Chapter Two: Awesome
"Mom, Dad, I think Marley's dead!" Megan called from her open window to her parents. Both turned away from the rusty gate that served as a road block between them and Gracey Manor back to their daughter and the sound asleep woman in the backseat. Sarah suppressed a smile as Michael shook his friend's shoulder roughly.
"Wake up Marley, we're here!" He yelled in her face and got no results. He tried again to no avail and Megan was getting fed up.
"Rise and shine, Marlene!" The teenager said in a teasing voice. That seemed to do the trick as Marley's eyes shot open and she sat straight up. Her head snapped back to Megan and she pointed a finger at her.
"NEVER SPEAK OF THAT AGAIN!" She exclaimed and Megan rolled her eyes.
"Yeah sure, Marlene." She replied and Marley growled a little bit but her attention was called away when the sound of an impossibly old gate opening was heard. She swiveled her gaze to straight ahead as she saw a large, rusty gate creaking forward to reveal a car path. Sarah and Jim walked back to the car; with Jim very happy about the fact that he wouldn't go on vacation with his primal business need unsatisfied.
"Alight, we're in business!" He said, rubbing his hands together in glee, starting the car and driving past the gate.
Marley watched in awe as the scenery of a green, dirty bayou passed by her car window. Why on earth would someone have a bayou in their front lawn? She asked herself. Marley had a small fear of water, and the mere thought of having a swimming pool instead of a nice plot of grass and possible a few rose bushes was positively ludicrous.
"Bob Vila would have a field day with this place." He said, looking at the state of disrepair the place was. Michael reached up and grabbed hold of Marley's hand, looking up at her.
"Who's Bob Vila?" The little boy asked and she shrugged.
"No clue." She replied and he nodded. Megan got out of the car behind him and closed the door loudly, alerting a lecture from Jim.
"Hey, Megan, don't slam the door like that, it's very sensitive!" He began and Marley sighed.
"It's a car, dad." She replied flatly and Jim appeared to be offended.
"Ah! It's not just a car; it's a very delicate piece of machinery." He said, putting his hands on the roof. "She didn't mean what she just said." He reassured the hunk on metal and Marley smiled, letting go of Michael's hand and walking around back.
"Whatever you prefer, Jim, just remember that you can't legally marry a car!" She called over her shoulder and the business man put his hands on his hips.
"She's just teasing you honey. Come on kids." Sarah said, following their family friend. Jim huffed and followed behind his children, who were complaining about being hungry.
"This will only take twenty minutes, tops." Jim said and Marley silently thanked whatever power is up there that they wouldn't be stuck near that bayou for too long.
"Hey dad, when we get to the lake, can we go to that pizza shop by the pond and remember when we got back to the cabin I threw up, can we go there?" Michael asked and Marley pretended to gag.
"Oh god, Michael, don't you remember how everything tasted like rat crap there? Why on earth would you want to go back?" The university student inquired and he shrugged.
"I don't, I'm just trying to get dad to see how hungry I am." He explained and Marley nodded, turning her head back to the backyard. She took one look at the graveyard and a smile crept across her face.
"Cool." She whispered. Nobody heard her, instead, Jim spoke up.
"Wow." He said, summing up all the bewildered emotions into a single syllable. "Now that's something you don't see every day." Marley agreed and Megan can up behind them, her eyes bugging out at the sight.
"Oh. My. God." She said slowly. "Dead people?" She asked and Jim looked a little freaked out.
"Hey, honey, you know they have dead people in the backyard." He said, causing Sarah to come over and get a closer look.
"Meh, sure beats the crap out of a swimming pool." Marley confessed, crossing her arms over her chest, her head cocked to the side in wonder.
It would be easier to have daddy buried in the backyard, that way I didn't have to drive all the way to the cemetery and they couldn't tell me when I had to leave. She thought.
"You're going to sell a house with this!" Megan asked and Jim looked skeptical.
