DISCLAIMER: Sebastian, Claude, plots and characters of FSOG, Beelzebub, or OHHC are not mine. The plot of this story and more than half the characters are mine!
Thanks so much to my awesome Beta, Ninkita.
PS: I'm borrowing the Fredrik Eklund House in Connecticut. This story has no real event basis. Don't take it seriously.
Chapter 51:
.
Almost everyone gathered in the living room by 6.15 pm. Owen and Noah were in the kitchen making snacks for everyone. Jace got the cooler filled with beer before carrying it to the living room. Others were busy rearranging the sectionals into two separate places so that when they would start playing dumb charades the teams could sit separately. Ashley was busy writing the chits for the game. "Where's my brother and Ana?" Elliot inquired as he finished moving the sectional with Jax and Luis.
"I think they decided to take a small 'nap'," Jax wiggled his eyebrows suggestively with a smirk.
"So proud of my brother," Elliot wiped his fake tears with a smirk.
"How fun it would be to... disturb them now?" Jax suggest with an evil grin.
"Hell yeah," Elliot fist bumped with him.
"I'll NOT save you when Ana separates your ears from your bodies," Luis announced, moving away from the pair.
"Oh come on! It'll fun!" Elliot insisted.
"Mmhmm... hell no!" Luis stated dryly, distancing himself from the troublemaking pair before Ana could see him with them.
"Hey, guys," Ana greeted as she and Christian came down the stairs. "Sorry we're late," she added with a shrug. Ana was wearing a pair of '90s classic denim shorts with a light grey t-shirt. Christian had also changed into a pair of distressed jeans with light green t-shirt.
"Oh man! Couldn't you wait for a few more minutes? We wanted to…." Elliot almost spilled when Jax jumped up and covered his mouth.
"Wanted to what?" Ana asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. We wanted to do nothing," Jax replied with an innocent smile.
Ana narrowed her eyes and glared at Jax and Elliot. "You were planning something, weren't you?" she asked dryly. "Who else was involved in this?"
"I don't even know them," Luis pointed out quickly.
"Dude, really?!" Ryan asked with an amused smile.
Ana shook her head at her friends before joining Ashley to help her with the chits. Christian joined the others to help them clear the center of the living room. "Christian, I forgot to tell you. Hope wanted to talk to you," Ana informed sheepishly, slapping her forehead.
"Don't worry, I already Skyped with Hope, the twins, P5 and Bill. I also talked to Sebastian and your parents. I even called my parents to inquire about Jayden. Mom said he was fussy the first day, but he's doing better now," he replied.
"Thanks bro," Elliot smiled at his brother. It warmed his heart that along with his own children, his brother remembered to inquire about Jayden as well.
Owen and Noah entered the living room carrying three trays full of tortilla cups with tangy filling as their evening snack. "Guys, the food is done!" Owen announced placing the food down.
"The beer is also here," Jace added.
"We're done making the chits," Ashley informed with a grin.
"Let's start the game, then. We need two teams. Members of Team Right are: Alex, Luis, Jax, Noah, Elliot, Jennifer, and Marie. Members of Team Left are: Christian, Ana, Andrea, Ashley, Owen, Jace, and Ryan," Jace announced.
Both teams took their places on the left and right sectionals which were now placed opposite to each other. The rules of the game were explained for the first time players. Christian was the first one who came forward from Team Left. They all wanted to see him act so that they could snicker at him. Glaring at his brother, who was on the opposite team, Christian put his hand inside the chit jar, and pulled out a chit. He opened the chit and stared at it blankly for a second before looking at his team. He rubbed his fingers in the classic money sign and then stowed it inside his jeans pocket. He then repeated the money sign and waved his hands around.
"It's something with money," Owen told his teammates thoughtfully.
"Money shoved, money waving … what?" Ryan titled his head in confusion.
"I got it!" Ana exclaimed, "A penny saved is a penny earned!" she answered. Christian grinned and nodded. One point was given to Team Left.
