Skeletons in the Closet

[IceQueen]

Ana hadn't been paying much attention after setting down the prayer bottle with a soft "Sorry". She had just been generally looking around and trying to capture her wits. They had just gone through something traumatic, there was no point to keep shaking in her boots now. The hell wouldn't be over until they were all out of there and safely back in the Inn getting their asses wasted.

Ana perked up at the sound of her friend and wandered into the front hall. She glanced around for a moment and then back at the door to see Kelsey charging out into thin air and then disappearing.

"KELSEY!" Ana screamed into the nothingness, only to be launched backwards by her body being thrown back through the invisible void. After a loud thunk and some muttered cuss words Ana shot up and grasped her friends shoulders.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING. I JUST GOT YOU BACK GOD DAMN IT I WILL USE JOSEPH'S LEASH IF I HAVE TO!" She wailed at the top of her lungs, shaking her friend violently. There was irritation and relief boiling behind her gaze. Her anger seemed to dissipate as London turned to them.

"If brute force doesn't work then I would say we should probably get to where Salem is, no matter how much I want to deck him right now. We can do that after we get a solid explanation of what the fuck their family is doing."

 

[Haru Nyan]

"Thanks, Kels, I always knew our friendship could stand the test of time." Ethan rolled his eyes at Kelsey's comment...but he had to agree. Jo is far too much of a precious cinnamon bun to be dying, hell, just the mere thought of him perishing would probably send most of the group towards a downward spiral. Kindall-thank gods above he can actually speak properly now- raised a very good point, it seemed like a classic death trap scenario...He wouldn't be surprised if the Hayes' servants somehow ninja'd their way from the second story window and jump in front of them like it was nothing, bonus points if they strike a pose. Kelsey, foolhardy bitch that she was, stepped right in on that shit, and then...nothing.

His eyes shot up the moment Kelsey vanished from thin air like it was some sort of magic trick.

Nononononononononononononono

Panic, fear, despair, it all rose up in his body like a three-for-one sundae in a heady mixture. He wanted to run after her, they spent all this time trekking Whittle Grove, drugged up by some Addams Family rip-offs, and forced to sit through some electric chair BS, they weren't going to lose Kelsey again. The sight was nerve-wracking to say the least, and her sudden re-appearance only served to exacerbate his tension. He wanted to make light of the situation but was just fucking glad that Kelsey was safe...at least he had hoped so anyway.

"Safe to say that whatever kind of hell we're in right now, I'm pretty sure Aperture Science doesn't have anything to do with it." This entire house was a lie, truth be told. At the mention of VR and the Matrix, the young man instinctively began to pinch his cheek, as hard as he could but to no avail. He tried to slap himself, but the result only left him with an irritating sensation on his face. Tempted, he wanted to try and use some boiling water to see if he could-hypothetically-wake up from this supposed dreamscape via pain.

The idea however was whisked away when Salem's voice resounded through the walkie-talkie, hearing the voice of the boy from the other end of the line only served to fill him with dread. Who is he? He wondered aloud, was it Paul? Slenderman? Mothman? Pyramid Head? Some sort of Outer God out in the vastness of space and time? He sighed and his body slumped, a heavy weight placed upon their shoulders once again...

"I say we chuck that sunovabitch the moment we see him."

 

[Ashi]

​

"That's not fucking creepy." Jace muttered, anxiously eying the walkie-talkie and the red balloon askance. He knew what the balloon was from, the very same movie from which Ella's costume came: IT. The last thing they all needed after moss monsters, angry poltergeists, and a family of sociopaths was an Eldritch Abomination that ate children. Well, maybe they'd be safe, since they were adults. With any luck, it would eat Salem and Ella and leave Jace and his friends alone. Yet that somehow didn't seem like a possibility. Jace's attention strayed from the radio as Kelsey headed for the door. In spite of Milton's common sense protest, she opened it, revealing a clear path to the gate and the woods beyond.

"Kelsey, wait. Don't just--!" He extended a hand to grab her shoulder, to stop her from leaving. He was going to insist that he go first, but it was too late. One second she was stepping over the threshold, the next she was gone. Jace's stomach sank. "No, it can't be." His lips trembled, his arm dropping slowly to his side. They had all just gotten her back, and just like that she was gone again. Then, just like that, she was back again. In the blink of an eye, she came flying through the open door and plowed into Ana and Marten, knocking them to the floor.

Jace released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as relief washed over him. Ana wailed, her feelings the same as Jace's. Hell, they all probably felt that way. Kelsey on the other hand was livid. She vented her rage, which only got worse as Milton theorized about holograms and virtual reality. He marched over to them, grabbing each Kelsey's and Milton's shoulders with each hand and shoving them apart.

"Would the two of you stop antagonizing each other?!" Jace barked, about to let them both have it when the static came over the radio. He turned slowly to look at it over his shoulder as London picked it up. As if Salem's words caused that last nerve to snap, Jace snatched the radio from London's hand and pressed the button to speak into it. "Believe me, we'll find you. And when we do, I'm going to kick your punk ass." He growled, visibly shaking. The knuckles of the hand that clenched the radio were white. This was all Salem's fault and Jace intended to make him pay for it one way or another.

"London, you still got that letter?" He asked, holding out his other hand for it. Once obtained, he looked at the map. "Salem's room is in the right wing. I say we cut across the living room to the ballroom and use the right wing stairs. It's a more direct route... Unless you all want to investigate the left wing first? Then we can use the stairs in the dining room?" He asked, looking round at everyone. "And everybody stay close, don't wander off. You especially." He said, making a point to look at Kelsey.

 

[Impudimp]

Now wait just a damn minute. What about Slendy? The Miku-for-a-day girl had her attention pulled away from drawer rambling at the mention of supernatural, doom monsters. She did not do evil whatchamacallits or dastardly strangers. "Um, guys, we should find Salem..." She murmured in the dark, bemusedly listening to the back and forth conversations and internally shuddering every time Milton spoke. It was as grating as any nails on any chalkboards.

They were all making good points, but she liked to go with her women's intuition on some things, and whether they were caught in some old-timey horror film or not, she just knew that it wasn't going to be as simple as walking out the door. She also could have told Kelsey that that phone was not going to be of any help. Phones never worked in the movies, duh. If they made it out in any case, then she was willing to bet her toenails that the outside was ten times more dangerous than the inside.

She gripped the katana tightly moving back toward London's light, because the light was always the safest place to be. Occasionally she'd nod her head as if her friend group could even see her agreeing in the first place. It was a force of habit that was in no way going to be broken, even in as strenuous an evening as this was proving to be. Noting that Ana hadn't grabbed up the bottle of water from before she snagged it just as Ethan made his way for the fridge. Holy water was best water after all, plus when London had doused the katana before it had managed to ward off Polly. Maybe it worked on Eldritch abominations too? Or... whatever Peter turned out to be... Or the new terrifying mystery that was Johnny... Or God-forbid Tam Tam?! -- Wait, seriously, Eskimo pies? Who even knows where to get those? They're as freaking elusive as Dunkaroos! Well... Technically Canada has them still, so... At least someone is still winning life right now.

