Author's note: I've thought long and hard about updating this one. I wanted to discontinue it. Don't get me wrong; I'm very grateful for the responses that I get, including the faves and the follows. But I almost gave up when I saw just a handful of people giving me their thoughts on this one. Writing a chapter is hard work. It takes a lot of time and effort. So when hardly anyone responds, you tend to toss it and move on. That is, until a reader of mine contacted me and pleaded with me to continue and complete this one. I'm very grateful to her. So for her and to all of you who showed an interest, here's this story's second chance: chapter two.

Chapter Two

Haunted

Norah clicked her pen distractedly, as she desperately tried to pay attention in class. However, being unable to sleep the whole night through for an entire week now was taking its' toll on her. The dark haired stranger kept on showing up in her dreams, doing things to her that were unspeakable. Not that it bothered her, but it wore her out. It didn't help matters that, on top of not getting enough sleep, she was still having weird hallucinations about Allerdale Hall. The building seemed to plague her to no ends, making it extra hard to study. It annoyed her immensely, since she had come here to be the best of her class. Right now, she couldn't even keep her eyes glued to the teacher, who was explaining things. Instead, she kept glancing out the window towards the main building.

It was a dark and rainy day today, making said building look like something out of a thriller movie. The leave-less trees were swaying in the wind, as the dark skies were creating shadows all around the Victorian structure.

"Miss Wells, can you answer that question for me?" a voice interrupted her thoughts. Norah turned towards the teacher in a daze, not having heard what his question was exactly. "I'm sorry?" she said. Some students giggled a bit, as the teacher sighed in irritation. "I do expect you to pay attention in class, Miss Wells. Otherwise you can go and study in the principal's office."

Norah blushed a bit as she mumbled an apology. Liane was sitting next to her, raising her eyebrows at her behavior. It wasn't like her to get distracted in class, Norah was well aware of that. This needed to stop! She needed a good night's sleep and she needed for this Victorian house to back off! Maybe the answer lay with the house; once she solved who the dark haired stranger was and why he and that house seemed so tormented, she could get back to normal. She smiled with her newfound resolve; after school, she would go towards the library. She was sure it had all the information on Allerdale Hall's history.

Once more, she looked out the window. Instead of the pavement surrounding all these buildings, she saw land. Lots of it. The trees she saw before, were gone. Only the main building stood proudly, as the red clay seeped up everywhere. A machine of some sorts stood next to the house; Norah thought it looked like some sort of digging device. Suddenly, she saw a shadow of a man standing next to it. She watched in rapt fascination as he moved around the machine, performing examinations. His clothes seemed like they were from another time. Interested, she leaned a bit closer towards the window. The figure turned around, his body turning towards the building she was in. Norah squinted her eyes as goose bumps suddenly appeared all over her body. Startled, she realized that he was looking directly at her; his eyes staring into hers.

"Norah? Norah!" a hand fell onto her shoulder. Norah whirled her head around towards where her friend was trying to reach her. "What is with you lately? Is your studying suddenly not important anymore? Jeez! Class is over, girl. Time to leave." Norah looked around the classroom to see that it was empty. Confused, she glanced back out the window to see that the man and the machine were gone. The man building wasn't standing on acres of dry land anymore, but was back to being surrounded by pavement and shrubbery. Shaken, she got out of her seat and followed her best friend out of the classroom…

The library was situated in building B, directly next to the building that was quickly beginning to frustrate her. Norah stepped inside and immediately walked up towards the main desk. "I need everything you've got on Allerdale Hall's history." The girl behind the desk looked at her in surprise. "Oh.. Uhm, I need to go and see for a second." Norah watched as the girl walked off towards another woman, explaining to her what she was asked for with wide hand gestures. The other woman nodded and quickly came over to talk to Norah.

"I understand that you've taken an interest in Allerdale Hall? Look, we don't have much from before it became a university, but if you still choose to read about it; there's an old copy of a book in the main isle. I'm afraid it only says something about the structure of the main building; how old it is and such. What do you need it for?"

Norah decided to ignore the woman's question. "I'll take the book then. I've already looked up some stuff online."

"Very well. I'll go and fetch it for you."

After getting the book, Norah sat down at a table. She had also taken her laptop with her to compare some statements about the house. The first thing that came into view was how hauntingly beautiful Allerdale Hall had been late 19th century. The place shone with its' grandeur. Her eyes almost bulged with all the hand-carved arches. Early 1900, the building had begun its' demise. Like she had read online, the baronet whom had lived there had been penniless and had no way to make means to fix a house so grand. She became sad with the idea that the roof had slowly begun to open itself up, letting the circumstances outside do horrors to the interior of the house. Apparently, the baronet had died and the house had been vacant for years. That is, until it became a university in 1960.

What nobody spoke a word about, though, was what had precisely happened to the baronet. Had he become ill? Norah leafed through more pages, but like the librarian had said; there was nothing more but details of how old some things were. The thing Norah was interested in was the history inside the house.