Jennifer came forward from Team Right. She pulled out a chit and frowned at it. She then looked around the room before pointing at Jax and Ana. Then, she started running around the room like she was chasing something.
"What is she chasing?" Luis asked his teammates.
"She pointed at Jax and Ana," Marie pointed out.
Luis gasped as he got the answer. "Tom and Jerry!" he shouted.
"Hey! We don't fight like Tom and Jerry!" Jax's protest was drowned out by the claps of the others.
The game continued for the next one and half hour. It was finally the last round before they would start Karaoke, while Owen prepared his fancy dinner. It was Team Right's turn and Elliot was sent forward. He picked up a chit and nodded to himself. He turned towards his teammates and touched his butt and then his heart. When his teammates continued to look confused, he repeated the motion twice more.
"I got it!" Noah yelled happily. His teammates turned to look at him expectantly. "He's saying….. From the heart of his bottom," he nodded at his own brilliance.
Ryan stared at him in disbelief from the other team. "What did you just say?" he asked.
"Elliot's chit says - from the heart of his bottom," Noah replied while Elliot kept shaking his head negative.
"Hey, Lelliot! I didn't know your bottom had a heart," Christian teased with a mischievous smile.
Alex punched Noah's arm and said, "Shut the fuck up, man. The answer is– from the bottom of his heart," he answered. Elliot sighed in relief and nodded his head.
Noah complained, "I said the same thing."
"Did you really? Did you?" Jennifer asked dryly.
"Let's prepare dinner, before Noah serves us his fried brain," Owen joked, causing the others to snort in amusement.
It took half an hour with everyone's help to cut and wash everything for their dinner. Owen then shooed everyone from the kitchen and ordered them to start Karaoke. Luis brought his karaoke machine to the living room and attached it to the TV. The sectionals were brought close together again before everyone sat down.
"Who would like to go first?" Luis asked, looking around the room.
"Let's put our names individually in a bowl. We'll pick a chit to see who gets to go next," Rhea suggested.
"Cool!" Luis stated before he hurriedly wrote down everyone's name on 15 different chits. He put the chits inside the bowl and mixed them with his hand. "Let's do singles first and everyone can choose their own songs. If we have time before midnight, we'll do couples or pairs as well," he informed.
"That sounds good. Though, I have only one request. Try not to drink too much before the 'hide n seek'. We don't want to take any of you to the ER because you fell and broke your neck," Ana requested.
"Okay. But we get to be as drunk as we want tomorrow," Jace bargained.
"Deal!" Ana nodded.
"I'll go first as I'm the host. I should entice you all with my amazing singing," Luis boasted.
"When are we going to tell him that he's tone deaf?" Andrea whispered to Ana. Ana snickered, but shushed her best friend.
The instrumental for the song "Immortals" by Fall Out Boys started playing, and Luis started singing. Christian literally jerked back at the awful sounds Luis was making.
"Um... what's with his..." he trailed off as he didn't know what to call it.
"He's the most awful singer in our entire group. That's why he always insists on singing first, so that no one can be spared from it," Ana informed cringing as Luis murdered the beautiful song.
"So… we're going worst to better?" Christian inquired.
"So it seems," Ana sighed.
After, Luis was done singing, he pulled out a chit from the bowl. "HEY OWEN! IT'S YOUR TURN TO SING!" he shouted loudly.
"I'M COOKING, YOU DUMBASS!" Owen yelled back from the kitchen.
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A DUMBASS? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, ASSHOLE!" Luis shouted, offended.
"I'M MAKING BRAISED PHEASANT WITH MUSHROOMS AND HERBS!" Owen replied from the kitchen.
"OH…. YOU CAN STAY! YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND! YOU CAN SING LATER AFTER YOU'RE DONE COOKING!" Luis called back with a sheepish grin.
"Let's move on…. Or do you guys need a few more bromance moments?" Ana asked with a smirk.
"Moving on," Luis muttered before dropping Owen's chit inside the bowl and pulling out another one. "Ashley!" he announced.
