Early morning brought about a plague that was hard to escape. Lewis, ever the early bird, easily awake an hour before it was needed and started brewing coffee, then went to making breakfast. He was already dressed for the day, his hair combed and teeth brushed. He hummed softly as he flipped a pancake in one pan, while frying bacon in another. He stacked up 10 pancakes and 12 strips of bacon, before scrambling 6 eggs and adding a ton of cheese to it. Since his friends lacked grace in the morning, breakfast was always something basic.
Arthur came out next, a rare feat since the little man loved sleep, shuffling slowly to the breakfast bar. He had apparently worn a black short sleeved shirt to bed, and complimented his lazy look by wearing orange pajama pants with black stripes on the outer sides. Arthur's metallic arm was attached, a practice he did out of habit, and his hair was messily hiding his face. Arthur laid his head down and grumbled something Lewis couldn't understand, but he knew his friend well. He sat down in the middle chair today, since he had first pick. Lewis grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and poured it almost to the brim with the fresh coffee. He set it down in front of the near blonde, who slowly reached out a flesh hand to grab it.
Arthur's movements were slow and groggy. He held the hand of the mug with his flesh hand, picking the mug up with his metal hand to avoid getting burned. He pulled himself upright slowly and lightly blew on the coffee, before bringing it to his mouth and sipping it slowly. Arthur closed his eyes, enjoying the bitter taste that warmed his insides and made him feel more alert. He set the mug down after downing half of it, then leaned back in his chair and hummed gently.
"Good coffee…" Arthur mumbled gently, the tiredness leaving his face. Lewis smiled and showed the plates of food towards him, setting a clean on down in front of him, along with a fork.
"You'll like the food too," Lewis assured, before looking back at the hallway door. "I wonder if she stayed up extra late last night…" He returned his eyes back Arthur, who was more responsive now.
"I think so…" Arthur answered gently. "She sounded like she was on her computer when I fell asleep. I could hear her furiously typing…" Arthur took another slow sip of coffee, smiling more. He pulled three pancakes on his plate, a third of the bacon and a third of the eggs. He ate almost lazily, stabbing the first pancake with fork and holding it upside down to eat it. Lewis sighed and shook his head. A smile crossed his face when he heard a loud thump come from down the hallway. Lewis grabbed another mug and filled it always with cream and added two sugar cubes, before pouring the coffee on top and stirring it with a spoon. He held it out as Vivi entered the room, grabbing the mug and finding a seat next to Arthur.
Vivi was dressed in her almost famous nightgown, but she was wearing fuzzy blue slippers as well. Her hair was a mess, frizzing in random directions like it had a mind of its own. Vivi's eyes were a little red, sure fire sign that she hadn't slept very much the night before, and she scowled. She took a sip of coffee, smiling slightly at the taste, then downed the entire cup. She took the seat to Arthur's right, a grouchy smile plastered to her face.
"How'd you sleep last night?" Lewis asked, earning a frown from Vivi.
"I'm not talking until after I get a second cup…" Vivi grumbled. Lewis simply smiled and complied, handing the cup back to her and watching as she sipped it with more care than the first. A calm smile crossed her lips when she set it down, a gleam shining in her eyes. "I was up looking for a case." Arthur let out an unhappy groan, though Vivi was undeterred. "I found one too. A haunted house. The owners swear it's haunted by the old resident. They bought the house because it was a steal on the market, but they can't get anyone to go inside to fix it up." Vivi smiled at Lewis, waiting anxiously for him to ask her about it. Lewis shook his head and set a plate down in front of her, with a fork beside it.
"I'll ask if you eat." Lewis said gently as he went to sit on the other side of Arthur. He brought a plate and fork for himself, grabbing a couple of pancakes and some bacon before Vivi piled everything else onto her plate. She had 5 pancakes all to herself, making a layered sandwich out of them, the bacon, and the scrambled eggs. Vivi added syrup on top, before attacking it almost viciously. Her plate was empty before Arthur was even halfway through. Lewis chuckled softly.
