Chapter Two: If There's Something Strange

Flynn had one of his most restful sleeps in months. It hadn't been his deepest sleep ever, but he didn't think dropping into a death-like state after almost twenty-four straight hours of meetings and work counted as restful. The rhythmic rush of the waves had lulled to sleep quickly, and he awoke feeling like he'd slept for years.

Before heading downstairs, he took the time to unpack his belongings and put them away in the closet. Part of this was just to check what things his friends had packed for him. He wasn't at all surprised to find they'd brought all the most casual clothes he owned. How did they even find some of these? They must have been buried in the darkest depths of his closet because he never had an occasion to dress so informally.

It really didn't matter if most of these got wrinkled, but he unfolded them and hung them in the closet anyway. This was the master bedroom, so the closet itself was bigger than some rooms he'd slept in as a child. His week's worth of clothing barely took up half a bar of hangers.

Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye. On a shelf on the side wall of the closet was a small wooden box. Curious, Flynn reached for it and pulled down what looked like a large jewellery box. He stepped out of the shadowy closet to get a better look at it. After setting it on the bed, he raised the lid and found the inside covered in soft red velvet. Instead of jewellery, it contained folded pieces of paper. Flynn crossed his legs on the bed and pulled out the top one.

Dear Bram,

Of course I forgive you. I do appreciate that you tried to defend my honour. I only found it alarming the extent you went to teach Hodge a lesson, not that you did it in the first place. I saw him at the tavern yesterday, by the way, so he seems to have recovered quickly. It's a shame you had to leave so abruptly before we had time to talk about this, but of course you will be welcome home when your ship returns.

Love with all my heart,

Karina

This seemed to be a response to an earlier letter, and now Flynn's curiosity was piqued. He put the paper aside and found an older one underneath.

Dear Karina,

You know I hate leaving after an argument. If this shipment didn't need to reach Mantaic within two weeks, I would have stayed until he worked things out. I truly am sorry for losing my temper the other night. After Hodge slapped your ass, I just saw red and couldn't stop myself. I only felt compelled to defend you because I love you and couldn't bear to see any harm come to you, but I realize I went overboard. I swear I paid for the apple gels to fix his broken nose, as you asked. I'm writing this at the port so I must make this quick, but I apologize as sincerely as I can. I hope when I return, you'll forgive me.

Love,

Bram

Flynn imagined Karina Caverly carefully putting every letter away in a box, and then when her husband came back from sea he'd put the ones she sent to him away with them. Even though his job took him far from home, in the end both they and the letters would be together again. It was sweet. The next one he pulled out was even sweeter.

Dear Karina,

I am sending this letter from Yurzorea. I hope the jade necklace I attached finds you well. The hot springs here are lovely and I hope to have the chance to bring you here one day. Our ship will only be docked here for another hour, so I'm writing this letter fast. I don't have much time, so let me get this message out as clear as I can:

I LOVE YOU!

There, did you get that? I'd have written it larger, but I fear I would have run out of room on the paper. This afternoon we set sail for Mantaic, but my heart remains with you in Capua Nor. We've had nothing but smooth sailing and the weather continues to look lovely, so don't worry about me. After Mantaic we'll be heading back to Ilyccia, so I hope to be home within a month.

I'm sorry, I have to finish this letter now. Arrangements need to be made and I still need time to leave this with the post at Yumanju. Take care and I hope you don't miss me as terribly as I miss you, because I wouldn't want you to feel this heartache. I couldn't bear to think of you in pain.

Love, always,

Bram

Flynn couldn't help smiling as he read the letter. The Caverlys must have forgotten to pack this box when they left, and Mr. Yates overlooked it in the corner.

The second letter was similar to the first:

Dear Bram,

I'm glad to hear all is well on your voyage. I do hope you're not abusing your privilege as captain! You may get to decide the rum rations, but that doesn't mean you get to take as much as you want. You know how melodramatic you get when you drink, dear.

