The Manor: Chapter One

Eleanor sat at the foot of the bed. "I can't stand this dark, dull room." Her expression appeared to say as the last candle blew out from a gust of wind that blasted through the window. She rose and pulled the lovely maroon curtains over the gaping hole, glancing once at the dimming expanse of their bleak manor. Drawing the curtains seemed to be one of the only ways to prevent the chilly air from coming inside, given that no one had been able to repair it yet. She leapt back onto the bed, the slivers of moonlight, allowing her to make her way through. Her silky nightgown flowed around her ankles as she rocked her legs back and forth. She stretched once, leaning back, then began to settle into the soft mattress slowly.

After a while of staring up at the large wooden ceiling, the young girl recognized that she should be getting to rest as the moments slowly gave way into the black darkness of night. Suddenly, spotting something from the corner of her eye, she jolted upright. She seemed to see a shadowy figure coming forth into her field of vision, its broad shoulders outlined by the fragments of light leaking through. It was taller than any man she had ever seen, moving swiftly from the dark corner of the large room. She quickly reached up and closed the drapes that enveloped her large bed, clenching her jaw to stifle her scream, she lunged into the covers, her blond, braided locks of hair fluttering softly behind her. She snuggled up underneath the blanket and nestled tightly against the pillow.

"It is only my thoughts." She assured herself, her voice trilling on and on like a bird. "There can't be anything there."

The shapes became clearer as her pale, wide eyes adjusted to the murky cave of her bed, which was filled to the brim with only the blackest of black shadows. She had always been scared of the darkness, the gloom blanketing the room, and the desolate estate they had lived in for the past month had only made her fears grow larger. The curtains around the bed that were blocking her view to the room brought only the slightest bit of relief. The scampering mouse came here and there throughout the frosty night, but she could still feel its presence. She found the creature to be incredibly unsettling, as it seemed to be observing her every movement and every sound. A crawling, itching feeling moved up her back as her dread grew larger.

Then came the groaning; she could hear the creature unhinge its jaw, creaking, and snapping. It had started very slowly, starting at just above a whisper, croaking, and rasping until it became higher and higher in volume. She did not know what it was trying to say, but she was too petrified with fear to move. The screeching got closer, closer, but she could still not move, terrified by what would happen if she did.

But after much pain and thought, she realized that it could only have been a beast being formed by her tormenting mind. She ripped off the large victorian bed's blanket and stepped quietly onto the cold wooden floor. Not daring to glance back for the terror that the creature would be there, she scampered off into the hallway, down every step, and finally to her guardian's bed-chamber.

"Amelia! Amelia!" The young girl called out to the sleeping woman, knocking on the door twice before she was answered by the lady, dressed in her floral nightgown.

"Yes, Miss Stevens?" The lady answered softly, holding up a candle to see the young maiden's frightened face.

"I saw something in my room!" Eleanor shrieked, as Amelia ushered the frightened child inside. Eleanor embraced the noblewoman, shivering from the horror that laid in her room until Amelia gently pushed her away.

"Whatever are you doing - you're up so late!" The lady remarked, shaking her finger angrily at the child. "Are you sure what you saw wasn't a rodent, making its way around?"

"Amelia! It was a creature!" Eleanor replied. "I've seen a creature in my room! A horrifying thing!"

Her voice gaining a sense of urgency and fear, to which Eleanor was alarmed by, the woman rushed off into the black abyss, "Stay here!" she called back at Eleanor, running away to Eleanor's room.

"Arthur!" Amelia rang from afar, her voice echoing off the walls. "Come quick! Rise Onyx from his bed, watch them both closely!"

The nobleman hurried out into the hallway, using his candle to pierce through the night, his face twisted with worry. He shoved Eleanor back into Amelia's now dim and darkroom and rushed toward Onyx's quarters that were farther from theirs. She landed abruptly onto Amelia's bed, bewildered by the seriousness they displayed since it could have been something that wasn't even real, the darkness just playing tricks. For all she had known, it could have been Onyx, who was scheming up a trick. But it was unlike her brother to do such things, as he had also been frightened of the boundless and everlasting darkness that seemed to engulf the estate each evening.

