China has suggested, more like forced in a way, the three of us go on a holiday. Now I say she forced us because she didn't really give us a say in anything being she had already bought train tickets and had a place reserved for us to stay when she brought it up to us. So we have been sitting on a train for two hours with another half an hour to go before we get to this little village that I have never heard of before from London. "Why do you two seem so grumpy? You were the ones talking about taking a holiday so I made sure we went on one." Holmes glared at her from the opposite seat from us and I just sighed and looked out the train window. How she managed to get the money for us to have our own room on the train instead of being crowded in one with a bunch of other people is beyond me. I guess she doesn't spend all of her money on candy after all if she could afford something as nice as this. The scenery is dreary and dark; it looks like it's going to rain soon and I hope it doesn't start until we have gotten to the manor.

This manor that China is making us go to is on the outskirts of this little country village. She said it is surrounded by marsh on all sides of the manor and the road floods over with the high tides and rain. So when the tide is high we are going to be stuck in this manor in someplace we have never to before; I didn't even know this little town even existed so how did she find out about it unless she has already been here. What type of name is Underton, it sounds like a sad little town to me. "Waaaatson! Holmes is ignoring me!" They are like little children I swear, if I had known I was going to be a babysitter I would have just stayed back in London. "If she is ignoring you, China, then she is going to be ignoring me as well. You know that by now." I wonder if we are getting closer to the village; it hard to tell when all you see is trees, dark clouds, mountains, and flooded fields. I wonder how out of date Underton is, it so far out in the country it feels like it is going to be stuck in time. "We are pulling into the station." Holmes really doesn't sound pleased about arriving, but then again if China wouldn't be so stubborn and drag us off the train with her, I would ride back to London with Holmes and leave China and Mizu to do what they want to.

"Ooh, he said he would meet us here, where is he?" What is the girl rambling on about now; I just want to get to the manor before it starts raining and our bags get soaked. "You sure you really want to stay down at the manor?" said a man walking up the train station platform towards us. China dropped her bags and ran up and hugged the man, but Mizu stayed back with us unsure about the stranger. He was dresses nicely in black slacks, white button-down shirt with a tie, and a black trench coat to keep the wind out. "It's nice to see you again Neville! These are my friends: Chookie Watson, Kyuubi Holmes, and our dog Mizu! This is Neville Wilkinson, a dear friend from when I was younger!" So they were friends when they were younger, that makes sense why she would know about this place, but did she use to live here or did Wilkinson move here and kept in contact with her? "Nice to meet you, Wilkinson, how do you do?" Holmes doesn't seem to really care about him, not that that is a surprise to begin with. He looks like a highly educated, honest, and caring man, but looks can be very deceiving can't they? He can't be that bad if China is friends with him and it looks like Mizu trust him now that she has gone up to him and checked him out. "Please, call me Neville. How are you fine ladies doing today?" I know that look, the look of losing one closed to you, the look of not having moved on. I'm almost curious enough to ask how he has lost, but that is a very personal and wrong question to ask anyone.

"Fine, can we get going before we get soaked to the bone." Hm, that wasn't considered a question, more like a demand, much like Holmes, and I can't blame her. It is starting to rain after all and China mentioned something about the road to the manor we will be staying at floods with the high tide and rain. I hope we don't get stuck at the mansion for days with the upcoming storm; I would like to go home eventually, but the clouds are getting awfully dark. "Good points, lets getting going then, but are you guys really sure you want to stay at the manor?" That's the second time he has asked that since he came up the platform, what about the manor makes him keep questioning us about staying there? Is it just because the road floods or is it something else? Every time someone passing hears us mentioning the manor they give us dirty looks and rush off like it some evil house. "Of course we are sure, Nevi! None of those stories are real!" He gave us a sympathetically look, but nodded anyway before staring, hopefully, to his car and out of this rain. Once we got to his car he took our bags from us and put them in his trunk, as we climbed in, with a low thud, he too, climbed into the car and started it. "You know, China, the history of that manor is filled with bad luck and death." That caught Holmes attention, as she is no longer just simply staring out the window watching the rain, but watching him with eager eyes for him to continue his story. China simply pouted a little, but nodded and went on about something she saw on the way here causing Holmes to glare at the back of her head. "Now, now, Holmes, I'm sure we can easily find out the history of the manor in a day or two."

