"You're shaking." Thomas took note of as I walked down the stairs while he... Well, floated behind me.

"Wouldn't you be?" I asked. "I mean, again, no offence, but imagine you're in my shoes. Woken up at 2 AM to find the ghosts of people dead for almost 120 years. Ghosts of people remembered for horrible things."

"I understand your discomfort, but I assure you no one is going to hurt you."

"If you're sure."

My hands still quivering, we slowly went into the living room. The lights were still off, so I couldn't see well. I squinted in the darkness trying to make out the potential shape of a person.

"Can I turn on the lights?" I asked.

"For now, candles are the best idea." Thomas probably said next to me. I could barely make him out, but it sounded like he was still to my left.

"Okay, candles... Ah..." I said, trying to feel around for something. "Okay, so I'm not really sure how this will feel for you, but I need a flashlight so I can search the kitchen. I'll be right back."

I slowly inched back the way we came in and pulled my phone out of my p.j. pocket. I turned on the flashlight and made a left turn to the kitchen. I shuffled through some drawers, first finding a lighter. Putting it onto the table, I went further back into the kicthen to one of the drawers I had shoved some emergency supplies into. Just in case there was a power-outtage or something. I found three thin candles about a foot in height. Taking them, the lighter, and some drink glasses out of the cabinet, I walked back to the living room. I shut my flashlight off right before walking, opting to light one of the candles instead.

"I found some candles. Where should I go?" I asked, lighting my way around with the white candle starting to drip wax.

"Make a slight right turn towards the piano." Thomas said to me. I nodded and walked in that general direction. I pulled a small table next to the piano from next to the couch. I put the candles into the glasses and lit the other two that I hadn't yet. I set them down, sitting on the chair next to it. Holding onto one candle, I tried to observe my surroundings.

Standing just to my left was the white figure of Thomas. Nervously, I held the candle closer to the bench in front of the piano.

"Okay, um... Lady Lucille?" I asked cautiously. After a second, I felt a cold chill in front of me. Materializing seated on the bench was the grey figure of a woman. Her dress was the same color as her skin and pinned up hair, looking whispy and translucent. I could see the bench underneath her.

"You must be Miss Kira." She said. Her voice seemed to carry some sort of a different tone than Thomas's. Still smooth, but almost like... More brittle. A weird mix of the two.

"That'd... That'd be me." I said, my heart beating a million miles a minute.

"The first owner of Allerdale Hall in over a century... And the first owner without the Sharpe name in an even longer time."

"I... Maybe I should apologize for completely changing your house?" I asked.

"I will say that you did an act of good by removing Mother's portrait from that wall. It almost seemed to stare at me for so many years, even after it began to rot away." Lucille ran her transparent fingers over the keys, not even making at attempt to play them.

"You're... Welcome?" I asked, even more uncertainty in my tone. "I'm sorry, I'm probably coming off as awkward and rude. It's just, well, I've..."

"You're alright, dear. Connecting with a ghost for the first time is always a bizzare experience. You're just lucky that the others left long ago." Lucille's voice took on a somewhat softer tone. I gulped slightly.

"I... I never imagined... Well, I... I... You're far more... Understanding that I thought. Was that rude? I'm sorry I-"

"Take a breath, Miss Kira, you're alright." Thomas cut in. I took a deep breath and re-assessed myself.

"The years have taken their toll on me. I can't do all that much these days. As harmless as a newborn babe." Lucille said calmly. I scrunched my nose slightly.

"And I should believe you why?" I asked.

"See that pillow?" Lucille asked, pointing. I picked it up. "Toss it to me."

I lightly tossed it at her, but all it did was pass through her. I inhaled sharply and my eyes widened.

"Oh gosh. I'm so sorry, I-"

"You're alright. I just needed to prove to you that I can do no harm to you."

"Okay, yeah, point taken."

"So, tell us a little bit about yourself, Miss Kira. We're going to be living together for some time, so it would be best if we understood each other." Thomas said. He put me at ease compared to his sister. I took a calming breath.

