"And there's another bathroom down this hall, third door on the left."

That was number seven.

Yes, she had been counting. If there was one thing Brianna had learned from her many foster experiences it was that bathrooms were great for alone time. And that you needed to learn where they were right off the bat or you would be very sorry.

Mrs. Wright- that was the name of the lady in the uncomfortable looking business suit- had been giving Brianna a "brief" tour of the Estate for about an hour. The twosome had traipsed through winding stairways, long, meandering halls, and musty rooms- all so elegant and posh-looking it made Brianna kind of sick. And yet, the time had passed by so quickly that the next time they passed by a window, Brianna was surprised to discover it was dark outside.

There was just so much... stuff. From the giant sofas and plush carpets in rooms that seemed both untouched and unused to the ornamental décor that lined the hallways and walls, Brianna felt engulfed by it all. It would be so easy to get lost amidst it all. Just another 'thing' in the endless piles of stuff.

That thought was quite disturbing. She had yet to meet the "Master" and "Mistress" of this grand Estate- evidently they were away on business until tomorrow. But to think that she was just another "thing", another experiment, a new idea...

Irritation prodded at her gut like a bee sting. This wouldn't be the first time. Some of her foster homes had been like that- people trying out "something new" with a foster teen. It was an "in-thing", to be charitable and loving and take in a foster kid who desperately needed parental attention. But those trends quickly faded and Brianna saw through it all with ease. She was just a fad to some. Not a person. A fashion statement.

Brianna forced those thoughts away. They were best left in the abandoned corners of her mind.

"And here Miss Sims is the library." She pushed open two very large and very extravagant doors to reveal the biggest collection of books Brianna had ever seen in any house.

Shelves upon shelves of bursting tomes stretched out, spiraling in some decorative fashion. The books towered high above Brianna's head, with the top-most part of the shelf way out of reach. Lounging chairs had been thoughtfully placed in various corners about the room, to ensure pleasant reading time. It appeared, upon closer inspection, that there was even a particular organization to it all- with labels bearing the names of "Fiction", "Classics", and more. It was, indeed, a book-lovers paradise.

Brianna hated books.

"It's stuffy in here," she said, scrunching up her nose. "Does anyone even come in here?"

Mrs. Wright visibly wilted.

"Oh- well, not as of late," she said with a sigh. "Although when Miss Lilian comes about, she often spends a good amount of time scouring the shelves."

"Lilian?" Brianna echoed.

"Master Aaron's niece," the British woman supplied. "A rather dainty girl who turned seventeen this May."

"Oh, okay," Brianna said a sniff. "When are we going to my room?"

"Presently," the secretary responded, her face falling back into a business-like smile. "Follow me."

Brianna trailed behind dutifully. As she exited the library, her eye caught sight of a hallway she hadn't been toured through yet. The electricity was off, giving it a rather ominous aura, the only light coming in from the moon outside the windows.

"What's down there?" she asked.

"Ah, that is the West Wing. It's off limits for the time being. Some of the foundation has crumbled, and for safety reasons, Master Ellington has forbidden anyone to enter until it has been fixed."

"Curious," Brianna said, staring down the hall. "Is this an older mansion?"

"Indeed, very old. It's been in the family for centuries," Mrs. Wright said. "Now, come along. You'll be wanting to get settled before it gets very late."

The woman turned, her heels clip-clopping down the hall.

The West Wing... Brianna took one more look. The darkened hallway called to her. There was something hidden there, it was obvious. Something Mrs. Wright and Master Ellington didn't want her to see. Crumbling foundation indeed. What a likely story.

Brianna turned her back on the hall turned and followed Mrs. Wright.

****

An hour and one really amazing hot shower later, Brianna sat in front of a vanity and stared at her reflection, trying to pull a brush through the wet bramble thicket that was her hair.

Well, not really at it. It was more like an unfocused stare through the glass, as though her very gaze could pierce it and shatter it into a hundred little pieces. That would be nice. She'd much rather do that than brush her hair.

Ha ha.

Her room was just like the rest of the mansion- big and very posh. She had her own bathroom, which was nice- no need to even remember the other seven- and a gigantic, plush bed with a billion pillows. Her suitcase had been waiting for her, perched daintily on the bedsheets.

Brianna yanked the brush's teeth through a particularly fierce patch of hair, grimacing as she pulled out a fistful of strands in the process. Sighing, she laid it down on the vanity, and rose to her feet.

She wandered over to the window. Pale moonlight filtered in through the glass. Brianna unlatched the lock and pushed it open.

A rush of cool air met her face. Leaning on the windowsill, she breathed in deeply, tasting the crisp night air.

It wasn't hot or uncomfortable in her room, but she felt so much better with the window open.

The mansion was vast and open, with so much to take in and so much room. Yet part of Brianna felt as though she was trapped here. Trapped within the mansion, sealed off from the rest of the world. Despite its grandeur and spaciousness, she felt more caged here than in any other home

The West Wing...

It bothered her that she couldn't go there.

And another thing... she still hadn't met The Ellingtons. Here she was, her first night in the house.

And no foster parents.

Brianna stared out over the gardens, silently thinking. Her room was two stories above the ground, and she had a spectacular view of the Estate gardens from her window.

The statues looked a lot creepier at night. She could've sworn she one of them move, and-

Wait.

Was there someone in the gardens?

Brianna leaned out of the window, squinting in the darkness. Yes, there definitely was movement! Someone was lurking in the bushes.

"Hey!" Brianna shouted.

The figure froze. Then, slowly, it turned its head.

Red eyes bore through the shadows, staring right at Brianna. She gasped and jolted backwards in surprise.

And then there was nothing. No figure. No movement.

No red eyes.

Brianna blinked. She leaned out further, peering into the shadows, scanning for the figure she was sure she'd seen only moments before.

She couldn't have imagined that.

Shivering, she pulled herself back into her room, closed the window, and latched it shut.

����U6kH<_

Salutations. I hope you are enjoying "Spellsong". Give me a heads up if you see anything off, and I will be eternally grateful.

Cheers!