattering against the windows. It had been Friday night when they had arrived and now the weekend had started. Still, the clouds had not eased up in any way, covering the sky in pallid grey tones. The children had congregated in the dining hall, a room containing a single, vastly long table.

"So, did you two make anything happen last night?" Elfman asked Natsu and Gray across from him.

"No!" Natsu spat, annoyed. "After Slanty Eyes had to go look for his clothes, we heard old man Gildartz stomping around, so we had to head back. Tried to wake you, but you sleep like a fucking log."

"It's manly to sleep well," Elfman muttered pathetically.

"Where is Juvia, anyway?" Gray asked looking around the large room and the arrayed students. "Normally, I'd be fending her off by about now."

"Luce's not here either," Natsu agreed.

"Who is talking about dead women?"

"E-erza!?" Natsu and Gray squealed in fear as the woman stood behind them, radiating menace. Natsu ventured a question into that fury. "W-what do you mean, dead women?"

"Those two and Levy are dead to me. I caught them sneaking around at night. Now, I wonder who they were trying to see?" At her question, Erza leaned down to glare at the pair of boys at point blank range. "If I can prove that you were breaking curfew to see my girls, I'll have your heads."

"S-so, where are they?" Natsu asked over the threat.

"In the kitchen. Who do you think is making breakfast?" Erza smiled triumphantly, the set of her features making it quite clear that she would happily add their names to the list of those doing menial chores in a heartbeat.

Throughout the conversation, Gajeel had been clandestinely listening in, not turning to face them. Had the little midget been out with Blondie and the damn Rain Woman? Why? He understood who the first two were after, but what was Shorty up to? Could she have been coming for him? He was spared any deeper introspection as Gildartz stormed into the dining hall, face like thunder. Silence fell on the children.

"I'm going to ask this once and once only. Where are Jet and Droy? They're not here; they're not in their rooms. Alzack, weren't you their roommate?"

"Um…I…," Alzack blustered.

"Listen, they're already in deep shit, so just tell me. Did they go sneaking around the house last night?"

"Yes sir," Alzack replied meekly. He thought about lying for benefit. "I tried to stop them and slept soundly in my room all night. When I woke up, they hadn't returned. I… I assumed they'd stayed with Levy."

"Hang on, I'll go ask her," Erza stated, heading for the kitchen.

===O0O===

"Bacon and eggs, ready!" Levy cried.

"Mushrooms and sausages, ready!" Lucy confirmed.

"Baked beans and hash browns are a go!" Juvia agreed. "Plate!"

With the skill and speed of those in dreadful fear of worse punishments than that they were already suffering, they quickly combined the ingredients onto plates and moved them onto a trolley next to which Lisanna was watching with amusement.

"You could help, you know," Lucy groused. Lisanna giggled in response.

"I think Mira-nee and Erza want you doing this by yourself. They'll be angry if I help. Now, I'll go and serve this batch; you three need to keep going. There are about thirty people to feed!"

Grumbling, the trio of girls returned to cooking, along with the familiar argument as to whose fault it was that this had ended up happening. They were beginning to decide that it was Cana's for bringing the blasted alcohol in the first place. Yes, the women were uniting in their hatred for anyone else who could be blamed for their own choices in life.

The kitchen was old, the equipment stiff from a lack of use but all still functional. The walls and floor were bare stonework. The house almost seemed to be split into two halves – the furnished parts where guests stayed and the functional parts for the workers and servants. Juvia wondered what the building had originally been intended for, and Levy commented that a 'Manse' technically would have belonged to a pastor or other religious man.

"Levy!" Erza snapped as she strode into the kitchen.

"I'm cooking!" Levy shrieked, stopping her explanation to prod at the bacon sizzling away in her pan.

"Good, keep doing that. Still, I'm here to ask you where Jet and Droy are."

"How would I know?" Levy said with a brusque shrug. "Wait, they're missing?"

"According to their roommate, they left to spend the night with you. Now, you know the rules for boys and girls meeting in private, and yet you flaunt them anyway. I expect this sort of behaviour from her-"

"Hey!" Lucy protested.

"-but not from you." Erza stepped over to tower over Levy. "Tell me where they are."

"I-I'm telling you that I don't know!" Levy's face was flushing in a combination of anger and sorrow, not used to being called a liar. "If they came to see me, it wasn't my fault and I never saw them!"