Suddenly, her eye fell onto a picture in the book; it was very vague, but her heart stopped as she took in the contours of the man captured in it. His eyes seemed to stare up at her, as her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. Those eyes… everything was the same; his dark, curly hair… his face and the way he carried himself…. This man was the one who had haunted her dreams! There was a small piece of text next to the picture and she eagerly began to read it:

Baronet of Cumberland,

1874-1902

Wow, so the baronet had died at an early age of 28? Some form of illness of something other must have taken place. Why didn't anyone mention it? The internet didn't fare any better. It only had endless pictures of Allerdale Hall, back then and now. There was some talk about the baronet and his penniless ways, and the fact that he had had a sister. But nothing else…

Norah frowned in disappointment. Well, at least she knew who the man was who had been torturing her with his overwhelming presence at night. But why he kept on showing up in her dreams was beyond her. Maybe she had seen a picture of him a few months before she came to school here. It would certainly explain things, as she had always been fascinated with Victorian ages and stories involving that time period. Maybe this baronet was nothing more than her imagination being overactive. She needed to step out of this fantasy of her and do some actual schoolwork. Maybe, when the time was right, a nice guy would come along for her to lose her heart to. Satisfied with that, she headed back to the main building. What she needed now, was an afternoon nap.

When she arrived back in her room, Liane was nowhere to be seen. Just as well, as Norah could use the quiet. She took off her shoes and lay down on her bed, her eyes slipping shut almost immediately….

The room was warm, as the fire place roared with the flames within. He was standing with his back towards her, his shirt off and his suspenders hanging carelessly next to his body. He was absolutely exquisite to her as she studied his lean torso.

"Thomas?" she heard her own voice whisper to him. He turned around with a gentle smile on his face and walked over to where she was sitting on the bed. She was aroused and he knew it. He climbed up on the bed with her and pushed her on her back, his eyes serious and filled with a consuming need. She watched as his fingers slid up her naked thighs, taking her under dress with them.

He nestled himself between her legs until his mouth was on level with whatever was throbbing so deliciously. She was fully exposed to him now, making her blush a fiery shade of crimson.

He made a small swipe against her and she arched, overwhelmed by the sensation. He smirked into her skin before teasing her once more with another lick. This was absolutely forbidden, right? Even for a married couple, was it a proper thing to do? She didn't have time to contemplate, as he teased her some more with his tongue.

She was whimpering, embarrassed as she almost felt the need to beg him to never stop. Raising her head, she glanced downwards to look at him. The sight almost had her come undone, and she shut her eyes.

"Edith." He drawled. "Look at me. Don't you dare close your eyes."

Her breathing quickened and her heart seemed to pummel in her chest, as she felt a bit mortified to watch what he was doing to her. "Thomas, I can't," she groaned as her head fell back against the pillows.

Thomas had to grab her hips to keep her steady due to her tremors. She cried out as her released edged on. Then with a mind-blowing swirl, her world started to explode. She was shaking forcefully as her orgasm ripped through her body. Her hands balled up in tight fists as her body was wrecked over and over again.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Edith became somewhat coherent again, opening her eyes as her heart rate began to get back to normal.

Thomas nuzzled the inside of her thigh, rubbing his cheek against her. "That was absolutely sinful. Isn't there some sort of law against it?" Edith said with a smile on her face. He smirked at her, climbing up her body to look directly into her eyes. "If there is, it'll just have to be a secret between you and me, don't you think?" he answered cheekily.

Suddenly, he sat up and looked around the room in worry.

"What is it?" Edith wanted to know.

There was fear in his eyes as he focused on her face again. His hand came up to delicately touch her cheek. "She knows," he whispered in sadness.

Edith eyed him with confusion.

"Who do you mean? What does she know?"

Thomas stepped off of the bed and looked down at the floor, his hands balled into tight fists. "She knows that you're here."

Edith stood up to face him, taking his head in hands. "Wherever you are, I will be."

He smiled, but the sadness never faded. "Yes, that is precisely why you've come back. Only you don't know it yet. But she does. She knows that you're back and she will come after you. I will do my best to protect you. That is why it's time that you know as well."

Edith really couldn't understand what he was saying. Who exactly was he talking about? Why was he afraid of that person? She followed his gaze until her eyes landed on a spot beneath the window sill. She noticed a small space there and it seemed to hide something.

"Open it. It will reveal all…."

Norah opened her eyes with a jolt and instantly became horrified over the fact that she was standing in the very same spot as she had been in her dream, eying the window sill. Stone cold fear came over her body as she could only hope that she had been sleepwalking.

"What is happening to me?" she said out loud.

Her gaze kept on drawing back towards that spot that had been so important when she had been asleep. Was there really something there, or was she really going full on crazy now? There was only one way to find out.

She let her fingers glide over the wall beneath said window sill, feeling something beneath the wallpaper. Without even thinking about it, she ripped it from the wall, exposing paneling. One piece seemed looser than the others, though. Maybe, there was indeed something hidden in these walls.

"What in the world's fuck are you doing!"Liane suddenly said behind her.

Norah jumped up, startled.

"Jeez, Liane! Stealthy much? Listen, I honestly don't know. I seem to have been sleepwalking. I woke up with my fingers on the wallpaper."

Well, it had been the partial truth. She had been sleepwalking.

"We're going to have to pay for that, you know? This is property as old as heck! The university will not take this lightly. And since when are you sleepwalking? I've known you since forever and I've never once seen you do it. Studying really seems to be hard on you these days. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Look, I'll explain to the principal about my sleepwalking. If they want me to pay for it, I will. I just seem to be a bit off ever since I got here. I need a good night's sleep, that's all."

Liane walked over towards her and hugged her from behind. "I worry about you. First in the classroom and now this. No more crazy antics, okay?"

"I promise."

They both left the room to go out and relax, when a voice breathed throughout the space.

"No….!"

Please hit that button and review!