The necklace reached me without trouble, and I must congratulate your taste! It's simply beautiful. I'll wear it everyday until you're home so it will feel as if you're still here. Of course I miss you, but please don't worry too much about me. I have everything under control here. If ever I do feel lonely, I merely rest my hand on my belly to feel the life growing there. I certainly hope you don't get delayed; I've promised our son or daughter that daddy would be here to see them when they're born. Also, I've decided on a name. I agree with using your father's name if it's a boy, but if it's a girl, I like the name Lucy. What do you think?

I can't wait to meet him or her, and I can't wait to see you again, either. I lie in bed at night thinking about you and how much I want to feel your presence beside me there. Your soft hands caressing

Flynn dropped the paper, suddenly feeling like a pervert. These were their private love letters; he shouldn't read them. His skin crawled and he glanced around the room. It felt like someone was watching and judging him for invading this couple's privacy. He clicked the box closed and shook off the lingering guilt. It was a shame Mr. Yates didn't know how to find Mr. And Mrs. Caverly now, or he'd try to return the letters.

After putting the box away where he'd found it, Flynn got dressed and headed down for breakfast. When he reached the doorway to the kitchen, he stopped and stared. Irritation settled into him - Yuri.

He must have been up first to make breakfast, but left a mess in his wake. The picnic basket from last night was tipped over, grape stems scattered on the floor. The messy plates sat on the counter in a ring, and crumbs were everywhere. Flynn didn't know what Yuri had made for breakfast, but he must have used the stove and heavily deliberated which pan to use, because five different pans were stacked in a tower on the island.

It was one thing to leave his own bedroom in disarray, but Flynn wouldn't stand for him leaving a mess in common areas. There was no way Flynn was cleaning this himself, so he stomped off to find the culprit. A quick glance showed he wasn't in the living room, so Flynn rounded the separating wall to the sunroom, expecting to find him eating eggs on a bench bathed in light. This room was empty as well, and the wall-to-wall windows let him see the ground all around the back of the house. Either Yuri was down on the beach or he'd taken his breakfast back up to his room.

Flynn marched upstairs and banged on Yuri's door. Yuri took his sweet time answering, and when he opened it he wore nothing but sweatpants, his eyes heavy and hair a mess.

"What the hell, Flynn? We're on vacation. Go to sleep."

Flynn was taken aback by Yuri's appearance. "Did you go back to bed?"

"I'd like to go back to bed. What the hell time is it, anyway?"

"Didn't you just make breakfast?"

Yuri's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What? You just woke me up."

Flynn looked over to Estelle's door in confusion. Surely she would never leave a mess like that. Back at Yuri, he said, "You're not the one who left a mess in the kitchen?"

Yuri rubbed his eyes. "I haven't been downstairs since last night and I'm offended you immediately assumed a mess was me."

Flynn gave him a look.

"Ok, offended but not really surprised. Go see if Estelle's up."

Flynn crossed to her door and lightly knocked. Yelling at Yuri for making a mess was second nature, but accusing the princess of untidiness required much more delicacy.

Estelle answered the door in a blue nightgown, still blinking sleep from her eyes. "Good morning. Is something wrong?"

Flynn frowned. "Lady Estellise, this may sound like a weird question, but were you downstairs earlier this morning making breakfast?"

Her tiredness turned into confusion. "No. Why?"

Flynn's heart quickened. If neither Yuri nor Estelle had been downstairs since last night, and he was certain he hadn't, then who…? He took a tight breath. "The kitchen is a mess. Someone was in there last night. I think we need to search the house for an intruder."

Estelle gasped and covered her mouth, while behind them Yuri had already gone to retrieve his sword. They met back up on the landing, swords in hand and properly dressed, all sleepiness vanished. The lighthearted peace of last evening was gone, and they trooped downstairs ready for anything. Any burglar who thought they'd be an easy target was in for a surprise.

In the kitchen, Yuri and Estelle examined the mess. "This definitely isn't a case of gravity making things fall out," Yuri said, eyeing the circle of plates.

Estelle nodded. "And those pans stacked on the island were in lower cupboards."

"Nobody came into our bedrooms, though." Flynn scanned the living room. "I'm certain we would have woken up."

"And that's where all our stuff is," Yuri said. "We haven't unpacked yet. They couldn't have been trying to rob us, and if they wanted to rob the house, why do it the first night in years that it's been occupied?"