"You mean this historical, sprawling manor with spacious grounds? Yes." Jim replied in a heartbeat and Marley looked impressed.
"I stand by my original belief Jim; you could sell your ass if you wanted to." Marley said and he straightened his tie, looking pleased. At that very second, lightning flashed over head and storm clouds that Jim had dismissed earlier as 'just mother nature trying to dampen our spirits' began to dampen their clothes considerably.
"Oh no, I got my good suit on!" Jim exclaimed as they made a run for the house and Marley scoffed.
"I should be worrying! Do you know how hard it is to find a 50's circle skirt at the thrift shop? Next to impossible!" She exclaimed, trying to hop over the puddles and keep her black garment clean.
"Marley, I'd be more worried about my red blouse, it's going to wrinkle in this weather!" Sarah told her as they sped up the front steps. Marley rolled up the wet sleeves and unbuttoned the front, which was now beyond soaked.
"Sorry Sarah, I'll get it dry-cleaned when we get out of here." Marley told her and the real estate agent smiled in agreement.
"Do you think it's going to stop?" Megan asked as Jim knocked on the door.
"I hope it's not raining at the lake!" Sarah replied.
"Now you kids know that when you're working with mom and dad that you're always on your best behaviour, right?" Jim asked, looking from his son to his daughter to Marley, who looked offended.
"That is so mean!" Marley cried and he shrugged.
"I can't trust you to know that on your own, sorry." He apologized and Marley scoffed. He looked back to the door and pointed at the metal hangers. "Look at the size of these knockers!" He said. "Have you ever seen anything like that before?" The family shook their heads no and Marley did as well.
"It is a really cool door." She admitted as Jim shouted something. It was beginning to rain harder and Marley wanted nothing more than to dry off. Jim banged on the door again and Marley didn't bother to suppress a sigh of relief when it finally swung open with a creak.
Marley eighty-sixed her manners and ran inside as soon as the crack was big enough, gesturing for the family, who was more polite to follow.
"Hello?" Jim called tentatively, taking a step inside. The rest of his family followed suit and Marley took into account all the dust and cobwebs.
"Hmm, I wonder how much dead skin had to be generated to make all this dust." Marley wondered out loud.
"Smells like grandma's house." Megan said and Michael disagreed.
"Worse, smells like grandma!" He retaliated and Marley laughed.
"It's just a little dusty, now we get a cleaning crew to come here and shine it up, this place would be sparkling from top to bottom." Jim assured them. Michael looked to the left, noticing a spider's web and backed up into Marley.
"This place has spiders!" He said, fear creeping into his voice.
"Don't worry dude, just remember that you have ten fingers and toes instead of eight legs." Marley replied and Jim smiled. A cold breeze that blew from the hallway in front of her made Marley shiver and she craned her neck to look down it, and she jumped as a blue light went on and an old man walking towards them in a dark blue suite could be seen.
His movements were robotic, almost as if he hadn't used his joints for many years, but this came as no surprise to Marley; she took into account his age, the white hair and wrinkles were distinguishable from all the way down the corridor and she wondered how he managed to keep going.
He reached them quickly and greeted only Mrs. Evers. "Sarah Evers?" He asked and she nodded. "My name is Ramsley." He replied, rolling the R at the beginning of his name slightly. Jim looked to his wife, and then back to the old man; his face lighting up in a million-watt smile.
"Hello Ramsley, I'm Jim Evers of Evers and Evers real estate at your service." He said, extending his hand to shake. The old man did not accept it, in fact he looked annoyed.
"We were not expecting… others." He said slowly and Jim seemed a tad put-off. Jim lowered his hand as Sarah explained our dilemma, Jim playing it up perfectly with a shower of compliments, followed by some sheer ass-ness.
He moved us closer, his smile brightening as he reached into his coat. "Because at Evers and Evers, we want you to be happy for Evers and Evers, please accept this waterproof calendar as a token of our appreciation." He said, holding it out to him, which the man hesitantly took and Marley rolled her eyes.