"I'm singing 'Don't Forget about Me" by the CLOVES," Ashley stated as she took Luis' place. The instrumental started and Ashley's lovely voice followed.
"If I fall, can you pull me up?
Is it true, your watching out
And when I'm tired, do you lay down with me?
In my head so I can sleep without you?
Hey, hey
Without you there's holes in my soul
Hey, hey
Let the water in
Where ever you've gone?
How, how, how?
I just need to know
That you won't forget about me
Where ever you've gone?
How, how, how?
I just need to know
That you won't forget about me" Ashley continued to sing.
Ana snuggled up with Christian, who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Ana sighed as the lyrics of the song touched her deeply. Christian buried his nose in her hair and sighed. Ana placed a kiss on Christian's neck, causing him to pull back and smile at her before kissing her lips softly. They were snapped out of their bubble when the song ended and everyone started clapping.
Luis jumped up from his place and hugged Ashley. "That was beautiful," he said before pulling out the next chit. "Ryan… the nurse boy!" Luis announced.
"The nurse boy?!" Ryan asked with a smirk as he took Luis's place. Luis shrugged in reply.
"I'm singing 'High School Never Ends" by Bowling for Soup," Ryan informed before starting the instrumental.
"Four years, you think for sure
That's all you've have to endure
All the total dicks, all the stuck-up chicks
So superficial, so immature
And then when you graduate
You take a look around and you say, "Hey, wait!"
This is the same as where I just came from
I thought it was over, oh, that's just great
The whole damned world is just as obsessed
With who's the best dressed and who's having sex
Who's got the money, who gets the honeys
Who's kinda cute and who's just a mess
And you still don't have the right look
And you don't have the right friends
Nothing changes but the faces, the names and the trends
High school never ends."
The song and the music made everyone smile and nod in agreement. His voice was not as good as a professional singer, but it was good enough.
"Next one is….. one of our new members. Any guesses?" Luis asked hiding the chit. Some said Christian's name and some said Elliot's. "It's Christian," Luis announced after a minute.
Shyly, Christian stood up and gave everyone a bashful smile. He never sang in front of others. He did sing to the children, but never in front of any adults. "I'm going to sing a song that says everything I want to say to my wife. It's from her favorite singer, Michael Jackson," he informed before starting the instrumental of 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You by Michael Jackson.''.
"Each time the wind blows
I hear your voice so
I call your name
Whispers at morning
Our love is dawning
Heaven's glad you came
You know how I feel
This thing can't go wrong
I'm so proud to say I love you,
Your love's got me high
I long to get by
This time is forever
Love is the answer
I hear your voice now
You are my choice now
The love you bring
Heaven's in my heart
At your call
I hear harps
And angels sing
You know how I feel
This thing can't go wrong
I can't live my life without you
I just can't hold on
I feel we belong
My life ain't worth living
If I can't be with you"
Ana almost melted in her spot as she sighed dreamily at her husband.
Christian stepped up to his wife and knelt in front of her as he sang the rest of the song.
"I just can't stop loving you
I just can't stop loving you
And if I stop
Then tell me just what will I do
Cause I just can't stop loving you
At night when the stars shine
I pray in you I'll find
A love so true
When morning awakes me
Will you come and take me
I'll wait for you
You know how I feel
I won't stop until
I hear your voice saying
"I do"
"I do"
This thing can't go wrong
This feeling's so strong
Well, my life ain't worth living
If I can't be with you
I just can't stop loving you
I just can't stop loving you
And if I stop
Then tell me, just what will I do
I just can't stop loving you,"
He pulled her to her feet and placed her arms around his neck. He placed one hand in her waist and they swayed as he sang.
"We can change all the world tomorrow
We can sing songs of yesterday
I can say, hey farewell to sorrow
This is my life and I,
Want to see you for always
I just can't stop loving you
I just can't stop loving you
If I can't stop!