Estelle gasped. "I just remembered. I thought I was misremembering last night, but when we got home, my bedroom door was open. I'm certain I closed it before we left. Could someone have been in here while we were down at the beach?"

Yuri and Flynn shared a worried look. Flynn said, "Let's search the house."

So much for a relaxing vacation. Yuri swung the cupboard doors open one by one, while Flynn and Estelle stood by with their swords drawn. If someone was lurking in the house, they'd search every inch until they found them. They checked the pantry, but the only intruder Flynn found on the sparse shelves was a spider.

"You don't think they're really still in the house?" Estelle asked, standing close to Yuri near the fireplace.

"Who knows?" Yuri leaned over the hearth and peered up the chimney, just in case. The fireplace was huge - big enough that a grown man could fit in it by crouching - but empty. The storage beneath the window seats on either side of the hearth were barren, and Flynn even got on his hands and knees to lift the sofa's skirt and check under there. There was nothing beneath the couch but some dark splats of furniture polish on the wood floor.

"I'm gonna check the front room." Yuri left, and Flynn hurried to follow. If there was someone lurking in their house, he'd rather they didn't separate.

The foyer was easy to search because it had no furniture. Estelle checked the coat closet, but closed it again having found nothing. Yuri turned the knob for the front sitting room, but then frowned and shoved the door.

"Is it locked?" Flynn asked.

"It feels jammed, if anything. I can't even rattle the knob."

Flynn tried himself and sure enough the knob wouldn't even twist. The brass knob was smooth and the double-doors devoid of a keyhole. "It doesn't even have a lock. Maybe the hinge got jammed?"

"I could go outside and see if I can get through the window," Estelle suggested.

"Just a sec," Yuri said. "I'm gonna try something. Step back, Flynn."

Flynn stepped aside. "What are you going to-?"

Yuri slammed his foot against the left door with a mighty bang, and both doors swung open. He started to fall forward, but Estelle caught him before he could land on his face. "Thanks." He straightened up and stepped into the room. "There, nothing to it."

Inside, Flynn examined the hinges and experimentally swung the door back and forth. Now that they were in, it moved easily like it had recently been greased. The knobs turned smoothly, and other than the crack in the panelling where Yuri had kicked, there was nothing wrong with the doors at all. Weird.

After that, he turned to see the rest of the room. It was a lot like the family room, with sofas and armchairs and a coffee table. A huge square rug covered nearly the entire floor, and the pale blue walls were adorned with paintings of lighthouses and ships at full sail. There was no sign of life under the furniture, in the closet, or behind the curtains. Estelle even checked inside the body of grandfather clock that stood next to a floor-length tapestry depicting deer in the woods.

"Do you smell something?" Estelle asked, sniffing the air.

Flynn and Yuri both stopped to sniff as well. Now that she'd drawn attention to it, he noticed a tang in the air. It was so faint he struggled to put his finger on it, but it seemed somewhat sour.

Yuri closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "It smells sort of like when a rat dies in the walls, but on the tail end of still being able to smell it."

"That's it," Flynn nodded. The smell was something rotten, but so faint it was hard to pinpoint.

Estelle looked around the room with a frown. "Where could it be coming from?"

"Perhaps a mouse died in the walls." It was the simplest explanation, but Flynn still felt uneasy. The smell alone wouldn't have worried him, but coupled with the inexplicably jammed doors, the whole room made him nervous. Something about the room set him on edge, but like the odour, it was too mild to put into words.

"There's nobody in here," Estelle said, hurrying to the doors. "We should move on."

The others felt the room's edge as well, and no one objected to moving on and closing the doors behind them. As they stepped into the foyer, something thumped upstairs. All heads shot up, and as one they ran to the stairs.

Yuri made it first, stopping in the middle of the top landing. He sheathed his sword and shook his head. "It was just a falling picture."

Next to the door to Flynn's room, a painting lay flat on the floor. Flynn vaguely recalled that it was some naturey scene, and had been hanging on the wall next to his door. "Bad timing. I suppose the wire broke."

