Night time, the perfect time to snoop. According to Leanne anyways.

I was only wandering about because I wanted a glass of water. I was having some trouble sleeping. The family that was staying for the summer had arrived a few hours ago. They, of course, got the premium rooms on floors two and three. I wasn't bitter at all, considering this is where I live, and I slept in the basement in the same room as my mother.

Not bitter at all.

I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with tap water. Even after I gulped it down, I still felt restless. I decided to go back to my room.

But as I walked past Warden's room, the door was open and I heard talking. I wouldn't have cared about the conversation, except I heard Michelle's name. I put my ear against the crack in the door.

"So she didn't see any of the files?" an older masculine voice asked, worried.

"Even if she did, the girl can barely read. She wouldn't have found any information from them." The Warden reassured.

"And you locked the door to the study?"

"Yes, right after I heard her talking about it at breakfast."

Was this the door Michelle had tried to take Leanne and I into?

"So the others couldn't get in? What about the room?"

"The doors are locked, sir."

"Good job, Mackenzie. You have done your job perfectly." he sighed in relief.

What had been so forbidding abut that study door? Maybe it had some kind of information regarding our parents! That could've been why the man that was speaking was so worried about us going in there. I began to walk away when the Warden's door opened completely.

"Leon? What are you doing out here?"

My heart began to beat quickly. I was caught, but I didn't let it show on my face. I turned to face the Warden.

"I was having trouble sleeping, so I went to the kitchen to get some water." I explained, dully.

"Oh," she sighed in relief "I don't think you've had the chance to meet master Kirkland."

"No."

A old burly man walked out of the Warden's room.

"Master Kirkland, this is Leon, one of the Estates inhabitants."

"Nice to meet you young man." he smiled, shaking my hand.

There was something off about his smile. I didn't let my suspicions show, I was suddenly proud at my inability to show emotion as an expression.

"Nice to meet the owner of this place." I hadn't talked this much in weeks! Why was I now?

I saw it then.

It was a ghostly red snake, trying to slither up my red silk pajamas. When it touched me, I started talking. I backed away from the snake, hiding my fear of the spirit (How did I know what it was?).

"I'm going to bed." I said walking away from the snake.

It recoiled when I walked away. That made me a little happy, I think.

~Break~

I woke up with a weird headache, it made me dizzy and my vision was blurry. When I tried to get up, I just fell back onto my bed.

"Are you alright Jia?" Mom asked when I fell.

"Just dizzy. Don't worry." I was back to my usual non-talkative self.

Last night. It made me want to go into that room even more, especially if it had files about our parents. Chiara had always claimed that she didn't care who her father was, even more after her mother died. Gilbert didn't seem to care, but I knew deep down somewhere he was curious. Leanne and I were the most curious, Michelle being too young and Daisy always taking care of people. Too much so to care about her own emptiness, that must've existed somewhere.

We are all people with serious daddy issues.

I tried to get up again, not feeling as dizzy the second time. I stood up, feeling like a character of a video game with amazing graphics, but was slow load and play. I walked to my dresser, next to Mom's and tried to concentrate long enough to find a matching set of clothes. For some reason I just stared in the mirror above my dresser, analyzing myself. My eyes and hair were dark, like mom. But my skin, eye shape, nose, lips and basically everything else I got from my dad. If I wore makeup and grew my hair out a little, I would definitely look like a girl.

But that wasn't possible, not until I moved out at least.

I sighed and realized it was Saturday. That fact made me a little happy, since I didn't have to go to Ivan's military grade homeschooling.

I joined the others at the breakfast table and ate in silence, as the usual chaos ensued. The mini food fight that happened wasn't usual, and had to be broken up by Ms. Coleman.

After Michelle was done and walked away, I got up from the table and caught up to her.

"Wanna try the passage again?" I asked her

Her face lit up like a fall carnival.

"Yeah! Lets go!" She grabbed my hand and we ran all the way up to the door.

She attempted to open the door again, and as last time, it didn't open.

"Lemme try." I said as Michelle looked like she was going to cry.

My hand got near the doorknob, and I felt something I recognized.

Warden?

When I realized who this was, I heard a click. I turned the doorknob and the door opened.

"Yay!" Michelle ran inside and pressed a spot on the wall, revealing a dark abyss behind the wall.

I walked in after her and a light turned on in what I assumed was the passageway. I heard Michelle scream. I ran to her, and I understood why she screamed.

The 'passageway' had actually been a secret room. It had jars of strange odds and ends that resembled body parts, from animals I hoped. The majority of the room's floor had some kind of occult circle carved into it. The walls were splattered with a strange brown color, and the room smelled like my Iron bed frame.

"It's okay." I said picking up the girl and stroking my fingers through her hair.

She was passed out when I checked on her to see why she had stopped whimpering. I closed the secret door and set Michell on the couch in the study. I grabbed a file, just a random manilla folder. When I opened it there were strange letters, they slowly moved and changed into something I could understand.

Darkness we value thee
So we fall to our knees
Sacrifice our blood
Offer our kin
They amount to nothing
In the end

Darkness give us power
Power for blood
Under a full moon

There were a few more stanzas, but the first few freaked me out, so I decided not to read them.

I searched the shelves for other folders, until I saw them.

Babaneoux,

Fredricks,

Limaroux,

Vargas

And...

Wang.

My heart skipped a beat and a tear fell from my eye.

They were our files.


Two updates in one day? I guess I just wanted to make up for not being able to update for a week.

Reviews are always appreciated!