𝑷𝑨𝑷𝑬𝑹 𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺 • 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧. 𝐦 (wolfblood)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

Maddy placed her hand on Lia's arm, "I'll go and get him, he's just outside." she said, turning and beginning her fast walk to the front door, only to be stopped when Lia called, "Wait! What are you going to say? That Mr Driscoll is out there with him, too, remember."

Maddy looked to the side in thought, "That mom needs him or something, I don't know. You three start looking for the coats so we can get out of here, I won't be long."

Before any of them could stop her and tell her what a bad idea it was to split up in a possibly haunted mansion with potential psychopathic werewolf hunters, she was gone. Tom blew out a nervous breath, "No way we're splitting up. Hold my hand." he told them, holding out both of his hands, encouraging his friends to hold them. Shannon rolled his eyes, taking his hand regardless, but Lia didn't mind, taking his hand instantly, glad of the small source of comfort.

They started going further down the main hallway, the large corridor that stretched from the front main entrance to the back door, rooms opening up on either side every few paces. They looked in each room, all of the doors open halfway, probably so that there was a constant breeze to air out the rooms. But the corridor did not stretch as far as Lia thought, and they hit a dark red wall. Shannon turned her head to the left, and she stepped back quickly, pulling Lia and Tom with her, the three of them still linked by their hands. The sudden tug nearly made them fall over, but before either of them could complain (as Shannon correctly predicted was their intent) she placed a finger to her lips and pointed to the left, where the corridor continued. They peered around the wall, eyes widening when they saw Mrs Driscoll crossing down the corridor, leaving a room and strolling down another corridor.

The three of them shared a look, all having the same idea: find out what was in the room she just left.

Lia hoped it was their coats. The old mansion was drafty and she was only wearing a long-sleeved top and jeans. The woman's footsteps now out of earshot, the three of them left the safety of the corner of the wall and turned the corner, slowly walking toward where she had come from. 

"This place is starting to freak me out." Tom commented, glancing up at the deer's head displayed high up on the wall.

"I can tell. Your hand's all sweaty." Shannon retorted, smiling a little. Tom tutted, dropping the girl's hand and sticking his tongue out at her childishly. Hand in hand, Lia and Tom followed Shannon, and soon enough they reached the end of the corridor, but when they turned to the right, they weren't faced with a door like they had expected - there was a bookshelf. Shannon frowned, stepping back to examine the bookshelf. Lia's mouth twisted when she spotted a book that looked out of place, its cover too bright and unworn against the rest of the old, dusty books on the shelf, and she reached forward, pulling it. What she hoped to happen, did, and the shelf opened up, a quiet rumble as it slid to the side, literally into the wall, opening up a narrow room behind it.

Her two friends gawped at her, but Lia simply grinned widely, "That's so cool!"

They decided not to question her, ask her how she knew, too astounded, and they walked inside, and Lia's smile dropped instantly. It looked like some kind of old laboratory, all wooden and elegant. There were two shelves parallel to each other as soon as they walked in, shelves filled to the brim with papers, pictures, metal ornaments and just clutter. Then for the rest of the room, the walls were covered in drawings, pictures, old newspapers, and two low wooden countertops filled with the same clutter as the shelves. But Lia noticed a common theme in all of this that made her heart drop to her stomach and thud slowly, time seeming to slow in her fear: wolves, guns, moons - this couple really were werewolf hunters, or, more accurately, wolfblood hunters.

The wolf skull on the shelf confirmed it.

"What's she doing?" Tom said, the look on his face Lia could only describe as disgust, mixed with a little bit of surprise added with a 'what on Earth?' sort of expression. He squeezed Lia's hand, knowing how devastating and frightening this must be for her. Shannon preoccupied herself by looking at the old science equipment that had been set up, "Some sort of analysis." she answered, crouching a little to squint at a test tube.