The Piano || 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬

|52|

"I bet Ilse just wants to make us work out or something," Ashley muttered as they entered the ballroom for the who-knows-how-oftehnth time.

The air outside hadn't been fresh by any means, but a slight breeze had helped them cool down a little. It was the beginning of July, after all. But Sadie had insisted that they would continue, and Ashley had been too antsy to wait around for long. Ilse's words echoed through her mind, and she genuinely hoped the ghost meant what she said. Are you going to show yourself to us? Yes.

"Seriously," Colby chuckled. "Or she loves finally having someone do whatever she wants."

"Do you always get commanded around like this?" Jerry sighed, sinking down on another chair. "If yes, I'm never going to go on another one ever again. Okay, scratch that, I'm not going to do that anyway."

Surprisingly, Sadie kept her mouth shut, even though Ashley didn't miss the disapproving gaze she threw at Jerry. It was as if Ashley were on high alert for everything her best friend's sister did.

Something moved on the other side of the room.

She only saw it from the corner of her eye, but Ashley stiffened, her heartbeat speeding up twice as fast as it had been before. She turned her head around slowly, cautiously, not wanting to show her sudden panic. The others were talking about something, but she wasn't listening, their voices unclear through the rush of blood in her ears.

There was nothing there, of course, there wasn't. Of course, there wasn't. She was just freaking herself out. She let out the shaky breath she'd been holding and redirected her attention to the conversation going on in front of her. Right as she turned her head away, there was a second movement, and this time, she whipped her head around quicker, determined to catch whatever was moving in the far corner of the room.

Ashley froze and stared. "The curtains," she said, startling the others out of their conversation. "They're not supposed to be moving."

Colby, who had been talking, cut himself off and stared at the corner Ashley was looking at. "They aren't," he said, frowning.

"They were, a second ago," she insisted, not turning her gaze away. Now everyone was staring, trying to see any movement.

"Let's move our equipment back there," Sam suggested. Jerry sighed but didn't complain as he reached out for his crutches, pushing himself up from the chair again. Ashley was too caught up in hurrying to the other side of the room to help him.

"I don't like that her reaction to something scary is walking straight towards it," Colby chuckled, taking the camera from Sam. They'd been discussing what to do next, but Ashley had made a decision unnecessary.

She was currently standing in front of the curtains, pushing them aside to check if there was a vent or open window behind them. Her search was unrewarded – there was nothing that could've excused the air moving. The windows were tightly sealed, only letting in the moonlight. Ashley let herself grin triumphantly before she turned around, looking wary.

"I swear, I saw those moving," she said as the others reached her.

"Isn't that exactly where Suki said she saw Ilse standing?" Sam said, and the entire group collectively sucked in a breath.

"Yeah," Colby said slowly, scanning the heavy curtains from the bottom to the top. "She said she saw a woman standing approximately here."

Ashley turned her head again, suddenly uncomfortable with the thought of having her back facing the corner. But the curtains were hanging motionless and heavy, not looking like a simple breeze could move the satin. She suppressed a scoff, now she really let her hopes blind herself, seeing proof of paranormal activity where there was none. She needed to keep her head clear and her eyes open.