She mentally shook her head, biting her bottom lip in unbridled agitation as her thoughts turned for the worst, the tangent, and back again. She was just on a long, sad journey that would remind her stomach that it hadn't actually consumed anything of substance in a while. Actually... Why aren't I hungry... I barely ate that poison food, so I should be starved by now. This time thing really isn't a joke... We're frozen, but for how long? In her heart of hearts, she had a feeling that London was on to something, which was confirmed when Kelsey bowled her over not a minute later into a heap of highly uncomfortable limbs. "Owww... fuck, that tears it, London is right you guys. We're in a time loop..." She grumbled out as she rubbed her sore places. With friends like these who needed giant rolling boulders?

Not that Kelsey could have possibly known that this would happen, but... She thought it was obvious that walking out the front door was not going to work. Didn't she, London, and Kelsey spend a significant amount of time watching horror films?! It was like a rule or something! The keys are never in the car or any place convenient, the police are always occupied or otherwise unreachable, and if it isn't locked securely, the front door is never a good idea, not to mention the back and front doors are usually an insta-death or portal to peril. Horror film 101. Now that the grunette thought about it, they had just come from the basement. Therefore, they seriously needed to avoid the attic, which was probably a very, very terrible place in lieu of the basement being rather tame if not dungeon-y.

Taking Kindall's offered hand without making eye contact, she'd clear her throat to reiterate a bit, "Guys... We should really go to Salem's room." She gave an encouraging smile to London, who clutched the walkie talkie, before adding more to her impromptu monologue, "He's the only lead we've got and if we don't want to theoretically be trapped in time with some spooky family or worse... I suggest we haul ass to the nearest available source of information before whatever 'he' is makes himself known." Marten was in full on horror survival mode and she was not keen on switching out until she was home with hot chocolate, her best friends, and Elf playing on tv for the 25 Days of Christmas that most likely started on HBO by now.

 

[Fox of Spades]

Jace ended the petty squabble before it had a chance to escalate. Emotions were running high and as much as she hated being wrong, Jace was absolutely right. They had to get out of this house. "Sorry for being an ass," she finally mumbled before she shot Ana and London, the most visibly worried of her friends, an apologetic glance.

Of course the door didn't work... she had wanted it to work so badly that she'd ignored everyone else's feelings. Fucking idiot, it's all your fault they're here in the first place. Your fucking fault for walking into the Goddamn woods when everyone told you to wait. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Kelsey only realized she was digging her fingernails into the palm of her sweaty hands when she felt Kindle give her a reassuring tap on the shoulder.

Jace was screaming into the radio, but Salem had gone quiet. No further instructions, no hints, nothing - just the continuous sound of static. "I'm with Marten and Jace," Kelsey nodded her head. "Let's go find that little shit and get some answers. We can investigate after." Ugh, she could feel an upcoming headache. Everything was unreal and stressful, and they had to hurry.

The group followed Jace's directions, cutting through the grand ballroom before racing up the stairs.

The house was empty and nobody was there, not a soul. Easily, and without interruption, the group made their way down the right wing's hallway before stopping in front of the door to Salem's room. Kelsey approached it hesitantly, eyeing her friends as her fingers clamped down on the cold, metallic doorknob.

Were they supposed to just bust in and beat him down till he answered them? She wasn't against that idea... but what if this was all some trap? Salem and Ella were the ones who'd invited her in for dinner. They were probably the ones who invited her friends into Henbard Chateu as well. "I'm going in," she whispered.

Ever so slowly, Kelsey opened the door.

Salem wasn't inside. It was just an empty room. There was a bed to the left - though it looked more like a nest considering the piles of books and clothes that surrounded it. There were two wooden shelves to the right and what appeared to be study desk. "He's not here," Kelsey scowled. "Why did he bring us here... trap?"

Kelsey made her way to Salem's cluttered desk before she noticed what appeared to be newspaper clippings hidden beneath sheets of paper. Her insides turned to ice. Something was very, very wrong.

---

The Daily Sprout and Note Fragments
​

Salem's Work Desk

Note Fragment 1:

AB [ ]
G [ ] I
[ ] F G
B [ ] D
J [ ] L

Note Fragment 2:

13th letter of the alphabet: []
25th letter of the alphabet: []

Note Fragment 3:

<<Scanned copy of a book cover>>
The Lion, The Witch and The []
<<last word has been blotted out with ink>>

Beneath the bed covers

​

 

[Haru Nyan]

The chateau had easily become a shadow of its former self...what was once a lively and merry gathering full of mischief and promise was now nothing more than a desolate and abandoned house with all the folly stripped away. The feeling was uncanny, especially as Ethan and the others trudged slowly towards their destination, namely; Salem's room. Along the way, he couldn't help but get very jumpy...He was half expecting some sort of terror or unspeakable horror to come out and jump at them in the hallways and give all of them massive heart attacks. Especially so when Kelsey opened the door to Salem's room, only to find it just as empty as the chateau.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid...He thought to himself. Who wouldn't be in their situation?

He had to admit, Salem's room fit its occupant to a tee. Something you would expect from a boy like him. It looked more like a library than a bedroom to be honest. Lots of old timey literature, horror too. Frankenstein, The Dunwich Horror, The Lottery...Though there were a few pieces that stood out, and they actually seemed...normal? Metamorphosis and Sheepwrecked seemed fairly tame in comparison to the latter pile of books. Even Ovid's Metamorphoses somehow managed to squeeze itself among the collection. "Is the trap being forced to read his entire book collection before dawn?" He said, a wry smile on his face.

"You okay, Kels? You look like you've seen a...." He inquired, his friend looking mortified at what she had just discovered on the desk. Curious, Ethan himself began to dig through the contents of the clippings, skimming through their headlines and details, finding out a...grisly detail about their predicament. Fucking shit, Ella's been dead all along. It was safe to be that even Salem was too...So...the guys they've been celebrating with, the people they've been talking with and interacting with for the past hour were they..."Ghost..."

He tried to laugh it off, there was absolutely no way those two were ghosts right?! It's all just some massive coincidence! Ghosts aren't real and they only exist within the realms of superstition and fiction!! Ethan felt uneasy, he began pacing around the room, trying to ease his nerves at the sudden revelation. It certainly hit him like a shitton of bricks, that's for sure. He went back to the article, trying to read through it again, only for some note fragments to slip through. Immediately, he began to pick the pieces of paper up, only to groan in displeasure at the sight of it. A bell sounded in his mind like an alarm. It was time for...Obligatory Puzzle Time.

"Looks like we've got a puzzle in our hands guys." He announced in the room, hoping to get everyone's attention. "Mind if I solve the third one guys?" Ethan asked, not even waiting for a response. He wasn't especially keen on solving anything that involved letters or patterns and especially not numbers, even if they were nowhere to be found on the note. He scanned through the worn cover of a book depicting a snowbound castle in the horizon, with the faces of a woman and a lion. The faintest memory of watching a movie adaptation by Disney flashing back in his mind, not to mention his dreadful attempt trying to review it for his 8th grade. Murmuring, "Wardrobe?" Something about a wardrobe? Oh god, there better NOT be some sort of dimensional portal to the Ghost Zone in Salem's wardrobe.

