Haunted Mansion

[Isolde]

Lorna

I was not prepared for the shiver that coursed down my spine at thought of going back to my room. I mentally chastised myself for being so childish and then answered Damitri.

"Actually, I left my food in my room. We could stop off there and pick up my dinner and dine together in your room as we go over the folder. I must admit a curiosity about the survey. In the morning we can check out the reputation of the survey company though I have to tell you that I have found that enough money can buy even those with sterling reputations."

I walked alongside him as we headed back to the house and my room. Stepping inside, I found myself unconscoiusly bracing myself for another onslaught but was pleasantly surprised when the room looked and felt very normal. "See," I told myself,"It was all your imagination."

I picked up the, still warm tray, and we proceeded to his room and a brain storming session.

 

[Dea Artia]

Sadira Bowen

When she finished writing in her journal, Sadira decided to explore the house a little. She still had a good half hour before she had to meet Molly, so she put on her coat, grabed her key and went down the stairs. The hallway looked long and Sadira realized that she must be the only one with a room as high up as she was. She saw that man again and the woman with a tray enter a room. Sadira was quiet enough that they didn't notice her and she made her way to the landing without running into anyone else.

She started to walk down the stairs when she lost her balance and started to fall. She let out a piercing scream as she fell forward. Her hands tried to grab the banister but it was to far away. All of a sudden a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her back to the top of the stairs. For a moment, all Sadira could do was try to catch her breath. She kept repeating thank you to her saviour but when she turned around, no one was there. Shaken, she leaned on the top railing. For a moment she looked down and just bellow her she saw the pale features of a child looking up at her, a twisted smile on her face.

 

[Vivid]

Dimitri

Her company is well received. To her curious glance at the contents of his plate he explains veganism to her. "It's partly for health reasons, but mostly it's so I can lord moral superiority over the rest of you." he says in mocking tones, smiling broadly.

They divide up the contents of the folder. It seems standard stuff - mineral deposits in the ground, no fault lines or natural gas deposits nearby. The dates seem consistent and the companies are uniform in their reporting practices.

Greska is not shy about discussing psychic debunking or the movie business. "...but, you've not mentioned how you come to be invited to this place, Lorna."

He looks to her.

 

[Isolde]

Lorna

I sighed. I had avoided mentioning my pen name because of my earlier works which were nothing but scary stories that made the tale of this house seem like a walk in the park. I was really great at letting my imagination take off into the dark corners of my mind. I was quite well known to many of those with a taste for spooky reading as a good read.

The fact that I had completely changed my views and my writing style to the supposidly 'haunted houses' of this era was something I did not expect anyone, especially a skeptic to understand. To most people it seemed more like I was being...well flaky. In fact, my revenue had fallen drastically when I changed writing styles and I had taken to writing for magazines under my real name to supplement my income.

I shrugged. "As I said, I am a writer. I have been writing about houses that are supposidly haunted for quite a few years now and I suppose they wanted to see what I thought about this house. I usually end up writing about how many other explanations there actually could be for the haunting of the house I am at."

 

[Vivid]

Dimitri

"Well, perhaps we can find an alternate explanation for *this* house, yes?" he smiles again, something in her manner was defensive and he tries to set her at ease again. "It may make a good story, yet."

"I really admire you for what you are able to do. I'm not sure I could write well. I will stick with video work and special effects. Fewer words that way." His eyes catch hers.

"So, have you found anything?" his head nods to the folder.

 

[Isolde]

Lorna

I sighed and shook my head. "All of the companies they used seem to be on the up and up. The records are meticulous and some of them I am even associated with as I have used them for references at other 'haunted' houses that I have visited."

"There doesnt seem to be any natural explanation for what is going on though I fully intend to call the companies to verify that they did the surveys and that this information is correct. But, until then, I think we should look at the human angle. Any one of the servants could be doing the haunting."

 

[Vivid]

Greska

"Or all of them. Garrett feigned ignorance of there being a little girl anywhere on the property. It seems like he would know of the things going on under this roof. If there is any intentional deception, it could not be hidden from the likes of him."
Lorna's eyes scrunched up, seeming to question his words. He liked that. She could think, she could analyze. He caught himself staring into her eyes as he spoke.