Estelle crouched and picked it up, revealing an oil painting of the point behind the house. "It looks undamaged. Good, I wouldn't want to break anything in Mr. Yates' house. The nail must have slipped." She hung it back on the wall, carefully straightening it, and then stepping back. The nail it hung from remained stable. "Um… it looks like it's fixed now."

"So it would seem," Flynn said. That was… odd.

They searched the upstairs rooms, but by this point they didn't expect to find anything. After all, they'd been up here just a short while ago and didn't notice anything odd. They checked behind every curtain, under the beds, and in the bathroom. Nothing.

"If there was someone inside," Yuri said when the reconvened on the landing, "it looks like they're gone now."

Estelle shuddered. "That's almost worse. Now we have no idea who it might have been or what they wanted."

"Whatever the case," Flynn said, "they apparently had no intention of hurting us. I think the best we can do is try to relax today and lock the doors extra tight tonight."

Estelle didn't see much of Flynn throughout the day, but she didn't hold it against him. She gave him a book and he curled up on the couch by the hearth and hadn't moved for the rest of the day. It was sweet to see him so comfortable, drifting between reading and the occasional nap, more free than he'd been in months. It was good for him to have a day to spend doing absolutely nothing.

Her own day had been fairly similar. She sat on the bench on the back porch, swaying back and forth with her feet pulled up. Summer wasn't as strong this close to the coast, but the wind wasn't so cold she couldn't let he bare toes curl on the polished wood. Every now and then she looked up from her book to gaze at the ocean stretching into the distance. Waves lapped the cliff and gulls called to each other as they flew over the sea. It was so much more peaceful here than at the castle, and she'd even managed to stop worrying about the apparent intruder. Whoever it had been, they were long gone now.

The chains squeaked as the bench swayed back and forth. She'd listened to the bench sway all night. It had been annoying at first, but she had quickly grown accustomed to the rhythmic creaking. A thought poked its head into her mind, too blurry and distant to decipher. Something about the creaking of the bench…

Her eyes drifted to the beam the bench hung from -

"Hey."

Estelle's head whipped around when the back door swung open and Yuri strolled onto the porch, and then shot back to the beam so quickly she feared she'd pulled a muscle. Her eyes locked on the dusty wood of the roof, hands clenched around her book.

"Are you ok?" Yuri asked.

Estelle stared for another second, and then let out a slow breath and lowered her head. "Yes. Sorry. I just… thought I saw something."

Yuri stood next to the bench, put his hands on his hips, and looked up. "Something like what?"

Estelle followed his gaze, frowning. There was nothing up there but smooth, white-painted planks, crossbeams dusted with dirt, and a few thicker beams cutting across, such as the one the bench hung from. The angle of the setting sun created long shadows, but none were so dark to hide anything larger than a spider. "I don't know. It was in the corner of my eye for less than a second, but… it was looking at me."

Yuri's frown deepened. "Well… there's nothing there now."

"No." She slipped a bookmark into her book and closed it. "I must have been imagining things." She finally paid attention to Yuri and noticed he carried a sandwich on a plate.

"This is for you." He set the plate on the bench beside her. "Room service. Or, porch service."

"Oh, thank you, Yuri! You didn't have to do that."

"Nah, it was no trouble. I was already making one for me. I don't think Flynn even looked up when I gave him his."

With a beam, Estelle looked over her shoulder through the window to see Flynn still curled up on the couch. "It's nice for him to get a break."

"Yeah. Every time I visit he's so stressed out. This was a great vacation idea."

"Oh, Yuri, did you check if there are ingredients to make a cake in the pantry?"

He nodded and then jumped off the porch. Steps, apparently, were beneath him. "Yep. I'll make it tomorrow."

Estelle watched Yuri stroll across the grass, wondering what he'd been doing all day. She and Flynn had been content to sit around and read books, but Yuri was used to far more activity. This was just the vacation Flynn needed, but suddenly she felt guilty for bringing Yuri. He'd agreed instantly when she suggested it, and they both knew this trip was for Flynn, but she felt bad for bringing Yuri out to the middle of nowhere with nothing to do.

For now he seemed content to stroll along the cliff, looking out to sea and kicking pebbles over the edge. She wanted to warn him to be careful on the edge of the cliff, but Yuri wasn't the sort to take kindly to safety reminders.

