Chapter 1: In which a girl finds a key.
Crystal felt her heart sink as she stared up at the huge house. So many windows and doors, and yet it looked terrifying and dark all the same. The old car gave a dying cough of smoke, and Alec groaned, addressing a small, brown-haired man with glasses who Crystal had never seen before. "Hey, Christopher, is there a mechanic nearby?" He asked, and the short man nodded. "Yes, I will be able to guide you, he's a close friend of mine. He's called James and he- ", but Alec just raised a hand, staring quite coldly into Christopher's eyes. "Thank you. Now, let me look around this house." He instructed, and Christopher dejectedly found himself left to unpack. Crystal, observing, decided to help him, her little red coat standing out amongst the greens and browns of the old home. Gently, she took a box, and followed him inside, having never been to her new home before. They walked through the halls with strange portraits and statues decorating the walls, before ending up in the kitchen, where Christopher offered a weak, defeated smile, and bent down to the ten-year-old's level. "Hey there kiddo. What's your name?" he asked, and Crystal gave a shy smile back, her face quite pale despite the excitement of moving. "I'm Crystal…" she replied, and he took the boxes from her hands, opening them briefly before nodding. "Did you paint these?" He asked, staring at the painting of a rainbow, colours almost lighting up the dark room the two stood in, with its cyan walls and checked floor. Crystal nodded, and Christopher smiled. "You're an amazing artist." He whispered, before pulling out a small notebook, much like one a waiter would have. This reminded Crystal- who was this boy with glasses? Why was he hanging around their house anyway? Every so often, Christopher would look up at her from his notebook, adjusting his jacket and continuing to do whatever he was doing with his book. After around five minutes, and Crystal's patience running thin, he smiled, nodded, and turned the notebook around, revealing a simple portrait of her. Delighted, she stared at it, noticing details like her coat buttons and her wavy hair, and thanked her new friend, who ruffled her hair. Alec called out Christopher's name, and he quickly ran off, but handed her the drawing first, which she placed into her pocket.
Marie, Crystal's mother, walked toward her, gently smiling. "Hello Crystal. What's that you're holding?" She asked, and Crystal studied the paper once more. "It's a drawing of me that Christopher did!" She explained, and Marie took it, noting that it was very beautifully drawn. She sighed. "Crystal, I want to make some things clear, alright? First, you are not allowed to venture into the attic or the basement- the attic is private, and the basement is a servant area only." Crystal nodded, a hint of confusion on her face. "We have servants?" She asked, and Marie nodded. "Christopher and Avery. Christopher is a butler, and Avery is our maid, along with a few other ladies and gents who manage the cleaning and the gardens." Marie stated, and Crystal understood. "And speaking of servants, don't converse with them much. Your father thinks it may be dangerous to do so." Her mother spoke, and Crystal felt a twinge of sadness inside her. Something about Christopher was warm and comforting, and she enjoyed his presence. "Have you been up to your room yet?" Marie suddenly asked, snapping Crystal out of her thoughts. "No, I haven't. Where is it?" She asked, and Marie simply responded by pulling a purple cord, a bell sounding from elsewhere in the house. A woman appeared from nowhere, introducing herself as Avery and leading the young girl away, her mother simply watching, distant.
Crystal walked up two flights of stairs, one after the other, before arriving in the centre of the home, three windows looking out over the grounds where her father and Christopher were walking away, presumably to find a mechanic for the car. Avery quietly ducked her head and waited to be excused, unsure if her young mistress needed anything else. Crystal turned, and upon seeing Avery still standing there, was confused. Then, she had an idea. On their way to the manor, they had stopped at a sweetshop and Crystal had bought some chocolates. She turned away from Avery for a moment, unwrapping the bag, before pulling one out and offering it wordlessly, her palm outstretched and a wide smile on her face. Avery's hand shook, and then her vision blurred. She shook her head, before running off, certain she was dismissed. Closing the door behind her, she hurried downstairs, into the basement where the servants stayed. Confused, Crystal shrugged, eating the chocolate herself. She gazed at her room, taking in all the details.
