Lost Manor Ch.3 Onlookers

“Do you feel that?”

“Someone is watching us.”

Two shadows loomed at the outskirts of the overgrown garden. A tall, lean young man with unkempt black hair. There was a reflection of the manor in his glasses, hiding his eyes. He spoke with a firm and calm demeanor; one that hinted that he was the authority figure between the two. His partner was an adolescent boy, his baggy clothes hiding most of his physical features. The boys pale hair sparkled in the moonlight, contrasting against his taller counterpart. His eyes matched the paleness of his hair, and were wide, looking at the scenery around them.

“What do you think Rikku?” The taller one spoke to the younger.

Rikku shrugged nonchalantly, “It’s coming from the mansion, I just can’t pinpoint the location. We should probably tread carefully though. I sense a boatload of malintent surging at us from literally everywhere.” He gestured at the roses in front of them, “It’s like the earth itself doesn’t want us to move forward. These roses look innocent enough, but they’ll prick us good if we’re not careful.”

The taller figure nodded.

“I do have a question, though, Kuro.”

The taller figure turned toward the boy, “Yes?”

“We’ve been here for three days now, but we haven’t yet seen the sunrise. How is that possible that this mansion is forever stuck in night time?”

Kuro looked back at the mansion before answering, “According to the locals, it’s part of the curse of this place. No one can explain how or why, and scientifically it makes no sense. I suppose that this is one of the reasons the locals don’t come this way.”

Rikku followed his gaze, “Well, a manor cursed to eternal dark solitude doesn’t exactly scream ‘come visit me’...”

“Yes, well that would seem to be the owner’s intention.” Rikku sighed. He had hoped that this wouldn’t be one of his sensei’s weird trips again. Kuro had mentioned that he was looking for a book that was in a rural village. He had mentioned nothing of a haunted mansion. A haunted mansion whose visitors never came back. A haunted mansion whose plants harbored ill-will to those who trespassed. Rikku looked away from the mansion and at his sensei. What was he thinking? What was his true intention for coming here?

Well, he supposed he would find out.

If they made it that far.