Chapter 6: A found in the attic

Finally, nearly a month later after all the happenings, Steve was allowed to get out of bed and start doing things other than sleeping, eating and reading. Steve and his wife were in a better mood than they had ever been before, and it seemed that even the weather was celebrating with them. Everything went the way they wanted, except for the fact the Jake left the house and wasn't going to return for a whole year. The only one, who seemed really sad about this, was Emma. Emma had always been a happy energetic girl. Now however, a smile on her face was far to be found and mostly during the day she sat quietly in a room staring in to nothingness. Both Steve and Ellen tried to talk to her, but she didn't utter a single word. Still it didn't grab a lot of attention, for they were now so busy with the inaugural. The staff also seemed to have done as Ellen told them, because Corrine was never mentioned again under the roof of Rose Red.

'Ellen have you already invited the Masons over for the inaugural?' Steve asked.

'No, I'm still busy with the invitations. By the way, have you already alerted the company that we only want red wine and no white?' Ellen replied, while counting the invitations she had already written and addressed.

'Yes dear, I've done that a few days ago,' Steve said walking over to Ellen with a block note in his hand writing down things that still needed to be done.

'Oh, and before I forget, where do we leave the children in the evening?'

Steve looked up at her. 'Well, I think we could easily leave them in the children's wing. It is big enough for them and they won't hear the noise we make, because it is far away from the Great Hall. Furthermore, the nanny can stay with them the rest of the evening and night.'

'I do know all of that, but I just don't trust it to leave it with just one maid and we need all the help from the staff we can get already with serving,' Ellen answered, sounding a bit annoyed about being interrupted again. 'Damn, now I lost count again!'

'All right, I'll have a look in the newspaper to see if I can find another nanny or two,' Steve said sighing.

'No, because those people will have never been here before then and they will lose the way in this house. No, I think it is best if we then leave them with our one and only nanny,' Ellen said, stretching the word only.

Steve decided not to react on this and just turned around, walked out of the room and went further with the preparations for the 16th of January.

----------

It was the 15th of January and Rose Red was bussing with people running around the house all carrying different things. Men were shouting, Ellen was yelling a five people at once and Steve, still not allowed to do much, was reading in the pink room of Emma. Emma was sitting on the ground playing with her dolls softly talking to no one in particular.

Emma's mood hadn't changed around the time that had now passed. She was as silent as ever and didn't show any sign of joy that she was supposed to feel. Steve did worry quite a lot about it at night, but during the day, he forgot everything about it, because Ellen was asking for his full attention all the time. She was exactly the opposite of her seven-year-old daughter. Ellen never stopped talking, was so active that it was sometimes even annoying and a smile that was never fading away.

'Daddy, I need a house for Annie,' Emma suddenly said in a very clear voice.

Steve needed a few seconds to come out of his shock, and then tried to look into his daughter's eyes. Emma however, was sitting with her back towards him.

'Who is Annie?' Steve asked.

'My doll,' she answered simply.

'I'll give you one for your birthday, is that all right?' Steve said trying to keep her talking.

'I need it now,' Emma replied in the same clear voice. 'May I have the one that is here in the attic?'

'If there is one, you can have it, but I will have a look then in two days, because we're a bit busy now, sweetheart,' Steve said, wondering if there actually was a dollhouse in the attic.

'But you are just sitting here reading now, and I need it really today.'

'I know, but downstairs and in the other parts of the house everyone is now busy, so I can't just go there. I promise you that in two days it will also still be there,' Steve answered a bit annoyed now, but at the same time his mind was worried.

'Kevin is running towards here, he found something in the attic,' Emma now said still without moving.

Steve didn't even have time to reply, because only a second later, Kevin came bursting into the room. He was red in the face and all sweaty from running all the way through the house.

'Dad! Come, you've got to see what I have found in the attic!'

----------

Steve stood up, shot one last look at Emma and then tore out of the room with Kevin on his heels. Many thoughts went through his head while he was running in the house filled with people. Why did Emma all of a sudden need that dollhouse? How could she have known what Kevin had just found? Moreover, how come she named the doll Annie? Annie was a thirteen year old girl that was there when Steve went into Rose Red to see if it had hidden powers together with some other people who had a sixth sense. That trip didn't end up to well, for at least four persons had died during it. Annie had survived, but still. Was Emma maybe given unknown powers? He made a mental note to contact Annie as soon as possible, so that would be tomorrow after a long night.

'Steve, why are you…' Ellen started to ask when he came rushing by.

'Later!' he shouted without looking back.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Steve and Kevin reached the stairs that leaded to the attic and tower.

'What have you found, Kevin? Where is it?' Steve asked, going out of the way so his youngest son could lead the way.

'Follow me,' Kevin said eagerly.

They went through the attic, which was still full of old things from Ellen and John's time, past the now locked door that lead to the tower and into a little corner that Steve had never noticed before. Full of surprise Steve waited for a moment to look at it a bit better. The corner was totally obscured by some great portraits and a few old curtains. He could imagine he would have not noticed it before and had just walked past it many times.

'C'mon dad, don't hesitate!' Kevin yelled. He sounded muffled as if he was in-between the walls.

Steve tore his eyes away and went after his son in a small passage, which was so narrow that it was unable for him to turn around if he wanted to. He wasn't claustrophobic, but in here, he did feel slightly closed in. He could still here his son's footsteps in front of him, though he didn't see him. At the same time, Steve was also again surprised, because he knew there should have been some passages between the rooms, but it now folded itself out as a total network. However, he only saw a small bit, because soon enough his son was in front of him again and looked upwards a narrow staircase.

'It's up here, dad. This leads to a door after which the room comes that I found,' Kevin whispered.

'Alright then, let's go,' Steve whispered back, while he felt a cold wind pass his back.

They walked up the stairs, Kevin opened the door, he entered the room and Steve followed him. Then he gasped and stared around at what now stood before his eyes.

----------

'Is anybody here? Can someone tell me where my husband is?' Ellen asked while she entered a room in the children's wing. 'Oh, it's only you,' she said when she spotted Emma.

'Yes, but I do know where he is and Kevin as well,' Emma spoke with her back to Ellen.

Ellen did a double take and turned back again at once to start staring at her daughter's hair.

'You … You just … How do you … Where are they?' Ellen now asked in a politer voice.

'Somewhere in the attic, Kevin found something. I guess you know what,' Emma added.

A flash of fear seemed to flicker in Ellen's eyes, though it didn't last longer then a second. She soon recovered and decided to ignore Emma's last sentence.

'Brilliant, both of them gone and the inaugural is going to begin in less than half an hour. For goodness sake, Steve!' Ellen said angrily and stormed out of the room again.

However, before she was all well gone, she met Steve and Kevin already both fully dressed for the evening. Steve in his best suit looking very handsome and Kevin ready to go to bed within an hour or two.

'Yes sweetheart, what is wrong?' Steve asked.

'Uhm, nothing. No everything is fine. Let's go downstairs and Kevin go to fetch the nanny and make sure nothing happens to your sister. Take care and till tomorrow,' Ellen said taken aback and kissed Kevin on his cheek.

'I can hear our first guests already, let's go and greet them darling,' Steve said pleasantly, took Ellen by her arm and gave her a kiss.

Ellen smiled and walked with him to the beautiful decorated Great Hall.

Chapter 7: The inaugural