"Very well. Continue to prepare breakfast for everyone. But, if Jet and Droy aren't back by the time it's finished, you'll be doing the washing up by yourself!"

===O0O===

"I'm a little worried," Macao said to Gildartz. "Where could they have gone? We found wet footprints about the place, about right for a big guy, so you reckon Droy went out in the rain?"

Gildartz shrugged. "Secret smoke? Wouldn't be the first."

"Don't judge it if you haven't tried it," Wakaba said with a dirty chuckle, lighting his pipe. They looked out of the window onto the rain drenched exterior. It was still light for the moment, but it showed no signs of letting up. They stood in a game room, dominated by a large snooker table. Someone had clearly decided the old house had needed a bit more fun over the years. "Still, that wouldn't explain why they aren't back yet. There's nowhere to go. We're miles away from the nearest piece of civilization."

"It's also not like Droy to miss a meal," Macao noted with a mild level of humour. "It also doesn't explain the single set of footprints. Where's Jet? No way the two closest people here up and vanish and it isn't the same damn thing."

"I didn't manage to catch any, but I'm sure some of my boys were up and about last night. Erza's got some of her girls on punishment duty right now. Maybe they're hiding, afraid of punishment? It's a big place; plenty of hidey holes." Gildartz shrugged again, seemingly inviting comment on his deduction.

"It makes some sense," Macao agreed. "Anyway, the activity for the morning is the scavenger hunt, right? We've got thirty kids scouring the place for us, so they'll oust the pair eventually. Tch, I hope the little bastards know we're just worried about them. I just wanna make sure that my kids are safe. Now, perhaps we should stop being so morbid. Who wants to play a game of darts?"

Gildartz chuckled. "You can't spell Gildartz without darts, count me in!"

===O0O===

Scavenger hunt? A fucking scavenger hunt!? Was everyone here twelve fucking years old!? Gajeel scowled and sauntered down an empty hallway, savouring the old house. He liked the creepy vibe it gave off, like some kind of cheesy horror flick. He ran a hand along the plasterwork.

"Got a lot of old stories here, haven't you girl?" He asked the Manse. If it was listening to him, it gave no sign. He chuckled and advanced down the hallway, ending up in a room that looked a bit like a vestibule. It was small, with a raised pulpit and pew to seat perhaps a dozen people. He looked above the pulpit, where a large bronze effigy of Christ on the cross hung.

He lingered a moment, savouring the quiet and solitude of the place.

"Didn't think that I'd find you in a place like this, Gajeel-kun."

Gajeel startled, having not seen Headmaster Makarov sitting on one of the pews at the back. He quickly settled back into his trademark insouciance. "Jeez Gramps, nearly gave me a heart attack."

"My apologies, Gajeel-kun," Makarov responded with a smile that suggested that he had enjoyed scaring the young man. "I was just here for a little peace and quiet. This place belonged to my grandparents, you know. The old man was a minister who used this room to preach to his family or small, select groups. Always struck me as a strange way to worship."

"Interesting," Gajeel replied in a tone that suggested that he couldn't have been more bored.

"You know," Makarov started with a sense of mischief, "that they had two children who both died in this house about a century and a half ago. They say that they haunt this place to this very day."

"Very amusing."

"Damn it, Gajeel-kun. Why'd I have to run into the one child too desensitized to horror and violence to enjoy a good ghost story?"

"If there were ghosts here, you wouldn't come here every year on a school trip, would you? If you're questioning things like fate, why not ask the big guy?" Gajeel asked, nodding towards the crucifix. "He'll have more answers than I would."

"I'm an old man, Gajeel-kun. I've made my peace with the man upstairs. I've found that paying attention to the voice of youngsters is a much more worthwhile pursuit these days. I wouldn't have imagined that you were the sort to believe, anyway."

"I'm not. Imaginary friends are for babies."

If Makarov was offended by the words, he didn't show it. Instead, he leaned back, steepling his fingers over his stomach. "Tell me, Gajeel-kun. Why did you come on this weekend? You've already fled the coop at the first sign of group activity."

"Dunno. I was bored."

