BEEP!
Jordan's alarm clock went off; it was approximately 7:30 in the morning. She reached over to hit the snooze button.
Why did I set my stupid clock today? It's Saturday...oh, right, Middleton Place.
The girl groaned and sat up before reluctantly leaving the comfort of her bed.
Well, at least I won't be going alone...
"Jula! Get up! It's time to get ready!" she called from the doorway of her sister's room.
"But Jor, it's Saturday." replied Jula sleepily.
"Jula, we're going to Middleton Place. You can sleep later."
"Oh, yeah..."
"Don't tell me you forgot already. You were totally psyched about it yesterday."
"Oh I didn't forget; I just didn't think we'd be going right when the tours started."
"Well I have to work later today, so there was no other time we could do it. Now get up."
"Fine, punk." Jula replied. "Who's driving?"
"Mom. Dad is going to need the truck for another day or so. Now hurry up!"
"I'm hurrying! God!"
It was nearly nine when Jula and her sister arrived at Middleton place.
"Do you girls want me to stay, or do you want to just call me when you're finished researching?" their mother asked as they got out of the car.
"We'll call you." Jula answered.
"All right, I have to run some errands, but my phone should be on. I'll see you two later."
"Bye, Mom." The girls spoke in unison.
"Alright, let's go pay and get in!" Jula giggled excitedly.
"And I thought you were tired." Her sister replied with an emphatic eyeroll.
"Yeah, well... that was earlier. This is Middleton Place."
The elder sister laughed.
"You're crazy!"
Interesting oil paintings... I can't believe it; they actually date back to the 18th century... It's too bad that the House Museum is the only remaining part of the original mansion. I wish I could have seen what it looked like back then.
Jordan Cole stood observing an oil painting of Henry Middleton. Slowly, the painting began to shift, as if peeling back the layers of age and dust it had endured, but she did not notice.
"I wonder if Jula has seen this yet." She muttered. "I should go get her."
But when she turned to leave the room, Jake noticed that something about her surroundings looked different...rooms in the House Museum part of Middleton Place that will take you back in time if you're not careful...
Could it be?
"Yeah right; that's stupid." she chided herself, and left the room.
"Jula? Jula, where are you?" she called as she wandered through the house looking for her sister.
Odd. Where has everyone gone off to?
Leaving the House, Jameson went back out on to the grounds, where she found an exceedingly large group of people standing outside; it was nighttime.
Uh, I wasn't staring at the picture for that long. At least I don't think so.
"Jula?" she began to get worried. "Jula this isn't funny anymore! Jula, where are you?!"
Suddenly, Jordan felt an ironclad grip on her shoulder as someone took hold of her and turned her roughly around.
"In god's name, stop your yapping!" hissed an angry voice from above her head.
Staring upward, she met the gaze of a devilishly chilling pair of eyes; she'd seen them before, in her history book at school. True enough, she had never really taken in the picture, but she never forgot the cold, unhappy, gaze; it belonged to Colonel William Tavington of His Majesty's British Green Dragoons.
Don't be stupid. That's not Colonel Tavington. He's probably a living historian. And if he is, he's definitely playing the part...
However, before she could take in any more of him, her thoughts were interrupted by his pin-sharp voice.
"Are you deaf? Daft, perhaps, hm? Now answer me: What in the hell are you doing here, dressed in...in...scandalous-looking trousers and a shirt, no less? Are you some sort of freak-entertainment? Whatever you are, you're yelling at the top of your voice, and our guests have noticed!"
Jordan's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open.
"Sir, I lost my sister, and am trying to find her. I'm sorry for upsetting you and your guests." she replied with a touch on the 's' to emphasize her huffy mood.
The historian's eyes narrowed.
"Forget it, I'll just use my phone."
"Phone? What are you talking about?" he asked suspiciously.
The girl looked at him and began to laugh.
"Oh, this is great…"
"What are you blubbering about?" he demanded, grabbing her arm.
"Oh come on, drop your act."
The man growled, "Come with me-"
He began to drag the girl forcefully away, toward a more private area of Middleton Place.
"Colonel Tavington?" a man who spotted them asked as she was being pulled along at a breakneck pace toward the back end of the stables. "Who is she?"
"No one of your concern. Just a runabout, behaving like a prat. Nothing I can't handle."
The captain's expression became quiet and grim.
"Evening, then, Sir…" he mumbled, but Jordan was focused on other concerns.
Colonel Tavington...Colonel Tavington? Is everyone always so in character here, or- Ohhhh no… This so can NOT be happening!