"Hey, Estelle, come look at this." He'd stopped near where the land projected outward and stared at the ground.

Estelle set her half-eaten sandwich on the bench and joined him to investigate. What he'd found was a broken plank of wood sticking out of the ground, like a fence board that had been snapped off a couple of inches out of the ground. Estelle ran her fingers across the jagged edge; it must have broken years ago.

"What do you think this was?"

"Maybe they were trying to build a fence. They had a kid, didn't they? Letting a kid play outside here would be dangerous."

"It looks like they only got one post in. Maybe the Adephagos happened and they left before completing it."

"Could be."

Estelle wandered away from the wooden anomaly and up the outcropping. She hadn't explored up here yet, and wanted to see what the view was like from the point. The ground sloped up as grass gradually gave way to rock, until at the very end she stood on uneven boulders. The wind snatched away her breath and she stepped back, just in case. She'd gotten a brief view of waves crashing against sharp rocks below, but wasn't keen on experiencing them up close.

What she had seen, though, was dry sand surrounding the mouth of the cave. Estelle hurried back down to Yuri and said, "I think we can enter the cave now. The tide is out."

Yuri peered over the edge of the cliff. "Hey, you're right. Let's go get Flynn before it starts coming in again."

Estelle grabbed her sandwich and ate while walking into the house. She smiled at Flynn, still exactly where they'd left him but a little farther in the book.

"Yo, Flynn," Yuri called, strolling to the side of the couch and leaning over Flynn's head. "Are you at a place where you can stop?"

Flynn craned his neck back to look up at Yuri. "Yes, just let me finish this page." He turned his eyes back to the book, but a thought crossed his mind and he looked over his shoulder at Estelle eating the last of her sandwich by the door. "Did you guys just come in?"

Yuri nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Flynn frowned, eyes drifting to the ceiling. "Huh… I thought I heard you upstairs a minute ago."

A shiver rushed through Estelle and her eyes went to the ceiling as well. "What did you hear?"

"I wasn't really paying attention." His book landed on the coffee table with a thud and he stood. "Shuffling, a creak, a thud, things like that. I didn't make note because I thought you were up there."

Yuri's expression hardened. "Looks like our visitor is back. Flynn, is your sword handy?"

He shook his head and spoke softly. "I left it in my bedroom. What about you two?"

Estelle hugged herself. "Me, too."

Bang!

All three heads snapped up at the sudden noise.

"Awesome." Yuri clenched his fists and strode toward the stairs. "Well, Flynn, we used to beat up guys twice our size with nothing but our fists."

Flynn followed, face filled with concern rather than cocky determination. He made a fist, but cradled it in his other hand. "Those aren't exactly instances I'd like to relive. Lady Estellise, perhaps you should stay-"

Estelle walked past him to follow Yuri.

Flynn sighed. "It was worth a shot."

They crept up the stairs. Another bang sounded through the house, making Estelle jump. If someone had broken in, they were certainly terrible at sneaking. On the top landing, they heard a third bang and were now close enough to tell it was coming from Yuri's room.

"Flynn, Estelle," Yuri said in a low voice, "Get your swords."

Estelle dashed to her room while Yuri stood ready outside his door. Her sword sat on her trunk in the closet (had she left the closet door open? She couldn't remember now) and then they ran back out to stand in front of Yuri.

Bang! The sharp crash came just as Flynn emerged, sword in hand. He threw the door open, sword out and ready to fight.

A few seconds later, Flynn lowered the sword and walked slowly into the room. Estelle followed, turning on the light as she went. The room was empty, but the window hung open. It slammed against the frame with another loud bang and then drifted open again in the breeze.

"False alarm," Flynn said. "Just remember to close your window next time, Yuri."

Yuri pulled it shut. "I don't even remember opening it."

Just in case, Flynn checked the closet. Yuri hadn't put any of his clothes away, so it was easy to tell it was empty. Estelle crouched to check under the bed, but the bottom of the frame was low enough to the ground that nobody could get under it without crushing a variety of bones.

