Nancy Drew: Mystery of Melbourne Manor

Chapter 5

As they descended through the small hallway, the air got colder. Dust covered the walls and Ned coughed.
Nancy could tell the dust was getting to him and smiled at him apologetically.
"You can turn back if you need to," she said.
" No, I don't want to leave you here alone." Ned replied.
" I'll be alright, I don't want you to get hurt."
"Nancy, I'll be fine. Let's go." he snapped back.
"Alright," she muttered.
They reached the end of the hall. Nancy bit her lip in thought. Suddenly, the floor under her gave in. Ned grabbed her wrist, but she slipped through.
Nancy fell onto a rough concrete floor and let out a cry of pain.
"Nancy! Are you alright?" asked Ned.
" Yeah, my ankle hurts a little. I think I'm in the cellar," she replied.
"Alright, I'll find a way to get you!" Ned replied. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed as he walked away.
Nancy sighed as she stood up. The room was illuminated only by the fireplace on the side of the room. The room was stone and it smelled of ash and smoke.
Something told her that she was being watched.
"It's just you here, Nancy." she whispered to herself.
She continued to explore the large room. The whole setup looked as if it hadn't been used in years. There was only the noise of a running by mouse or the crackle from the fire. The odd feeling of being watched once again creeped over her.
Suddenly, she heard a small giggle coming from her side. Nancy quickly turned to see the Melbourne sisters standing there watching her.
" She found us! She wants to play! " Violet exclaimed.
" How did she find us?" asked Katherine.
" You weren't supposed to find us. You made him very mad. " said Abigail.
"Who? Where's Annalise?" she asked.
" Our friend, you made him angry." replied Katherine.
Violet backed up as if she was cowering in fear.
"Violet, do you know where Annalise is? You're the same age as her. Please, we need to find her."
Suddenly, she felt two hands harshly grab her and pull her back away from the girls. Nancy tried to turn around, but one of the hands moved to her head and was keeping her gaze forward.
"Who are you? Let me go!" she cried.
The hand on her head moved down to her neck and started to choke her. She tried to scream out for help, but found she couldn't. Something was making her immobile. Nancy tried to kick and scream, but the grip grew tighter.
Lungs screaming and vision darkening, Nancy felt she was about to fall unconscious. As soon as she started to close her eyes, the hands went away. Her lungs filled with air again.
" Nancy? Nancy!" she heard someone say.
Her vision was still blurry, but she could still tell who it was.
"Ned?" she called out.
"Yeah, come on. Let's get you to our room."
She tried to walk, but was still weak. Ned gently scooped her up and started towards the small door he entered from. He looked down every few seconds to make sure she was alright. Something happened to her that must've been worse than anything he could think of.
Ned finally made it back to their room and set her down on the bed. However, when he tried to walk away, she wouldn't let go. Her grip grew tighter around him.
"Don't. Don't leave me alone. He'll- He'll get me again." she muttered.
" What happened down there?" he asked.
"Please, please don't leave." she pleaded.
He saw the plea in her eyes and sat down next to her. Nancy hugged him closer to her.
" They warned me," she said.
"Who?" asked Ned.
"The Melbourne sisters, they told me he was angry with me. Then, I felt like something was choking me, but I couldn't move."
"It's alright, I'm not going to let anything else happen to you." Ned told her.
Later, they joined Nathaniel and Margaret downstairs for dinner. It was the same soup and bread as the kind they had the day before.
"So, did you find any new leads to where our little girl is?" asked Nathaniel.
" Well, we found bits of hair ribbons in areas which could be part of an older case." Ned replied.
Nancy noticed the look of displeasure on their face.
" Then, we found her music box on the third floor. We are getting closer, just at a slow pace."
The butler quickly walked into the room.
"Please excuse my absence, I was taking care of a problem." he said before walking into the kitchen.
"We trust that you'll bring Annalise back," said Nathaniel as he gave the maid his bowl and excused himself from the table.
" The Melbourne sisters like people. They always are looking for a new play mate," said Margaret before she left.
After the odd talk at dinner, Nancy and Ned went back to their room. They both sat on the bed and Nancy nervously twirled her hair around her finger.
" Always looking for a new play mate," she muttered.
"What?" asked Ned.
"In order to get any closer to Annalise, we have to get closer to the Melbourne sisters. We need to become their play mates."
" How?"
"Ned, hear me out, you have to stay around. I will have to become their play mate, or they won't tell us where she's at."
" No, Nancy! It's too dangerous, please!" he pleaded.
"Ned,"
"You won't go, I won't let you. Promise me you won't do anything to get yourself killed?"
"I promise," Nancy told him.
Whenever Ned fell asleep, Nancy changed back into her regular clothes. Lightning flashed into the room and she hoped that the thunder wouldn't awaken Ned. Then, she quietly walked into the hall. She took one last look at Ned.
"I love you, please don't hate me for this."
Nancy tiptoed down the hall until she was in front of Annalise's door. Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and walked into the room. Sitting on the bed were the sisters.
" Are you here to play?" Abigail asked.
She took another deep breath. She knew she could leave the room. It would be easy, but she had to do this.
"Yes, I am." she replied.
"You need a ribbon," Violet said tying a lilac one into Nancy's hair.
" What do I do now?" asked Nancy.
" We walk to the closet. That's where the fun begins." replied Katherine.
Nancy stood inside the closet with her eyes closed. She didn't know what would happen. She could die tonight in the closet, but that was a risk she had to take. The floorboards buckled and she found herself down in the cellar again when she opened her eyes.
" Glad you could join us,"
Slowly, she turned to see the old gardener. He sealed the door and floorboards so there was no means of escape. She was alive, but for how long?