Chapter Seven
A/N: Another chapter finally! Sorry about the extremely long wait, but I had NaNoWriMo, winter break, TAKS test, spring break, and I'm just downright lazy (especially over the busy summer!). I must've had the biggest case of writer's block in the history of writer's block, but I still don't own clue. Enjoy and review!
Alex and I were still running downstairs when we almost collided with David and Jackson, who looked almost as panicked as us. I almost tripped as Jackson rounded the corner in front of me. We all screamed (well, except for Alex of course) as we met, out of breath and scared.
"I'm sorry, but we were in the kitchen and…" David panted.
"No, it's alright," I nodded, gulping in air as I bent forward, resting my hands on my shaking knees.
"Did you guys see a rat too?" Jackson whispered to Alex. She turned a glare towards him.
"No, we were almost impaled to death in the library by a booby trap." She replied with a straight face.
"Oh…" Jackson looked away. "Seriously?"
Alex rolled her eyes as I stood back up. David glanced around us at the darkness, his own flashlight flickering with a nearly-dead battery.
"How about we continue our little chat in the lounge?" he asked, starting to herd us down the hallway. No one argued with his suggestion.
As we all shuffled into the lounge, we began to relax into our surroundings. Well, as relaxed as one can get in a dark, creepy house with some madman on the loose that's trapped you inside. Jackson positioned himself on the couch conveniently between me and David. We gave each other a hopeless look as Alex started to pace the room.
"I just don't get it; how could someone know that we'd be here? Why would someone want to do this to us? What the heck is going on?!" she cried, banging her fist against part of the bookcase. A piece of the crown molding shuddered and slid a little off balance so that it was turned crookedly. Alex glanced down at it curiously before reaching out and slowly twisting it back into place.
An awful humming noise filled the dusty lounge as a small fireplace which had been on the opposite wall from the bookcase shook, filling the room with soot. The four of us coughed, trying to wave our hands to clear the air of the smoke.
As the dust settled, we slowly got up and walked over to the fireplace. Kneeling down in front of it, Alex peeked inside before smiling back at us.
"Look!" she pointed to the back of the fireplace, "There's some sort of tunnel!"
"A secret passageway…" I breathed, amazed. We grew quiet as we studied it.
"Well, who wants to go first?" David asked with a weak grin. Alex gave a sigh before grabbing a flashlight off of the coffee table and ducking into the tunnel, the rest of us following close behind.
Peter stood in front of me, his flashlight carving out the darkness of the stairs. I fidgeted nervously, switching the candle to my other hand before it dripped hot wax all over my coat. Glancing down behind us at the dark cobweb-covered walls, I slunk closer to Peter.
We had finished searching the ballroom and were on our way to the hall when I had suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. Peter and I had begun to hunt for where a bathroom would be, and he had instead found this very dark and very creepy set of stairs. Being his usual curious self he had forged on ahead, and I had foolishly followed.
Big mistake.
The door had slammed shut behind us, as if by a ghost. I had jumped, and Peter fell over with surprise. Now, we were trying to gather enough bravery to see what was at the top of the stairs.
I bit my cheek and crossed my legs, needing a bathroom more every minute. Peter gave a sigh and started up the rest of the stairs. I gripped my candle tighter and followed him. The dilapidated steps creaked beneath us as we slowly ascended them, and I tensed. I was sure the floor would cave in beneath us.
Finally we reached the top, only to be met with another door. Peter reached out and twisted the doorknob. The ancient door creaked open, and I blinked in surprise as moonlight flooded us in a silver glow. We were standing in an attic, and I knew that we must be near the very top of the house. Parts of the wall were missing on the far side of the room, letting in a slight breeze and the sound of light rain. The storm outside had died down, for now.
"Wow…" Peter breathed as he walked slowly into the attic, glancing around at the spacious room. I glanced over at the wall to our left and saw that there were some boards missing from it as well, enough to allow a space big enough for someone to crawl through. I saw the spine of the roof that led a steep walkway out to the tower through the hole.
"Maddy, look at this over here!" Peter called softly over to me. I turned to find him in front of a cloth mannequin dressed in an elegant wedding gown. I gave a small gasp before joining him in front of it. I fingered the delicate cloth and lace of the dress in awe.
"It's beautiful," I smiled. Peter turned a cock-eyed gaze to me. I glanced over at his mischievous smile. "What?" I asked, my voice jumping in laughter.
"You should try it on." He told me.
"No way, I can't try this on!" I told him, holding my hands up.
"Why not? It's not like we're in a museum or anything." He laughed softly at me. I shook my head, turning to walk away.
"Because, it's not like I'd look good in it…" I tried to persuade him. His hand caught my shoulder as he turned me back around to him.
"Are you crazy? You'd look amazing!" he chuckled at me.
"Uh, no, I don't think so." I shook my head at him.
"Only one way to find out," he smiled at me. I sighed, glancing back over at the beautiful dress again with wishful eyes.