 

[Isolde]

Lorna

Lorna furrowed her brow in thought, running through all that she had heard and seen. "And felt," She said to herself before dismissing the thought.

"What I want to know is why Garrett isnt letting us do any research until tomorrow. It almost sounds like he wants us to be influenced by whatever is in the house before we do research. It is something that has been bothering me since our meeting in the library."

I looked at him at the last of my statement and my thoughts of the haunting fled to be replaced by thoughts of how deep and dark his eyes were. With an effort, I broke my gaze away and cleared my throat.

"Anyway, I wonder if we are going to have access to everything in the house for research or if they are going to give us what we can research? I guess we will find out in the morning."

 

[BadForm]

Tatunka: Not A Woman's Ritual

Tat reached out to ancestor and totem alike, as he prepared to join the spiritual drumming circle. He raised the paddle, closed his eyes and let the rhythm of the Earth take over him, preparing to bring it down. He couldn't. Someone was holding him. It was a firm grip like a hunter, but very soft. Too soft. It was a woman's grip, but that was impossible. Women did not join the drumming circle. They had their own sacred rituals, such as the moon lodge, but the drumming circle was traditionally male. His mind father's training revolted at the idea and he opened his eyes to check what he knew could not be.

There was nobody there. The grip was as firm as ever, but no hand was there to hold him. Then he heard the voice.

"Mine."

"Who are you?" asked Tat, the paddle still raised.

"Mine."

"Who are you?"

"Mine!" The voice was louder, more insistent this time.

It was not a petulant voice, raised in tantrum, but a powerful one which reminded him of the great warriors his father had spoken of, albeit masked in a woman's tones. Slowly he laid down the drum by his side, and felt the grip on his wrist slowly guide his hand to place the drumming paddle beside it. Then the hand, and the voice, disappeared.

 

[Mistress]

Mercy

Dino watched as Mercy finally blinked her eyes, her chest heaving as she fought to breath, he had her head cradled in his lap, “You ok?"

She licked her lips and glanced around, her eyes shot straight for the vanity but all that was there was her normal reflection with Dino's. She slowly sat up and breathed in deeply, “I’m not staying."

She jumped up and grabbed her packs thankful she had not unpacked yet. As she rushed around to gather her things Dino eyed her curiously, “What’s going on?"

"I saw something.” She said nervously, “In the mirror, a woman who looked like me, but was dressed differently. She was bleeding from a wound and she started to decay before my eyes."

Dino raised an eyebrow and stood to follow her around the room, “In the mirror? This mirror?” He gestured to the vanity. She nodded, avoiding looking at it again. He smiled, "Oh come on Mercy, you didn't see anything."

She shot him a cold look with her eyes that made him shiver,"I'm getting the fuck out of here, either you drive or I drive." She began throwing her suitcases out of the door into the hallway.

"Holy shit your serious?" He glanced at the vanity again.

"Whatever the hell it was, the woman...told me to beware, I"m not staying in this god damn house!" Mercy grabbed the rest of her belongings. "Get your shit, we're leaving now!"

 

[Vivid]

Dimitri

"Yes," he says in a far-off tone. He might have just agreed to sell his soul, or eat a rare Taiwanese steak, but right now he is focused on her neatly combed hair, a little tassled from the time spent pouring over papers.

Her eyes were downcast but Greska could still examine their detail. They were the kind that picked up the color around them, changing with surroundings - little chameleons curled lovingly around black pearls. They could also change with mood. Greska notices they've switched to golden and gives a passing thought to what that means.

A slight tingle in his mind interrupts with thoughts inspired by her last words. "I've made enough movies to know that when the bad guy hands you a gun, assume you're shooting blanks. We can only rely on our own research. Hey, maybe I should show you how to operate some of my equipment in case I get booted out of this investigation." He sees her slighty startled look. "Yeah, it's happened before." The thought of spending even more time with her is appealling.