"Don't give me that. Despite the fact that you think you're being all secretive and clever, it's pretty clear that you like being around your friends. Maybe not talking to them… but in the general vicinity! It's also very clear to this old man that you've taken a shine to a certain young lady."

"So, you were talking about ghosts?"

"Don't change the subject! I remember the first time I laid eyes on you, about a decade ago. You were just a little whippersnapper then. You'd been called to my office because you'd been bullying those three, as you usually did. I still remember little Levy with her knees all scuffed. But she never did cry, at least not in front of you. She's a tough little angel, alright." Gajeel didn't respond. "Somewhere along the line, you changed bit by bit. You're certainly no saint, but you're no longer the thug you once were. I wonder what – or who – caused that change."

"You talk too much." As Makarov looked over, Gajeel had vanished back into the corridor, his words carrying into the small vestibule. The old man chuckled at the brusque attitude and returned to contemplation within the quiet room.

===O0O===

"This is completely unfair!" Levy huffed, elbow deep in the washing up. She tried not to pay attention to the giant pile of dishes and pans that still needed to be done. Where the hell had Jet and Droy gone!? They were being so inconsiderate! She was taking their punishment! Those two would be in the doghouse once she got her hands on them, that was for sure!

She looked up out of the window above the sink. The kitchen was at the rear of the Manse, giving her a view of the back garden. It was a huge garden, largely unkempt and overgrowing so that the boundary with the wilderness was blurred and vague. A wooden shack sat out there, windows covered with cobwebs. Levy wondered why no one bothered to do the upkeep. Surely Headmaster Makarov could afford a couple of gardening trips a year?

She sighed and stepped back from the sink for a moment, heavily frustrated with all of the work. She looked over at the fridge in the corner. It was a large but old thing, with a metal exterior. There were dozens of large, colourful magnetic letters attached to it, easily her favourite thing in this house so far. She loved to play with letters and rearranged them into 'LEVY WAS HEAR' to amuse herself briefly. There were only two 'e's, so she had to resign herself to the homophone. The poor spelling did irk her so, mind.

The little blunette returned to the washing and about a quarter of an hour later she finished. Wiping bubbles over her forehead accidently in a gesture of relief, she turned around and screamed, falling to the floor in sudden fear.

BOTH DEAD

The letters were on the refrigerator door, disturbed from how Levy had left them. How? What? Levy was shivering in abject fear. How had they moved? But as she sat there, there was no further motion, no noise. Nothing jumped out, shrieking with evil. She began to chastise herself. She was an educated woman! Surely, someone had snuck in and moved them, or she'd done it herself and forgotten! Surely, this was not the work of ghosts!

Whimpering, she fled the kitchen as fast as her little legs could take her.

===O0O===

"As MEN we must complete this scavenger list!" Elfman bellowed, his voice carrying into the empty and quiet house. Even with all of the students there, the Manse was far from full and there were plenty of places for solitude. Right next to him, Evergreen placed hands over her ears and tried to remember how she'd ended up like this.

The scavenger hunt was supposed to be done in pairs. Fried had jumped on Laxus in a heartbeat. Laxus had looked briefly over at Mira, but it seemed that she would be doing it with her sister, so Laxus had relented. Evergreen had assumed that she would pair up with Bixlow, but the blue haired bastard had pushed her towards Elfman and run away laughing. The asshole.

She sighed and looked at the list. All of the items were vague in nature, to allow the student's imaginations to roam. Something metal. Something old. Evergreen looked around them. They'd come out to the front entrance.

"The floor's all wet," Elfman said, his steps squelching against the carpet.

"So it seems our two AWOL boys did pop out last night," Evergreen said slyly. "Who knew they were smokers? Or do you think Droy was so desperate for a midnight snack that he hiked to the nearest supermarket?"

"We have bacon – the manliest food, I might add – in the kitchen that we bought with us. The nearest village is miles away. Smoking is more likely. As a man, I am disgusted. Smoking is so unmanly."

"Do you have to phrase everything in respect to being manly?" Evergreen chided. Elfman looked away, the unusually deep expression on his face surprising her. "Hey, are you alright?"

"When we were little, a mugger hurt Lisanna. I couldn't do anything to stop him, so I vowed to become bigger and stronger, manly enough to protect my sisters. I won't let anything hurt anyone I care about again!"