 

[Cartoonicat]

While thankfully uneventful, the brief trek to Salem's room was incredibly tense. London kept expecting something to pop around the corner at them or phase through the floor to snatch their ankles. Typically she'd brush off those feelings as paranoia, but things were different now; she and her friends already had a run in with a poltergeist. After tonight, London doubted she'd ever be the same again. Any of them.

And, as the saying goes, things were bound to get worse before they got better. She didn't much like thinking of that.

As they arrived at Salem's door she glanced over her shoulder at Jace; wondered if, upon meeting Salem, he actually would follow through with his threat. Probably, he seemed pretty angry. We all are, though. Not one for conflict - at least, not outside the digital realm - London tried not to frown. Not to mention the fact that Salem might very well be their only way out of there, even if he'd betrayed them in the first place. Nobody else in Henbard Chateau seemed inclined to help.

So, when Kelsey swung the door open and the room lacked the raven-haired boy, London nearly sighed in relief. Followed, third in line, Kelsey and Ethan inside. Looked around curiously. Aside from the desk, which Kelsey and Ethan had been drawn to, London perused the room. She felt... creepy, doing so. Invasive. Though, London figured they hadn't been the best of hosts thus far. She could only imagine where her backpack had ended up, along with her cellphone and wrist-light.

"He certainly likes books," she murmured, voice carrying across the quiet of the room in response to Ethan's wry joke. London herself liked to read, sure, but not surrounded by so many hardcovers and paperbacks she could play bird and make a nest. She thought back to his costume, finding it odd. Salem seemed to have a bird-theme going, whether he realized it or not.

London stepped by his bedside, fingers trailing absently along the covers as she looked to the pile of books surrounding it. Her fingertips brushed against something stiff beneath the sheets and she stopped. Instead of investigate the books, London hesitantly drew back the covers. Her eyebrows lifted as newspaper clippings came into sight.

"Oh no..." Picking them up, London carried them over to the desk and splayed them out with the other paper clippings Kelsey had found. "Guys, Kitty and Hans, they-..." London's thought trailed off and her eyes caught sight of Salem's name on one of the newspaper pieces. Her eyes widened, lips forming a silent 'dios mio'.

Does this mean they are...? No. No, no. They're not dead. At least, London chewed at her cuticle, it's not confirmed. Not yet. Sally - probably Polly - was definitely deceased, though. Drowned, just like how the poltergeist had tried to drown them.

Despite being drugged and abducted and electrocuted by those people, London found their news clippings more than a little sad. Assuming the Henbard Chateau residents hadn't actually died, it wasn't like they could just up and waltz out whenever they felt like it. Time wasn't on their side anymore; Salem and Sally, regardless of how old they currently looked, would be old in age by now. Should be old.

Something had been, or still was, in the way. Perhaps the time pocket she'd been theorizing about. But who started it all?

They might be prisoners, too.

Swallowing thickly, London looked to Ethan. Dropped her eyes to the paper snips in front of him. The first one in particular stood out to her, the missing letters automatically filling in the blanks in her head. "C-H-E-C-...K. Check, blank, and wardrobe." She turned towards the object in question, curious but not courageous.

 

[Ashi]

​

Jace led the way across the house from the dining room to the ballroom and up the stairs, with Kelsey behind him and the other girls behind her, all sandwiched in by Ethan and Milton at the rear. It was best that way, so the girls were protected. That wasn't to say that they couldn't protect themselves, as Jace knew better than that; however, they didn't have the majority of their things. They had nothing to defend themselves with aside from London's wooden katana and the rolling pin Jace found. If there came the need to fight, Jace would much rather he and Ethan and Milton fight first and the girls stay safe unless otherwise required. That was part of providing for one's family, as his dad always talked about, wasn't it?

Albeit reluctantly, Jace let Kelsey enter Salem's room first, followed by Ethan and London. The room was a mess and he wouldn't have been surprised to find that it even had the kitchen sink beneath the piles of books. Unfortunately, Salem was not to be found. "Tch!" Jace shook his head, even more determined to beat the snot out of him despite it was possibly his declaration of his intent to do so that caused Salem's absence now. He stepped on the ladder beside the bed, checking the nook in the wall to see if the boy wasn't hiding there. Of course, he wasn't. "Damn."

"What's all that?" Stepping off the ladder, Jace approached the desk where Ethan and Kelsey stood. Kelsey was entranced by some newspaper clippings, the headlines of which read Missing Boy, 17 and Memorial Service for Sally S. He leaned in closer over her shoulder so he could read the articles. The boy, Salem Johnson, disappeared while releasing a crow shortly before Halloween. The girl, Sally, was found drowned in Stilton Creek. "What the hell?" Jace breathed, eyes wide. It dawned on him then. Not only because of the name, but the crow theme Salem had going - Salem Hayes was not Salem Hayes; he was the missing Salem Johnson. As for Sally, well, that was debatable. It was possible that Ella was Sally, but it also seemed possible that the poltergeist at the creek so deemed Polly by London was Sally. London drew his attention to the other papers.

These read that a Hansel Polluck had disappeared in the woods after the sighting of a strange creature and that a Kitty Gingham disappeared when a man from the woods called her in to.. marry her? Wasn't that older maid's name Kitty and the man who dressed as a pirate named Hans? This was just getting stranger and stranger. Jace snapped back from the epiphany as London solved the first part of Salem's puzzle. Paired with the third part as solved by Ethan, the second clue became clear. "'My.' It's 'Check my wardrobe'." Jace said slowly then turned to face the large cabinet. Was Salem in there by some chance, hiding? Was it a trap? He stepped towards it with caution, rolling pin at the ready in one hand as he reached for the door handle with the other.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

​

Sense. Logic. This was how he had been living his life up to this point. Things always made sense. There was always a pattern. Not today. There was no rational explanation for everything that happened so far. Everything kept pointing back to something supernatural at work and that was driving him nuts. He needed to find some other logical explanation before London's time loop hokum ate away at his sanity.

He let out a vexed sigh before passing the articles along to Ana and Marten. The important details and the dates were already committed to memory. He toyed with the idea that the people mentioned could be the same people they met in the chateau. It seemed plausible if he was willing to accept the irrational. He took much longer this time to kill off the idea. This left him drawing another blank.

"You don't think they are pretending to be missing people?" He didn't like that idea honestly. It sounded even less plausible than the previous theory. He puffed his left cheek in exasperation and frowned. "No, that doesn't sound right either …? I mean the first thing I thought was that we met a bunch of missing people earlier. Kinda like some sort of Bermuda Triangle."

He grimaced immediately after he finished. What? Did he just talk about the Bermuda Triangle? This was absolutely insane! He needed to calm down fast. Clear his mind. Think things over again. There was always some more rational explanation behind everything. He needed a distraction or he'd go mad!

Leaving the two girls with the articles, he decided to join the rest of the group. They seemed to solving some sort of puzzle currently and it sounded like the type of distraction he needed right now. He managed to snatch the third note fragment. It was a blurry version of an all too familiar book cover – The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. No wonder Ethan was talking about the wardrobe. Milton began mussing up his hair, a nervous tick that appeared whenever he was stressed.

His mind was a battlefield. A small voice kept suggesting possible parallels between the story and their current situation. A louder voice kept trying to drown it out. Unfortunately, that tiny little voice emerged victorious. Milton soon found himself thinking about one such parallel.