I wonder if she knows glaring at China with a little pout isn't going to make Neville finish what he started to say. "You aren't very talkative when we are in vehicles. Why is that?" What an odd question to ask all of sudden; she didn't even look at me as she asked. She went from pouting at the back of China's head, back to staring out the window without so much of a glance at me. I'm not that quiet when we ride in cabs or the train am I? "Hm, I never noticed that before. I suppose it's just the way I grew up." How can I answer a question that I never even realized I did? I saw Holmes reflection watching me out of the corner of her narrowed eyes as I shrugged and looked out my own window. I could feel her unrelenting and accusing gaze making the hairs on my arm rise. The rest of the car ride was mostly quiet other than the rain and China telling Neville everything she could think of. Holmes and I both just sat in the back staring out our windows. I spent most of the ride pondering why I was so quiet when we were in moving vehicles, which, as I think about it now, probably proved Holmes point, and Holmes was lost somewhere in her own head, but I noticed that she glance at me every few minutes. "Well here we are. I bought you guys some food because I figured that China wasn't going to change her mind. I will come check on you guys the next time the tide is low enough for me to drive out here." The manor was much bigger than I had thought it was. It was three stores and fairly wide. The manor was on a hill just above the water line so the high tide wouldn't reach up to the house and it was surrounded by trees and bushes.

Neville opened the trunk to start grabbing our bag, but stopped and looked up at one of the third floor windows. It was raining too hard for me to make out much in the windows so I chose to look at Neville with a confused look. He smile a small forced smile and shock his head before handing me the keys to manor and grabbed some of our bags. Upon unlocking and opening the door to the manor, I realized that the manor was much, much bigger than it looked on the outside. China grabbed mine and Holmes arm and dragged us into the middle of the front room, leaving poor Neville to get our bags for us. I looked around the spacious room, China and Mizu ran from room to room, and Holmes started to snoop through the old papers and books scattered throughout the front room. Even though there was a lot of furniture- covered in dust-there was still a lot of room left to add more. If this is just the front room, I can only imagine how big all the other rooms are. "Well, that's everything. When I came up the other day the electricity didn't really work, well it does, but it flickers, and the water is running good. Just a little rusty, surprisingly. There are a bunch candles throughout the manor and logs in that closet there for the fireplace. Out back there is house that the servants stay in. If you need anything before I get back ask them." Servants? It doesn't look like anyone's been out here in years with all the dust and cobwebs covering everything. Are we staying in somebodies home without their permission? "If you change your mind about staying here, you guys can stay with me. Promise me you guys will be careful."

That last note sent chills down my spine, it wasn't very reassuring; there is something that he is hiding from us and it doesn't sound like a very good thing to be hiding from someone who is going to be stuck here until someone come to gets us. What was that about there being servants are they what he is worried about? I get the feeling that we should leave right now, if only China wasn't stubborn and Holmes wasn't interested. "Well good night, ladies. I will be back as soon as the tides go down to take you to town to get more food," and with that Neville shut the door leaving us here wondering what he meant by be careful. "He is just trying to scare us, those ghost stories aren't real. Right, Watson?" why is she asking me this; I'm not a genius like Holmes; I'm just the rationalist one. I shook my head and walk into the kitchen to put the food that Neville bought us with Mizu on my heels. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Holmes starting to look at everything she could find and China running up the stairs to claim her room for the time that we are staying here, which will hopefully not be that long. I don't think I want to meet the servants, not tonight anyway.

Now that we are all settled in, looked through all of the many rooms, and have claimed our rooms I can start making an early dinner. It is awfully early though, too early actually; I suppose I can wait to make dinner. "Hey! Why did you choose a room on the second floor?" I don't think my leg could handle running up and down two flights of stairs with all this rain, it would make me limp more than I already do. "Because of my leg silly, why else?" The house is dusty and smells musky yet organized and tidy giving it a creepy feeling, like someone is watching you; the rain beating the house, the wind howling, thunder roaring, and lighting blinding all who look out the window at the wrong time just make the house even more eerie. Severally times while exploring the house on my own with Mizu, I thought I heard breathing and doors opening and closing or stuff being moved when the other two were on the first floor looking at old pictures and documents. Could that have been the servants coming to check out the people intruding on the manor? In certain parts of the house Mizu would growl and go into defense mood even though she was shaking, and I did as well, a couple of times, thought I saw a woman standing behind me from the reflections that I passed. "Ack!" The storm must have gotten worse if it knocked out the power. Although I have never been in a building when the power goes out that I feel endangered in, "Look!" What is China talking about? It might still be light out, but with those dark storm clouds it might as well be night. "Dear God." I apparently have good luck, or bad look depending on how I look at, because when I looked up I saw what China was talking about.

There at the top of the staircase, stands a woman in an old white dress with spot that have been ripped and stained in what looks like blood. She looked like she had been crying, but the icy glare she was pointing at me states otherwise and quite frankly she makes me want to turn on my heels and run for the hills. Another flash of lighting and she was gone and Holmes was running up the stairs with us right behind her; by the time all of us reached the top of the stairs we heard a blood-curdling scream come from the bottom of the stairs making China jump. "What the hell was that?" She accused, looking from Holmes to me and back again, but neither of us have a straight answer for her and not like it is our fault we are out here in the middle of nowhere with no way to leave until low tide. "She has to be in the house somewhere. There are three floors and three of us, pick a floor and lets go." Holmes instructed as she made her to the third floor, glancing at China I walked back down stairs with Mizu to look around. Out of the three of us that lady was looking at me, directly at me. I have never been so scared to be looked at dead in the eyes before, can't we please just go home I got a bad feeling about this place.