"This must have been all I heard," Flynn said. "The window banging and the wind."

"I guess so." Estelle looked around the room, expecting to find something but she didn't know what. All three of them shared an apprehensive expression. It was too late to pretend there was nothing eerie about the house, but they had no evidence and nothing tangible to be afraid of.

"Let's get down to the beach," Yuri said. "Exploring a cave sounds cool, right?"

"Yes, let's." The house was making Estelle feel nervous. A break down to the beach was just what she needed.

Yuri found a lantern in the closet in the foyer, and then they left the house behind. Estelle made extra sure to lock all the doors, just in case. Down at the beach, the low tide exposed more sand than ever and it was an easy walk to the cave.

"Slow down, Lady Estellise," Flynn said when she ran forward. "You might trip on something without light."

She waited in the mouth of the cave for Yuri to arrive. It was a cool day, but even that felt warm compared to the chill of the cave. Estelle stared into the inky depths, imaging what marvellous mysteries it might contain.

Yuri and Flynn caught up quickly, and then the lantern illuminated a long stone passage. They walked forward slowly, feet sinking into the cold, damp sand. The roof was high, maybe twice as tall as her, and the passage was wide enough she could lie straight with plenty of room to spare.

"How did this cave get here, anyway?" Yuri asked, stepping on a boulder jutting out of the sand like an island. "Something didn't burrow it, right?"

"I don't think so." Estelle stopped to run her hand over the rough wall. "Sea caves are formed over thousands of years by waves eroding a weak point in the cliff. Most of them are just shallow recesses, but some can be quite deep. I read it in a book."

"So how deep is this one, I wonder?" Yuri held the lantern up and tried to see to the end, but the light wasn't strong enough to penetrate that far.

"Hello!" Flynn shouted, and a soft, lo, lo, lo… bounced back at them. "It's big enough to cause an echo, at least."

"I did bring my sword, at least," Yuri said, strolling forward. "So if we run into any monsters, I'm ready."

"Me, too," Estelle said. "But I don't think it will be necessary. There's no food source in the cave and it's inaccessible by water for most of the day, so it doesn't seem like a good home for anything more than snails."

"Hey, look," Yuri stopped and shone the light ahead.

A second passage broke off from this one, but now that she looked closer, Estelle spotted a few more openings on the rock ahead. "Let's see where this one goes," she said, turning left into the first tunnel. It curved, and then forked off as well. The right fork turned and let out at what she was certain was the same tunnel they'd come from, while the left fork travelled further into the cliff.

"We should be careful," Flynn said. "If it keeps branching like this, we might get lost."

"Keep an eye on our footprints," Estelle said. "No one has been in here since the tide went out. The sand is perfectly smooth except for our prints."

"Good thinking, Estelle." Yuri chose the left fork and strode ahead. "We won't stay too long, though. Once the tide starts coming in again, those prints'll be washed away."

"Right," Flynn said, checking over his shoulder. They could still faintly see light from the entrance. "Let's be careful." As soon as he said that, Flynn stumbled and fell forward, catching himself on Estelle's shoulder. "Ah! Sorry, Lady Estellise."

"Are you ok?"

"What did you trip on?" Yuri said, laughter in his smile. "A particularly stiff clump of sand?"

"No, it was solid and round."

Yuri lowered the lantern and the light glinted off a shiny green glass. Flynn picked up a cloudy bottle, half-filled with watery sand. "Someone has been in here, it would seem."

"Looks like it," Yuri said. "Though it's probably been here for years."

They explored the cave further. Now that Estelle was looking, she spotted more artifacts buried in the sand. Flasks, buckles, coins, and more mundane things like driftwood and dried seaweed. They lurked half-buried behind boulders and in crevices.

"You know, I think maybe these items weren't left here by people." She took Flynn's hand and he helped her step up on a large boulder to avoid a tide pool otherwise cutting off the tunnel.

"Oh, so these are bottles from the famous beer-drinking fish monsters, then?" Yuri held out the lantern to illuminate the sand as she and Flynn hopped off the boulder.