In the story, he recalled, a group of children stepped into a wardrobe and found themselves in another world. Another dimension if you will … at least, that is what he remembered from the Magician's Nephew or the book before this one. The comparison led him to believe that Salem might be hinting they were in another dimension. Unless this was an elaborate hoax, which Milton was starting to doubt it was, then everything made sense. The time stopping or crawling at an infinitely slow pace and Kelsey's stunt downstairs. He wasn't very satisfied with the conclusion, though. It felt a little too convenient.

"Eh, do you guys remember anything about this book? I believe it's the second book in the series. The first one, The Magician's Nephew, clearly talked about exploring different dimensions. I mean this is quite similar to London's time loop spiel earlier … but it sounds like Salem's trying to tell something about this place we're in." He shrugged a little as if he was trying to brush off this crazy theory. "I mean why else would he have this book here. It's way below the reading level of the other books."

Passing back the note to Jace, he turned to look at Kelsey and London. "What do you think? You two are the ones most into horror movies. I don't think anything good ever comes out of opening the cupboard. Buuut … we've already checked his room. So, yeah, you two can decide what we'll be doing next. I'm not even sure where we are going with this anymore. I need time to think things through. Jace, you and Ethan are here to make sure they don't kill themselves. I'll be safe at the back with Marten, Ana and the mutt."

 

[Fox of Spades]

Ghost. Ethan summed up her thoughts in one word. If Salem went missing in the 60's, that meant he'd been missing for over half a century. He hadn't aged since then—living people grew older and living people changed with time. Still, Salem and the Hayes, they were made of flesh and blood just like her and her friends. Kelsey was just as perplexed as everyone.

There were so many things going on in Salem's room.

London had found more newspaper clippings, Ethan and Jace were dealing with the strange note fragments, and Kindle was coming up with theories on the books Salem had chosen to leave inside his room.

"I don't think they're pretending to be missing people, Kindle. If they were... that means Salem is at least 60 years old." She shook her head, pausing when London, Ethan, and Jace solved the puzzle with their combined efforts. Kindle was right to be suspicious after everything they'd been through, but Salem was their only lead, so she nodded her head in approval when Jace motioned to open the wardrobe. "Not like we have another choice, let's do it."

Both wooden doors swung open revealing a handful of items. Sitting at the bottom of the dusty wardrobe were Milton's baseball bat, Jace's first aid bag, and Ana's matches. There were also two more newspaper clippings and a hastily scrawled note on what appeared to be a page from a notebook. I want to help, was all it said.

Was Salem on their side or was he trying to gain their trust?

She walked past Jace and went for the two articles. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was growing worse. "Charlotte and Wendy, looks like they wandered off into the White woods too." She passed the newspaper clippings to the person closest to her and frowned. "It's like Salem's been collecting news articles on everyone from Henbard. Maybe he's trying to tell us something? The notes, the books, it could be anything - did any of you hear that?"

Joseff hid behind Marten and Ana and yipped worriedly at the sound.

There was the rustling of paper followed by a dull thud against the wooden floor.

A glimmer of red eyes appeared beneath the darkness of Salem's bed. A mass of black feathers propelled itself from under the bed. The crow launched itself into the air, before making a beeline for Jace's head. It nearly crashed into his face, but managed to land on his shoulder instead. It was a pretty bird, with feathers dark and collar yellow.

"The hell is a bird doing under his bed?" Kelsey screeched. "Jace, are you okay?"

The bird was using him as a perch, staring down at everyone with its dark beady eyes - watching them.

The walkie-talkie crackled to life.

​

"Unbelievable isn't it?" There was a slight pause. "I hope this information helps you. I promise, I mean no harm. I'm hiding, a place with more books." Salem's sentences were growing shorter, and it became increasingly obvious that he was trying to sound calm and in control when he was feeling the exact opposite. "He's listening."

That was the last they heard of Salem.

The bird on Jace's shoulder flapped its wings and flew out into the hallway.

Kelsey was the first to follow after it, rushing past the door and skidding to a stop the moment she entered the hallway. She swiveled her head around. Where was that bird? She looked left then right and was about to look left again when she spotted movement out of the corner of her eyes. She stared at the portrait right in front of her. She blinked. Something green and long had shot back behind the portrait.

She knew she wasn't imagining things because the frame was still knocking against the wall. "The fuck?" she stammered. It was only then she noticed an interesting caption at the bottom of the portrait. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. She glanced up. A headless man sat on his demonic steed. The horse had blazing eyes. Underneath the man's arm was a jack-o-lantern. Pumpkin head. A chill ran down her spine, as she recalled one of the poems in Salem's letter. Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater?

"What - forget it," Kelsey spoke. "I think he was talking about the library."

 

[Cartoonicat]

​

When asked if one would like to open a creepy wardrobe at the instructions of creepy notes left behind by a creepy boy in a creepy mansion, what would one say? No way in hell, surely. Be that as it may, London simply stayed quiet and let Jace open the wardrobe at Kelsey's approval. Might have even flinched a bit, eyes closed, at the sound of the door swinging open. A pathetic attempt of 'if you can't see the monster, it can't see you.'

Luckily for their group, though, no monster lie in wait behind the wardrobe doors. Just a few of their missing items: matches, a first aid bag, and a baseball bat. All very useful. There were also a few more newspaper clippings which, after slowly creeping up to peer in the wardrobe at the sign of it being void of monstrous beings, caught London's attention. Kelsey handed them to her and London poured over the documents, lips curling into a frown.

Sally was dead, but Wendy? They never found a body. Nor did they find bodies of anyone else in the documents they read so far. Assuming Sally was actually Polly, the little poltergeist - a spirit of the dead - that haunted the creek, it could be safe to assume that the rest of the Henbard Chateau residents were still alive. Or, rather, suspended in some kind of time loop or pocket that kept them immortal through whatever means. Some of them, perhaps Alfonse and Mrs. Putts, might be older in reality than the human body could accommodate. Combined with her Hallow's Eve theory, it would explain their sagging skin the closer they got to the end of the day. London wondered if Salem's skin sagged, too, which would send her back to the drawing board from scratch.

Folding the pieces of paper along with the other documents from the desk, London tucked them snuggly in the zipped outer pocket of the group's sole backpack. She didn't have any pockets - leggings didn't really provide that kind of luxury - but she wanted to hold on to all the clues they came across. Keep them close. London didn't plan on fighting, so she could dub herself their... secretary, of sorts. Yeah, secretary sounds good to me.

What didn't sound good? The rustling, thumping noise from below Salem's bed. London whipped her head in its direction, instinctively moving behind the closest person. A beady-eyed crow erupted from the hiding spot and even though it aimed at Jace, London couldn't help but yip and drop to her knees, head bowed and hands defensive. Tentatively, London looked up as the walkie-talkie crackled to life. Rose, eyes wary and watching the crow on Jace's shoulder for any indication it might try to peck at their eyes. Found herself distracted, however, by Salem's parting words.

He's listening.