And if I stop
Then tell me, just what will I do
I just can't stop loving you
I just can't stop loving you
You know I do
Then tell me, just what will I do" he finished his song with a kiss on his wife's lips. "I really, really love you," he said.
"I really, really love you too," Ana smiled up at him. "That was beautiful, baby." Christian gave her a shy shrug.
"That was so beautiful, Christian. I never thought the mega mogul could sing so well," Rhea teased. Ashley, Marie and Jennifer nodded in agreement.
"Ugh! Now, these girls will expect romantic songs from their life partners," Jace groaned mockingly.
"Shut up," the girls slapped his arms before laughing.
"Next up… Marie!" Luis announced.
Marie ran up excitedly and announced that she was going to sing 'Poker Face' by Lady Gaga. As the music started the girls got up and started dancing. Soon, the boys also joined.
"I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas plays
Fold 'em, let 'em, hit me, raise it baby stay with me (I love it)
Love Game intuition play the cards with spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh-e-oh-oh-oh
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh-e-oh-oh-oh,
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Can't read my
Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got me like nobody)
Can't read my
Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She is gonna let nobody)
P p p poker face, p p p poker face
(Muh muh muh muh)
P p p poker face, p p poker face
(Muh muh muh muh)" Owen paused what he was doing in the kitchen and joined everyone in the living room to dance. As the song continued, everyone danced and laughed at each other's groovy moves. No one noticed the shadow figure on the top of the stairway watching them.
After Marie was done, Jace sang 'Anywhere' by 112 Ft. Lil Zane. His voice was really soulful. Christian really liked his voice. But it was Jax's song and angelic singing that brought tears in almost everyone's eyes. He sang 'Better Than Yourself' by Lukas Graham. The lyrics of the song and the way Jax presented the song, they all became emotional after that.
"Dude! Did you have to sing such a sad song?!" Alex complained. It was his turn to sing. "Now, I have cheer everyone up," he sighed dramatically.
"Just sing the damn song," Jax said snorting.
With a smirk, Alec started singing 'Sexy and I Know It' by LMFAO.
"Yeah
Yeah
When I walk on by
Girls be looking like damn he fly
I pimp to the beat
Walking down the street in my new LaFreak, yeah
This is how I roll
Animal print, pants out control
It's Redfoo with the big afro
And like Bruce Leroy I got the glow
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
I-I, I work out
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
I-I, I work out
When I walk in the spot (yeah) this is what I see (okay)
Everybody stops and they staring at me
I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it
Show it, show it, show it
I'm sexy and I know it
I'm sexy and I know it,"
Alex continued to sing and dance, which made the girls cringe in disgust. The men started laughing at their reactions. To stop Alex from singing, the girls started throwing couch pillows at him. He laughed at their efforts as he dodged the pillows, and continued to sing.
"Oh god! Did you have to sing that awful song?" Andrea complained.
"He also did that disgusting dance," Rhea added pointing at Alex.
"Puh-lease! You loooved it," Alex smirked.
"Let's not irritate them more. It's Jennifer's turn," Luis announced as he pushed Alex towards the sectionals to sit back down.
"I'm singing a nice song," Jennifer stated giving Alex a stink eye. "I'm singing 'Turning page' by Sleeping At last, and Noah…. It's for you," she added with a shy smile. The instrumental started and she started singing.
"I've waited a hundred years
But I'd wait a million more for you
Nothing prepared me for
What the privilege of being yours would do
If I had only felt the warmth within your touch
If I had only seen how you smile when you blush
Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough
Well I would have known
What I was living for all along
What I've been living for
Your love is my turning page
Where only the sweetest words remain
Every kiss is a cursive line
Every touch is a redefining phrase
I surrender who I've been for who you are
For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart
If I had only felt how it feels to be yours
Well I would have known
What I've been living for all along
What I've been living for
Though we're tethered to the story we must tell
When I saw you, well I knew we'd tell it well
With a whisper we will tame the vicious seas
Like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees." As she finished, Noah got up from his seat and pulled his wife for a tight hug. They usually keep bickering with each other and rarely showed any affection. Their friends smiled at the couple.