"No, I think the water brought them in. The tide washes everything into the cave, and then when it pulls out the items get lodged in the sand and left behind. I bet there's even more stuff at the very back of the cave. Over the years, I'm sure countless treasures got washed back there!" Her excitement grew at the thought. "Maybe if we find the furthest cavern, we'll find a stockpile of old pirate treasure!"

Flynn laughed. "More likely a pile of fish bones and kelp, but pirate treasure sounds much more interesting."

They came out in a cavern with a selection of tunnels to choose from. By now they were so deep in the cave that Yuri's light was the only salvation from darkness so thick she could cut it with a knife. The light fell on a piece of wood buried in the sand, and when Estelle dug it out she found a toy horse.

"Now I'm sure the tide brought it in," she said. "No one would let a child young enough to play with this so deep into the cave."

"Too bad, either way," Yuri said. "Poor kid lost their toy."

"It probably belonged to the kid who used to live in our house," Flynn said. "Anyway, I think we should start heading back. I'm not sure how long we've been here and the tide might start coming in soon."

"I was thinking the same thing," Yuri said. "You ready to go back, Estelle?"

She nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't want our feet to get wet."

Going back before the water returned was also essential because it let them follow their footsteps. Estelle hadn't realized just how twisted their route had become until she tried picking which tunnel to follow without looking at the ground. Her thoughts went back to the toy they'd found, fervently praying it was indeed washed in by the tide. She could just imagine a small child wandering into the cave at low tide and getting hopelessly lost. How deep would the water be at high-tide? Deep enough to drown a child? That might be a better fate that lurking through the tunnels for days, slowly dying of dehydration. She found herself sticking closer to Yuri's light.

Exploring the cave had been great fun, but reaching daylight again was a relief. Water lapped the mouth of the cave, so they ran to the end of the main tunnel before it could get any closer. As it was, they tried to run for the beach while the wave receded, and seawater lapped at their heels just as they reached dry sand.

"It sure comes in fast," Yuri said, sitting in the sand.

Flynn nodded. "It's hard to believe that in only a few hours, everywhere we walked will be underwater."

"I guess we should go back up," Estelle said.

"Yeah." Yuri gazed up the cliff at the barely-visible roof. "Let's see if our intruder came back for another visit."

"It's just so creepy," Estelle said as they started up the stairs. "To think that someone might be sneaking into our house while we're gone… or worse, while we're still there!" She shuddered. After all the monsters and villains they'd faced, Estelle wasn't exactly frightened of a run-of-the-mill burglar. She'd just rather face them right out than lie in bed paranoid that someone had been in her room while she was gone.

At the top of the stairs, Estelle turned to the house, ready for anything. The back door was shut and none of the windows open, so-

Flynn gasped and drew his sword.

"What?" Yuri's eyes darted between Flynn and the house. "What did you see?"

Estelle stared at the house while goosebumps rose along her arms.

"I saw something in your window," Flynn said softly. "A shadow. Maybe the shape of a person. It moved too quickly to tell."

Yuri grimaced. "I sure hope there's a person up there. Then I can kick his ass and put an end to this nonsense."

Flynn and Estelle were equally eager to end this. Swords drawn, they followed Yuri into the house. As soon as they stepped inside, a series of soft footsteps ran over their heads. Estelle's heart skipped a beat, but at least it was concrete proof that there was definitely someone up there. At least they didn't sound very large. She shared a determined look with Yuri, and then all three of them headed up to confront the interloper.

There was nothing. For what felt like the hundredth time, they thoroughly searched the upstairs, peeking in all the closets and checking under all the beds. No one on the landing, no one in the bathroom, no one in the study, and no one in the bedrooms.

"Where the hell are you!?" Yuri shouted when they stood on the landing again. "We know you're in here. Come out now and we won't hurt you."

Estelle's gaze drifted around the landing, searching for any sign of the intruder. She knew she'd heard footsteps up here.

Then someone giggled. It was playful, high-pitched, and too faint to pinpoint a direction. All three looked around on high-alert, but the house remained still.

"Who's there?" Flynn called. The silence was so final it was an answer on its own.

Estelle pressed against Flynn's shoulder. "I know this is going to sound weird, but… do you guys think… this house is haunted?"

