Author's Note: Thanks to Jamea for being my first, and only, reviewer. The rest of you have some explaining to do. :shakes head reprovingly: Really though, please review and enjoy this chapter!

First Glimpses

The château guide, Mme. DesChanels, was standing in the foyer, impatiently tapping her foot and checking her watch, knowing perfectly well what time it was. Meg and Christine stumbled from the staircase, flushed and giggling. The docent regarded them with an icy stare and launched into a lecture a half-heard lecture about promptness.

The tour began just after the guide realized that no one was listening. Giving a weary sigh, she led them outside and started to talk. Pointing to the castle, she explained the architectural history of the château.

"Le Château de Hac was constructed in the early half of the 15th century by the Chamberlain of the Duke of Brittany, Jean Hingant. Even though the castle was the center of an important agricultural field, the Chamberlain lost his property in 1450. Since then, the château has passed from owner to owner, each losing it in a matter of years. Now, if you will follow me to the-"

"Who owns it now?" interrupted Carmen.

The madame shot Carmen an annoyed look before replying, "We do not know too much about the present owner. Truthfully, I am unsure if any of the staff has ever seen him before. But it really does not matter all that much. The cheques are signed and on time. We never question it. Now, if you will kindly follow me..."

She led the group around the perimeter of the castle. The limestone, which gave the castle exterior its light color, was extracted from the ancient Faluns Sea. She explained the proportions of the castle, its turrets, and the mixed Renaissance and gothic style furniture.

While admiring all the aspects of the château that Mme. DesChanels pointed out, Christine passed her eyes over the windows. She felt a stiff wind come up as her eyes landed on one window in particular, one in which she saw something. Her hair was flying in front of her face as she tried to distinguish the figure. Was it a shadow? A trick of the light? A moment later and the truth dawned on her: it was a person. She could only see a faint outline of the figure, but she could tell by the broad stature that it was a man.

'But how could that be? Meg was telling me that he mother rented out all of the rooms in the château. There couldn't possibly be any other guests besides our group.'

She focused again on the man in the window, the wind still blowing strong. She saw the figure shift a bit and a new feature of the man was revealed: a faint white glow where she suspected his face would be. A shiver ran through Christine, as if she had just locked eyes with this strange specter in the window. She closed her eyes as the shudder ran through her body and away with the wind. When she looked up again, the figure was gone.

Christine jogged a bit to catch up to the group as they toured the pool and the greenhouses. The gardens were truly impressive.

"Miles and miles of paths, all lined with flowers and trees. Everything perfectly maintained," said Mme. DesChanels with more than just a hint of pride.

The stables were next. As they walked through the barn, Christine only half-listened. She was too engrossed with the horses and their names to pay much attention. Eight horses were kept in the stable. The biggest four were dedicated solely to pulling the château's carriage. Two horses were retired, one was for pleasure, and the last one was a filly. Christine glanced at the names of the horses. An appaloosa named Drôle was happily sleeping in a stall. Right next to him was a filly. The little horse absolutely captured Christine's heart. Her name plate read Fraise.

'"Strawberry". How appropriate,' she said as she regarded the filly's light red-honey coloring.

The young horse, showing no fear of Christine, walked right up to her stable door and stuck out her nose, waiting to be pet. Christine slowly stuck out her hand for the horse to sniff and softly stroked the little filly's velvet nose. Fraise closed her eyes, obviously enjoying the attention she was getting.

Out of nowhere though, Fraise stood stock still, opened her eyes, and pricked up her ears. She stared at a spot directly behind Christine.The young girlfelt paralyzed with fear.

'If something spooked the horse, than it probably means no good for me,' she thought.

Christine once more felt a familiar prickle run down her spine. Then, she heard something too: soft footsteps on the hay, a gentle swish of fabric (which may have just been the wind, which had again picked up), and a door quietly closing. She felt as if she could move again and turned around. Sitting on an overturned bucket was three sugar cubes and an apple.

Glancing to either side, Christine saw nothing extraordinary about the barn and notrace of whom had left the sweets. The only proof that anyone had been there at all was the filly's reaction and the sudden appearance of food.

Christine figured that the treats were meant for Fraise and gave them to her obligingly. After a few more pats, Christine said goodbye and hustled to catch up to the group once more. By the time she arrived at Meg's side, it was time for them to tour the inside of the Château de Hac.

XOX

"All the wood in the house is cherry, accented with deep colors for a rich and luxurious atmosphere," Mme. DesChanels explained while leading them into the kitchen. We employ four chefs at the moment, with two apprentices. A staff of about 50 people keeps the house in the magnificent shape it's in. They live in the servant's quarters, which you saw earlier.

"I haven't seen any workers this whole time," said Carmen.

"A phenomenon easily explained, I assure you. Secret passageways riddle this house. The workers have a map of the ones we know about, which totals out to be approximately 15 or so. But there very well could be more. You may have noticed the fireplaces in your rooms. You will find one in every room in the house. I dare say M. Hingant had a bit of penchant for them."

"Do any of the fireplaces work?" said Christine, piping up for the first time.

"They used to. When parties were thrown, every fireplace in the château was lit and meticulously maintained by no less than three people. Today though, they are considered impractical and somewhat of a hazard. Mostly, they are useless, except for decoration. Now, please follow me to the dining hall."

She led them through the dining hall, the sitting room, and past the chapel. The library was next. As they passed, Christine gave the room only a cursory glance, despite her fondness for books. Out of her peripheral vision, Christine saw the same figure she saw in the window.

'That's him,' she thought. 'No doubt about it.'

She saw the familiar white near the top of the figure, this time getting a clearer look at it. She craned her head around only too see him disappear behind a bookshelf. It was like he was hiding from her. Like he knew she was there, and was just teasing her.

"Is this place haunted?" Christine asked, not caring if she interrupted or not. She needed to know if she was hallucinating or if what she was seeing could be real.

"Actually, it might be. We have had reports of a phantom, if you will. A couple of the staff has seen it. A figure, a man, usually dressed in black. He's never seen head-on however. It always happens through a window or from the corner of one's eye. We have no idea how it would have arrived either. No premature deaths or murders were committed in the château to our knowledge. There is a graveyard on site, but that is out quite a distance from the castle and would offer no explanations. I will ask you all, though, not to roam the house at night, when it is most active. Piano music and other strange noises have been heard and objects have sometimes gone missing. We do not know if the phantom is dangerous or not, but we would rather not chance it."

'Hm,' thought Christine with a sigh of relief. 'I'm not crazy, I'm just seeing ghosts.' She chuckled at the ridiculousness of her statement and followed Mme. DesChanels around the rest of the magnificent castle.

XOX

The tour ended half an hour later and it was time for dinner. They had a spectacular French meal then all changed to go for a dip in the pool. Later in the Jacuzzi, Meg said, "Wow, this has really been a great time. What a way to end our visit to Paris! But am I ready for a good night's sleep."

Christine nodded her head in agreement, but thought to herself, 'My Paris adventure isn't over quite yet.' She had plans for tonight, and they in no way involved sleeping.