If I didn't know any better, I would assume a wealthy, highly intelligent individual occupied this mansion. The roses lining the pavement as you enter seem inviting and lively. Reds and whites with just enough of a color splash to contrast the dull gray stones constructing the dwelling they lead to.

Even though the fountain at the center does not run within the daylight, it still gleams with an unnecessary cleanliness only a paid hand could achieve.

When I moved here over a year ago, I expected to be greeted by a staff of at least twenty. After all, anything less would not be enough to maintain ten acres of gardens, and orchards. Not to mention the three floor building with more rooms than a hospital complex.

Maximus Hamilton is the only occupant that I know of. I've never seen another person within his estate.

The long granite table separates us, with me at one end and him at the other. Breakfast is always served at five thirty am. Every, single, day. If not for my hate of cold eggs, I would stay in bed till at least seven.

My fuzzy, footed little pony pajamas invite me to doze for a moment. I shake my ratted dark hair, blinking my eyes a few times. No, I need to stay awake. Or I'll miss out on after breakfast ice cream.

I have never in my life eaten ice cream that smooth, creamy, flavorful. Every time I take a bite, memories of my parents play through my head. I see mama pushing me on the tire swing, papa jumping out from behind the large oak tree pretending to scare me. Though he never succeeded, I always pretended to be terrified to make him smile.

It is not simply the flavor of the ice cream that makes me long for it. Getting lost in times of the past is far more precious than a touch of sweetness to the tongue. I absently circle the last piece of omelet around the plate. I miss my parents. I want them to come back. I don't know why they left. I thought they loved me.

A single tear falls down my face. I quickly wipe it away. Maximus did not approve of emotional outbursts. Crying shows weakness. Weakness means death. If you must cry, do so  where no one can see.

That was the first thing he told me when I walked through the door, with my red eyes, and a snotty nose like a wee child. Every time he found me weeping, he'd say it again. Not firmly, he never raised his hand against me. But with a timid voice, almost fearful like someone else, or something else was watching us.

I unconsciously glance over my shoulder, which I  find myself often doing. If not for my logical raising, I'd superstitiously believe this house was haunted. Or in the very least cursed. Strange things happen, unexplained things.

Last night I glanced in my mirror, and I thought for a moment I saw someone standing behind me. But when I turned around to look, no one was there. It's more than likely my lack of sleeping from having to wake up at such an ungodly hour for meals.

No matter how hard I try, I can never sleep till around three in the morning. I am forced to nap like an old person, just to get a minimum of five hours.

"If you don't eat....." Maximus shouts from across the room.

I jump at the sudden loud speaking. But was so lost in my thoughts, I have no idea what he said. "Huh?"

Maximus shoves away from the table, his chair scrapes against the floor echoing in the nearly empty dining room. He walks over to me at a brisk pace, his long legs taking only moments to reach me.

I look up at the towering giant, making sure to respectfully meet his hazel eyes situated slightly too close together beneath his spectacles. "I apologize Mr.Hamilton, I was not paying attention."

He smiles gently, giving him an almost grandfatherly appearance. "It's quite alright Kai, I know it is difficult for young minds to function before the sun rises. I said, if you don't eat your food, you will not get desert."

Biting my lip is the only way I can hold back my retort. The one thing Mr.Hamilton could not stand was a smart mouthing teenager. I learned that the hard way within my first three months here. Sometimes I wish he would strike me as punishment, but he knew other ways to make me far more miserable. Taking away my books.

Without them, I am trapped in my sad and lonely reality. As  a friendless girl, living with a stranger, far from the home, and people I long to see every silent moment. People that abandoned me.

When my aching heart forces me to dwell on what I lost, I wish someone would slap me. Then I could focus on the painful, external sensation, drowning out the ever widening black hole that threatens to swallow my will to live.

I nod, quickly eating my food. "I'm ready for desert now."

Maximus smiles, pushing a crystal bowl towards me.... A bowl that was not there a minute ago. I try not to think about it. That is but one of the many strange happenings that I experience every day. At  some point, I may give in to my curiosities, and investigate the odd happenings of the mansion. The main reason I haven't, is I fear it will mess with my sense of reality. At this moment, that is all that I have.

"Thank you. What flavor is it today?" I ask, picking up the spoon.