Yuri grimaced and lowered his sword, since it didn't look like anyone was going to attack them. "I think you might be right."

"Ghosts?" Flynn frowned. "I hesitate to believe it. Based on the evidence, though…."

"To be honest, I'd prefer it was a ghost," Yuri said. "I like that better than thinking some creeper is hiding in our house and messing around when we're not looking. A ghost sounds a lot less threatening than that."

"True," Flynn said. "If it is indeed a ghost, they don't seem to be dangerous. Opening windows and messing with pots is more annoying than threatening."

Estelle backed away and leaned against the wall, deep in thought. Her eyes fell on the painting that had fallen this afternoon, and then she thought about the pots stacked in a tower and the playful giggle. The little wooden toy deep in the cave crossed her mind again, and she said, "I think it's a child. These things that have happened seem to me like a little boy or girl playing around."

"Mr. Yates did say the Caverlys had a kid," Yuri said. His thoughtful expression turned sad. "You know that fence post we found, Estelle? What if there's a reason they never finished building it."

Estelle's fingers covered her mouth as grief hit her face. "Oh, no… you don't think…?"

Flynn filled in the pieces. "Maybe it wasn't the Adephagos that drove Mr. and Mrs. Caverly from this house. Maybe their child fell from the cliff and they couldn't bear to stay here any longer."

"But the child is still here." Estelle's heart went out to the young, lost soul. "How awful. They must be scared and lonely out here all alone."

"I wonder if there's anything we can do," Yuri said.

"For now, probably not," Flynn said. "Perhaps when we get back to Zaphias we can research any paranormal theories. I wouldn't even know where to begin trying to help a ghost move on."

"Yes." Estelle nodded sagely. "We simply have to help this child as soon as we can."

"Until then, there's nothing to do but live with it." Yuri shrugged. "Change under your covers if you're worried about being spied on."

They agreed that there was nothing to be done but deal with the ghost, and retired for bed.

It was actually exciting, Estelle thought later as she lay in bed. A real live ghost - er, a real dead ghost - in their house. She'd always believed in ghosts, and their experiences on the Atherum only confirmed it was possible. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation, but this was the kind of excitement she could handle.

She closed her eyes and drifted toward sleep with the sound of the creaking bench in the background. The steady creak made a relaxing white noise layered over the rhythm of the waves. Creak… creak… creak…

Estelle had just about fallen asleep when a thought struck her and she opened her eyes. Creak… creak… That was the bench swaying on the porch, except… that wasn't what the bench sounded like. She'd spent the entire afternoon swinging back and forth on it, and the chains had made more of a rusty squeak. This didn't sound like metallic links at all. It sounded like… well, she wasn't sure.

She slipped out of bed and crept to the window. Maybe it was a tree? There were no trees up here, there. She stared out the window at the empty grass, but didn't see a source. It sounded like it was coming from the porch, but she didn't have a window on that side

Estelle walked to the door, slowly. She would pop down to the porch and check it out. When her bedroom door swung open, the darkness of the landing unfolded before her. The only light came from what little moonlight filtered up from the windows downstairs, and she could see nothing but vague outlines of the walls. The light switch was on the other side, by the stairs. That was ok, there was nothing to worry about tripping over. It was silly to be afraid, but the excitement of having a ghost in the house seemed a lot less fun late at night. She'd just turn her bedroom light on to illuminate the hallway.

She looked to the switch on her wall and flipped it on, and then her head whipped back to the stairs. Had she just seen -? No. There was nothing. Her overactive mind had just imagined that humanoid shadow lurking in the darkness only a few feet from where she stood. She'd only seen it out of the corner of her eye and it was gone within the millisecond it took to look closer, so it must just be a trick of the light playing on her nerves.

Light from her bedroom spilled across the landing, which was perfectly devoid of ghosts. There was nothing there, and even if there was, they'd already determined that the ghost was a harmless child.

She could tell herself that as much as she wanted, but she still turned around and decided the mysterious creaking wasn't that big a deal anyway. Estelle turned off the light and crawled back into bed. Outside, the steady creaking continued. She tried her bet to tell herself it was nothing to be afraid of, but it took a long time to finally drift to sleep.