Chapter 2:
It was unpleasantly cold and it was raining cats and dogs when Al Capello and his crew arrived at the the time-honoured manor that functioned as their new shooting location. The high towers stood out of the thick wafts of mist that engulfed the building. Jessie pulled the hood of her raincoat over her head. She didn't want to ruin her hairdo. James opened his umbrella and held it protectively above his team-mate.
The domestic servants were already expecting them. She was a small bony lady in her begining 70ies and he was a well-dressed elderly gentleman, wearing a chequerd beret and a matching bow tie. Both seemed tensed and not really delighted with the actor's arrival. „Welcome, my name is Dragana" the housekeeper greeted them in a short and crisp way, making the crew feel uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the domestics made a curtsy to their guests and helped them with the bags and suitcases. The lady turned up her nose at the completely overloaded pieces of luggage Jessie had brought along. The magenta-haired woman noticed her disparaging look. „Well, no need to roll your eyes, Miss!" Jessie yapped. „A real actress needs her wardrobe," she smiled, turned around and entered the manor.
James, Meowth and the kids followed suit, but right before Ash stepped over the mansion's threshold, he caught a glimpse of a figure peeping out from behind the curtains on the second floor. It appeared to be a little girl with two braids, but as soon as Ash took a closer look at the window, she was gone. He nudged Misty with his elbow. „Hey, you saw her too, right?" he asked her. Misty gave him a surprised to questioning look. „Whom did I see?" she wondered. „That little girl," he pointed at the shattered window. „Oh, Ash! Stop talking nonsense. You've got a really vivacious imagination," Misty giggled and reached for Togepi who was toddling direction foyer.
Candlesticks were lighted up along the wall of the corridor. Brock eyed the numerous paintings inbetween the luminiferous decorative items. They showed a baron in his uniform, a purple mist surrounding him. His piercing look seemed to follow the aspiring Pokémon-breeder. „Who's that?" the young boy questioned.
The elderly lady turned around. „This is our landlord, Mr. Nălucă," the housekeeper replied. „Oh, I see. When are we going to meet him?" Brock asked, shouldering his rucksack. The lady snorted derisively. „You won't! Mr. Nălucă prefers to isolate himself from what he calls a spoiled and corrupt world! And by the way, he detests nosey parkers!" she made her way into the dining room.
„Do you think this place is haunted?" Brock whispered to James. The Team Rocket-agent swallowed hard and nodded silently.
As soon as the whole crew had taken place at the dining table, the domestic servants clearly explained the house rules. „We do have three dorm rooms in this manor," the Dragana said, „one is intended for the children, one for the director and this lousy cat and one for you two," she was pointing at Jessie and James. He softly squeezed Jessie's hand, secretly winking at her. „Rule number one: You are not allowed to leave your rooms after 10 pm! Rule number two: Strange and uncanny noises can be easily explained by bending floorboards. It's an old manor, creaking and screeching is absolutely normal and the order of the day. No need to be afraid. Rule number three: the west wing is taboo! Thank you. Dinner will be served in fifteen minutes", with these words, Dragana left the actors and Al Capello alone, walking down to the kitchen.
Dinner was a real feast. Dragana and Toni served uncountable traditional dishes. Various salads with mayonnaise dressing, Pomana Porcului, Sarmale, a culinary meal made of rolled mince meat, Zacusca and Ciorba de burta. Team Rocket stuffed themselves and the kids too gorged on this oppulent meal. After picking up the last crumbs of a wood-fired bread, Al Capello decided that it was time to reveal the plot of Maria's Butler III to his artists.
„Maria's Butler III: Frights are no delights, where do I start?" the director scratched his chin through his beard. „Am I going to be the main attraction?" Jessie munched some Mamaliga, polenta made of boiled corn flour.