"Chocolate cherry. Enjoy your desert. I have some business to attend to in the city for the next two days. I hope you don't mind looking after the mansion while I am gone. If you get hungry, there are snacks in the pantry, and pre-cooked meals in the freezer," Maximus declares, running his weathered hands through his graying black hair nervously.

He takes out a note pad, scribbling something barely legible on it, before tearing it off and handing it to me.

I start to look at it, but he closes my hand.

"Do not read this note unless you find yourself in a state of emergency," He declares before leaning in close to whisper. "Never look into the eyes of the undead."

Returning to his usual cheery self as if nothing he said has any impact whatsoever, Maximus adjusts his cuff links. "If you need to reach me, I left my phone number on your door, along with a cell phone in a bag. The code to unlock it is six,six,six. Now that you are my ward, and have proven yourself fairly responsible, that phone is yours to keep."

Knowing Maximus, he probably got me an ancient flip phone with only the ability to call. Despite being a wealthy fellow, when it came to electronics like he seemed to be pinching pennies.

"Thank you," I say finishing the ice cream, as thoughts of my parents threaten to bring tears to my eyes.

"Alright! Well, I shall leave at once, wouldn't want to force others to wait on my arrival. It's always best to be there early, that way I can assess the competition," Maximus declares clapping his hands together and briskly disappearing from the room.

I push away from the table, leaving the empty bowl, as I was instructed to do within the first few days. It has simply become a habit, but I wonder, does Maximus return for it? Or is that ever present feeling of eyes on me belonging to another, much sneakier individual I have yet to meet?

A chill settles in the room when I reach the door handle, it makes my breath visible. The sound of the bowl being pulled across the table echoes behind me. Could it be, a ghost? But I don't believe in superstitious nonsense... Do I?

By the time I decide to turn around, the bowl is gone, and the only thing that remains is me and my rapidly beating heart. No human thing could move that swiftly. The door to the kitchen on the opposite side of the dining hall swings in and out, indicating where whatever retrieved the bowl went to.

Curiosity begs to know the answer, except the need to reach my bedroom and sob for a few moments pulls stronger. I turn the handle, stepping out into the main room. The chandlers shake for a moment above my head before growing still. Dim blue, morning light shines in through the lace curtains that cover the large windows, giving off an eerie glow to the marble decor.

I walk up the winding stairs, trying my best to keep my gaze on the floor, and away from the randomly placed statues and portrait paintings that line the sides. If I look too long at either, I fear the eyes will move, forcing me to believe in the unnatural.

After I reach the center, I shuffle my feet, turning towards another set of stairs, carpeted in crimson. The narrowness of the stairway feels suffocating, and yet I force myself to take it every day. Not that I have much of a choice. Since my room is past them.

Five more steps, almost there. Breathe, remember to breathe. No one will be at the top, you will be out of here and free in just a moment. Goose bumps prickle on my arms beneath the thick fuzzy pajamas. I shiver, wrapping my arms beneath my chest.

Each time I take this passage, I consider carrying a knife in my hand. Just in case this one time someone terribly evil waits at the top. Its' goonie giggling at the bottom, waiting to catch my corpse.

I shudder and pick up my pace to reach the top of the stairs. Two doors down, a leather satchel hangs on the knob. A perfectly hand written note is held in place by a safety pin to the front pocket.

It must be the phone that Maximus left for me. Though to be honest, I was expecting it to be in the store bag it came home in. Why would he place it in a satchel? Why did he give me a satchel?

Originally I had intended to return to my bed after breakfast, if only for an hour or two. But as these questions assail my mind, I find myself much too awake to be capable of sailing into my dreams. Today specifically everything seems stranger than it has been throughout my stay. From the disappearing dish, to Maximus' sudden 'business' trip, and now a satchel that looks to have fallen out of an urban adventure novel.

When I reach out to grab the bag, I feel something slip out of my hand. I cock my head to the side, unsure as to what was grasped before this.... Oh, the note! I bend down, retrieving it. Curiosity, that ever pesky explorer I keep fighting off for the sake of my sanity, grows louder in the back of my mind. It wants to know what the note says. I want to know. But.... do I really want to know?

I feel as though the entire house judges me when I decide to unveil but one mystery.

"Do not talk to anyone on the other side of the mirror. If tonight a being falls through, there is a gun hidden in the satchels lining. Kill them immediately. If you don't, the world as you know it will fall to pieces.

Call me if this happens, Maximus.

P.S. Never look into the eyes of the undead, they don't appreciate it."

Uh......What?