"I love you, Jenny," Noah said taking Jennifer's face in his hands.
"I love you too, Noah. I need to tell you something," Jennifer bit down on her lip as she looked in her husband's eyes hopefully. "I'm pregnant," she stated lowly.
"Really?!" Noah asked in disbelief. His eyes were wide in surprise.
"Yes," Jennifer whispered.
"Oh my god!" Noah picked Jennifer up and yelled excitedly as he spun her around, "I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!"
"WHAT?!" everyone in the room exclaimed. They surrounded the couple as 'congrats' and hugs were given. Everyone was really excited as they hadn't got to celebrate Noah and Jennifer's wedding for the couple had eloped. So, their baby was a big deal for their friends.
After a few minutes, everyone took their seats again. Luis announced that it was Noah's turn. He got up with a smile. He sang 'What Part of Forever' by Cee Lo Green with a huge smile on his face. It was then Owen's turn again. He was almost done with his cooking, so he came and sang 'Earned It' by The Weeknd. He then informed that half an hour later everyone should head to the dining room. It was Rhea's turn to sing and she sang 'Toxic' by Britney Spears and danced around the room. The girls also jumped up and joined her. Elliot sang next and he sang 'Nothing's gonna change my love for you' by George Benson for Andrea. He really loved this woman. He didn't even know but she was everything he ever wanted. He sometimes wondered what he had been thinking when he started dating Kate, while Andrea had always been there… under his nose.
"It's Andrea's turn," Luis announced, "Go sing that man of yours a love song," he added teasingly.
With a shy smile, Ana took the mike. "I'm going to sing 'Crazy in love' by Beyoncé," she said before starting."I look and stare so deep in your eyes
I touch on you more and more every time
When you leave, I'm begging you not to go
Call your name two or three times in a row
Such a funny thing for me to try to explain
How I'm feeling and my pride is the one to blame
'Cause I know I don't understand
Just how your love can do what no one else can
Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's
Got me looking so crazy right now (in love)
Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch
Got me looking so crazy right now (your touch)
Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss
Got me hoping you'll save me right now
Looking so crazy in love's
Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh, no, no,"
Christian was surprised that his meek assistant could sing so well. He wondered why she didn't try for Hollywood. With Ana's help, she would've been a really sought after singer. He went to ask Ana, who was enjoying the song with a huge smile on her face, when his phone dinged. Curious, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and saw that he had a text from his dad. It was 9 pm in Connecticut at the moment. Since, Connecticut was 3 hours ahead of Seattle, it must be 6 pm back in Seattle. Frowning with worry, he clicked the 'view' button and regretted it immediately.
"I think you should wear that red thong I love so much ;-)" Carrick's text said.
"Um….DAD?" Christian replied awkwardly as he started blushing. He couldn't even think the words 'parents' and 'sex' at the same sentence, but now, he just received a sext from his dad.
"SHIT… sorry. That was meant for your mom," Carrick replied.
"Eww… I need bleach to remove this conversation from my head," Christian sent before putting the phone down. He shook his head trying to forget what he had just seen. Another ding came a few seconds later. Hesitantly, he opened his phone and turned green.
"I texted Christian by mistake… LMAO. I can't wait to lick your pretty pussy tonight," Carrick said in the text.
"IT'S STILL ME, DAD….. EWWWW!" Christian wrote before switching his phone off. He shuddered in disgust.
Ana noticed his reaction and frowned. She was offended on her best friend's behalf. She elbowed Christian and stated dryly, "She doesn't sing that badly."
"What?! No she doesn't. She should've been a singer. Why didn't she try that?" Christian said as he was still shaking his head.
"Oh… you… you liked her singing? I tried telling her but she didn't want to become a singer," Ana replied. She was puzzled with her husband's behavior, now that she knew that his reaction was not for Andrea. "What was with that reaction?" she asked.
