Chapter 13: Out of control

Steve stood there with his eyes closed already for a minute, though he didn't hear anything anymore, he didn't dare to open them; afraid of what he would see then. When a cold hand suddenly took hold of his shoulder, he gave a scream of terror and jumped, his eyes still closed.

'Steve, is everything all right?'

He recognised her voice and finally opened his eyes slowly. Ellen stood a little from him looking curious and worried. As Steve didn't answer her, she asked him again.

'Steve, please say something. What's happened?'

'It…It is Emma,' Steve replied at last regaining his speech.

'What is it with her? That's why I was here, because I couldn't find her. Steve, where is she?' a small note of panic was now in Ellen's tone.

'Rose Red has taken her, she is taken,' Steve repeated his legs shaking.

Ellen's eyes started to glisten as tears welled up in them. She shook her head, not speaking, and then ran away shouting her daughter's name.

Bit by bit Steve came into movement too, walking down the stairs and to the nearest telephone. There he dialled to the police telling them only that there little girl was missing, but nothing about what he had seen, for anyway, who would ever believe him?

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Steve, Ellen, Jake and Kevin were all sitting in the kitchen together with all the staff just as the last police officers were leaving the house. It was late in the evening by now and though everybody was tired, no one was willing to go to bed and sleep. Much had happened today.

Only half an hour after Steve had called the police, they had arrived in great number. None of them might have believed in ghosts, but all knew about the history of Rose Red. They had first calmed Ellen down and while some stayed behind to interrogate the staff and all other people in the house; the rest went to search the house from top to bottom and every crook they could find. Even the entire garden was looked through. However, when all was looked at, Emma was still not found and it was like she had just disappeared from earth. As there was no more that the police could do, they started to leave Rose Red; reassuring them that they would investigate all they had now to the bottom in any way to figure out what had happened to Emma.

But Steve didn't need them telling them what had happened, for he knew it very well himself, though he had no way to prove it. Finally all of them had trooped in the kitchen and the rest of the house was quiet when the last engine died away. Ellen stood up and walked towards her two children that were now left.

'Come, I'll take you to bed,' Ellen said quietly to Kevin and Jake.

Without any hesitation or disobedience, both of them stood up and walked out of the kitchen with Ellen behind them in silence.

'I think it is best if we all go to bed now, you are free to go,' Steve told the staff and then hurried after his wife and children to get some time alone.

Every day following that one was all in the same rhythm and silence. Rose Red had never yet been so quiet even with still so many people living in there. All the house's residents seemed to have turned to ghosts themselves, barely speaking to each other and living and moving all in silence. There was one person who was barely recognisable from who she had been only a few weeks ago. The change her daughter's disappearance had made on Ellen was conspicuous. While she had been so happy when she had found out that she was pregnant, she had smiled every day, laughed every day, played with her children, helped the servants and talked about everything and nothing, now she did none of all this. In fact, her desire to live any longer seemed to have left her. All Ellen did these days was walking through the house with her face empty of any emotion or thought, sitting and staring out of a window or else sleeping and eating in equal silence. Any form of conversation appeared to cost her too much pain and energy to do it.

It was tiring Steve, he of course had it tough with the loss of his little daughter, but he knew that life went on and they couldn't keep hanging in the past. However, Steve was somewhat reluctant to tell this to Ellen and hoped that she would come by after some time. Nevertheless, days passed, turned into weeks and after more than a month, Steve couldn't handle the silence anymore. Moreover, he hadn't forgotten about the warning he got, but he hadn't told anyone about that yet. For even if he did, who would ever believe him?

Evening had fallen after another silent day in Rose Red. The house was now dark and gloomy, exactly as a ghost house was supposed to be, Steve thought walking along such a corridor. He was on his way to Ellen and definite to talk to her and get her talking again. This might become a task more difficult than he thought.

'Evening Ellen,' Steve said as he entered the room where she sat staring out of the window and closed the door after him.