"Well?" Vivi demanded as she looked over at Lewis.
"Fine then," He replied, taking a bite out of one of his pancakes. "What did you find out about the house?" Vivi was all too delighted to answer.
"It turns out, the last owner of that house shot herself in the head!" Vivi almost screamed, making Arthur cough a little in surprise. "Madame Jezabel married into wealth, living in the house with her husband. One day though, he left her there with nothing to her own name. She had to sell precious jewels and heirlooms to keep the house, since she wanted him to return to her someday. When there was nothing left of value for her to sell but his favorite hunting gun, she supposedly went down to the basement and put the barrel in her mouth."
"You sound way too excited about this," Arthur grumbled gently.
"Hush," Vivi said quickly. "That's not the best part. The best part is that she had a child that went missing! It didn't go with the dad, but no one found him with the mother either. He just vanished!"
"I'm not seeing how this is exciting…" Arthur mumbled again, finishing off his food.
"It could be a REAL haunting!" Vivi chimed happily. "In a REAL haunted house! Where people REALLY died! I want to see it for myself!"
"Hold on," Lewis cut in. "What are the evidences that there's a ghost? You missed the important part." Arthur sighed loudly and lowered his head. Why do both of my best friends have to be so obsessed with dead things?
"I almost forgot," Vivi said gently, pulling out a piece of paper with sloppy handwriting. "There have been reports of loud banging throughout the house, furniture being moved about, random items being thrown and broken, 'ghostly' moans, and even sightings of a woman wearing a white dress. They said Madame Jezabel was wearing a white dress when she was found! This could be the real thing! Can we go? Can we? Can we?" Vivi was practically bouncing in her chair. Lewis smiled and looked to Arthur.
"It's up to him," Lewis said gently. Arthur leaned up and stretched his arms over his head.
"I can't say no to V…" Arthur grumbled, looking towards Lewis. "And you know it." Vivi squeaked and leaped out of her chair, taking off towards her room.
"I'll get the directions!" She shouted.
"Don't forget to get dressed," Lewis added before he heard her door shut. He turned his gaze back at Arthur, who was still stretching, curiously examining the metallic arm. "I've got to admit, that thing's pretty cool." Arthur looked at Lewis with his eyes only, leaning back in his seat a little for a better stretch.
"It's functional, so that's all the matters," Arthur said quickly, looking away once the words were out of his lips.
"You never told me how that happened…" Lewis said gently, his gaze remaining on the arm. He told Vivi that a monster bit it off… I wonder if he'll tell me the same thing… Arthur stiffened a little, as if the concept itself scared him. He was very slow to answer.
"It was…bitten off…" Arthur mumbled gently, lowered his arms slowly to place them in his lap. "After…After what happened…" Arthur's eyes darted towards him, then away again. He still doesn't know how to refer to it… "The…accident… A large monster came up from behind me and bit it off." Lewis looked at the arm still, not making Arthur look him in the eyes. He knew how Arthur couldn't lie to him when he looked him in the eyes. He knew the contacts he wore reminded him of the ghostly façade he had assumed after the accident, and he used it to his advantage. Arthur was known for dodging topics he was uncomfortable with.
"What did the monster look like?" Lewis asked. His eyes slowly went up the arm, looking to where the skin disappeared under the sleeve. I've never seen how it attaches to the skin…now that I think about it… He remained quiet, waiting for Arthur to reply.
"I…I'm not sure exactly…" Arthur mumbled gently. "The vision in my left eye was gone, until after the arm was removed…but it looked like…a gigantic white fox…with six long tails…" Lewis brought his eyes up to Arthur's, making the man flinch.
"Are you sure?" Lewis asked, keeping his eyes on Arthur's. The near blonde bobbed his head up and down in reply, unable to form words at this point. Lewis bit his lip. It's like what Vivi said… He truly thinks he was possessed in the cave… He truly believes in what happened to his arm… I can't call him a liar when he truly believes it… Lewis lowered his gaze back to the arm, sighing softly. "That must have stunk," He commented gently as he reached out and grabbed the sleeve. "Then you went through the trouble of making yourself a new limb, with only one hand. If I had known, I would've came back to help you." Lewis lifted up the sleeve a little, noting that the metal ran a good amount pass the short sleeve.
