House of horrors

Midnight

After agreeing to the new rules, we grab some food and head back to our rooms, exhausted. "I can finally rest..." I lock the bedroom door, lean against it, and sigh. I've been in this strange house for only one day, but I'm overwhelmed by all the strange events. The next thing I will experience is the midnight reset. "Anson says the time loop is harmless, as long as you stay in bed. I should change into my pajamas." I put on a creamy white floor length dress that has lace sleeves and decorations and I leave my hair out, and then I'm done. After changing, I get into bed with a little apprehension. "There's no clock in the bedroom, so I can only wonder when the hall clock will strike 12. The clothes I wore earlier are in the closet. When the reset happens... Will they be restored to? That would save me a great deal of cleaning and sewing..." Amused by my own thought, I shake my head and bury myself in the soft blanket. Lying flat on my back, I wait for time to pass. There's a sudden knock at the door...

"Rae? It's me, Anson. Are you there?" Anson asks outside my door.

"Yes!" I get out of bed to open the door. Anson quickly calls out to stop me when he hears me shuffling around.

"No need to get up. I'm just confirming you're here and safe." He says to me. "Have you locked the door?"

"Yes. You can try it if you want!" I tell him. I get back in bed. Anson tries the doorknob, and I hear it rattle.

"Yep. It's locked." He says. "And hey, Rae? Don't worry about the time loop. Just close your eyes and sleep. You won't feel anything." Anson guessed how uneasy I'm feeling, and his lighthearted tone relaxes me.

"Thank you, Anson. Don't worry about me." I tell him from under the blanket.

"If there's anything you need, talk to me tomorrow morning, okay?" He softly tells me. "I need to go to the next room now. Good night, Rae."

"Good night." I tell him feeling tired. As I hear him walk to the next room, I feel much more relaxed than before, but the mysteries of the day keep me from sleep. A door closes nearby. It must be Coiseam returning to her bedroom. It's almost midnight... My mind wanders, and I imagine the sound of a second hand ticking. My eyelids are heavy. The distant, indistinct sound of the clock chimes disturbs the silence. "Is it... 12 o'clock?" The chimes reach out from a deep sea, grabbing me, pulling me into the bottomless depths. I have... strange visions... scenes, people... sunlight dancing across green leaves... My eyelids are too heavy. I must sleep... "...Oh... Is this...?" I gradually wake and find myself staring at a strange ceiling. It takes me a few seconds to remember I'm trapped in a strange house. I didn't hear the clock chime, so it must be past eight o'clock. "Oh no! What time is it? I have to get to get to the dining room quickly!" I roll out of bed, skip changing my clothes, and run to the dining room.

"Rae? Why are you running? Come, sit down." Coiseam tells me gently. I push through the door and look around. Everyone is there except Zacharias and Garvey. The twins are glowering, Saskia is busy in the kitchen, Anson and Coiseam are eating, and Hampus isn't fully awake yet. And the Invisible Man, draped in his sheet with a painted smiley face, stands in the corner of the room. "I thought about knocking on your door after I woke up, Rae... but with everything that happened yesterday, I figured it was best to let you sleep a little more."

"I... didn't hear the eight o'clock bell... I thought I'd missed the meeting..." I tell her.

"You're not late, don't worry. What do you want for breakfast? We have bread and cereal." Anson tells me.

"I'll help myself, thank you." I tell him. My worry disappears when I see the appetizing food. The smell is incredible.

"If you get some bread, you can have it with butter, honey, or cheese." Anson tells me pointing at the things on the table.