Unwelcome Guests Maria slowly walked through the garden behind the castle, her mind crashing against itself. Finally she stopped at a granite bench near a large white marble pool filled with many manners of fish and ducks. Usually watching the fish swimming around calmed her mind, however now all she could think of was that last time she brought Jamie here and she let out a sorrow filled sigh. "What beautiful fish." An awe-filled voice exclaimed from behind Maria slightly starting the girl. Maria spun around, thoroughly frustrated by the rudeness of this intruder in her private thinking grounds. What she saw before her made every curse she was about to sputter forth fall from her lips aghast. Kneeling next to the pond was the loveliest girl Maria had ever set her eyes upon. She was about her same age, also deathly pale yet had a look of elegance and loveliness that made even Maria's pale cheeks flush. She wore an exquisite white gown that would only be seen at the finest of balls. Her long white gloves were caked in dirt, as were her clothes. Her long blonde hair was braided and hung limply over her shoulder; Maria suspected at one time it was pinned up in a tight bun probably secured by a bejewelled tiara. A few strains of hair fell before the girl's eyes as if she had just endured some kind of a struggle. The only thing detracting from her looks, and the main reason for Maria's sudden lack of speech, was the wooden handle of an ice pick violently jutting out of the girl's left eye socket. Maria swallowed hard as she tried to stop herself from staring. The girl lifted her head and smiled at Maria, "Are they yours?" Amanda asked with sincere curiosity. Maria licked her lips and turned her eyes back to the pond, "Yes, Father had it made for my twelfth birthday." She admitted shyly. Something about this new girl made Maria lose all control of her thoughts. She had never set her eyes on someone so enchanting "Ummm... Who... who are you?" Maria finally inquired. "Amanda Dalant." She replied, "And yourself?" "Maria Greystoke." Maria returned, "Dalant? They are nobles too, are they not?" "Yes," Amanda replied proudly, "We live a few hours east of here." "What are you doing here?" Maria inquired, curious what a noble girl would be doing in her back garden, "I mean it is not easy to get to the top of this cliff." She admitted. The girl sat upon the opposite end of the bench, still watching the fish, "I cannot really remember. My father sent me to the Greystoke party out here and then..." She drifted off into her thoughts. "Party?" Maria blinked at the girl, forgetting the fact that she was talking to a ghost, or what she presumed was a ghost, "Do you mean my sixteenth birthday?" She asked curiously, that being the last party that Maria could remember being held in Castle Greystoke. Amanda eyed Maria, "Maybe it was your birthday." She mused not letting her eyes off of the girl, "My father told me it would be a good idea to meet some of the other nobles in the area." The ghost admitted shyly, "I'm not very good with crowds, but it appears that I missed the party all the same." She let out a sad sigh. "Ummm..." Maria placed a finger to the bottom of her lips, "That party was months ago. Where have you been?" She asked studying the girl's clothes. Part of her was excited with the idea that such an elegantly dressed girl was invited to her party and other part disappointed that she never got to meet the girl until after her death. "I cannot remember." The girl admitted ashamed of the lack of her memories, she leaned back on the bench and wrapped her arms behind her head, "I remember father taking me to the Greystoke Castle in the carriage. He let me out at the gate and told me that he would return later in the night to pick me up and ordered the driver to move along. I was nervous so stood by the gates playing at the idea of walking back home, alone, when a pair of the most adorable twin girls came walking along. They were dressed in the dreariest black gowns that I'd ever seen, but had the most beautiful pale white skin and sleek black hair. They said they would accompany me to the party... " She rubbed her head, "I cannot remember more." "The Holland Twins." Maria muttered, "They must have taken your invite. I knew they were up to no good and yet father insisted we be nice to them. They are the daughters of a Lord after all." She slouched against the bench, "I hate them and their bloody family. I wish we could repay them for ruining everything they touch. How dare they do this to a friend of mine." "You think of me as a friend?" The ghost asked cautiously. Maria nodded enthusiastically, "Of course. You were invited to my party, and came, so you must be a friend, right?" She questioned her own logic. "Right!" Amanda agreed with a warm smile, "I'm so glad I stumbled upon you. I was so lonely and scared. Thanks you for being my friend." ***** "Madam... I need to have a word with you." The head contractor said as he came down the stairs of the main hall. "Yes? What is it?" Clara asked as she entered the hall in hopes to learn of their progress The contractor glanced up from a clip board with a frown on his face, "Well you see there would appear to be something living in your library, madam" He said tapping a pen on the clipboard, "and well... it is putting a delay on removal of the furniture up there. We don't want a bookshelf or something falling on one of my men now do we, madam?" He gave the woman a questioning look, unsure how she would answer. "A tenant?" Clara seemed baffled by the idea, "And they are not paying rent!?!" Her eyes burned with fury as she glared up at the second floor balcony, "They are about to get a very upsetting eviction notice." She