The wallpaper was white, with pink roses, purple lavenders, and blue cornflowers adorned like stripes. Little pieces were peeling away, but it was nothing glue couldn't fix. The three windows had red curtains to keep out the light, curtain hooks also adorned with flowers which they were now tied behind. An old trunk had been given a cushion for a footrest, with a bare window seat underneath the largest middle window. A perfect spot for reading or sketching. Crystal then moved to the left, finding a bedside table which was empty, but had the same golden flower design as her curtain hooks. A duplicate rested on the other side of a huge four poster bed, red curtains, soft red blanket and five red pillows, and golden flowers embroidered into the corners of the blanket and each pillow, except a small circular one which bore a single golden flower. Crystal flopped onto the bed for a moment- the blanket was soft and warm, and the pillows were cool despite the sunny weather. She jumped off the other side of the bed, walking past the bedside table until she reached a vanity unit in the corner closest to the door, aligned with the central window. The vanity had an older seat, the same designs painted onto the wood, and an oval mirror framed ornately by gold. To the left, on the wall, was a framed portrait of a girl Crystal had never seen before, with brown hair, fair skin, a sea-green jacket, a white blouse, a locket, and red flowers adorning her hair. Crystal smiled at the girl- she looked just as happy as Crystal felt, and then Crystal moved on, walking to the closet on the other side of the door. It was empty, except for a key. Confused, Crystal pocketed it, deciding to search for a lock after she finished looking around her room. The final wall had an old, unused fireplace, carved with the same flowery design in white marble, and above, a framed portrait of a bride, similar to the one near the vanity. Crystal stared, almost entranced at the details of her dress and the gorgeous flowers she held. It then occurred to her that there must have been previous inhabitants of the house, and she wondered if that girl had been one. Shrugging, she headed over to her window seat, reaching into her pocket.
The key shone brilliantly in the afternoon light, its golden blade and bronze bow reflecting the light and almost glowing. Crystal stared down at the key, curious. Her eyes wandered over to the trunk with the cushion resting on it, and she decided to see if it needed a key. There was, in fact, a lock, but it was easy to open and didn't need her key. But Crystal gasped aloud as soon as she saw what was inside. So many clothes! A yellow button-up dress with a blouse, big and small blue bows to adorn it. A long, collared green dress with slightly puffed sleeves. A plum waistcoat which fit over a white blouse and brown skirt, a brown tie and plum hat to match stored neatly underneath. A blue winter dress, a bonnet and shawl perfectly matching the colour of the dress and its white accents, doubly serving as extra padding to keep the wearer warm. Underneath, however, the dresses were a little less ornate, serving as day dresses. The first was a sea-green dress with white, short and puffy sleeves. The next dress was almost the same, except it was pink with white sleeves, and hemmed with a white trim. Following that was a dress in the same style, with a red top, white sleeves, and a deep blue skirt, a sunhat stored underneath, and a long-dead rose threaded into its ribbon, which Crystal plucked off and hurriedly moved to put on the floor in disgust. Finally, there was a purple dress, a plum top and slightly lighter sleeves contrasting a long lilac skirt with a small white trim, an orange parasol rolled up safely at the very bottom of the trunk, next to it a small wooden box with a latch. Crystal stared at all of the clothes, before deciding to hang them up in her closet. Threading each outfit onto a hanger, she put them against herself. Some of them were much too big, but the yellow dress seemed like it would fit, as well as some of the other outfits. A dress Crystal hadn't noticed fell out of the shawl when she was hanging it up, a smaller one than the rest. It was blue and white, with a shorter skirt. Crystal held it against her- it was perfectly her size! She grinned, continuing to hang up the dresses and putting the yellow and small one on the doors of her closet, so she would remember to wear them. She then remembered the little wooden box, and unlatched the latch, discovering something beautiful inside…
Interlude: Warm, shiny day.
A sunny day in 1852, summertime. Bees buzz around the gardens, dandelion seeds flowing in the breeze around the area where two children sit, laughter ringing out like bells. The imposing manor casts a shadow over the paved gardens with their unlit lamps, but this doesn't bother the children. One, a little girl, dressed in a blue and white dress. The other, a little boy, wearing a brown button-up waistcoat and some lighter overalls, a white shirt underneath everything and an old flap cap sitting atop his brown hair. The girl looks slightly older than the boy, and she shows him something. A golden locket, hung around her neck with a cyan chain. She opens it, revealing its empty. "Father gave this to me." She explains, and she takes it off, handing it to the boy so he can hold it for a moment. An indistinct shout echoes from the manor, and the two children run off, back inside the house, the locket still clutched tightly in the boy's tiny hand.