CHAPTER 004
1354 Words
CHAPTER 004
Ellie’s car had to climb the route to Whitmore Manor, the storm rolled low over the hils, the clouds were thick and bruised. It rose to the top, a shadow of another time, gothic spires jutted into the sky, stormy, windows darkened and unwelcoming. She gripped onto the steering wheel like Ellie was about to meet. It wasn’t just the storm or the foreboding architecture, she assured herself. The silence that pressed down around her was this, that it was so complete that it felt like the world had stopped breathing.
The gravel crunched under her tires as she parked out front of the grand stone steps and everything was silent. Lightning flashed on the manor’s dark frontage and Ellie thought she saw movement in one of the upper windows. She shook off her heart racing, that was just her imagination. She had seen enough spooky mansions in movies. This wasn’t any different. At least, she told herself.
She knocked at the door, only to have it quietly open and an older, butler, uniform clad man bow slightly to her. "Miss Harrington," he said, his voice was flat, like it came from way off. “Mr. Whitmore is expecting you.”
The door thudded closed behind her as she stepped in. The air was cool and damp like a cellar but the entryway was massive. The butler led her down the house and her heels clicked on the marble floor. All you could see in the dim light was the flicker of shadows on the towering ceilings, and the old paintings that lined the walls, but seemed alive.
For her, she wanted to focus ahead, but her eyes would always go to the dark corners of the hallways. Could it be that she was imagining it, or could something be shifting out of the corner of her eyes? A shiver ran through her as she thought about what Sebastian had said on the phone earlier: “Come to the manor. “You need to meet someone.” He hadn’t said much else, but his voice had been heavy with weight that didn’t allow for argument.
The butler stopped in front of carved wooden doors, pushed them open. The threshold hesitated Ellie, her breath catching in as her eyes adjusted to the dim of the library.
The orange glow from the flames hit the room in long shadows as Sebastian stood by the fireplace, his back to her. It wasn’t him that she was looking at. The boy was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the fire, his dark hair a messy halo around his pale face. She entered, and he looked up, his eyes sharp and curious in a way that was far too knowing.
Sebastian turned to her, saying, “Noah.” She’d never heard his voice so soft. “This is Eleanor Harrington.”
The boy grinned, but it wasn’t a grin that made people feel at ease. It was almost dangerous, mischievous. He said her name, drawing it out like he was weighing it. “He’s told me all about you, Uncle Seb.”
Ellie’s eyes spotted Sebastian, who was now studying her. She steadied her voice; the knot in her stomach hadn’t loosened. ‘You must be Noah.’ “It’s nice to meet you.”
Yet when Noah stood and took a step closer, he tilted his head as though he was turning her over in his mind. “You’re not what I expected.”
Ellie forced a polite smile. “And what did you expect?”
Noah grinned, “Someone less... ordinary.”
Sebastian said, his tone sharp, “Noah.” “Enough.”
The boy shrugged, but she could not make his eyes leave her. His voice was low, but cutting. “She doesn’t know, does she?”
Ellie frowned. “Know what?”
Noah said and Sebastian took a step towards him his expression becoming hard. “Go upstairs.”
Noah didn’t move right away. Before sauntering towards the door, he spared a last look at Ellie as, amused and something darker. He said over his shoulder, “She’ll find out soon enough.”
After he left, the room felt colder. At that, Ellie turned to Sebastian, she was too irritated. “Who is he? What did he mean by that?”
Sebastian spoke in a measured voice. “He’s my nephew.” “He’s... complicated.”
Her irritation grew, Ellie crossed her arms. “That’s not an answer.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked almost... tired for a moment. “Noah’s different. He’s been through things that have left their mark.”
“What kind of mark?” Ellie pressed.
She saw the battle in Sebastian's eyes and he hesitated. He said finally, Marks that tie him to The Pact. Like me.”
The butler came back before Ellie could say more, looking as pale as I'd ever seen him. He said, “Master Noah is in the garden.”
Sebastian cursed under his breath and left the library. She hurried through the manor with Ellie following on her heels; their clicks merged with the stone floor. It was heavier, electric air when they stepped into the garden. There wasn’t a breeze, but the overgrown hedges and tangled vines seemed to move with the wind.
There at the center of the garden, an old stone fountain stood, as did Noah, staring at the still water. As they approached, he didn’t acknowledge them.
Sebastian said his voice firm, “Noah.” “What are you doing?”
Noah whispered, so softly that Ellie barely heard him, “It’s coming.”
“What’s coming?” Her voice trembled despite herself, and she asked.
Noah’s eyes flicked to her, and in the dim light she thought she saw them glow faintly. “You’ll see.”
The air was still, however, the fountain was rippling with water. The surface rose a faint light, casting ghostly shadows over Noah’s face. She stepped back, then her pulse racing.
“Noah!” There was a moment before Sebastian’s voice cleaved it apart like a blade. The boy was grabbed by the arm and pulled away from the fountain by him. “That’s enough.”
Noah didn’t fight it, but his eyes never left Ellie. His voice was calm and unsettling, and he said, “You can’t stop it.” “None of us can.”
Sebastian barked an order. “Go inside.”
Noah paused, and shot Ellie one last look. I don’t know what that was, what she may have read into it, but Noah gave her a warning look before disappearing back into the shadows of the manor.
“What was that?” Turning towards Sebastian, Ellie demanded. “What’s wrong with him?”
His face was hard, but his voice cracked. Noah’s connected to things you can’t imagine.” Things that make him dangerous. To himself. To others.”
Her mind kept going, trying to process what he’d said. “What kind of things?”
The sound of shattering glass came from inside the manor before Sebastian could answer. They both froze, then ran towards the house. Arrived at the library, it was in chaos—books from the floor, the window shattered, cold thinning air coming in from the outside.
“Noah!” His voice was laced with fear, Sebastian called. There was no answer.
Ellie looked at the desk in the middle of the room. The wood was carved with some strange symbol, grooves glowing faintly from a life like light. She didn’t know it, but it felt like it was reaching for her, like it was familiar.
Sebastian’s voice broke her out of her trance. “Ellie, stay close. ‘Whoever—or whatever—did this isn’t far.”
Staring at the glowing symbol Ellie’s heart began pounding. She stepped into something much more sinister than she ever would have guessed. Now, Noah’s life wasn’t (wasn’t) the only thing at stake.
What had Noah unleashed, and how long did they have before it found them?
- Writer
