"David, just where are you taking us?" I asked, gritting my teeth as Fleur, Zoe, and I were being rushed out the door of the tower.

David, bless his heart, the boy I had come to care deeply for, had come and forced us to all wear ridiculous outfits as he dragged us to some place he was refusing to tell me anything about. As I checked myself over in the mirror, I was already growing irritated, my face reddening. "David, I look ridiculous!" I sighed.

Instead of my usual blouse and short skirt combo, I was wearing some violet and pink gown that he had found at some thrift store, I thought, complete with a purple veil. Just what the Undergrave is this supposed to even be? I had tied my coffee-brown hair back to make the veil work, which was already annoying me.

"Would you hurry up, Kairine!" called David's voice from outside the door.

Clenching my jaw, I shook my head. "David, you're forcing me to wear this ensemble. You will wait until I'm good and ready," I shot back at him. Lowering the veil over my face, my coffee brown eyes showed through it strikingly, as it framed my ovular head and angular cheekbones nicely. Maybe this part isn't so bad. But Gods, it ruins my hair!

Finally, I sighed as I emerged from the room, to a stunned look on David's face. He had a suave, rigid jawline, prominent cheekbones and a snub nose. And at the moment, he was wearing a ridiculous cowboy hat over his short-cropped wavey black hair and a leather vest.

"Wow," he said, his eyes wide, staring at me. I was already growing uncomfortable with his attention. It was almost like a thousand eyes on me at once. You can stop staring now. Please.

"Alright, David you can stop staring like an Abyson now," I responded, rolling my eyes. "And what monstrosity have you forced on my sister, may I ask?"

"Speak for yourself, Kairine," replied a voice, as my sister came into view behind him. Unlike my coffee-brown eyes, hers were the colour of green moss, and her sandy blonde hair was in direct contrast to mine.

Her arms were folded as she stared at me. She was dressed in black robes with a pointed hat on her head. Next to her, leaning against the wall was a broom. "I kind of like this one. I might keep it," she said. "You're the one who definitely looks ridiculous."

Rolling my eyes again, I turned to David. "Where are you taking us?" I demanded. I wasn't going without an answer.

"It's a surprise!" he said, a wide grin spread across his face. "You'll see when you get there, you're going to love it!"

"That does not fill me with a lot of confidence, David," I shook my head. I hated surprises. "Alright, let's find Fleur and get this over with."

When this is over, I'm not talking to him for a week. I pushed past him, gritting my teeth as I looked along the hall.

We found her downstairs, already waiting for us. As soon as my gaze fell on her, my heart throbbed in my chest and my cheeks flushed bright red. She was wearing a gorgeous pink gown, sparkling and glittering in the sunlight, her hair done up with glitter sprinkled over it. Somehow it all made her azure eyes even more striking than usual.

She folded her arms as we came down the stairs. "I can see I'm already turning heads. . ." she said with a smirk. "So David, can you at least give us a hint where we're going? Or do we have to guess?"

Judging by the–well mostly ridiculous costumes, some of us were making it work–I'm guessing some kind of All Hallows thing. My eyes narrowed as I stared at him.

We all watched him for a long time, waiting fervently for him to say something. He glanced around at all of us, and I could see the sweat beading up on his forehead. "Alright, fine," he said finally, exhaling sharply. "There's this new thing that just opened up downtown, it's going to be a lot of fun!"

"What sort of thing?" I inquired. Don't think you're getting off that easily.

"It's a haunted house attraction!" he said finally, almost cheerfully, forcing a roll of my eyes. "That sort of thing should be right up your alley, Kairine!"

"David, just because I can see ghosts does not mean I'm particularly interested in seeing them mocked!" I responded. I felt my hands clench as irritation rose. Is he out of his mind? 

He looked back at me with soft eyes. "Please, Kairine. Just give it a chance," he said, approaching me slowly.

I glared at him for a long time before finally sighing. "Fine. But next time I want to spend time in a bookstore, you go quietly. No whining." Fair trade, I'd say.

"Fair enough," David responded quickly, holding his head as he shook it. "Yeah, fine. No whining when Kairine wants to go to a bookstore. Which will probably be tomorrow."

I grinned. "Good, you're learning." I knew I could train him eventually. I sighed heavily, turning to Fleur and Zoe. "I guess we're going, unless there are any objections." Please object. Someone.

"Got nothing better to do," responded Zoe as she crossed her arms. "Let's just get out of here already."

And you were the one person I was counting on to object. Damn it. With that, Fleur twirled around gracefully and made for the door. Guess we're doing this. At least the view is nice. Why do I let David talk me into these things?

When I saw the place, I wanted to pull David aside and rip his head off. Is he literally out of his mind? I shook my head, clenching my jaw. "David, you've had some stupid ideas before," I began, glaring at him. "But this one takes the prize."

We were standing in the midst of a crowd, many dressed up in ridiculous costumes like we were. Is this like a fad or something? All of them appeared to be waiting around for something, as several were talking amongst each other.

The house was old and rickety, looking as if it were the oldest house in the Housing District. The siding was peeling faint blue paint, while the windows were covered in layers of dust and sand. But that wasn't the worst part. . .