"Dad 'sexted' mom… but he sent it to me instead of mom… ugh! I need brain bleach," Christian gave Ana a miserable look. Ana started giggling covering her mouth. "My poor baby!" she said after a few seconds before she started laughing again. "Now you know how I felt when I caught my parents doing it," she added. Christian wrinkled his nose in disgust and nodded despondently.
"It's your turn now. Sing me something that'll make me forget what I just saw," Christian begged, pouting. Ana smiled at his adorable face.
"Ana. You're our last one," Luis said handing her the mike.
"I'm going to sing 'Thousand years' by Christina Perri. It's for you, my love," Ana announced with a smile at the love of her life. As the music started, Christian leaned forward with an expectant look on his face.
"The day we met,
Frozen I held my breath
Right from the start
I knew that I'd found a home for my heart
Beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone?
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more," Ana sang.
Christian got up from his seat and wrapped his arms around his wife. Ana closed her eyes and she leaned back against him. She shivered as he moved to press his nose into her neck, but she continued to sing. Christian also crooned softly with her.
"Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
I'll love you for a thousand more
Ohh
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more" Ana finished with a smile.
"That was the most beautiful voice I've ever heard," Christian whispered in her ear, making her smile widen.
"Yes. That was a lovely song, but can you put a lid on your romance until you retire to your room? I'm hungry," Elliot whined like a brat.
"God! My brother is so annoying!" Christian stated glaring at his brother.
"Do you know what will be the perfect punishment for his annoying behavior?" Ana asked with an evil smile.
"What?" Christian asked giving her a confused look.
"That message from your dad," Ana said with a smirk.
A matching evil smile spread on Christian's face at the idea. He turned to his brother. "Hey Lelliot, dad sent a text earlier in my phone. It's about Jayden," he said loudly. Everyone headed to the dining room while Elliot was left behind to check the text from Christian's phone.
"EWWW!" the exclamation came a few minutes later from the living room, causing Ana and Christian to burst into laughter.
.
Everyone took their seats around the table. Elliot kept throwing glares at his brother's direction. Ana and Christian kept snickering every time they noticed his glares. "Why is Elliot glaring at you two? And why do you two have that cat-who-ate-the-canary look on your faces?" Owen asked as he started bring the food from the kitchen.
"Nothing. Just taught a brat a lesson," Christian informed snickering. "So, what's on the menu tonight, Chef Owen?" he asked. After having Owen's food, Christian was really looking forward to going to Owen's restaurant when they returned to Seattle.
"Braised pheasant with mushrooms and herbs; Thai prawn, squash & pineapple curry; Cranberry salad with feta and walnuts; and Triple layer chocolate cake for dessert," Owen announced proudly. "Oh… we also have the wine you bought today," he added.
"Oh…. That sounds like heaven," Luis moaned, "Let's start eating!" he added eagerly.
With a grin, Owen placed the food on the table and took his seat. The appreciative moans and groans around the table made Owen beam proudly. He really loved to feed his friends. Everyone was too busy to chat or notice anything weird around them, but Owen noticed it. From the corner of his eye, he saw two shadow figures standing by the dining room entrance. He turned his head a little to make sure that he was actually seeing it and not imagining it. The figures were still there. This time Owen was calm, so he noticed more things. These were not shadow figures…..these were burned figures. They were burned so bad that they were nothing but black ash. Since the figures weren't doing anything other than standing there, Owen decided not to mention them until later.
.
.
"Let's continue the chit method to find who's 'it'," Jace said, clapping his hands together. Everyone nodded or shrugged in agreement. Jace mixed the chits around in the bowl before pulling a random one out. "Rhea, you're it. Go out the main door and return after counting till 100," Jace told Rhea.
"Good luck hiding guys. Because I'm gonna get you," Rhea said in a sing-song voice as she headed towards the main door.
"Okay. For those, who didn't play hide and seek before. Be careful and don't get caught. Whoever gets caught will be 'it' in the next game," Jace informed the Grey brothers.
"Let's go and hide," Ana urged excitedly.