Ellen didn't answer him or even moved to look at him. Steve went on determinately.

'We need to talk, or at least, you need to start talking again for we cannot go on like this.'

She still answered with silence, nor did she turn to look at him, but she did blink at his words.

'Ellen, I know it must be hard for you, you have lost you youngest child and only daughter, but you cannot forever mourn. Life goes on, and you must think of your child that is on the way and of course your two sons. It is hard for me too, but I know that even though we lost Emma, we will never get her back so it is best to continue. Then all of this has not been in vain, we can pick everything back up again and it can become as it was.'

After this, Ellen finally moved to face Steve. Her face was filled with anger. Steve actually took a step backwards from where he stood.

'How dare you talk to me like that, like it is something that just happens and that should be forgotten quickly? She was my daughter, I lost my only daughter and you are telling me to just forget it and get on with my life. All men are the same, you are just like that old Rimbauer, dear old John,' Ellen said her voice filled with hate.

Steve didn't know what to answer for a minute, but then he decided it was time that he would take control of life in Rose Red.

'Yes, I dare talk to you like that and yes, I ask you to forget it. You can't just sit here for the rest of your life, think of your other children.'

'No I won't just forget it! I have a good idea, let's just sent both of the boys back to boarding school. Then they won't be bothered by me and the other way around. As for you, I don't care what you do, but just leave me alone,' Ellen ended, turning back towards the window.

Steve knew that the conversation was over, and left the room with his head down. It seemed that Rose Red had finally beaten its last enemy.

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Before the week had ended, both Jake and Kevin were sent off to boarding school. There was now complete silence in Rose Red. The servants were all quietly doing their work and afterwards most went home every day. No feet could be heard running down the hallways or staircases, no laughter was heard in a room, no music was played to break the silence and no word was spoken due to Rose Red's immense size as everyone could evade each other easily, especially Steve and Ellen.

Whether Ellen was doing this on purpose or feeling bad about it all, Steve didn't know, but he himself was starting to feel nothing short of terrible. However, Rose Red seemed to be in a mood of jubilance. The green house was blooming with flowers, the hallways seemed to change every hour and even though there were no builders in the house, Rose Red seemed to grow bigger every day. In fact, it wasn't even Ellen that was driving Steve crazy, it was the house that was making him desperate. It scared and enraged him at the same time, for he knew what was happening, but there was nothing that he could do against it. To escape the house during the day, he spent most of the time in the enormous garden, but even there he wouldn't calm down. He had not forgotten what had happened in them before either. Still anything was better than being inside Rose Red. However, as Steve got more depressed even his so called 'dead gardens' seem to come alive in strange way. A way he didn't like at all, for he had the feeling that he was followed continuously by unseen things and the eyes of cold grey statues, which were spread throughout the garden.

Finally, Steve couldn't take it anymore.

'Ellen, where are you? Ellen!' he shouted walking through the house.

'Sir?'

A maid came out of a room on the corridor, which he was pounding. He stopped at her sight.

'Sir, I believe she can be found in her withdrawing room on the second floor of the left wing.'

'Thank you, Leanne.'

In the end he reached the room Leanne had mentioned and opened the door without knocking. Moreover, Ellen was indeed sitting in the room, her pregnancy already slightly visible.

'Ellen, I am going away for a while. I don't know to where or anything else, but I cannot stay here,' Steve said before she could even react to his entering.

She looked at him, with a somewhat sad and desperate look in her eyes asking him for help for a second, then her face turned cold and emotionless again.

'Fine, do whatever you like. I'll see you when you get back.'

Steve was taken aback by this answer, he had expected at least some resistance. He didn't know what to answer at first.

'All right,' was what he murmured after a while and he left the room.

Then he grabbed a suitcase, packed everything he thought was useful and the same day he left. He left Ellen, he left Rose Red and he left Seattle. He was on his way to Europe alone.

*Chapter 14: Madam Stravinski*