Penelope was standing in the middle of Esper Hall. She was alone but she could sense another presence in the room with her. Penelope turned around, searching for whomever was there.

"Who are you?" A beautiful young woman was slowly approaching Penelope. She looked pale, with long dark hair and her eyes were dark but looked too big for her face.

"I'm Penelope Smith. Who are you?"

The young woman didn't appear to hear her. She was slowly becoming more transparent as she looked around the room, paying little attention to Penelope.

"Hello?" Penelope waved her hand in front of the woman's face but she suddenly disappeared into thin air. Penelope knew this was a vision and she had to wake up.

Gasping Penelope awoke. She was drenched in sweat, her breathing ragged. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths and eventually calmed herself. She thought of the beautiful young woman in her vision. Was she Oliver's beloved? She had to be.

There was a soft scraping noise that Penelope was becoming aware of, coming from inside the closet. She wasn't sure if she should really go check it out, but something was drawing her there. Penelope reached the closet and slowly opened it.

Nothing frightening popped out. Instead Penelope's attention was drawn to a small, black trunk that was sitting on the floor of the closet. She eagerly knelt down and opened it. Inside were some old photos. Of Oliver and the beautiful woman from her vision.

***

"I can't believe you actually went inside that old house!" Laina's aunt was awestruck that she'd actually had the guts to go inside the old creepy house.

"It wasn't that scary," Laina said. "I enjoyed having a personal tour of the old mausoleum."

"Didn't the woman who owned have a fit?"

"She wasn't terribly pleasant," Laina agreed. "But P.J. wasn't the least bit bothered by her aunt's theatrics."

"Do you think you'll go back?" Quinn glanced outside. It was bloody raining again. One downside to living in jolly old England.

"P.J. invited me back. So probably." Laina grinned wickedly. "You should join me. You'd love seeing the inside of a murder house, no?"

Quinn shivered. She remembered hearing the locals discuss the unfortunate happenings that had supposedly taken place there. She wasn't too interested in going inside the place. Suppose she came face to face with a spirit? She'd never sleep a wink again.

"I think I'll pass." Quinn stood up, heading for the kitchen to make herself some tea. To her, there was nothing more comforting than a nice hot mug of tea on a cold, rainy day.

"You know you might never get this chance again," Laina called out in a sing-song voice and smiling. She was watching her aunt's slow, jerky movements and knew she was disturbed by just the thought of entering the old manor house.

"I'm perfectly fine with never having that opportunity. That place has a black cloud of a curse upon it. Anyone can see that just from looking at it. It's ghastly."

"I saw no such shit," Laina taunted. "You're being superstitious. How can a building be evil?"

"By awful, bloody things taking place in there, that's how."

"I still think you're being silly," Laina said shaking her head.

"Think what you want to, my dear niece," Quinn replied. "That place is cursed and no one is going to change my mind."

***

Lenora had barricaded herself in an upper room, just below the attic. At first glance, the room appeared bland and boring, with nothing of interest to draw a person into the room. Only Lenora knew differently. She'd been careful not to expose the dark secrets hidden within the walls and the closet, which she kept bolted, the only key to unlock it, hung around Lenora's neck with a silver necklace chain.

Lenora turned on the only lamp in the room, which was sitting in a corner, a low watt bulb in it. Once she could see a little more, she took the key from around her neck and inserted it into the lock, with a sharp click. She promptly replaced the key around her neck and opened the door to go inside and search for the book she needed.

She quickly found the book she required, along with a scrying bowl and a few vials of different liquids and went back into the main room. As Lenora set the book, bowl and vials aside and reached for a pitcher of dark liquid. Lenora discovered that dark liquid worked the best in scrying bowls so she usually used cranberry or grape juice. Occasionally if she'd run out of juice, she'd used tea.

Lenora dumped the juice into the scrying bowl, setting it aside and grabbing the different vials, adding a few drops from each one. Once that was finished, she flipped open the thick, old book and propped it against the bowl, closing her eyes and began chanting the ancient words. Suddenly the entire room was shrouded in darkness, fog rolling in from the unknown realms of the dark world.

When Lenora opened her eyes she smiled, as the images danced before her. She saw the old biddy, trapped behind the mirror and the sickly devil child. They shouted at her but their voices had been muted so Lenora could only see their mouths moving, as they gestured angrily in her direction.

"Yes, yes," Lenora murmured touching the fogged up glass in front of her. God, she adored how she could wield this beautifully wicked power! It was glorious! Lenora had much taken from her. But at least she had this power and she had Esper Hall. The only thing that troubled her was Penelope. She had been blessed with the gift.

Lenora watched the figures a while longer before banishing them from her sight. She must find a way to discourage her young niece from discovering the truth of what had taken place here. Lenora flipped quickly through the book before coming to a spell that would confuse the girl's gift.

Lenora closed her eyes once more and uttered the words. As she opened them, she smiled. This was one time she was given the gift of seeing the future.

****

Jane noticed how quiet her daughter was being today and it put her in a strange mood.

"Is something troubling you?" Jane asked as Penelope wandered around the front hallway, a vacant look in her eyes.

"Hmm? Oh no, I'm well, Mum. Truly." Jane watched as Penelope placed a hand on one of the walls, her facial expression going wide with wonderment.

"What?" Jane rushed to her daughter's side, grabbing her hand. Penelope immediately pulled it away, scowling.

"Mum! You just ruined it!"

"Ruined what?"

"I could sense something...unusual and you ruined it!"

"Oh, darling. I apologize. Go on!"

Penelope turned her back on her mother and closed her eyes, trying to reach for that odd sensation she'd felt only moments ago. There was definitely something or someone who was trying to connect with her. Was it Oliver? Or was it her great grandmother or even Oliver's beloved?

Death. Fear. Sadness. Heartache. Destruction. Loneliness. Pain and last of all...evil.

Penelope gasped pulling away from the darkness that threatened to enter inside her. Jane wanted to throw her arms around her daughter but decided against it.

"Penelope?" Jane whispered hoarsely.

"I...I'm all right." Penelope leaned heavily against the wall and Jane ran into the kitchen, grabbing a wet towel and rushing back to Penelope, who looked somewhat better.

"What did you see?" Jane bathed Penelope's pale face with the cloth.

"It wasn't so much what I saw," Penelope replied. "As what I felt."

"What did you feel?"

"Death and pain and...evil." Penelope looked straight into her mother's eyes. "Mum, what exactly happened here?"

"A lot, darling. So very much."

Chapter 6

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