 

[Isolde]

Lorna

I looked over at him a bit startled and then the scene in the library played through my mind and I smiled at him. "How come that does not totally surprise me?," I said with a slight turn of my head as I studied him. I gave a chuckle.

"Okay, I'm game, Professor. What have you got for your ready and willing pupil?"

 

[Vivid]

Greska

"Perhaps my charming mannerisms are just too much for some investigations, no?" He smiles broadly.

"We'll have to go outside for the other devices tomorrow but we can start with the handheld now." Greska hands the light-weight camcorder to her and motions her to stand.

This afternoon's tape was already stored in the locked, airproof, lead-lined container so they have a fresh tape to play with.

His eyes are hardset as he assesses the best way to do this.

He shows her how to position her hand securly under the strap. His fingers are delicate against her skin as he tightens the velcro.

"The viewfinder screen is best when there are two people, but even they have to stand close." He steps causiously closer, his larger frame a fingerwidth from her back looking over her left shoulder. He can smell her hair. Lilac comes to mind. His right hand follows her arm to cradle the powered device. The fabric of her blouse is delicate and Dimitri can feel the skin prickle into goose pimples underneath; she must be chilled. His mouth is close to her ear and he avoids tickling her with his moustache. His voice is soft, a whisper really, as he explains.

"It's standard in the zoom and w-widening." The growing heat from her closeness causes a hitch in his throat, the thin material of their shirts doing little to hold the heat between them in. "This camera can detect the heat from a body, infrared, I mean, as well." He reaches closer, guiding her delicate finger to that switch at the front of the camera.

He pauses to swallow hard before continuing.

[Edited by Vivid on 04-10-2001 at 11:22 AM]

 

[BadForm]

Tat: Modelling Fear

That was it. Tat tried to reach out with his soul, to feel for the Sioux warrior woman who had been there a moment before, but her spirit was no longer there. At least, it was no longer willing to be seen, and that, Tat knew, was effectively the same thing in the spirit world. He got up from the bed and left the room to get stretch his legs.

As he descended the stairs, he heard yelling from the room below. It sounded like the model he had seen earlier, molesting the statue of an angel. She sounded scared. Infact, she was screaming to her photographer that they were going to leave. Tat had seen it before. Those who desecrate the icons of any religion seldom had the wherewithall to cope with the spirit world when they encountered it. He approached the door and knocked on it.

"Are you all right?" He asked, through the woodwork. "Can I help you?"

 

[Isolde]

Lorna

I was right with him up until the time that he stepped close. After that his voice was simply background noise...a wonderful, deep, rich background noise but I simply could not make sense of what he was saying. Instead my thoughts were on his hands that covered my own trembling ones.

"Oh, god," I thought to myself,"Dont let him notice I am trembling!" I tried harder to focus on where he was guiding my hands but he was so close that his body heat almost felt like it was searing me. I could feel my body respond and I bite my lip. How long had it been since I had felt like this? Since I was so very close to someone who smelled of musk and....

Tearing my mind back to what he was telling me I nodded and tried hard to concentrate. It had been five years since Jake had died and I had been too busy to think about that side of life. Had had no desire to even think about it. What was so different now?

 

[Mistress]

Mercy

She looked over at the man, her eyes wild, “No...nothing is all right here! This place is evil, and I don't even believe in evil!"

Dino was doing his best to help her grab her things, but she was running around the room at a fast pace. He looked the man over, “She wants to leave." He shrugged.

"Damn straight I want to leave!" She frowned, and scooted past the man in the door, her chest scraping against his. Her face flushed slightly when her strap fell and her breast almost came out. She raised the strap back up and bent to pick up the suitcases she had thrown out of the room, not caring that he now had a good look at her ass.

Hearing a camera snap she stood and spun around glaring at Dino, he quickly put his camera away. She growled and pushed him out of her way, almost causing him to fall against the wall as she hurried back in the room. Dino eyed the man, “She saw something."

The man's eyes lit up curiously, “She saw something?"

"Yeah, a woman in the mirror."

"She said beware!” Mercy said nervously blinking back tears from her eyes. "And she was b..bleeding and then..she..she..decayed in front of my eyes!" She was shaking with fear, goose bumps raised on her skin. Her pale blue eyes looked into the man’s, “Do you believe me?"

