Search for the Crystal Key (A Continuation of Dark Escape)

Chapter 3

 Tara was lightly dozing off when she heard the unmistakable padding of slippered feet on the wooden landing as they made their way past her bedroom door. Her bedroom was at the top of the first flight of stairs and centered between the guest quarters and the stairwell that led to the third floor. The creaking of the hardly used door at the base of that stairwell signaled to her that whoever was tip toeing around wasn't heading to the kitchen for a snack. There hadn't been enough time passed since she and Mitch were dating for her to forget the sound of his footsteps, which left only one other person; Alana.

Why would she be sneaking upstairs; especially after Tara specifically kept it out of their tour, explaining its disrepair as hazardous? In its days of glory, the third floor of the house was the residence for the servants. Since her grandmother had neglected to maintain things for so many years, there was structural damage on the top floor where the leaky roof and broken windows left some of the rooms at the mercy of the elements. She'd declared it off limits to everyone, especially her guests. She boarded the windows and repaired the leaky roof almost immediately upon taking possession of the house, but there were still plenty of hazards for someone maneuvering around, particularly at night. Sliding out of bed she jammed her feet into her slippers, donned her well-worn robe, grabbed a flashlight from the drawer of her night stand and left the warmth of her renovated bedroom to brave the mercilessly fierce night air of the rest of the house. Stopping at the bottom of the narrow stairwell, she listened intently before cautiously making her way to the third floor. Fearful of it being a potential fire hazard in its present condition, she'd disconnected the electricity on the top floor; making the flashlight her only source of visibility. Stepping as lightly as she could,

Tara felt as if she was the intruder instead of the other way around.

She wasn't sure why she wanted to keep her presence a secret. This was her house, after all.

Even so, somehow, she felt like she shouldn't be there.

She'd ventured onto the third floor three times since moving into the house. She took a tour with her father while awaiting the moving van, and shortly afterward when a repair company estimated the cost to bring it back to its original state of charm and glory. The number set Tara on her heels. She decided that until the main part of the house was finished she'd put the resurrection of the third floor on hold and just make it off limits to everyone for safety's sake. She ventured up there the third time to instruct the workers she hired to do the necessary repairs to the roof, disconnect the electricity and board the windows.

When she reached the top step, a thin beam of light moved near her. She ducked down to avoid being seen. The weak beam from Alana's undersized flashlight continued to comb the dusty great room that must have been the main room for the servants. Leading from this former great room that still harbored energy of time gone by was a long hallway with doorways that opened to smaller rooms that were humble in comparison to the spacious and grand rooms below.

Tara watched with amazed wonder as Alana rummaged through the enormous steamer trunks that were clustered in the center of the cluttered room. She acted intent on leaving disarray and mayhem behind her without a care of what Tara might think when she finally did venture upstairs. What is she looking for? Tara shifted to a more comfortable position. The scent of old dust swirled through the stale air at the disruption of fabric that hadn't been touched for possibly a century or more. She held her finger to her nose as she forced back a sneeze that threatened to burst forth.

Oddly enough Tara had no desire to interrupt her house guest. There was something intriguing about skulking about in the middle of the night watching this strange and beautiful woman rummaging through her dusty old unused rooms looking for heaven knows what. Alana's perfect face glowed in the dim light and cast shadows in multiple directions. It had a surreal mesmerizing effect.