"You're being a tit, Jim." She hissed quietly and he gave her a warning glare.
"Very well, we shall have to place other settings." He said, turning back down the hallway and leading us. Sarah's reaction to this wasn't positive whereas Marley was slightly pleased, she like this old house, dusty as it was, it excited her that she'd get to see a little more.
"What are the other settings for?" Jim asked and Ramsley did not turn around, he just droned on in his posh British accent.
"Master Gracey wishes to discuss his affairs over dinner." He replied solemnly and Sarah protested.
"Oh, I'm afraid we have plans, honey, we can't stay for dinner." She said, looking to her husband who smiled.
"Oh yes, but we mustn't be rude darling." He replied and she looked unsure.
"What about our family adventure?" Megan asked and he shushed her.
"We'll just have some soup and then we'll get going, okay?" He asked and Marley nodded. Marley smiled as she saw the suits of armor, she loved the old fashioned feel they brought and even though it kind of felt like they were watching her; she still liked the chainmail.
The group reached a door reached a door which Ramsley opened, and lead the family and their friend into a lavish dining room. A large fireplace was lit on one wall with a long, wooden table set up with china dishes and silverware in the center. It reminded Marley a bit of Beauty and the Beast.
"How lovely, Ramsley, this is gorgeous!" Marley exclaimed and he looked faintly pleased.
"Thank you, Miss.' He said slowly and Jim nodded.
"Hey, Megan, how'd you like to eat like this every day at home?" Jim asked an it was obvious that his daughter wasn't too keen on that idea.
"The Master will be with you shortly." Ramsley informed them and Jim dismissed him. The man, who was obviously a butler, bowed slightly and walked off, much to Jim's delight.
Sarah and Marley approached the fire place and Marley rested her hand on the wood framing. She couldn't deny its beauty, as much care was obviously put into it, but it seemed that Sarah was more passionate about it.
"Seriously, look at this detail!" She exclaimed when Jim seemed unimpressed and Marley smiled.
"It's truly beautiful, isn't it Sarah?" Marley asked and she nodded. "It almost reminds me of you'd see at Buckingham palace." The university student admitted and Sarah smiled back at her. Marley looked up to the ceiling and gasped when she saw an ornate, crystal chandelier hanging. She was mesmerized by it and walked closer to the table to be underneath it, not taking her eyes off of it.
"I've never seen anything like this." Sarah said and a flash of lighting was seen out of the corner of Marley's eye. She didn't look away from the chandelier, she remained fixed on it; she'd never seen one before, and it glittered like diamonds in the firelight.
"Haven't you?" A voice as smooth as velvet with a British accent asked. "My grandfather spared no expense when he built this mansion." It continued but Marley did not look away.
"Well your grandfather had really good taste in tchotchkes!" Marley heard Jim say.
"Edward, Edward Gracey." The voice replied quickly when Jim introduced himself. After an awkward pause, Jim called over his wife and kids, introducing them as well.
"This is our daughter Megan and our son Michael." Marley heard Sarah say and she was unaware when the person named Edward turned to her curiously.
"Who is the young lady?" She heard the voice ask and she snapped out of it, turning to where the voice came from, her eyes resting on a handsome man with brown hair and a royal blue waistcoat.
"Well, she's a family… acquaintance." Jim replied and Sarah slapped his arm.
"Jim, don't be rude, he didn't mean that, you're definitely a friend!" Sarah called to Marley who smiled and walked closer to the man, not offering her hand to shake as he didn't look like that kind of guy.
"I'm Marley McLaren." Marley said and Megan smirked.
"Her real name's Marlene." She said and it looked as though a blood vessel popped in the students face. She turned to the teenager with a stony look on her face and gate in her eyes.
"You spoke of it." She said in a deadly whisper. "I'll do away with you later." She said and she looked back to Master Gracey, who had a faint smile on his lips.