snarled angrily. "Ummm... It might not be that easy, madam...." The Contractor stated uneasily. "Why is that?" Clara turned her angry eyes on the man who hide behind his clipboard defensively. The air suddenly filled with the sounds of screams as Henry's body flew over the second floor railing to come tumbling down and land on the remains of his head, right at Clara's feet. The sound of the man's neck breaking upon impact did not phase the Professor in the least, however the contractor shuttered at the sight of the man's twisted neck and missing upper portion of his head. The contractor found it hard to pull his eyes away from the horrific sight. "That is what I was trying to warn you about, madam." The Contractor said nodding to the second floor as a group of large jet-black tentacles crept along the balcony railing. "Oh for heaven sakes." Clara stared with frustration at the creature, "Can't you just remove it?" She asked the man while violently shaking a finger at the creature, "You are all strong brave men. That thing should be no problem for the lot of you." She demanded. The contractor, along with several workers, slowly backed out of the door while keeping a close eye on the creature above them, "Well, you see, Madam. We don't deal with that kind of clean up. I think what you need is a good priest to bless this place. Until then we will be saying good day, madam." He turned on his heels and fled from the house. The workers dropped their tools where they were and were close on the Contractor's tail, not even caring about leaving their equipment behind. Clara picked up a bottle of brandy off a small table the construction crew had been using for their plans and filled a tall brandy snifter then drained it entirely. This entire situation was trying her nerves, if something didn't go right soon she was about to kill someone. Clara refilled the shifter and held it gingerly as she crossed to the middle of the hall, where Henry's dead body still lay. She brought back her foot and gave the man a good hard kick to the stomach, then repeated it, giving the dead man a series of additions kicks to the remains of his head until she finally knocked his jaw off and had to wipe the blood off her shoe. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting, ma'am?" Ernest cautiously asked from the open door, "I saw the workers running off the grounds. Is there a problem?" He asked politely as he stepped into the hall. Clara brushed a stray lock of her, usually well, kept hair out of her face and took another swallow of brandy, "Nothing a gallon of salt would not fix." She beamed up at the tentacles, "Enjoy your little victory while you can." She raised her glass to the monster then took another swallow of brandy. Ernest inched around the pool of blood that had formed around Henry's body, "It would seem he had seen better days." He half joked, his eyes fluttering to the dead body ever now and then, not wanting to look at to closely. He was used to dealing with people who has been dead a while and seeing the blood still oozing out of the hole where the man's head used to be was making his stomach turn in ways he didn't like. He licked his lips nervously; wishing he could have some of that brandy the lady was drinking to save him from vomiting up his last meal. "Please tell me you are here for reasons aside from cracking bad jokes." Clara snapped at the man as she finished the last drop of her drink and walked over to the table to get a refill. "Yes, ma'am, I do." The gravedigger proudly placed his leather tool bag on the table knocking bits of dirt and mud onto Clara's blueprints. "Ernest!" Clara pulled her plans out from under the bag and brushed them off, "Watch were you are setting that atrocious thing." She eyed the bag with profound regard, "What could you have in there that would be an interest to me?" "I could not find you a body, however..." The gravedigger snapped the latch, opened the bag with his dirty covered hands and retrieved Jamie's head from within, still dripping blood from the neck. Clara nearly dropped her snifter at the sight, "It is... so young.... and beautiful..." She said in awe as she reached out to take the head from the man, "Such a handsome young lad. He is perfect and so very fresh." Her eye twitched as some blood dripped on the floor, "Such beautiful blue eyes too." She remarked trying to ignore the blood. "Only died moments ago, ma'am" Ernest stated proudly putting his thumbs under the straps of his suspenders, "I happened upon it just as he died, I did." He added with a smug grin. Clara eyed the man suspiciously, "Tell me the truth. Did you kill this man? Not that it matters it would just be difficult if the police came looking for him." "No, ma'am." Ernest protested profusely, "I'd never dirty my hands in such a manner. It is as I said, he fell out of the window of that there fancy café with all the artist types living in it and was run down by a carriage. All legal like." A sinister grin formed across Clara's face, "I could just kiss you, if you weren't covered in a layer of filth." "Why thank you, ma'am." Ernest said with a blush, "The money will do just fine." "Follow me." Clara said still studying the head over in her hands. She turned and opened the door to the west wing, "I still don't know if I can use this seeing as it is only a head and I need a complete body but I have your mone-" She jumped as a cat came tearing passed her with a dog following closely behind it, down the corridor to the kitchen. She eyed the direction the beasts had fled and gave a smile that made the blood in Ernest's body run cold, "Yes, I think this will work perfectly." **** To be continued...
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