A chill ran up her spine and her grip on the flashlight tightened. Rooted her in place, even when the crow shot back into the air and lured Kelsey out into the hallway. Obviously Salem had been talking about the library, but if he was listening, didn't that mean he knew where they were? At this very moment? Would know, for certain, once they went to the library? London's knees buckled. There was too much at stake; they could risk discovery by an unknown entity by following Salem's trail or they could risk just as much by leaving Salem alone. Would Salem be punished for trying to help them? Would they need him later on, only to find he did away with their one chance at surviving? Would they run right into his clutches by entering the library?

Stop. Not now.

She inhaled sharply. A ball of tightness seized her chest, forcing her to lean into the wardrobe doors. London ran shaky fingers through her hair and tried to breathe. They hadn't just been abducted; they were being stalked, too. Stalked by something they didn't know or understand. She couldn't handle the idea that someone, something, was keeping tabs on them. Their actions, their own words, didn't belong to just them anymore.

Stop. It's okay. We're all together. We're all going to be fine.

London wiped her eyes again and counted the names of her friends, one by one, in a whisper: "Marten, Kelsey, Kindall, Ethan, Jace, Ana, Joseff..." Pushed off of the wardrobe, wiped sweaty palms on her leggings, and marched with jelly-knees towards the door. Panic-attack successfully avoided, for now. No, she thought, permanently. I need to be strong for this.

That's easier said than done, however; before London could lose her cool she swallowed a big breath of air and glanced at the map of Henbard Chateau. "Come-... Come on." Set off, first in line, towards the library - feeling all the while like she would throw up with each step that brought them closer to Salem.

Salem and him.

 

[IceQueen]

Ana sighed as she wandered after everyone into the bedroom. She felt like the house was going to eat her alive, or that they were all going to fall in a hole in his room. There was no such trap, however, and instead they were met with newspaper clippings and some ominous voices. "Fucking hell man." She cussed under her breath, glaring at the note left behind. They were soon lead to a wardrobe which produced a far scarier companion.

"AGH!" Ana screamed in surprise as a bird flew out of the cabinet and sat itself of Jace's shoulder before floating off towards the hallway. She reached down into the wardrobe and grasped her matches, shoving them in one of her pockets. Ana looked around at the group, glancing at London as she bravely left the room. The look on her face was familiar, almost like how she looked around her snakes but with a brave face slapped over it. Worry creased Ana's brow as she walked out of the room following London. She glanced back at the group and sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Wandering out into the hall, Ana was trying to carefully approach London while not stepping in any convenient floor traps. Glancing over at some of the decorations a flash of yellow caught her eye. Wandering towards the form, Ana slowly wrapped her arms around the bird. He seemed to agitate, much like a chicken as she picked him up but she tucked his body into her arms, seeming to calm him down. She glanced at the collar. "Lenore Huh." She mumbled, watching him calm down. "You're actually super cute." She mumbled, giving his head gentle little scritches. Tucking the bird under her left arm Ana wandered up to London and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"London, are you ok?" She said, before pausing. "You know what, I know you aren't. What's wrong man." She mumbled.

 

[Ashi]

​

The Bermuda Triangle? Was Milton serious? Jace was in awe that he would even mention such an idea, if he even had one. Milton wasn't the type to stray towards the supernatural and Jace respected that common sense attitude. That he suggested something so far-fetched-sounding made Jace feel uneasy. He didn't really expect that, after all of this, they could all go back home and pretend this never happened. Nothing would be the same in Bellwoods Hollow after tonight; they would be changed people and could never go back to how they used to be. Jace wondered if Milton was changing for the preternatural.

"Um.. I recall some, four? kids going through a wardrobe, having to fight an ice witch or something." Jace shrugged, unable to remember exactly what happened. He hadn't read the book, but had read a review about the movie adaptation. He couldn't help a smirk at Milton's decision to stay with the girls where it was safe. "What's the matter, Sherlock? Scared Narnia might actually be on the other side of the door?" He had joked before opening the wardrobe. What he found inside was not Narnia or even Salem hiding there as he might have guessed, it was some of their stuff: Milton's baseball bat, Jace's own bag of medical supplies, and Ana's book of matches. There were also some more newspaper clippings, these reading about Charlotte and Wendy, and yet another note from Salem.

Jace picked up the bag of his supplies and reached around with his free hand to stuff it in Kelsey's backpack, which he was still wearing. He stepped aside as Kelsey approached and picked up the clippings. He read over her shoulder, brows raised. "Curiouser and curiouser." The note from Salem caused him to roll his eyes. "I'll bet he wants to help." He muttered under his breath just as London put the clippings in one of the backpack's outermost pockets. This distracted him enough that he didn't hear the noise Kelsey was talking about; and he was only put on alert when Joseff hid behind the girls. Then there was a distinct thump from under the bed.

"I heard that.." Jace said, his voice low. As soon as red eyes flashed in the blackness beneath the bed, a bird launched out from its hiding place and straight for him. Jace turned his face away, blocking any attacks with his free arm; however, there were no attacks. The bird perched on his shoulder, making no move but to follow the group with its gaze. "Y-yeah, I think so." He nearly whispered, afraid that the bird might indeed attack him if he upset it somehow. The walkie-talkie crackled with static and Salem's voice came over it again. The bird then took off, wings slapping the side of Jace's face.

"Damn bird." Jace scowled and rubbed the side of his face. Next time, he'd whack it with the rolling pin. Coming back to Salem's statement, he pondered Kelsey's assumption about the library. That was the only other place likely to have books that he could think of. It seemed legit. He followed Kelsey and London out the door, prepared to head to the library when another door caught his eye. According to the map, that was Ella's room.

"Guys, hold up." He said and took a step towards the door. "Let's check in here. Not for Salem, as I doubt he's in there, but we might find something useful? More of our stuff maybe? More clues?" He looked round at them, awaiting their input. Noticing that Ana held the crow, he cringed. He didn't like the idea that the bird might be an omen.

 

[Impudimp]

​

It would have been so much easier to handle a plain and spooky Halloween. Marten followed her friends in uncharacteristic silence as she was hesitant to give voice to her paranoid musings or risk releasing the near incessant screaming that lingered in the back of her mind. In all truth, she was quite terrified - of literally all the things - and wanted nothing more than to leave Henbard Chateau post haste. It was easy to be brave when there wasn't a threat looming over your head or even in a high-stakes situation where you knew that circumstance was on your side such as earlier when they had to save Ella from the water. She could do water - All day! Water was wonderful! But this God-forsaken, medieval castle wannabe of a house oozed bad juju, and she was not feeling too lucky!

Then again... we're all here aren't we? Uncertain green eyes took in each of her friends with a weary smile, absentmindedly keeping tabs on the bottle of water she'd wedged uncomfortably into a pocket with one hand while maintaining her white knuckled grip on the katana she had yet to return to London in the other. In that way, she took it all in. Salem's room seemed to fit his cloistered personality. A temple of books, eh? Looks like we found 'The Scholar' Those characters always had useful information at least. Although the things they learned were... Let's just say she didn't particularly enjoy digesting the facts. Great... We're literally seeing dead people in a house with presumably the thing that made them dead!

