A Star's Descent

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Mansion

A Star's Descent

By evolution-500

Disclaimer: House of the Dead and Resident Evil are properties belonging to SEGA and Capcom respectively. I do not own any of these characters.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Mansion

It took twenty minutes to make it to the hill and about an hour to descend. Star had slipped and nearly fell, but thanks to Rebecca, he was able to keep steady on his feet. Once they were on the ground, Star studied the looming structure before them. Two stories high, grey in color with a black roof and distinctively European, the mansion appeared to be, by his estimates, over ten thousand square feet with adjoining wings on its sides. Lined with columns, the mansion appeared to be in British Palladian style, with a terrace at the top of the west end that overlooked the front yard. In front of the mansion was a statue of a woman in Grecian robes, presumably Hestia, the Greek goddess of the hearth, home and family, while staring out from the main building's façade over the front door was a lancet window with an oculi up top. The place looked dilapidated, with parts worn away and shingles missing from the roof.

"Well," Rebecca breathed, "we made it!"

He nodded. "We have."

"So, what do you think?"

The red-draped albino narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized its features.

"Beautiful house, to be sure," Star replied. "I see little touches of Gothic in places."

"I meant our being able to get down here," Rebecca said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

He blinked. "Oh. My apologies."

She waved him off.

"It's okay." The medic looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

Star shook his head.

"No," he answered. "I was just wondering if this was one of George Trevor's works."

Rebecca blinked.

"George Trevor," she repeated the name, "...where have I heard that name before?"

"Famous millionaire architect that specialized in New Classical architecture?" he reminded. "Had his own construction company called 'Trevor and Chamberlain'?"

Rebecca's eyes widened with a start.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "If I recall correctly his buildings had gimmicky secret passages and stuff like that!"

"That's him," he nodded in affirmation, "although his company 'Trevor and Chamberlain' was known for more elaborate surrealist building designs."

"I heard that he also had a hand in designing a cruise ship."

"The Queen Zenobia," the albino nodded again. "Constructed in 1978 alongside its sister ships, the Queen Semiramis and the Queen Dido, based off of plans drawn up by Trevor himself in the style of high-class liners of the 1930s."

Rebecca looked at him curiously.

"You seem pretty knowledgeable about him," she said.

Star looked at her.

"Admittedly, I'm...something of an aficionado of his," he replied. "I used to dream of becoming very wealthy someday and having a house designed by either him or his company."

The medic nodded.

"You and me both," she said. "I'd love to have a house like this."

"I had heard that their services had been acquired in refurbishing a house somewhere in Louisiana back in 1992, but I don't know what the name of the house was. All I know is that it's somewhere within the Dulvey Parish." He sighed wistfully. "I wish that I knew more precisely where, though. I'd love to see it."