 

[BadForm]

Tatunka: Seeing is Believing

Tat nodded at Mercy's question. "I do not merely believe you, I know you are correct. At least, you are about what you saw, but not about this land being evil. There is no evil within the land except that which was done by the people here before us. That, I am afraid there is in plenty."

He paused, thinking for a moment. "What did the woman who spoke to you look like and sound like?"

It was an important question as a thought had just struck him. Were the spirits that each had been sent to see related in some way to the individual guest. For him, it was the Sioux woman. For Mercy... another model? Someone from her place of birth? Or was this thought incorrect in its very essence?

 

[Mistress]

Mercy

Her shaking was more visable now as she stuttered licking her lips,"Me...she looked like me."




OOC: Ok, its a bit short! LOL! sorry.

 

[BadForm]

Tatunka

Tat strode forward and took Mercy's hands in his. He gazed into her eyes, looking beyond to try to feel what was happening at a soul-deep level. She was confirming a suspicion he had, and now he had to be sure.

"How much like you? Think, please. Was this a casual similarity, or was this a family resemblance? Did she appear like you due to the fear of the moment, or were you seeing an ancestor?"

He paused a moment, realizing how frightening this question could be in Mercy's heightened state of fear. He let his mind caress hers, soothing her slightly. "Let me assure you, the spirit will not harm you. If it were malevolent, you would already be harmed, therefore it is a friendly soul."

 

[Mistress]

Mercy

"She looked like me...she..she was me!" she shook her head. "Her clothes, she wore..old clothes, a cloak around her shoudlers. There was a bleeding wound, but she was me!"

Her eyes held his and she almost felt as if he was looking deep into her soul. A shiver ran up her spine and she stepped closer to him gazing at him. In the back ground she heard Dino clear his throat...loudly.

 

[Vivid]

Greska

He was going to tell her about the electrostatic recorder, to view magnetic fields and electrical disturbances. He had planned to, but standing there, feeling her warmth, how it grew when she inhaled and her body came closer to his, the distance diminshing, only a hairswidth, but enough.

He could hear the soft rush of air as she exhaled. It was so loud it drowned out his thoughts. His own breathing matched hers. It must've been hot against her ear, caressing her cheek.

He saw the viewfinder showed black, the bed and the wall were cold to the infrared setting. Dimitri could see Lorna and himself reflected in the small, dark surface. The color of her eyes was hidden in the shadow images. He looked large behind her, strong, protective. He cupped her hand in his. A tremor went through her muscles and he supported her arm. It must've been tired from holding the camera outstretched for that long.

He brought his body closer to hers and his chest pressed hard and strong against her shoulder blades. He thought he felt her lean into him and he closed his eyes to relish the touch. His left hand touched her shoulder and he traced her arm downward to hold her other hand within his. Her skin was electric to his fingertips.

His lips and mouth were dry and he extended his tongue to wet them. He was so close to her ear that the tip of his tongue grazed across the outside in a whisper of touch. He tensed at the accidental intimacy, inhaling sharply, and felt for her reaction.

 

[Isolde]

Lorna

Lorna could hear her own intake of breath as he stepped in closer and she could feel him, even through their shirts. His breath moved her hair to caress her cheek and she shivered lightly.

His arms encircling her and his hands holding her own, she could not help but lean back into him as he pressed against her back. It was all she could do not to let a moan escape as she felt the heat of his body next to hers. She tried to breath normally and not let him know the effect his closeness was having on her but she found that she could not pull in more than one shallow breath at a time. He felt so strong and the closeness brought the musky smell of him even more clearly to her nose.

She kept her senses though she had not yet realized that he was no longer speaking. She simply stared at the camera and tried to make sense of everything that she was feeling...things she had not felt in so very long. Then she felt the small flicker of his tongue against her ear and the shiver that coursed down her body, causing it to tremble noticably. Her head dropped back onto his shoulder and her eyes closed as she gave into the feeling of being close to him...but only for a moment.