There are so many rooms down here, what are half of them even used for anyway? Decoration? Who am I kidding the lady is not going to be down here on the first floor seeing as how we didn't hear her come down the stairs and we would have saw her long dress drag behind her as she fled. Still it doesn't hurt to look around to make sure that she really isn't down here, I mean I'd hate to get somewhat comfortable then get stabbed in the back. This is the last room down here and there is no sign of her anywhere, it is so dusty in this room like no one has been in here since the time it was furnished. Huh, where did that sudden burst of wind come from? It is hard to see with all that dust floating in the air, wait is that the lady that was at the top of the staircase? "Hey! Who are you?" Where did she go? The only way out of this room is the way I came in which is right behind me and I know for a fact that she did not pass me. Is she under something or behind one of the many sofas, she has to be in here somewhere! "Excuse me miss, but may I be of assistance?" a deep almost snarl of voice made me jump and whip around to face the exit. How did he sneak up on me? The floors creak and I would have heard him walking up behind me. He is an elderly man with white hair that was balding on the top of his head and he is wearing a butler suit. This man must be one of the servants that Neville had mentioned. "S-sorry, I was just looking around. I didn't mean any harm."

"Quiet alright Miss, my name is Carson. I'm the head butler of the manor." He introduced himself with a tired voice. His eyes kept flickering to look at something behind me which was making me slightly nervous having a woman just disappear with a trace a moment ago. "Nice to meet you, my name is Chookie Watson." I said trying hard not to look behind me. Carson bowed to me before ushering me out of the room and into the wide hallway. As he closed the door I peered back into the room, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "The servants don't like being in the manor, but if you need our assistance then we will be willing to help," he said with the clicking of the door latch. I looked at the door a bit longer before I turned my gaze to the frowning wrinkly face of Carson and realized he had said something. What had he said? Something about the servants being scared of the manor I think. "Oh, that's alright. We can take of ourselves so there is no need for anyone to feel…uneasy. Thank you for the offer though." This time he glared at the door before walking down the hall with me following closely behind him not really wanting to be left alone in a strange house. We walked silently to the main room when we got there he turned and looked at me with a stern, sympathetic and annoyed look all at the same time. "Very well Lady Watson, if you need us will be in the house out back. Take care, oh, and she means well just…a little mean," then turned and walked out of the manor.

A few seconds after the door shut behind him the lights flickered back on and Holmes, China, and Mizu came running down the stairs giving me a look of questioning. "Who were you talking to just now?" Holmes demand the moment her foot touched the main floor giving me a stern look that left no room to argue. I looked back and forth between Holmes and China before moving to look down the hallway I had just come from then at the door. "I was talking to…I meet the head butler of the manor while I was looking for that woman. I just told him we didn't need any of the servants that we could take care of ourselves." China hummed a little looking out the window presumably trying to see Carson and Holmes huffed in annoyance. They both looked out the window at the never ending wall of rain not seeing more than a couple of feet away even when squinting. "Well? Did you find her?" I asked already knowing the answer to my question and cursed Mother Nature for hating us. Holmes growled and stormed into the living room to go through some of the documents and papers she found, but China sighed and shook her head following her, which was a little bit nicer. Mizu and I looked at each other, she whined a little until I picked her up and we looked out the window. "Watson!"

That voice, it doesn't belong to China or Holmes, it's too…strident, guttural, almost…dead. "Watson!" Mizu started to shake violently in my arms as we slowly turned around to look at the room behind me to try and find the source of the voice. If those two are playing some sort of a joke on me I swear I will… "WATSON!" From here I can see that the other two are completely mesmerized by whatever they are looking at so who is calling my name? It sounds like it is coming from the hallway that leads to the room where I thought I saw the lady again, but no one is down there. "Watson," it said again after a few steps down the hallway making Mizu bury her head in the crook of my arm. Lighting flashed and it looked like there were three children pressed against the window for a moment before they disappeared with the next flash of lighting. "WATSON!" Jumping and spinning to look down the hall again Mizu started barking while shaking at the lady again this time her eyes were kind, but there was still an undertone of anger and hatred. The next flash of lighting and she was gone so I placed Mizu on the ground next to my feet and walked closer to the window to look out it. The rain was finally letting up a little so I could see more on the surroundings which were mostly bushes and trees on the hill before turning to marsh. There is no way that there are any children outside on a day like this even if they were the children of the servants.

Mizu and I both looked at the floor above us when we heard stomping before turning our heads to see China and Holmes walking towards us. "There you are Watson, what are you doing?"