Whisked Away

Meeting Of A Master

Genevieve walked around the octagonal shaped room.

I have to get out, Genevieve repeated.

I have to get out.

She started banging on the wooden walls. The ghost host hasn't spoken to her for thirty minutes.

But those thirty minutes have felt like an eternity to her.

Suddenly, the door she banged on opened. There stood a man, in almost similar dress that she was wearing. He wore a finely made black suit, with a red silk ascot. His curly jet black hair was slicked back and his facial features were sharp.

He looked at Genevieve with surprise. He entered the room and looked around. "You do know that doors open, right?"

Genevieve now looked at the man in the same manner. He was.. Real? She touched his silk ascot that rested between his suits break of lapel. "Y-yes." She said, fazed. "It was just... stuck."

"Stuck?" The man questions.

"Yes." She looks at him questioningly now. "Who are you?"

"I should ask the same to you." The man gestures to Genevieve. "What are you doing in this house?"

"Who wants to know?" She asks.

"The master of this house." He says, shoving his hands in his pockets, awaiting an answer.

Genevieve is taken aback.

"Well?" the man says expectantly.

Since it being Halloween, she thought, might as well fake it.

She curtsies to the man, so low that Genevieve is almost to the floor. "Duchess Genevieve of Edrela."

Genevieve sweats nervously. What if this guy doesn't believe her? What if he calls the cops on her for trespassing on private property? What if-

Just then, the man bows and extends a hand to help Genevieve up.

"My lady! My sincerest apologies." The man says. Genevieve is shocked. He actually believed me, she thinks. "Your carriage men didn't send a letter ahead saying that you'd be here so late?"

Gen laughs nervously. "Yeah, well you know how unreliable carriage men are!"

The man cocks his head at her, as if still not believing her. "Any who, as you must have already guessed, I am Gracey." The man takes Genevieve's hand and brushes a kiss to it.

Her eyes nearly bulge out of her head. "G-G-Gracey? You mean THE Master Gracey!?"

Gracey takes my arm and leads me from the portrait gallery. "The one and only." Gracey smiles. "But on a more pressing matter, duchess, I know you're just "passing through" as you put it but would you stay but one hour? We're having a party in the ballroom.."

Genevieve filters her hearing. A party? But I thought this place was in the middle of nowhere! How could there be a party in the middle of nowhere, when did all the guests arrive? When I was trapped into this.. this.. Portrait room?

"Well, will you come?" Gracey asked, hoping she would. He smiles at me. We were now in the great hall. Gracey dropped my arm.

Gen just then noticed that, she heard the organ music playing again. It was as if the organist-whoever he is-never stopped playing. It was the continual loop of the same song.

"What kind of a party is it?" Genevieve asks.

Gracey smiled, to him it was an overly excited smile but to Genevieve it looked malicious. "A wedding party. For the newly dead-I mean, wed." He smiles nonchalantly to cover up his little slip up.

Genevieve shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not. Its Halloween night after all." She's lost track of time but she didn't care anymore. Katie left her, and it's not like she had her cell phone the ghost host said it was dead and gone. She didn't dare check the other rooms of this house, who knows what might happen.

That stupid dare was what got her into this mess anyway. She might as well chill with these guys at their party and then beg for a ride home from them.

Just then the music changed. Instead of the continual loop, it went up an entire scale, now almost sounding circus like. It was a jublious tune though. It played accurate tuned notes of what it had formerly played before, as if the organ hadn't been played in forever and it needed to be fixed. This one sounding more befit for a party rather than the original tune. As if somebody was pleased I was joining them.

Gracey's smile brightened. "Excellent, if you'll follow me duchess." Gracey takes my arm again and excitedly leads me through the wooden archway.

The wooden archway had a long hallway that had suits of mail that of knights of old. Complete with their weapons. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to admire them as I did the front doors knockers because Gracey pulled me into the ballroom so quickly I thought my arm was to tear off.

Thankfully it didn't. But the next room we were in was beautifully decorated, much similar to the style of the manors great hall.

But as I soon discovered.. There was nobody in the room. It was empty. Gracey walked to the center of the ballroom floor.

"Well are you coming?" He asks me, holding a hand out.

When I look around the room, everything is exquisite. The floors the decor and even the organ. Which to my surprise, nobody was at its seat.

I tentatively step onto the polished floor. My satin slippers hardly making a sound on the shiny tiles.

My eyes are locked on Gracey, I don't look around. But I should have. Why? Because ghosts were literally popping out of the floor. Everywhere I stepped, each tile, ghosts and ghost couples popped out and were lifted to the ceiling, then they floated down to the floor. I tried to aviod it but no such luck.

Once I shakily reach Gracey, he sets me in a waltz position and we start dancing. He dances nicely, I must admit, He seems like a charming gentleman.

"Okay, dude, what's going on?" I ask.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asks me. I stop waltzing and break the position. I briefly twirl around and gesture to all of the ghosts. Ghosts who were translucent and pale. Ghosts who were dancing beside me and through me.

Gracey quickly sets me back into the waltzing position.

"Tell me, Ms. Haddingford, do you believe in ghosts?" Gracey asks me.

I nearly laugh. "What do you think? I didn't before I stepped into this house, that's for sure!"

Gracey sighs, and finally explains. "The spirits have sensed your presence and wanted to greet you."

"So. . . This isn't a wedding party."

"Oh it is." He assured her. He spun her around and stopped suddenly. They were facing the staircase and its upper hallway. There was a pale bride and an equally pale groom. Could they be ghosts as well, or just frightened visitors like she?

Genevieve believed him. No less, she still was scared.

Gracey sensed it. "I'm sorry if we frightened you prematurely."

She looks straight up at him. "N-Nonsense." Gen stutters.

As the somewhat cheerful music continues its loop, Gracey now takes the time to ask an important question.

"Who are you really?"