That was the gigantic sign in the middle of the front yard: BRANNICK'S HAUNTED EXTRAVEGANZA! Oh no, not him. . . I frowned at the very sight of that name. The worst businessman in all of Calrune. Seven failed businesses. This will probably make his eighth.

He stood back, widening his eyes as he waved his hands defensively. "Hey, the restaurant was not my fault!"

"No, it was just wrecked by a lich," I groaned. You had to mention that one? "Just what in the world were you thinking? That I would be okay with an entire attraction mocking the dead?" I shook my head, my mind buzzing with irritation. "Just who do you think I am? I help spirits to move on!"

"You also solve mysteries," he responded.

I raised an eyebrow. "And just what does that have to do with this?"

"Nothing. Just saying, you have a lot of things," he shot back. You have a lot of things too. You don’t see me harping on them.

I whipped around, crossing my arms. "Fleur, can you tell me why I let him talk me into these things?"

The left corner of her lip curled up as she folded her arms as well. "Because you care for him. And because he's a friend," she replied, smirking. "Actually, at this point he's more like your best friend."

Staring back at her with wide eyes, I opened my mouth to respond. But before I could, there came a loud booming voice over a loud speaker. I immediately wanted to turn and walk away. "Ladies and gentlemen!" called out a small man with mossy green skin, wide mouth full of sharp teeth and big amber-gold eyes. "Welcome to Brannick's Haunted Extraveganza! Nothing else like it in the world! The biggest and most beautiful haunted house attraction you'll ever see, that's what they all say!"

"Hey, isn't that. . . ?" whispered Fleur.

"Brannick Voss," I responded with a sigh. "I'm familiar with him, in passing. He has a habit of starting business ventures that inevitably crash and burn spectacularly."

She nodded. "Right, I've heard of him."

"Is everyone ready to enter the greatest haunted house attraction you will ever see?" called out the Goblurin, his voice already getting on my nerves. David, I hate you.

Without further ado, Brannick turned around and began leading the crowd, double file, up the steps and through the doors of the house. As we got closer, however, a feeling of dread washed over me, chills running down my spine. Gritting my teeth, I continued on, instinctively taking my sister's hand into mine. There’s a presence here. I can feel it.

She ripped it away, giving me a disgusted look as she scrunched her eyebrows together. "I don't need you holding my hand, Kairine!" she growled at me.

"Alright, fine," I responded quickly. "I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes, moving on up ahead to catch up with David. Hanging back, my eyes scanned along the exterior of the house. The floorboards of the porch creaked under my weight. What is this feeling I'm getting? 

Just then, I caught glimpse of a dark silhouette moving past the large window along the front of the house. My eyes narrowed. Just what was that? I stepped slowly closer to the window. Noralyn squealed all of a sudden from my shoulder. I stopped, glancing at her. "What is it? Did you see something? Do you feel something?"

The tiny purple lizard looked at the window, then back at me, tilting her head to the side, her big blue eyes gazing into mine.

I breathed slowly. "Yeah. Maybe it's just my nerves," I replied, turning around and starting for the door again. Then, pausing, I glanced back at the window one more time. "Noralyn, I have a really bad feeling about all of this."

"Where were you?" asked Fleur as I caught up with her, my eyes scanning along the crowd for my Zoe and David.

Shaking my head, I exhaled sharply. "I. . . I don't know," I replied as we stepped across the threshold into the house. The foyer was dark and imposing, fake spider webs in all of the corners as an obviously-fake Blackarach sat over one of them. Spare no expense, huh? The air smelled dusty and mildewy.

However, the deeper we went, and the darker it became, a sense of a heavy weight came over me, as though gravity had increased ten-fold. I froze, leaning against the wall.

Fleur's eyes narrowed, her brows furrowed, stepping toward me. "Are you alright, hun?" she asked in a low tone, ensuring no one else could hear.

My head pounded as black teased along the edges of my vision. "I'm fine. There's. . . There's a heaviness in the air," I muttered, my eyes going to the Goblurin as he led the crowd further in. Glancing back at her, I dropped my voice to a whisper. "I have a really bad feeling about this."

She crinkled her brows as she shot a glance at Brannick. "What do you think?"

"I think David really needs to stop bringing us places."

She chuckled, then sighed. "If you feel anything, do let me know, hun, alright?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

She smiled and she turned to catch up with the group, leaving me to catch my breath. My eyes gazed around the foyer. The rug beneath my feet was soft and crimson red. As I pulled my hand away from the wall, the paint peeled away in my fingers. I brushed my hand down my side as I looked around some more. Noralyn gazed at me, her eyes narrowed, making soft whimper noises.

Choking on a laugh, I said, "Maybe it's just my nerves." Then, exhaling, I went to walk down the hallway Fleur had just gone through. As I did, everything got dimmer and darker, until it was like someone had turned out the lights.

Suddenly, a shrieking scream came from somewhere up ahead, causing me to just about jump out of my skin, as I froze. My hand went to my chest, my heart pounding. Noralyn squealed, looking around. A smile spread across my face. "Not to worry, I think that was one of Brannick's fake scares. He got us good there, didn't he?"