"You stink with mechanics," Arthur said flatly. "You can't even change the oil in the van on your own. My arm is a complicated work of biotechnology that exceeds today's current standards. I wouldn't have let you come near it during the construction phase." Lewis cracked a smile, Arthur chuckling gently.
"We can't all be gifted in that area," Lewis mumbled as he pulled up the sleeve more. He saw where the metal met skin, admiring the housing that bonded the two. His eyes ran over the top of it, when a white scar caught his vision. "What is…?" Lewis began to ask, when Arthur jerked away suddenly and got out of his chair. Lewis looked up and watched him go towards the hallway.
"I better get ready," Arthur said quickly. "Vivi would kill me if I was the reason we were held up for this mystery." Arthur looked back at Lewis, a nervous smile on his face. "And you need to eat. I'll be ready in a few minutes." He slipped away towards his room quickly, leaving a baffled Lewis sitting alone. He turned his head when he heard Mystery whine softly from behind him, mere inches from his seat.
"That worries me too…" Lewis mumbled as he extended out his hand to pet the little dog. You can write a book on all the secrets he tries to keep…but this one…might just top all the rest.
Vivi shot out of her room shortly after, fully dressed in her favorite blue get up. She had worked magic with her hair, getting it to lay calmly on her head, with her bangs gently held back with her head band. She was cheerful as usual, a map rolled up in her hand as she approached Lewis. She had her backpack on her shoulders, gearing and ready to leave that instant.
"Where's Arthur?" She asked quickly. Lewis started to answer, when the blonde rounded the corner.
"I'm right here," Arthur said solemnly, rounding the corner. He was wearing his long sleeved, white shirt, the sleeves down for a change, with his hunter orange vest over it. He traded out the pajama pants for his favorite pair of black jeans as well. He had his backpack as well, though it looked fit to burst, with Galahad in his glass cage in his hands. "I called Uncle Lance. He said he'll watch Galahad while we're away."
"Sounds good, we'll make a quick stop on the way," Vivi reassured.
"What all do you have in there?" Lewis asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"The usual…" Arthur mumbled. "Flashlights, batteries, a radio, snacks, drinks, a couple of cameras, and a sleeping bag at the very bottom." Vivi grinned gently, whipping her backpack in front of her and digging around.
"I want to try something," Vivi mumbled before pulling up three Walky Talkies. She handed one to Arthur and another to Lewis, keeping the last one to herself. "I know we all have cellphones, but 9 times out of 10, Arthur's phone will die or he'll forget it. So, I want us to have these as a good backup plan." Arthur looked at it hesitantly, before putting it in an inside pocket in his vest, being careful not to drop the glass cage. Lewis slipped his in his front pocket. Vivi placed hers in an outer pocket of her backpack, within easy reach of the blue girl.
"I guess this will be fine…" Arthur mumbled, before Vivi shot out the door.
"To the haunted house!" She chimed as she ran out the door and slipped easily into the van. Mystery barked and followed her, hopping into the open door. Lewis smiled softly, before turning his gaze to Arthur. The near blonde paled a little, switching his attention to his shoes.
"Yeah… to the haunted house…" He almost sighed, before he started looking towards the door.
"Are you really not going to tell me what that was?" Lewis asked, his voice a little harsher than he intended. Arthur froze in place, keeping his eyes fixed on something outside of the building. He took a deep breath, before taking another step forward.
"Why ruin all the fun?" Arthur asked softly, before slipping out the door. He crawled into the backseat. Lewis could do nothing but stare after him. Why won't he tell me…? He's being dodgy again…like when he was being bullied in high school, and he kept it from me for an entire month… What could be so bad that he's hiding it from me? He snapped out of it when horn was honked, Vivi leaning partially out of the window.
"We're going to leave without you Lew!" Vivi shouted playfully.