Suppressing the fitting "We're all going to die!" but unhelpful thoughts, she was perfectly happy to leave the room when Edgar Poe's finest revealed itself from under the bed! "Aiiieeeee~!" And she screamed. It was pitchy, girly, and a little entonated, but it was hers. And damn it she had been holding it in for a while! Marten let one belt out, and for the heck of it, ended on a particularly high keening noise indicative of stress and desperation. Sure, a few tears slipped out, but heck if she didn't feel better.

Sometimes one just needed to scream and release some frustration. She firmly believed "Better out than in" to be the best quote in the galaxy. Wiping her newly wet eyes, she felt an embarrassed blush rise to her cheeks, muttering a small "Sorry..." to whoever might have still been in the same room as her. They seemed to be moving again and she was eager to keep up after she had unwisely sounded alarm, not that she could have helped herself. It had been building since the basement.

She managed to catch the tail end of Jace's suggestion as she left Salem's book sale behind, tagging on with a smile, "We're right here after all... We might as well look right?" She was frightened, bone tired, and more than a little pissed off just like everyone else. A moment of weakness wasn't going to stunt her desire to help puzzle and/or fight their way out of this pocket dimension. She still didn't like that bird though. It was on her suspicious list... Forever. And yes, it was just for scaring the shit out of her.

 

[Haru Nyan]

Ethan braced himself, fearing for the worst at what Salem's wardrobe was hiding from their eyes. If the whole The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe clue meant something, it wouldn't be exactly impossible for him to be hiding some sort of Dark World or portal to another dimension, given what else has happened in the past hour. Steeling himself and faintly closing his eyes as the wooden doors flew open, he let out an uncharacteristic squeal of fear, expecting some sort of demonic entity or unspeakable abomination that shan't be known to man to appear but no...

He slowly peeked open his eyes, looking down at the contents of the closet. Half-embarrassed and half-dismayed that there was no portal of any sort towards any magical dimension, but relieved all the same. More newspaper clippings, of Chalrotte and Wendy this time...Damn, now he felt sorry for most of them, reading through the newspapers faintly made Ethan wish that in another world, maybe, just maybe none of this would've happened and the laws of the universe would've allowed all of them to be normal, functioning members of society. Moreso at Salem's note, he was starting to feel conflicted about the boy...

On one hand, he's definitely in on this whole thing, with the whole drugging and BDSM electro-play dungeon earlier, but it mystified him all the same that it almost seemed like he was helping them, guiding them...Still, there was no telling if he could be fully trusted. For all they knew, he was just putting up a facade to ease them into the trap of the true puppeteer. It was like that game, Dang-

Holyshitwhatwasthatsound?!

The young man jumped from the sudden sound, and his fears only continued to escalate further when gleaming, ruby eyes stared down at all of them from underneath Salem's bed. "Ah, shiiiitttttt..." he muttered. Was it boss battle time? Objective: Defeat the Monster Under the Bed! Then, like a dart finding its mark, the thing lunged itself directly at Jace. Turns out the thing was a bird...Was it a mutant, demon, ghost bird that will transform when we get it to Salem? Ethan didn't want to find out, or take the chance, and was already devising up a plan to get rid of it only to have his attention turn towards the walkie-talkie, once more delivering the messages of Birb Boi.

Salem's tone wasn't menacing, or foreboding, or threatening, he actually sounded...afraid, scared. Like he was a cornered rat, just like them, that fact alone made Ethan worry...if Salem is scared, then just what were they going up against that would make even this, supposed, ghost boy quiver? Not a moment to even think about the gravity of their situation did the raven take flight from the comfort of Jace's shoulder, and Kelsey, being Kelsey, zipped and zoomed outta the room like there was a fucking marathon. "Hey, Kels, wait up, will ya?!"

As if her foolhardiness hasn't caused them enough trouble..."No shit? I would've thought it was the fucking wine cellar!"

 

[Fox of Hearts]

​

"Narnia? I'm just throwing caution to the wind and ... well ... it was nice knowing you. Just hope I'm wrong." Kindle gave Jace an apologetic smile before turning to Kelsey. "I'm blaming you for this. I didn't want to watch Paranormal Activity."

He didn't mean it, of course. He would be horrified if anything happened to Kelsey, Ethan or Jace, but the sarcasm was his security blanket. It hid how anxious he felt about this weird place. The chateau gave him Jigsaw murder vibes and he didn't like it one bit. They were totally vulnerable right now. One wrong move and there'd be blood everywhere. They'd probably even end up nothing more than a footnote in the long line of unexplained deaths in the area.

Milton took the opportunity to fake his coughing to hide a small smile. He'd never felt so relieved to be wrong before. At least, they bought themselves more time. How much longer they'd survive in this place was another question altogether. He could feel his sanity withering under this oppressive atmosphere. The stress was dreadful.

"Eh, that was a let down." He spoke before he coughed for real.

His shoulders literally shook in time to each chest gouging cough and dropped down to his knees. It tore his attention away from the scene and Lenore. By the time he looked up, he was almost the last person in the room. "Geee, what's the rush?" he sputtered. Choking back a small sneeze, he rubbed his nose vigorously with the back of his hand. "A-are we messing with birds again? W-what? Didn't you guys learn anything from the creek? London...? Marten?"

He tapped Marten's shoulder briefly then dashed after London. His geeky friend appeared to be so lost in her own thoughts that she was walking further from the group. Ana's talking slowed the girl down just enough for him to catch up. Grabbing London by the shoulder, he began stepping backwards in order to shepherd her back to the group. As he did so, he spied the beady-eyed bird in Ana's hand. He narrowed his eyes.

"That better not be from the flock by the river," he commented. A second glance confirmed that he probably was mistaken. This crow appeared a lot less creepy. It was a pet of sorts complete with a bright yellow collar. He squinted a little so that he could make out the letters inscribed on the collar tag. "Lenore? Like Poe's Lenore? .... Nev ..."

He almost said 'Nevermore' but stopped himself in time. He could feel how tense London's other shoulder was right now. Saying that might just spook her out even more. It was a risk not worth taking at this moment. They needed to stay as calm as possible, That was probably the only way they would survive whatever this was.

"Check the room? I don't see why not. The cupboard was a complete dud, so I won't be scared of a little girl's room." He pointed to the flowery letters stuck to the door. "I mean what's so evil about a bunch of toys." He shrugged. "As far as Kelsey had me believe, Annabelle is under padlock in some kook museum."

 

[Fox of Spades]

"Ana, careful... that thing might peck out your eye or something." Kelsey narrowed her eyes at the bird named Lenore. It didn't help that it was named after the dead woman in Poe's iconic poem. That, and Joseff—kind, sweet, would-never-ever-hurt-a-fly-Joseff—was snarling. The Shiba Inu's ears were pressed flat against its skull and its usually wagging tail was tucked between its legs. "Hey, Jo, it's okay. Listen, it's just some a bird. Calm down, nothing to be scared of." ​

Speaking of calming down, neither Marten nor London were doing too good. None of them were doing too good, but the two sophomores seemed to be taking it the worst. Thankfully, Kindle seemed to have London covered, so Kelsey turned to her green-haired friend instead. "We're going to get out of this," she spoke quietly as she reached for Marten's hand. Kelsey didn't know if she believed her own words, but they'd come here to find her, and she wasn't going to let anything bad happen to them. She was powerless to protect them from any real threat, but she's fight tooth and nail for them. "We've got each other's backs." She gave Marten's hand a reassuring squeeze before finally pulling away.

