The diary hits the floor with a loud clatter. You let out a soft gasp. What could be so horrifying that even Dave loses his cool?

"What… what is wrong Dave?" You ask him carefully.

"Heh nothing, just wanted to make you jump that's all." He says, smirking at you.

"Daaaaveee!" you stomp him on the arm. "Not funny!" This kid is unbelievable!

"Relax Harley." Dave replies as he turns you towards you.

"Relax Harley? RELAX HARLEY? YOU REALLY HAVE THE NERVE OF SAYING THAT?" You yell at him.

"Man, just calm down."

"CALM DOWN? HAHA! OH COME ON DAVE, JUST STOP BEING SUCH A KID!" You have had enough of his shenanigans. You have had enough of him scaring you like that.

"Uh, guys?" John brings in.

"NOT NOW JOHN!" You yell at the exact same moment as Dave, resulting in a firm blush on both of your faces.

As your two friends Dave and Jade chatter on about their shenanigans you decide you will tell them about what you found in this old diary when they're done yelling at each other. You are now John Egbert, worlds best pranking master. At least you claim to be the best, but you don't know for sure. As your friends decide to scream at each other a little more, you think it's time for you to sit down and read some more out of this old diary Dave found. It seems to be a journal left by the daughter of a wealthy family, describing how the atmosphere got more spooky within days after her mother passed away.
You try to read further where you left off, but the constant chattering is keeping you from being able to concentrate. You decide it's time to move and find a calmer area. You stand up and walk towards your friends.

"Hey uh, I'll be in that room okay?" You say, pointing at a room, but they don't seem to notice you at all.

You shrug and you enter the room at the right side of the entrance. You cough, as it is very dusty in here, and you shine the flashlight around the room. Seems to be an old kitchen. You manage to find a light switch, and even more surprisingly, it seems to work!
You venture in and a big refrigerator catches your eye. You guess it would be a bit rude of you to open it though. You decide to check out some cupboards. They're completely filled with all kinds of spices, jars and even something that once used to be cornflakes. At least you guess it used to be cornflakes.

The light coming from the kitchen caught the attention of your friends, and as you turn around to investigate an old calendar you see them entering the room.

"Did you find anything new John?" Jade asks you as she looks around the kitchen curiously.

"Heh, I see that you have been checking out their stuff Egbert." Dave says. "But if you are hungry you don't have to eat a gazillion year old bowl of cereal." He adds, pointing at the cereal in the cupboard.

"Jeez, like I want to eat any of that!" You reply, browsing through the calendar.

From the corner of your eye you see Dave opening the refrigerator and within seconds the kitchen is filled with a horrible stench.

"EEEEWWW!" Jade yells, now holding her hands in front of her face while she runs out of the kitchen.

"Hopy shit." Is all Dave manages to bring out before he gags and chases Jade out of the kitchen.

You decide to follow their example after taking a last glance in the kitchen. You make your way towards Dave and Jade, who are now stationed at the big staircase in the middle of the hallway.

"Man, if they couldn't get rid of all that food before they left this house there must be something wrong in here." Dave says, adjusting his shades.

"Oh reaaaally? And you notice that after you go in a spooky mansion which is said to be haunted?" Jade replies, rolling her eyes at him.

"Now that you guys are finally calm again, will you guys please listen to what I found in the diary?" You ask them, dropping the calendar on the floor.

"Sure John!" Jade says, her eyes now filling with curiosity.

"Well… it seems like the diary was from the girl who's parents owned this place!" You start. "But after her mother passed away, things seemed to get strange." You think for a moment. You do not quite know how to tell this to your friends without scaring them a bit.

"Go on Egbert, we don't have the whole night." Dave wakes you from your thoughts.

"Oh, right!" You smile. You get caught up in your own thoughts more often, so your friends are kind of used to it. Even though Dave is pretty impatient sometimes.

"Well, a lot of spooky things happened! Items kept disappearing, or sometimes they moved. Also, electrical objects started flipping out and all the people that they hired to clean and cook left after a few days, leaving the mansion deserted except for the father and the daughter."

"Wow, the poor girl and father!" Jade says with a sad face.

"Yeah, it must be horrible!" You add, thinking about the much more creepier parts you left out so you wouldn't scare Jade. You guess you will let Dave know about those parts later, when something else has caught Jades attention.

"Hey Egbert, Harley, let's go upstairs to see what's lurking about over there." Dave says while pointing at the top of the staircase.

"Are you sure Dave?" You ask, getting a bit nervous now you know what might be up there.

"Hell yes Egbert, why wouldn't I be sure?" Dave replies, placing his foot on the first step.

"I don't know Dave, it looks.. kind of scary up there!" Jade says, now shivering a bit.

"Oh you guys shouldn't worry with a Strider near you. I will even hold your hands while we walk up the stairs if I really have too."

"hehe, Dave I don't really think that is necce-" But before you can finish your sentence Dave grabs the two of you by the hand and pulls you upstairs.