Suddenly the thought flashed across her mind about what he must be thinking of her. They had just barely met, for heaven's sake, and here she was falling all over him. Turning her head toward him, she started to tell him that she really must be going back to her own room but she discovered just how close they were now. His face was right there...his eyes boring into hers and his lips only inches away from hers. Their breaths mingled and she found she could not move or say anything.

 

[BadForm]

Tatunka: Ancestral Spirits

Tat glanced from Mercy to Dino and nodded. He backed away slightly and led Mercy to sit join him sitting at a table. Now she was calmer, the next most important thing was to ensure the man with her did not think Tat was trying to interfere in whatever relationship they had. While it appeared to be purely work related, it was impossible to be sure.

"Could you fetch us some drinks and join us, please?" he said to Dino. "I'm afraid this has been a great shock for her."

No doubt it was for Dino too, and there was a chance he would take offence at being asked to wait on them, but Tat hoped asking him to join them would disarm any fears he had. Tat turned to Mercy again and continued.

"You are not the only one who was visited today. Earlier this evening I met a Sioux warrior, I believe from my own tribe. The closeness of the woman you saw gives credence to a belief I have. We were not merely selected for our abilities in the spirit world, as Garrett indicated. With no disrespect to you, if we were he would not have invited a model and her photographer. We were invited because the people who died within this house were ancestors. I do not know who truly invited us, or why as yet..."

He paused as he considered his next statement.

"I believe, however, that Garrett's masters may be our ancestral spirits. If his statement about the curse is correct, they may need us to help them lift it. If not, that same curse may spread beyond this house itself. This is, of course, supposition. Now tell me, did the spirit say anything, or do anything? Did anything else strike you about the spirit in the glass?"

 

[Vivid]

Dimitri

They had shifted again. The chameleons were blending with the bark of an ivy-covered redwood at dawn; her eyes splashed gold within a deep reddish brown mottled with a light green. He studied them deeply, lost. The rest of the world faded to black.

Her eyes were intelligent and speculative. They didn't have the vacuous quality that many of the Hollywood Barbie dolls Dimitri had dated, or just taken home for a night. Lorna was opinionated and able to make those opinions, her desires, known. People like that were decisive. They went after what they wanted, moving quickly. If they didn't want something you'd know it. Jodie Foster in "Contact" was like that, so was Elisabeth Shue in "The Saint" - intelligent women deciding what they wanted. Dimitri felt lucky she was with him tonight.

They were supposed to kiss now. He didn't have the script but he was sure they were supposed to kiss now. She had turned dramatically, her mouth open as if to speak, but no words came. He could feel her breath on his face and neck. This was when they were supposed to kiss, right?

Dimitri reached up and cradled the camcorder with his left hand, turning her a little toward him. His right he lifted to her cheek, tucking a stray lock of light brown hair behind her ear. With gentle fingers he traced the outside, feeling for the little patch of wetness his tongue must've left. He found none.

His eyes shifted to her ear momentarily, the back to her gaze. Where were they? Oh yes, the kiss. His fingers cupped the hard bone of her jaw with slight pressure and he leaned in.

The kiss was imminent yet gentle, his lips, determined yet soft. The move was certain and his whole body commited to the act, pressing firmly against hers. Yet, when their lips touched and he could have toppled her with the force, his control left them locked in a smooth, soft kiss.

His wetted lips slid electrically against hers. His breathing was loud in his ears and getting louder, its pace quicked. This was how it had been directed, yes?

 

[Mistress]

Mercy

Dino eyed the man then shrugged he went to find some drinks, leaving the two alone. Mercy listened wide-eyed as the handsome man spoke to her, her hand slowly reached out for his. She needed the feel of his hand on hers, it calmed her.

"Umm it was white gown, colonial I think with a dark cloak. That is what she was wearing; you think she may have been an ancestor? There was nothing else there...just her warning me." She blinked and shook her head.

He nodded, and watched as she stood, “I don't understand it, I do not believe in ghosts...hell I don't even have a religious belief!" She laughs nervously pacing back and forth. "So who is she? And why the hell am I here?"