"I'm coming!" Lewis almost shouted as he walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind him before climbing into the driver's seat. He glanced back at Arthur, who was flopped over in the back seat with Mystery sitting on his stomach. He should know better than to keep secrets from me… I have my ways of finding out.
"We'll be heading north," Vivi chimed as she showed Lewis the map.
"Just tell me when to turn," Lewis grumbled as he turned his eyes to the road. At least that part about Arthur hasn't changed.
The drive was filled with talk of the house, mostly Vivi shooting off theories as to who was faking another haunting. With all their experience with hoaxes, it was no wonder Vivi was quick to cut down a lot of the rumors. The sun was setting as they came up on the house.
The haunted house was abandoned in the middle of nowhere, and was really easy to find. The house was two story and was once colored white, but now the rotting wood looked a dull grey and sagged on one side. The porch circled the front of the house, elegant white columns now cracked were holding them up. There was an old rocking chair, covered in a thick layer of dust, just sitting by the door. There were several windows on the house, all of which were cracked or broken, and there was a warning sign nailed to the front door.
"I think I'll wait in the van," Arthur mumbled softly, shifting to the far side.
"Okay then," Vivi said as she hopped out of the car. Mystery came out the door and followed her eagerly, while Lewis came out of his door. Vivi leaned in and said in a soft voice. "If you're really so keen on being alone, then we can't stop you." Vivi and Lewis walked away from the van, Vivi holding up three fingers, then two, then one, before Arthur sprang out of the van door.
"Don't leave me out here alone!" Arthur almost wailed as he ran to catch up to them. He was shaking fiercely, hugging his arms as he came close. "That wasn't nice…" Vivi giggled softly as she bravely walked to the front door. She pulled it open with ease and beckoned them to come inside. The house was layered in a thick coating of dust, making Arthur sneeze almost immediately on entering. They took a moment to get flashlights out and ready, before the group moved forward, coming into an open entryway. Vivi immediately ran to a nearby wall, holding her flashlight on a picture.
"That must be Jezabel…" Vivi mumbled. It was a picture of a beautiful woman, wearing a red dress. The woman has black hair that curled beautifully around her face, with light green eyes that shone like emeralds. She was perfectly trim, with an award winning smile on her face. She looked like the kind of woman who could have whoever she pleased, without any effort at all. "Her ghost is supposedly haunting this place… I wonder what's keeping her here then…" Vivi stepped away and looked at the two boys with a mischievous grin.
"Oh man…" Arthur mumbled, before scooping Mystery under his arm and walking towards a staircase. "Don't bother saying it. I'll take the upstairs. You guys can keep the downstairs." Arthur disappeared up the stairs, Mystery whining from being carried.
Lewis and Vivi exchanged an uncertain look, speechless from what just happened.
"Since when…does Arthur go off willingly with Mystery?" Lewis asked, looking over at Vivi.
"That caught me off guard too…" Vivi mumbled, looking to Lewis. "But…now that I think about it…after you disappeared, he would always insist that I go with Mystery, while he went alone. The only time he was with Mystery was when I ditched the two of them." I thought it was weird when I found Arthur alone in the woods…but I thought maybe it was because he got separated by mistake… He actually chose to go alone…? That's new…
"But I'm back," Lewis said gently. "We could've split up some other way. He could've gone with you, or even with me. He didn't have to go with Mystery. The little dog is brave and all, but what damage could he really do?" Lewis sighed, gently scratching his head.
"Well… Maybe that's why he paired you with me…" Vivi mumbled, looking aside gently. "You're the strongest of the group…and he always puts others before himself…" Lewis let out a long sigh, shaking his head slowly.
"He should be more considered of his own safety…" Lewis grumbled softly. "He's the one who always gets kidnapped… He's been kidnapped by all the fake ghosts and monsters, and even by a cult once… He's just begging to be taken this time…" Vivi sighed too, shaking her head slowly.
"Well, if this place is really haunted, we won't have to worry about it." Vivi smiled up at Lewis, shining her flashlight down the hallway. "Now… Where is that basement?"