Title: Phantom

Summary: The uninhibited house was settled in a nice neighborhood, untouched for years, no one ever living inside. But one day, a sold sign was listed in front and a group of eight walked in to live at their new home. The problem is that the so-called abandoned house wasn't so abandoned and never was.

Pairing: None

Rating: K+

A/N: I know these chapters are pretty darn short at the time being but they'll get longer once I get everything set up, I promise!

Beta'd by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13

Chapter 3

She was falling. She knew she was - it was so easy to tell as things were becoming much closer than they originally were. She spread her arms out before her, hoping to catch herself or at least break her fall. However, it did little to assist her situation. All she could see was the jumbling of her vision as she tumbled down the stairs. All she could feel was her body plummeting, bouncing down those carpeted steps. A ear-piercing scream slipped through her lips in terror, unable to stop herself from falling. She winced when her legs scraped against the hard walls, one managing to twist painfully, while her arms were out before her face in an effort to protect her head.

She didn't know how long she tumbled down those stairs but eventually her back landed against a hard flat surface. Luce blinked her eyes; trying to focus as her vision spun. She was unable to move her body an inch as she tried to regain her bearings on the situation. It was agonizingly painful, she could feel those excruciating sensations spiking up and down her body at each movement. Her legs had it the worst, she was could see splotches of blood and scrapes all down her lower extremities, smears of it also coating the walls. Letting out a hiss, her vision began to clear up as endorphins were released into her blood system, giving her some strength to move. However, the pain was unbearable and she emitted a scream as she crawled, her cuts rubbing into the cold floor.

Spots began to cloud her vision, dancing around rapidly at her attempts of moving, and would fade in and out every second. Finally, she collapsed in exhaustion, her eyes staring out to the side as she watched her door, the only thing that was preventing her from searching for help. She couldn't even crawl to the phone. She began to wonder if this was how things would end, with her body remaining on the floor in such a pathetic state until someone found her. Soon she felt darkness begin to engulf her vision, alerting her that she was loosing consciousness. Her breathing sped up at the feeling of her defeat, her body attempting one last jolt, but it ended in failure and she could only see the light growing dim as her eyelids began to close.

How she wished her family was here to help her. How she missed them all…

Luce didn't remember much after she collapsed, her consciousness coming and going with various noises that she couldn't fully recognize. She could only see some light and some delicately warm touches against her skin as she was moved before she was out once more. The next time she woke up she could hear the various sounds of voices and machines beeping around her, along with the feeling of something attached to her face. It was enough to make her stir and slowly her eyes fluttered open. Immediately, she flinched at the bright overhead lights. Luce raised a hand to cover her eyes and let out a small grumble under her breath as she tried to shift away. The voices around her quieted down and there was movement from one side, the lights dying down to the point where they were just bearable.

She blinked as her vision cleared up and glanced around her surroundings curiously. She examined her situation carefully and with suspicion. "Where?" Her voice was muffled and it took her a moment to realize she had an oxygen mask over half of her face.

"Ms. Nero?" A man suddenly entered her vision, he was dressed in clothes she associated with a doctor. Still, if the person before her really was a doctor then was she in the hospital? How? How had she even made it much less alert someone to call an ambulance? No one really knew who she was, no one. In the end, Luce couldn't remember anything, not even on how she had gotten there in the first place. Blinking, she carefully sat up, her eyes adjusting to the room's lighting, and felt the tugs of the IVs attached to her left hand. Her eyes examined the line, watching the clear fluids that were within the plastic, and drifted upwards as she stared at the bags it was connected with. She was indeed in a hospital; the familiar white sheets and beds along with the dully colored room made her relax. Her eyes eventually drifted to the man beside her and she tilted her head to the side, noticing that her hair tie was gone, allowing her long black strands free. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she listened as the doctor spoke, "You're in a hospital. Can you tell me what you remember?

The woman sighed before speaking, lifting the mask up slightly to make things easier. "I fell down the stairs at home. After that, it all went blank."

"I see," The doctor settled down onto the bed with a gentle smile. "Well, you're correct. You did fall at home and was brought here for treatment."

"My, I can't believe such a thing actually happened to me. I shouldn't be so clumsy."

"Well, I'm glad you still have a smile on your face after the whole ordeal," The doctor chuckled in amusement. "Luckily, your injuries are nothing serious and don't worry about the fall, you might not know but it's a common occurrence. Now, I'm just going to ask you some routine questions to fill out some stuff. Think you're up to it?"

"But of course."

During that time with the questioning and explaining, she found out that she had simply strained her right leg when she had twisted it during her tumble, luckily it wasn't bad enough to cause any irreparable damage. She would still be able to walk around but she would be getting one of those heavy boots to allow her foot time to heal. It would be an annoyance, but it was better than the alternative. However, both legs were wrapped in numerous bandages, red peeking through the white from her various cuts, and there was bruising across her entire right side. Luce sighed, she really had been lucky - really.

The doctor quickly cleared her for discharge, seeing as there were no lasting issues or conditions from her fall besides her foot. The questioning revealed nothing all that worthwhile, Luce knowing very well they were being used to check her neurological functions. The day she was supposed to be discharged from the hospital the doctor called for a cab seeing as she had arrived in an ambulance. It was due to arrive later in the day, the hospital had refused to allow her to drive anywhere with that boot on. Still, the shock of this having actually happened to her was unnerving and there were times it took her a while to finally understand the gravity of her situation.

Luce peered up at her doctor for a moment with a sigh before glancing down at her injures once more. Her mind couldn't help but constantly repeat that she really had been lucky, that it could have been much worse. It was mere luck that the police had been passing by to check up on the neighborhood and heard her cries for help, though she didn't really remembering doing so after she blacked out. Good thing, it wasn't known to the police that she's a known ex-mafia boss or things might have gotten worse. Still, if no one had shown… Luce shook her head, she didn't want to think about it. All of the Arcobaleno members of the house were still on their jobs and she knew she had to be strong when they weren't around. She couldn't depend on them to constantly keep her safe.

The doctor stepped closer with a chart in his hands, nodding his head in approval at the results shown. "You're lucky that someone called for help, there was no telling what could have happened if no one did."

The black-haired woman tilted her head to the side and her long hair, still untied, slid over her left shoulder. Confusion was dotted her expression, staring at the man with narrowed eyebrows. "What… do you mean?"

The doctor, not recognizing the perplexity evident in Luce's expression, continued, "Well, someone called 911 at your place, right? That was how the police came so quickly since you weren't able to. From what they told me it was a young man, maybe a teen by the sound of it over the phone. But when they arrived, it was just you. I believe the police is still here with the recording so if you want to hear the conversation, you're welcome to. Anyway, when you head home, make sure you say thanks to him. He did after all save your life."

The woman continued to stare, unwavering, not even blinking for a moment as she mulled over her situation. A simple dumbfounded expression and a certain pallor began to make its way over her. Her fingers trembled before clenching into the white blankets over her body, but that didn't stop her shaking. She could hear the heart rate monitor beside her speeding up, accelerating with her own pulse. The doctor stepped closer, asking her questions about what was wrong but no panic was revealed within his eyes. Suddenly, she turned to the man beside her, eyes wide with alarm, and took a deep breath.

She spoke, "There couldn't be anyone there. I was home all alone at that time. No one else was in the house but me."

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