"Oh? You're more reliable than you first appear," Evergreen purred, making Elfman blush. Suddenly Evergreen shrieked as blood splattered down on her shoulders. Elfman shook her by the shoulders.

"Ever! It's just a little water!"

Evergreen blinked in surprise, trying to refocus. Indeed, the liquid was just water, leaking in from small cracks in the window frame. It was an old house, after all. But she could have sworn… for a moment it felt like a man had been over her, hanging, his blood dripping… but there was nothing there. There was peace and quiet, save for the light drumming of the rain against glass.

"I… I thought… I'm sorry, I was startled."

"That was quiet an unmanly scream," Elfman agreed, scratching his cheek meekly.

"I'm a woman!" Evergreen shouted, whacking him on the head.

===O0O===

"I am NOT going down there!" Lucy shrieked. She and Natsu were standing at the top of a staircase that led down to the Manse's basement. It was dark and dusty, a second door at the very bottom of the stone steps. "We are already in this creepy house and you WANT to go into the basement!?"

"The house ain't creepy," Natsu scoffed. "Now, if we wanna win this damn scavenger hunt, we should think laterally! No one will check the basement, so we should check it out for ourselves! Hi hi, I'm so smart!"

"Natsu, have you never seen a horror movie!? Have you ever seen someone go into a basement and come out alive!?"

"Sure, if they outrun the slower one." Lucy did not appear to be taking his joke Natsu thought as he tried to pry her away from the headlock she'd placed him in. "What exactly makes you think we're in a horror movie?"

"C'mon. Creepy house in the wilderness. Group of attractive and mischievous youngsters. Two people have already gone missing. Foreboding weather. This couldn't be more a textbook case of a horror story if it tried. The author's rubbish."

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Said every character in every horror movie ever just before they die!"

"Luce, Makarov comes here every single year. Now, I haven't heard of any mysterious disappearances, have you? This place is perfectly safe, like a pillow factory or something." Natsu's logic was powerful indeed, but Lucy was not in the slightest convinced. Perhaps it was her author skills coming to the fore, but she had an active and fertile imagination. It was all too easy to take pieces from horror movies and imagine them waiting down there.

"Come on!" She shouted, pulling him away fiercely. As they left, a pair of figures snuck around the corner.

"Yosh! That was a good idea by Natsu!" Laki stated firmly, her purple hair bobbing with her forceful nodding motion. "Come on Kinana, let's check this place out!"

"Are you sure? I have to agree with Lucy a little; this place does seem like a death trap." Kinana found herself being pushed roughly down the steps. As the door at the bottom opened, only darkness could be seen inside. As Laki remarked that there must be a light switch, the door closed shut behind them.

===O0O===

"No, I don't wanna go back into the kitchen!" Levy cried.

"Too bad," Erza replied dismissively. "Someone is going to have to prepare lunch, and since Jet and Droy have yet to return, I'm continuing to use you. And before you complain it's unfair, Lucy and Juvia are going too. You are being punished for your own actions too, you know."

"Juvia wants to remain with Gray-sama…"

"Stop complaining at prepare the food!" Erza shouted, liberally kicking the three girls through the door and into the kitchen. They landed in a groaning heap on the floor. Erza was certainly a practitioner of tough love.

"Oh God, the food's in the fridge, isn't it!?" Levy moaned, refusing to open her eyes. "Tell me what the letters say on the door."

Juvia looked at Levy as if she'd gone insane, but looked over at the fridge and read aloud. "It says 'TUFF LUCK SHORTY'."

"What!?" Levy's eyes snapped open and she leapt to her feet. "B-b-but it said…oh, that explains it, you bastard! Playing pranks on me!" The other two girls kept that 'insane girl' look focussed on her, so she elaborated that Gajeel must have snuck in to try and spook her. The bad spelling was just salt on the wound.

"Juvia thinks that Gajeel-kun tries very hard around Levy."

"I agree. It's like he bests himself, just for her."

"It's not a good thing!" Levy shrieked, as her friends began to laugh. An angry, raised voice carried through the kitchen door.

"I hear chatting but I can't hear cooking!" Fearing the red-head's wrath, the three women quickly set about preparing dinner. As light came in through the window, that was all they had to fear. But it was noon now. The sun was starting its slow descent, and night was coming. And with the night, the darkness would come.