Jace and Kindle wanted to stay and investigate, but something in the pit of her stomach told her they ought to find Salem soon. He was an asshole, but the raw fear in his voice had been clear even over the radio.

"Salem kept mentioning a him. I've got a bad feeling the kid might need our help. We need him alive."

Much to her dismay, everyone else wanted to see Ella's room first. Kelsey made her way to the door once again, wrapping her fingers around the cold steel handle. She twisted it and pushed the door open.

Pitch black darkness greeted them. The light from the hall appeared even brighter compared to the inside of the room. As Kelsey fumbled around for a switch, her hand snagged onto a bit of string. She yelped loudly, tugging the bit of rope downwards. Immediately, there was a clicking sound from somewhere overhead. A small light flashed from the far side of the room before a loud 'CHOO CHOO CHOO' sounded. They could hear a small train barrelling down the tracks.

Like a passing dream, millions of coloured fairy lights winked into existence as the little train moved steadily around the room. The lights illuminated beautiful, hand drawn fairy tale pictures on the bedroom walls. Soft music played from the cupboard. A siren's voice followed soon after. The singer, a woman, was singing in a language seldom heard on American soil.


Weißt du, wieviel Sternlein stehen
an dem blauen Himmelszelt?
Weißt du, wieviel Wolken ziehen
weithin über alle Welt?


Toys littered the floor and sat on the many shelves around the room. Porcelain dolls, barbie dolls, cabbage patch kids, ponies and plushies - Ella had more toys than she ever needed. There was a huge doll's house near the window, a rocking horse in front of her bed and lots and lots of princess dresses shimmering in her cupboard.

Several drawings were tacked onto the notice board beside her desk. The first drawing was a picture of a family, the second was an innocent doodle what appeared to be a cake, but the third one...

Soon, the first song came to an end and a new song began.This one didn't have any singing to accompany it. Kelsey hadn't budged a bit since she accidentally made the train run. The toy train continued puffing overhead.

"Kels? Kels? KELS!" Milton called.

The fairy lights would have been a beautiful sight to behold, had it not been for the strange oppressive air that surrounded the little girl's room. Kelsey's eyes darted to the notice board and her insides turned to ice.

Orange eyes—Orange eyes and moss for skin. The world around her titled for a fraction of a second. Kindle's voice snapped her back to reality, but her hands were still clammy and cold sweat dotted her brow. "It's the creature in the woods," she whispered. "Why does Ella have this?" The drawings combined with the newspaper clippings they found from earlier were starting to paint a frightening picture. "I'm going to take five and sit down, you guys can look around."

She sat down on Ella's Bed.

Everything was starting to get her - starting to sink its fangs into her skin and wrap its tendrils around her neck. She could feign fearlessness and a rough and tough attitude in a heartbeat but - like any great actor - had her limits. Her friends were in the McFrigging House of Horrors because of her. Fucked up shit was happening right and left. She hadn't seen her parents in 16 days. The authorities probably thought she was dead. They would probably all be dead because of her.

Not the best time for a downward spiral of no return...

Kelsey clenched her fists shut, digging her nails into the palms of her hands.

"Just..." Keep it together. "Call if you guys see anything interesting."

 

[Cartoonicat]

A hand reached out and pulled her from the metaphorical tunnel she'd found herself in. London inhaled sharply at the contact, determined feet slowing. She blinked hard, one hand coming up to cover her eyes. She shook her head. "I just-..." What was wrong? Tons of things. She needed to be strong for her friends but, of the entire group, London was likely one of the weakest in constitution. She knew this and knew it well; London never handled stress well.

Then another hand, this one on her opposite shoulder, began shepherding her back the way she came. Part of London wanted to protest; insist on going to the library because if they didn't, if she stopped walking, nerves might root her to the floor and make her a statue. But she didn't have to stop walking. Could just follow Kindall, whom she realized was herding her once she lowered her hand, wherever he went. Wherever the group went. She could just simply exist, running on auto-pilot until they made it home.

Something struck her, then - cutting through the melancholic haze of stress and tense shoulders. Ana had a bird. A bird. Salem's mother fucking bird.

As though burned, London ripped away from the two with wide eyes. "What doing- no, can't- that thing-... Ana, that really does not seem like the best idea," she said, eyeballing the bird. Recognized the name from Poe's work immediately, an even worse sense of foreboding washing over her. In high school she'd studied Poe and, as such, knew most of his more popular works like the back of her hand. Finding Lenore... did that mean they were destined to spiral into madness, questions forever unanswered? Probably, if they didn't make it back home to acquire PTSD. Frowning, London stepped away from Ana, Kindall, and Lenore. "You should put that thing down. Out of here. Away from us," she said. "Away from your face, Ana."

Despite their rocky friendship, London felt a surge of protectiveness fill her to the brim. She'd never been particularly good at interacting with animals - there was always the chance for a bite, a scratch, a painful peck - but Lenore seemed content in Ana's hands. Still, London did not like it. Not one bit. Resigning herself to Ana & Lenore Watch, London hovered at the short-haired girl's side as they made their way into Ella's bedroom. She didn't know what she'd do if Lenore attacked Ana, but she'd be there.

Entering Ella's room, London's jaw went slack; she'd never seen such an opulent child's bedroom before. Though, really, after the bath she should have expected as much. Things took a turn for creepy when the music changed and London saw what had Kelsey so spooked. One, two, three drawings, the last one depicting the monster Kelsey'd yearned for so long to find. So, when Kelsey sat down on Ella's bed to take five, London understood.

She made to explore - leave Ana behind - then stopped. Tentatively, London wrapped fingers around Ana's elbow and urged her to follow along, to stay close. Granted, there were seven people in the room now and Ana would likely be okay, but it'd only take one stray second for Lenore to peck her eyes out. Even Ethan and Jace couldn't cross the bedroom that fast should they need to, and they had the longest stride of all.

"Butzy..." London passed the notice board, filing the bit of information away. Peter was now Butzy, Polly now Sally - at least, until further notice. She'd update her cryptodex, if they hadn't fucking taken everything. London huffed through her nose. Instead of linger by the drawings, London made her way over to the dollhouse and crouched, slowly, to look inside. If Ella was imaginative enough to draw Butzy perhaps she'd made play, too, and left some clues behind in the process.

Peering into the dollhouse London found it to be nothing more than a child's toy. Like all the dollhouses she'd seen as a kid - not that she had one of her own, that is - the house sectioned off into separate, half-open rooms. A mother doll stood poised in the kitchen; a father in the study; a boy took space in the library; and a little girl stood beside the window. Upon closer examination, London noticed another drawing like the ones on the notice board: Sketched in crayon, the four figures of the dollhouse stood together, unsmiling. Behind them in the background was Butzy, an ever-present figure, watching from a distance.

"...Creepy," London murmured, straightening. Aside from the drawing, nothing else of interest was in the dollhouse.