Slowly, I took deep breaths, calming my nerves before I glanced up, making my way further down the hall. Eventually I found Fleur, David, and Zoe near the back of the rest of the crowd.

"Where've you been?" asked Zoe, furrowing her brows.

"Just looking around," I responded, biting my lip.

She stared at me for a long time, her jaw clenched. "Kairine, you know you can tell me anything, right? Sisters, remember?" she told me, her voice lowered to almost a whisper. At that moment, Fleur turned back to look at us. David's gaze was locked straight ahead as he stood up on his toes to get a better look.

Just then, I jumped again as the piano next to us began to play an ominous chord. The crowd stopped and glanced back. Brannick's eyes gazed back at the piano as well, his brows crinkled for a moment. Then, "Wow, my scares are so good I scare even myself!" he declared.

My eyes narrowed, as I gazed at the piano. "Brannick, I'm getting the sense that wasn't one of yours," I stated, looking back at him. Don't you dare try lying to me. "Was it?"

He stared at me for a long time, shifting his glance as he bit down on his lip. "O. . . Of course it was! My employees must have taken initiative!" was his response.

I have a really bad feeling about this. My eyes went back to the piano. "What is it?" whispered Fleur as she approached me.

David stepped up behind her. "Come on! We're going to get left behind!"

Shaking my head, I glared David, as I stood there in silence for a while. Finally, "I think. . . That tune just now sounded familiar," I said, lowering my voice.

"Kairine, you'll need to be more specific, you remember everything!" replied Zoe, rolling her eyes, folding her arms. "It's actually kind of annoying."

Gazing at her, I sighed heavily. "Zoe, I don't know where I heard it before. I just know I did."

"Alright, you two," said Fleur, stepping in between us just before Zoe moved toward me. She glanced at my sister with a smile. "Let's just keep moving for now, but maybe keep our eyes out?"

Zoe and I stared at one another for a few moments as I gritted my teeth. I don't know what she wants from me. Finally, I shook my head. "You're right, Fleur," I replied, my eyes turning to David, who was looking between the three of us.

"Does anyone want to tell me what's going on?" he said.

I sighed. "I'll tell you when you're older." Which at the rate he's going, will probably be never.

Fleur led the way as we caught up with everyone else, gracefully scooting between all of the turned-over chairs covered in cotton. He really spared no expense.

I rolled my eyes as I scanned the room. Just then, Fleur froze, and I collided with her. She held out her hand.

"I think I heard something above us. . ." she whispered, listening intently. A second later, I heard exactly what she meant. Taps and slight bangs on the floor above us. She glanced back at me, then David and Zoe. "You all heard that right?"

"Sweet, he really went all out!" exclaimed David and I immediately wanted to facepalm.

Quickly, we continued into the next hall. This one felt narrower than the last, with the walls bare far enough apart to let us through single file. Suddenly, flashing lights started going off, startling me. I gritted my teeth, continuing forward.

HISSSSSSS! A growling meow emerged just to the right of me as a small shadow bolted right past me, brushing against my leg.

Panic coursed through me as I gritted my teeth and scooted right past Fleur. That was a little much.

"Are you alright?" she asked me, her voice low as she approached me. I was leaning back against the wall, hugging myself.

I nodded slightly. "I'm fine. That just startled me."

Just before she could say anything, there came a shrieking scream from further down the hall. All of our eyes bolted in the direction of the sound. Then, glancing at one another uncertainly, we quickly moved that way, as I did everything I could to push back against my nerves.

The hallways seemed to twist and turn in random directions before finally we found ourselves at the threshold of a doorway, staring into the dark abyss of a basement. I'm pretty sure this was where the sound came from. Wasting no time, I made my way down the steps, my hands clammy as I grasped onto the railing.

Finally, as we made it down the stairs, we found the crowd. One girl was backed up against the wall with everyone arguing amongst one another. Brannick stood there in the middle of everyone, looking around as if he didn't have a clue.

"What happened?" I asked the girl, dressed in a plain hoodie and skirt.

She pointed a single trembling finger, stark white toward the back of the room. Around us, the basement walls were brown sandstone, wet from the previous night's rain. A single light dangled from the middle of the room, casting a dim yellowish light upon us all. "There was something there. . ." She told me, her voice low and shaking. Her teeth were almost chattering. "I swear, I saw something!"

"It's okay. What did you see?"

"A dark figure, dressed in a black cloak," came her answer, sending chills down my spine.

"Brannick, did you research this house at all before you bought it?"

He stared at me with wide eyes. "Wow, my employees really went all out!" he proclaimed, his answer making me want to strangle him instantly.

"That wasn't what I asked you, Brannick. . ."

He stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Well. . . I got it practically for a steal. It was like they were giving it away!"

"I wonder why. . ." I shook my head as I turned back to Fleur, then Zoe and David, sarcasm leaking out of my pores.

"It's all about location!" Brannick replied. "I'm going to make a killing off this place!"

I would not use that word. I already knew this was going to be a long day.

To be continued.