"Okay, well, I lived in America for most of my life, but once I collected enough money, I started renovations on this house about three years ago. While that was going on, I started searching for a job here so I could pay off the debts and such. I'll be starting work as a pharmacy clerk in less than two weeks. I'm 27 years old, I have one brother, and I like reading, history, and science."

"History? So you could tell us what's happened in the past hundred years?" Lucille asked me, curiosity in her hollowed expression.

"I mean, we're gonna need to back a fair bit. Let's see... Well I do know that women got the right to vote here in England in I think 1918."

"I missed getting to vote?" Lucille looked at the ceiling like she just smacked her hand against a corner.

"Yeah, I guess. But it doesn't really affect you now. Let's see... Well, there was World War 1 and World War 2. Germany kind of got out of hand and America, Britain, and Soviet Russia banded together to take down their regime. It led to Cold War between America and Russia, but that's not super important other than the fact that there were threats of nuclear war. Uh, there was the Korean war followed by the Vietnam war, both wars involving the spread of communism. As far as more modern things, racism isn't as bad as it used to be, women's rights are taking off, and it's more acceptable to be... Well, homosexual. Oh, and recently Britain separated from the EU recently." I said, picking at a dead skin spot on my thumb nervously.

"And the technology? How has that advanced?" Thomas asked eagerly.

"Riiight, you were an inventor. Well, we have things called computers that hold massive amounts of information that is easier to access rather than looking it up in books. And phones have improved drastically." I pulled mine out of my pocket. "It takes pictures in color, can access the same information as a computer, and you can connect with people hundreds of thousands of miles... Or kilometers, if we use the metric system, away."

The siblings seemed to ponder this, staring at the device in my hand like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"So, digressing from the current topic a little, but you said that Edith Cushing died 45 years ago?" Lucille asked.

"Well... Yeah. She was born in, what, 1877? She was 98 when she died. Now I realize that when she came out to the public a few years before that to make a more official statement that her book was all true, she wasn't lying."

"Her book?"

"Yeah. She wrote a book about her experiences in this place. I think I might have it here somewhere." I said, standing up and walking over to one of my many boxes of books. I dug around using the slowly shrinking candle to light my way. After a minute, I felt my fingers brush the textured cover of the book. I pulled it out and brought it back over.

"She titled it 'Crimson Peak.'" I said, holding it up.

"Appropriate. That's what this place used to be called because of the red clay in the ground." Thomas clarified.

"Huh. Interesting." I said, flipping aimlessly through the book.

"So it would seem you enjoy reading."

"I guess so. It's not all I do, but I have enough books to fill these shelves and then some."

There was a short silence as I put the book back into the box and I sat back down. One of the candles had blown out, so I re-lit it silently. I watched the small flame dance around as the wax continued to dribble down the sides.

"You have a young soul, Miss Kira. You're pure." Lucille said after a while.

"Pure? I swear like a sailor all the time and I've been known to not hesitate to punch someone. You and I probably have very different definitions of the word 'pure.'" I said, laughing lightly.

"I mean you have a good heart." Lucille clarified.

"Well, you don't hear that compliment everyday. So... Thanks?"

"You look tired. Maybe you should go back to sleep." Thomas pointed out. I yawned and nodded.

"It is half past two. I'll blow these out once I leave. But you have to promise me you won't wake me up this early in the morning again. Unless it's an emergency of course." I said, standing up.

"Of course. Have a good night, Miss Kira." Lucille said, turning back around before disappearing again. I pursed my lips awkwardly before going for the candles. As I was about to blow out the last candle before Thomas caught my eye. He approached me with a small smile.

"Until tomorrow, Miss Kira." He said, blowing the candle out, him disappearing with the light. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness. I set the still warm candle down and pulled out my phone flashlight. Lighting my way to the stairs, I climbed back up and found myself back in my room. The half moon shone through my window as I got back into bed.

No one better find out about this, else I'll really be the talk of the town.