Everyone headed in different directions. Some headed to the first floor to hide; some hid on the second floor. Only Luis headed to hide in the attic. Ana noticed that everyone had already found their places to hide, but she couldn't find a good place. She could hear Rhea who had already reached 75. Groaning, Ana ran to the kitchen and decided to hide in the pantry. She opened the pantry door and got inside, just as Rhea finished counting till 100. Covering her mouth to silence her giggle, Ana waited. Her enhanced hearing let her know that Rhea was searching the first floor. A few minutes passed when Rhea entered the kitchen. Ana slowed down her breathing, so that she wouldn't alert Rhea.
Rhea stepped closer to the pantry door. Ana felt like her heart was beating so loudly that Rhea could hear it. As soon as Rhea touched the pantry door, someone grabbed Ana from behind and pulled her inside the wall. Rhea opened the pantry excitedly and found it empty.
"Ugh… where did they hide?" Rhea grumbled, stomping her feet. She slammed the pantry door shut and headed out of the kitchen.
Luis was softly singing when he heard a strange sound coming from outside. Frowning, he glanced at the small window. He saw fire and the faint smell of smoke entered the room. He got up from where he was sitting and approached the window. Looking out, he saw that something was on fire in his backyard. He rubbed his eyes to make sure what he saw was real.
"Did we leave the burning coals out?" he asked himself. But the fire didn't look small. It was tall like there was a pile of wood under there which started the fire. He kept staring at the fire with so much concentration that he almost jumped out of his skin when someone touched him from behind.
A scream tore through him as he jumped around. Rhea was standing behind him with an amused look. "Dude, if you didn't wasn't to get caught, you should've hid. Why are you standing here, looking out?" Rhea asked.
"Gosh, you scared me! I was just looking at the fire," Luis stated distractedly as he tried to calm his heart.
"What fire?! What are you talking about? You're not planning on cheating are you?" Rhea placed her hands on her hips and glared at him fiercely.
"What!? NO! Why would I cheat? I was talking about that…" Luis trailed off. There was no fire in the backyard. "What the hell?! I'm telling you the truth. I saw a fire there. I thought maybe we left burning coal outside by mistake," he tried to explain.
"Whatever!" Rhea waved her hand dismissively. "Let's go find the others," she said heading towards the door. Luis followed behind her, but before going out the attic, he turned to look at the window one last time. He gasped in shock when he saw the fire again. He didn't wait there a second more.
Over the next 30 minutes, everyone was found, except for Ana. She was nowhere to be found. "Where did she hide?" Rhea whined. "Come on, Ana! Come out. We wanna start the next game," she added.
"Where is she?" Christian asked worriedly. "What if she fell? Her ankle was still swollen," he could feel the panic creeping up.
"Yeah. It's been close to 40 minutes. Let's separate and search for her," Ryan suggested. With a nod, everyone separated and started searching for Ana.
Christian recalled seeing Ana head towards the kitchen before he had run upstairs to hide. He decided to start looking for her in there. He checked all the large cabinets before heading towards the pantry. With a frown, he opened the door and gasped. Ana was lying on the floor with her head resting on her arm. Christian knelt in front of her and shouted loudly for others, "I FOUND HER!"
A minute later, everyone rushed towards the kitchen. They found Christian sitting on the floor with a sleepy Ana, who was rubbing her eyes as she yawned.
"Ana! Where have you been?" Andrea asked worriedly.
"I was hiding in the pantry… but I guess I fell asleep," Ana replied sheepishly.
"That…. that's not possible," Rhea was shocked. "I searched the pantry. There was no one inside it," she added.
"I was hiding somewhere else then. I saw you looking in the pantry. That's why I changed my hiding location and hid there after you left," Ana poked her tongue at Rhea causing the other girl to snort.
"Evil genius!" Rhea poked her tongue back at her friend before yelling excitedly, "Let's start the next round! Luis is 'it'." Luis groaned but nodded.