 

[Ashi]

​

The group unanimously decided to explore Ella's room before heading on to the library to find Salem. Jace felt a surge of determination as Kelsey reached for the door handle. The room was strangely dark, even for one with no lights on in the middle of the night. When Kelsey yelped upon reaching into the darkness, Jace gave an unnerved start and reflexively tightened his grip on the rolling pin with the intent to swing it. A click sounded from within the room followed by the horn of a toy train. The room lit up, revealing a cutesy fairy tale room befitting a little girl Ella's age. It was enough to possibly make his sister jealous. Jace poked his head in to look around the room completely before stepping inside, making sure that no one and nothing was there to jump out at them.

It looked like a child's room, with toys scattered everywhere. It was as if Ella had been in there playing just moments before they entered. Jace looked up, eyes following the train as it chugged around the room above his head. Even he would have like something like that as a kid and he wasn't into trains. His eyes were drawn down along the wall to where Kelsey stood looking at a bulletin board. Hanging there were three pictures, one of which depicted a creature with what appeared to be a green cape and a pumpkin for a head. Jace could feel the color drain from his face at the sight. Butzy? What the hell was a Butzy? Nevermind, he didn't want to know the answer to that question.

"Hey..." Jace closed the distance between he and Kelsey as she sat on the bed, looking as ill as he felt. He sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to his chest. "It's gonna be okay. No matter what happens, you have to believe that. Pops always said that, if you go into battle believing that you will lose, then you will lose." He frowned a little at the words after they left his mouth, feeling as if that was probably the wrong thing to say. "What I mean is, you gotta try to think positive." He released her from the embrace and stood up. "I'm gonna check the wardrobe, then we can go find Salem. Fingers crossed that we find more of our stuff." Jace said and made his way to the cabinet.

It stood open, revealing the colorful dresses that would make any little girl feel like a fairy princess. With a sweep of his arm, he pushed the dresses to one side of the wardrobe, revealing more of the inside. Hanging at the back was a straight jacket and a photograph depicting a long dark hallway. There was a caption that read: Charity Gardens Sanitorium, 1943. Jace's jaw dropped, shock evident. As his eyes stayed fixed on the photo, he could almost swear he saw something else, something that hadn't been there initially. He leaned in to get a closer look. There were faint, ghostly figures in the hallway in the photo, fear and agony contorting their faces. They were moving.

"Fucking shit!" Jace stumbled backward, tripping over the toys on the floor in his haste to get away from the wardrobe and the horrors he found. He sprawled on his back on the floor, breathing hard and cursing under his breath. He sat up and scooted backwards a few feet. "I wish I had Gram's sage." He thought, slowly rising to his feet. This room needed a blessing, badly. Even for all his ethnic coloring, he was white as a sheet. "L-let's go find Salem." Jace spoke softly as he turned towards the door. He wanted to avoid questions; he wanted to forget what he just saw.

 

[Haru Nyan]

Ella's room? Oh dear...Ethan gulped, where many of his friends would probably sigh in comfort and relief at the prospect of taking a detour to a safer room, he himself didn't exactly share their sentiments. Considering that:

1. She is probably a ghost who won't take kind to people snooping in her bedroom
2. She more or less is probably hiding some morbid or grisly secret hidden among the confines of her satin sheets and silk curtains
3. If Salem didn't have a portal to the Underworld, then it's probably Ella's wardrobe that's hiding it

As Kelsey opened the lights, she lit up Tomas the Tank Engine and a starlet began singing in...Russian? German? Whatever it was. It felt oddly unnerving...It's usually common ground rule in horror that when any form of art, whether it be song, poetry, or painting, appears in any sort of foreign tongue it's usually describing some sort of grisly or horrifying event that the viewers or players are totally unaware of, language barriers and all. Suffice to say, even as the lady was lulling soothing, whispering sweet nothings into their ears, it was probably safe to assume that they're being asked to like, die on the spot or some shit. Nice tune though. Yawning and stretching as the soulful melody was doing its magic, Ethan began to loosen up...Maybe Ella's room isn't completely half-bad...I mean she's a little girl, what's there to be afra....Oh.

Dolls. Of course, of motherfucking course. Nothing inherently bad with them of course, but the way they were so precariously perched on the shelves, lined up so uniformly as if their eyes were staring into the very crevices of your soul...made Ethan more than shiver, especially with how they always create the illusion that they're moving if you stare at them long enough. Thank the heavens above she didn't have a Furby...Now that would've just made things all the more scarier.

Though Kelsey's name was called to attention by Milton, Ethan couldn't help himself from taking a gander at what spectacle he had come across this time. He snickered, call him immature and insensitive but..."Snrk...Butzy..." He tried to suppress a laugh at the name, but every time his eyes darted back towards the name scribbled on the doodle he would just find himself laughing all the more harder. Even with the creepy musical number change, Ethan's laughter and smile refused to fade, only when he noticed that Kelsey's expression changed from steely and determined to self-doubt and fear did he cease his foolishness, muttering an apology in the process. Hoping that she'd get better as she sat down on the comfort of Ella's bed.

Everyone else seemed to be poking their noses into whatever nook and cranny there was in Ella's room, in search of supplies or clues it seemed like. Filled with half-curiosity and half-anxiety, Ethan made his way to the armoire in the room, if there wasn't some sort of portal there, then it's probably in Paul and Adelaide's room. Carefully opening the doors of the wooden cabinet as they emitted a foreboding creaking sound, the boy found himself face to face with...

Dresses. He blew a raspberry, of course, nothing out of the ordinary here. Nightgowns, sweaters, Sunday bests'. All frilly and girly that he might just get diabetes looking at the prints and the colors. Yet...they felt so...out of place. It's the 21st century and the family pegs themselves for being old-fashioned and all but...these things look like they were straight out of the 1940's, as if they were artifacts from decades long ago...He noticed something bulging out in some of the pockets of the dresses, and curiosity began stirring up in Ethan's mind.

Rifling through the pockets and pouches of the garments did he find, oh joy, more books...A copy of Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland in a dress that looks suspiciously similar to the titular character, and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There in the dress next to it. Look like Salem isn't the only avid reader of the family, maybe it runs in the blood? He was curious though...what was the third dress hiding? To his recollection, Alice's adventures stopped after the whole Looking-Glass tea party, Ethan raised an eyebrow as his hands began to dig through the dress only to find not a book but a....notebook?

Opening a few pages and skimming through their contents of entries of...cryptids? It listed things like classification and what their abilities and temperaments were, wait a minute...

Hurriedly, he made his way to some of the first few entries of the notebook, finding a yellow sticky note in the page of the Mothman. The note reads: "Note to self; remember to eventually get Mothman's golden ending in that dating sim I found a few days ago, Ethan won't tell me, so I'll have to get it myself." His suspicions further confirmed, Ethan called out the only author of such an encyclopedia. "London! I, uh, I think I found something of yours!"

Suddenly, before he could even hand over the little notebook, Ethan's attention suddenly shifted towards an aggravated voice in the room--Jace's. He was on the floor, his expression aghast and he sported a terrifyingly unhealthy pallor...His eyes were fixated on a different wardrobe, a cold shiver ran down Ethan's spine. Jace is one of the toughest bastards he knew...whatever was inside that wardrobe...was probably better left inside there. Seeing the uneasiness in his steps made Ethan's worry grow...He was dead curious to see what was inside that thing, but with Jace's current state...it would probably be best to leave it to its own devices.