When they had come to the manor, it had been quite a pleasant day, the shining sun stretching across the land, beating down onto her face until she had been forced to deploy one of the parasols they had brought. The unpleasantries that had brought them here weren't even given as much as a thought while she and Onyx explored the variety of rooms, all equally dusty and dirty with grime that had built up over the decades the manor had been untouched. Eleanor and her twin brother had gone through about every room before they had settled on their own. Onyx had decided to live on the westmost side, lower to the ground, and close to the apple orchard, where he could eat them galore. Eleanor had chosen the most elevated room, where she could overlook the surrounding landscape and fantasize about the days to come. Arthur had decided to take a room near Onyx, while Amelia had settled on being closer to Eleanor. They had spent the most charming time inside the house until things took a turn in the evening.

"What is going on!" She was jolted out of reminiscing as Onyx rammed into the door's side before entering through it, barely managing to hold onto his candle. He trembled, clearly scared and tired, and sat down next to her onto Amelia's bed. He then placed down the candle on the table, which made the room glow with warm, flickering light.

"I've seen a creature," Eleanor responded, "a skin-chilling beast in my room! That's what happened, but where could Arthur be? Didn't he go to fetch you?"

"Arthur?" Onyx stated, alarmed. "Whatever could you mean?"

"But," Eleanor pleaded, "surely you ran into him! Where else would he go?"

"I must have missed him," Onyx sighed, "that redheaded goof is no good when it comes to observing! He must have missed me too! I came from the outside, through a shortcut, because of the loud noises. I went to the east wing and arrived here to learn what had happened from Amelia."

"Well," Eleanor quivered, "there was a creature in the corner of my quarters," She paused, "and Amelia went towards them!

Her voice droned into silence, the quiet of the entire manor echoed every breath as they sat and waited for Amelia and Arthur to come back.

"Eleanor!" Someone's voice echoed down the hallway. "Do you happen to know where Onyx is?"

Eleanor stood up; it was Arthur; she would recognize his voice anywhere. Her nerves had settled down quite a bit, and she felt the safety of hearing someone's voice that she knew. "He's here! With me!"

She heard footsteps echo, she smiled. And as the last of the steps came near, her shaking subsided. She leaped up and embraced Arthur, his fiery-red hair sweeping across his face as he bent down to return her hug. "Arthur!"

He smiled back at her, then gently pushed her away. "Miss and Mr. Stevens, we need to find Amelia."

"Okay." Onyx pensively agreed; he cherished Amelia but was still skeptical about the monster.

The bright glow shone from Amelia's candle, lighting up Eleanor's entire room. There seems to be nothing there, so what could've Eleanor been talking about? Amelia thought. She walked forward, pushing away curtains so she could view Eleanor's bed. Nothing there, She thought. Suddenly, in the corner of her eye, Amelia saw a black shadow, menacing and inhumanly tall, but when she turned to look at it, it was gone. She let out a shout, in surprise, but quickly regaining her composure. She raced over to the window and looked down. The curtains had been opened, but Eleanor hated it being cold and was scared of the critters that might come in. Maybe she was right to be afraid.

Abruptly, there was a yell. Eleanor instantly knew who it was and took off sprinting towards her room.

"Eleanor! Come back here!" Onyx yelled, taking off at a sprint to get her.

"Ms. Stevens! Mr. Stevens! Wait!" Arthur tried to stop them, but they were already more than halfway up the stairs near her quarters with Onyx a few steps behind. They reached her quarters in no time and saw Amelia looking out the window.

"Amelia!" Eleanor sighed in relief. "You're okay!"

Amelia rushed over to her, "Whatever it is, it's gone now..."