"Oh… alright," I smiled, rushing back over to the dress. There was an oriental changing screen behind the mannequin and an oval mirror perched against the opposite wall against an old steamer trunk. I hastily, but gently, undressed the mannequin. "Now, don't look." I scolded Peter as I gathered the old gown up into my arms. I could've sworn he blushed.
As Maddy disappeared behind the screen, I sat down on top of an old trunk, setting down my back pack and flashlight against the floor. Glancing down next to me, my eye caught an old diary. Frowning, I picked it up. The binding of the once maroon book looked as if it had been chewed on by mice, and some of the pages hung loose, almost falling off.
Cracking it open, I read the first yellowed page.
Evelyn Rose Scarlet, 6th July, 1921.
"Peter?" I heard Maddy's quiet voice ask. Closing the book gently, I stood.
"Yes?" I answered, walking towards the screen.
"Um, I… there are buttons on the bodice that I can't reach and, could you help me?" She pleaded, poking her head around the edge of the screen. I smiled, hoping she didn't see my face flush.
"To do that, you're going to have to come out from behind that screen." I told her with a smile. She smiled sheepishly back up at me.
"Ok, but don't laugh." She told me.
"I promise, I won't." I replied.
Then she stepped out in front of me, and I felt my mouth fall open. The light from the window behind her silhouetted her body in the dress, and for the first time I noticed how tiny her waist was. The
dress had a deep v-neck that plunged down towards Madison's chest, and long flowing sleeves that hid her small hands. I blinked, trying to get a hold of myself.
"Peter?" Madison glanced up at me. I closed my mouth.
"Yes, the buttons, right." I nodded hastily as she spun around, her back facing me. My hand fumbled over the slick cloth buttons as I tried to close the back of the delicate dress. My eyes couldn't help but travel down and notice the back of her black bra. Somehow I managed to finish buttoning the dress.
"How do I look?" She sighed, twirling around. I was silent for a moment, still not thinking clearly.
"You look… amazing." I smiled. She smiled and lowered her eyes embarrassedly. "Go look for yourself," I told her, pulling her over to the mirror. She glanced up at the old cracked glass, and her face looked astonished as she saw herself. Spinning around, she giggled like a little girl playing dress-up.
I watched her, my smile growing. Then, she turned back to me.
"Wow, this is amazing." She laughed. I could only nod as she came closer. "I wonder what else is up here." She turned around and started looking at our surroundings.
"Oh, you have to see what I've found!" I told her.
She followed me over to the trunk where I had left the journal. Picking it up, I handed it to her.
"It's Ms. Scarlet's journal." I told her. Her eyes lit up. "You want to read some of it?" I asked her, raising one of my eyebrows." She glanced up at me excitedly before nodding.
Peter and I had danced in the darkness and warmth of the candlelit ballroom for what seemed like an eternity. At last our hoofing ended and Peter bravely volunteered to be the one to search the cavernous room.
I watched him off to the side, hidden in the shadows as he tried to see through the thick darkness. All at once, someone grabbed me from behind. A gasp almost escaped my mouth, but before anything came out a familiar hand covered my lips.
It was Mr. Green. I tensed as I saw his evil sneer hovering above my face. Once he knew I wouldn't holler, he released me. I took an angry step away from the vile man.
"What are you doing here? You gave me the heebie-jeebies!" I scolded him quietly, smoothing out my skirt.
"Just checking up on my doll." He smirked at me.
"I am not your 'doll'." I sniffed, turning away from him. Unfortunately my wandering eyes found Peter, still stumbling across the room. Even more unfortunate, Mr. Green's eyes found what mine were staring at.
"I know who's doll you'd like to be though." He chuckled and I felt all the color drain out of my face. "Don't think that it's gone unnoticed."
"What has?" I asked him, my voice trembling.
"Don't play with me Eve; I know you're goofy about Plum." He spat out, and I glanced down at my feet. Then, his hot breath was on my neck as he whispered in my ear. "I was just going to make sure that our little secret didn't get out."
"What? You mean how you took all my daddy's money to run a juice joint for your buddies?" I retorted, a little too strongly.
Jonathan wrenched my arm behind my back painfully and I cringed, a small cry escaping my mouth. He once again leaned down towards my ear.
"Your daddy was just an old dapper who was too much on the level for my own good. Just don't say anything and nobody will get hurt." He told me roughly.
"Why don't you just dry up?" I grunted, trying to struggle out of his hold.
All at once, he let me go and disappeared. I gave a sigh, catching my breath and regaining my composure. I gazed over at Peter who was just now coming back towards me. I knew what would happen if I told; Peter would be the one to get hurt.
A/N: Da da DUM! The plot thickens! What will happen next? Will Ms. Scarlet tell Plum? Will Alex find where the secret passage leads to? Will Peter and Madison ever find a bathroom?! There's only one way to find out… REVIEW! (and then read the next chapter as soon as I post it!).