„Yes, of course, Miss Jessie. Let me tell you the story. Maria and Johann are going on holidays, the Lady's servants join them. They end up at an abandoned manor, since Konrad wasn't able to read the map correctly. He gets scolded by Johann and, because of the poor weather conditions, they decide to take a rest and whip their night's lodging in this decrepit building. Soon after lying down, they begin to hear noises. Someone's whining, they hear a person cry and they don't know what to do. Johann, who's a fearless butler, gets weaving, rouses Konrad and sweeps the old manor. They find out that the mansion is haunted and that a ghost is up to mischief. Johann acquaints Lady Maria who's completely shocked and startled. She wants him to capture or at least chase the spirit away. This is your big performance, James. You're going to sing ,Ghostbusters' and you'll certainly consider everything possible to reduce the Lady's fear, but the unwanted fellow lodger is ready to play tricks on you! Only with the help of Konrad, Rita and Frankie, you'll be able to keep the ghost in check, until it kidnaps the Lady. It's a story about unshakeable love and paranormal activity. Your fans will go crazy!" Al Capello clapped his hands, waiting for his actors' reaction.
„So? What do you think?" he wondered. Jessie raised her hand. „Will Johann succeed? Will he free Lady Maria and once and for all win her heart and trust?" The dircetor nodded. Misty piped up. „I was just wondering...with all this babble about ghosts and spooky scenes, how will you depict these mysterious creatures from the unseen world?" she inquired. „That's very simple! We use inflatable balloons and cover them with bed sheets," Al Capello pat himself on the back for his ingenious idea. The kids rolled their eyes. „It's going to be a flop, but let's lead him to believe that he's in control of everything," Misty spoke under breath.
Later that night, Jessie and James were already in their bedroom. James locked the door in order to be undisturbed and hopefully out of the reach of any lurking phantoms. He walked up to Jessie, cupping her face. „Finally," he placed a tender kiss on her lips. „I could not wait to be alone with you," she ran her fingers through his hair, pulled him closer and back into a passionate kiss. They stumbled over to the double bed. James was now lying on top of Jessie, fervently kissing her neck and wandering down her collarbone. She tried to take off his shirt, smelling the refreshingly herbal fragrance of his aftershave. James undressed his upper body, pulling his team-mate closer to himself and burying his face into her hair. She put her arms around his neck.
„Hihihi," James stopped for a moment. „What was that?" he asked her. „What?" Jessie interlaced her fingers with his. „Wait," he sat up and took notice. „What's wrong with you?" she caressed his cheek. „I heard a child's laugh," he whispered. „That was probably just the wind. As Dragana said, the manor is old and the floorboards creak and groan, no need to worry," she crushed her lips on his. They made out for a couple of minutes. „Hihihi," James took a flying leap. „There it was again. It came from back there," he pointed at an unsound wardrobe. „Hihihi," Jessie and James ended up in a fearhug.
„Go and see what's in there," she pushed her friend direction right corner of the room.
„Why me?" his voice trembled, he was shaking all over. „Do it, James!" Jessie ducked out of sight, covering her face with one of the linen bed sheets. James tiptoed over to the wardrobe and noticed that the doors were slightly ajar. He didn't want to open them, but Jessie forced him to disclose the secret behind the worn-out clothes. He gathered up all his courage and opened the door, ready to face that little girl the elderly ladies had talked about.
To his surprise, there was Meowth sitting in the wardrobe. „Meowth!" he pulled the cat's ear. „Have you been eavesdropping on us?" James was visibly annoyed. The Pokémon-cat shook his head. „Nah, it's nothing new dad yous two are making out, exchanging affections and stuff," Meowth replied, causing Jessie and James to blush heavily.
„I'm here for a different reason. Look what I found," he said, holding up a tiny ruby.
„Where did you get that from? Give it to me! This belongs to a queen," Jessie snatched the gem from under Meowth's nose. „Hey!" the feline Pokémon rebelled. „Why do you always reap the rewards and we come away empty-handed?" James interceded.
„I don't know where this precious little stone comes from, but I'm sure there is much more..." The trio laughed up their sleeves. They were back for trouble.