Chapter 7: Join now the spirits in forsaken doom, a ravishing child, a vanishing tomb.
Christopher took the key first, letting out a long sigh. "Unlocks the attic. But you knew that." He whispered, and Crystal nodded, turning it over in her hands. He stared at the music box, winding it up. "Belonged to Melanie, the girl in this diary, the one in the paintings, and the owner of those old dresses and this room." He explained, and Crystal's mind filled with a thousand questions. "Did this soldier belong to Melanie?" She asked, holding it out to him, but Christopher shook his head. "That's…a story I'm not comfortable telling." He admitted, and she nodded. Best not to push Christopher, she'd seen how angry he could get. A mist settled on her window pane, and immediately she watched, tense. "LET ME IN, MELANIE." It wrote, and Christopher's eyes widened. He replied back "she's not here. She's been dead for years, phantom.", and the mist left, but somehow, the name remained. Crystal stared at it, before thinking. "We look similar…is this ghost confusing the two of us?" she wondered aloud, and an uncomfortable silence settled around the two, Christopher refusing to meet her eyes. "Maybe…" he finally muttered, staring at the name stained on the window. Crystal looked at it too, before sighing. "You know, I haven't ever known who I am…" she whispered, and Christopher immediately looked at her. "I've been moved from family to family since I was small, before Alec and Marie finally chose me. But I have a secret. There's this…object…which I had since I was born, and I've never told anyone about it except the lady who used to take me from home to home, Mrs Greenbank." She whispered, with Christopher looking curious. Suddenly, a bell rang, and he realized someone was calling him. He sprinted away, telling Crystal he'd be back momentarily, and that they could continue afterwards.
She stared down at the key in her palm, wondering why it was in her closet, before walking over to the closet and reaching behind all the dresses. There, in a small silver box, sat a treasure and a secret she had hidden for many years. A locket. It had a gold pendant with engravings of a beautiful woman on the front, and a green chain for her to wear which was studded with gold. She had never been able to open it, because she did not have the key. She put it on, sighing. It would be a tiny key which would open it, but then she might find something out about her past life. Before she was Crystal. She'd been Anne, Wendy, Leila, and now she was Crystal. But who was she before that? A crash snapped her out of her thoughts, coming from above. She was worried- Christopher had not yet come back, and he may have hurt himself! She grabbed the key, wondering if he was in the attic, and began checking every room. The bathroom was empty, her parents' room was empty, the playroom was empty, so all that was left was the attic, Crystal taking the steps two at the time. She was so scared. She practically forced the key into the lock, but it was already open. She stumbled as the door came open, the wooden floor creaking below her feet. A pile of old trunks and boxes almost tripped her up, hidden in the shadows. The thumping of her heart seemed external, but it couldn't be. Then, she saw it. The shoes. They weren't touching the ground. Her gaze drifted upwards, wide-eyed, as she took in the trousers, then the shirt. And then the neck. A rope. A head, limp. Wide-open eyes, and a shocked expression. Christopher.
Someone had hung Christopher.
Crystal screamed, her voice raw and terrified. She heard the thumping get louder, all around her, and she gulped, trying to catch any breath and think. Her eyes were still locked onto Christopher. Someone had killed him. He was dead, and he looked terrified. She felt her legs begin to run, and soon she was out of the attic. Alec stood before her, confused, and she bolted past him, downstairs, where Avery and Florence went about their duties. The sun was beginning to come up. "Avery!" She cried out, tears spilling down her face and trauma settling in her eyes. The maid turned, her face turning pale upon seeing Crystal, and she put down her tray as Crystal ran into her arms. Florence's eyes were concerned, and he and Avery shared a look of confusion yet fear. "C-Christopher…someone hung him!" Crystal cried out, bursting into new tears. Avery's eyes went wide, and her heart began thumping. Florence went pale too, his normally tan skin becoming paler. The two of them clutched Crystal, before Avery pulled her away, the three of them walking outside, disregarding Alec's calls for them to return.
Outside, the three of them climbed in the car, driving down to Thunder Mesa. Crystal had her head in her hands, in quiet tears, Florence drove, his eyes blurring every so often, and Avery gazed out of the window, in more pain than anyone. Her husband was dead, they had been married eleven years and adored each other, but someone had stolen him away. At the very least, they knew who to go to for help. The group got out of the car and walked into the antique shop, where Jake the third sat at his desk, Avery instantly running over and whispering to him. His eyes went wide, glancing at Crystal for a moment, who was being held back by Florence. He wrapped his arms around Avery, who began to sob. "Jake…what do we do…?" she whispered, and Crystals eyes brimmed with new tears. They were all so lost, so scared. Jake then approached her, his eyes changing as soon as they saw the locket. He produced a tiny key from his breast pocket, and handed it to her. Her heart thumped as she unlocked the miniscule keyhole, her hands shaking and almost forgetting how to breathe. The two halves came apart like an oyster, with a piece of white paper folded in the middle like a pearl. This treasure could mean a thousand things, and she wanted to know them all. She unfolded the tiny piece of paper, and in tiny handwriting four incredible words were written: "welcome home, Melanie Ravenswood II."
Crystal's eyes blurred with tears. Jake met her eyes, before embracing her, everyone in the room bursting into fresh sobs at this revelation. Crystal was the last Ravenswood, the lost descendant of previous owners of the manor. And she was linked to every single story in that cursed home and every member of the cursed lineage. Jake drew away from the hug, Florence wordlessly passing him the car keys. Avery sat in the back with Crystal, who leaned on her. Florence sat next to Jake, who drove them to a remote location past Gullenlag, with a singular bench and a plaque dedicated to the Ravenswood family sitting under some trees. Jake sat down, and began his long tale.
Interlude: A family of four, three, two, gone.
Lucy Rosethorn sits at home, with her twins, Ash, and Ash. Briefly, she gazes out of the window, seeing two figures walking toward the mountain. Mr and Mrs Ravenswood. Her mouth creases into a frown and her eyes flare as she stares at that monster of a man. Rumours spread all over the town about him, but she doesn't dare confirm a single one of them. She often works with Mrs Ravenswood, being a part of her sewing business, and her husband used to work with Mr Ravenswood, when he was alive. Ashton died in a duel with Mr Ravenswood, over miner's rights and compensation, after his brother and many others were killed in a freak dynamite accident, only a little boy surviving the explosion. No one knew how he had survived. Natives whispered that perhaps he had earned the Thunderbird's fortunes, and locals cited him as being protected by the rockwork. But the boy never spoke to anyone, instead working as an engineer all alone. Lucy sighs. She misses Ashton dearly, but her twins distract her. One girl, Ashley, and one boy, Asher. Both affectionately named after their father. Far-off rumbling makes her wonder if there's dynamite going off again. The children wish for their mother to tell them a story, so she thinks of an easy one. "The siren's call spreads far and wide, across the salty seas. She sings for sailors, and they follow, her drowning them with ease. But one man, Captain Mark, has evaded the siren's call. And it's just as well, for many do tell that he's the most handsome of them all." She rhymes, the two children snuggling into her lap. She puts an arm around both of them, holding them close, and the rumbling gets louder. Then, the floorboards collapse, and everyone is gone.