They played another two rounds of hide and seek with no other incident. It was 1.45 am by the time everyone retired. With the games they had played all day, it was agreed mutually by everyone that they'd sleep late the next day.
Christian took off his jeans, t-shirt, and boxers off before getting on the bed as he waited for Ana. She had been in the washroom since they returned to their room. "You okay in there?" he inquired after a few minutes.
"Yeah," came Ana's muffled answer from inside.
Ana opened the door and came out. She had changed into a grey v neck sleeveless short nightdress. Christian raised his eyebrow at her in question. He knew that his wife wouldn't be wearing that for long if he had his way. "You do realize that your nightwear will end up on the floor in a few minutes, right?" he asked with a smirk.
Usually, Ana would give him a saucy look of her own at his comment, but at that moment all she was able to give him was a distressed look. "I need to tell you something," she said as she climbed up onto the bed.
"Is everything okay? Is it your ankle? Is it still hurting?" Christian sat up straight worriedly.
"I'm okay. But Christian…. I was in the pantry… the whole time. I remember hearing Rhea when she came to check the pantry. I was inside when she touched the pantry door. Then… I felt like something pulled me from behind. Next thing I know… you were waking me up," Ana shared the reason for her distress.
"WHAT?! But… didn't Rhea say that the pantry was empty? I don't understand,"
"I think… I think something happened in this house… a long time ago. Something unjust. I don't know what, but… the entities that everyone is seeing are those who died here a long time ago. They are trying to tell us something," Ana said as she bit down her lower lip.
"Didn't you advise everyone to ignore the signs?" Christian asked.
"I know…. But I don't know if I can ignore it…" Ana sighed as she cuddled up to her husband. "Christian… I'm also having these… dreams about this house. I think the entity is trying to show me something," she added.
"You have angel blood in you. Maybe… that's why they are contacting you to…um… show them the light?" Christian guessed.
"I didn't think of that. Maybe that's what this is," Ana sighed as relief washed over her. Smiling, she traced Christian's lower abs, causing his cock to perk up causing a tent in the blanket. "It's like he has a GPS," she teased.
"Yeah," Christian scoffed at his cock's reaction.
Ana buried her nosed against his neck and started placing small sucking kisses there. Christian moaned as he grabbed her hair and held tightly as he enjoyed the sensation.
.
TAP…
.
TAP… TAP…
.
TAP… TAP… TAP…
.
TAP… TAP… TAP… TAP…
.
The couple pulled back and started looking around. "What the fuck is that?" Christian stared at the walls in disbelief.
"The tapping…. It's coming from the wall," Ana pointed out.
Soon, they started hearing mumbling and grumbling from other rooms as everyone started gathering in the hallway. Christian pulled on boxers and a t-shirt before they joined others.
.
TAP…
.
TAP… TAP…
.
TAP… TAP… TAP…
.
TAP… TAP… TAP… TAP…
.
"Where is this coming from?" Owen asked, running his fingers through his hair.
"The walls. It's coming from the walls," Ana answered.
"ARE YOU GUYS HEARING THIS?" Alex yelled from the first floor.
The 8 who were staying on the second floor, exchanged looks before heading downstairs. "What the hell is happening? I'm too tired for this shit," Marie whined stomping her feet.
"Yeah," Ryan groaned as he leaned against the wall.
.
TAP…
.
TAP… TAP…
.
TAP… TAP… TAP…
.
TAP… TAP… TAP… TAP…
.
He jumped away from the wall and stared at it in disbelief. "I felt the tap," Ryan stated.
"Maybe it'll quiet down after a while?" Luis suggested hesitantly.
"Maybe it's a board that's loose somewhere that's making this noise," Elliot mused as he looked around.
"Let's wait for a while in the living room. I'm sure it'll quiet down," Jace said with a shrug. That night… no one was able to sleep at all, as the tapping continued and grew louder… and louder, until the sun rose.
.
.
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A/N: Sooo… do you like the progress? Were you scared? Can you guys suggest some scary incident of your own that you would like them to have? Let me know in the review 3