"Marley is the daughter of my dear friend, Annabelle; she's living with us while she attends university." The Master looked slightly impressed when Sarah said this.
"Children, Madam, Miss." Ramsley said from the other end of the living room, calling them over. Marley smiled warmly at him, but it fell when she didn't receive one from the butler.
He pulled out an ornate chair for the children to sit in while complaining in the politest way possible about the 'disturbances'. "Thank you Ramsley." Marley said to him when he pulled her chair out. She sat down and noticed that she was seated closest to Master Gracey, only a place away.
"What do you think of the house, Miss Evers?" Master Gracey asked and she smiled.
"Oh,I think it's absolutely incredible, you don't seen houses like these, or at least I don't." She said and he smiled.
"Great care and love went into the building of this mansion." He replied and then turned to Marley.
"What do you think of my home?" He asked her and she shrugged.
"I could sit here all day and try to find the words to describe how beautiful it is, but I won't because I'll fall asleep." She replied and he smiled softly at her in turn. She looked from his face to his jacket, her eyes widening. "Dude, where did you get that jacket?" Marley asked and he looked down at it as well.
"It was made for me a long time ago, why do you ask?" He questioned sounding suspicious and she grinned.
"Because it's made of awesome!" She replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world and he smiled again at her.
Marley looked up from the pretty table cloth to the frog-eyed maid with reddish-brown hair who was pouring a hot, creamy soup into her bowl and then to the old but not Ramsley-old man who was pushing a cart with a big silver pot on it. Marley closed her eyes and randomly chose a spoon; an act that made the Master chuckle a little bit and took a taste.
It was absolute heaven for the chill that had yet to go away and instantly warmed her. She put the spoon down and looked back up to the maid.
"Miss?" She asked quietly and it seemed that the woman didn't hear.
"Emma." The Master said in an authorative tone and Marley nodded in thanks.
"Yes, what's wrong?" The lady asked quickly and Marley almost giggled at her nervous, high-pitched voice.
"Nothing, it's just that the soup is delicious, I was wondering if I could have a copy of the recipe?" Marley inquired and Emma looked relieved but a bit sad.
"I'm sorry, but Grandma would have my head if I gave away the family recipe." She said and Marley nodded.
"I get it, don't worry, but it's fantastic." Marley said brightly and Emma smiled.
Dinner proceeded as usual until the entrée. Oh god. Marley thought as lids were lifted off silver trays to reveal Chicken Cordon Bleu. Marley was a vegetarian, and the sight of animal carcass in food made her a tad sick. She didn't want to be rude or cause a fuss, so she put her fork down and just made small talk with Edward.
Ezra, however, noticed what the Master failed to.
"Young lady!" He said in his nagging, adorable voice and she looked to him from Edward. He had drawn her away from an interesting conversation and she was the teensiest bit annoyed, but mostly hungry. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation Miss, but you haven't touched your dinner." He said and Marley flushed a little.
I had to be so damn obvious. Marley thought and she sighed. Mr. Gracey leaned forward a little bit and noticed that she hadn't eaten any of it as well.
"He's right, are you feeling ill?" He asked and Marley flushed a little darker.
"No, I'm fine but… I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat meat." Marley said and Ezra nodded.
"Alright, we'll just get you something else then." Ezra said like it was no big deal. Marley didn't want to make them make anything else. Chicken Cordon Bleu is a bitch to make, ask any chefs, they obviously worked hard on this, and her hunger would just have to wait.
"Oh, no it's alright, I'm not hungry." Marley replied and the other butler shrugged.
"Just come by the kitchen if you get hungry." Emma said and Marley nodded.
"I'll keep that in mind." She said and the two hustled off who knows where. "So, Mr. Gracey, how did your grandfather ever manage to build such an exquisite manor?" Marley asked and the Master almost smiled.
"I'm so glad you asked."