Project Chaos: Disneyland

Chapter Eleven

One evening brought a surprise at dinner. As Teddy approached his seat at the far side of the table, he noticed instantly that the seat at the very end was no longer vacant. Grimm was leaning back in his chair, one arm tossed over the side, the other supporting his chin. His expression was unreadable, half-hidden beneath his scarf; he seemed deep in thought, lost in his own mind. But whatever it was agitated him - Teddy could see his fingers beating a rhythm against the arm of his chair.

Just as Teddy offered the master a respectful nod, Janus swooped out of the gloom behind Grimm's chair, speaking urgently into his ear. If Grimm was agitated, the butler was annoyed. He seemed to be trying to convince the master of something, because Grimm gave a sharp shake of his head, his red-tipped hair slipping over his strange, glittering eyes.

When Teddy took his seat, Baz leaned over beside him and pointed his chin at Grimm.

"So that's the master of the house," he murmured in his quiet voice. "He looks... cute. And scary."

Teddy blinked in surprise and stared at Baz, who lifted his eyebrows as if asking, "What?"

Teddy shook his head.

"Cute?"

"Yeah," Baz replied. "Like he wants to smile all the time, but more often than not, finds himself kicking ass instead."

Teddy stared in wonder at his neighbor.

Everyone was quiet at dinner, all attention focused on Grimm at the head of the table. It was obvious how rare it was for their meals to be joined by the master of the house. Any conversations were short and hushed. Everyone waited for an explanation of his presence.

Finally, after a delicious dessert that Teddy was sure nobody enjoyed as much as they normally might have, Grimm fixed his gold eyes on Janus at the opposite end of the table. The butler reluctantly got to his feet and tapped the side of his glass, calling everyone's already fixed attention to the master's announcement. As the butler sat back down, his eyes gave an odd, fiery flash of annoyance.

Grimm cleared his throat and lifted his chin from behind his scarf.

"First, I'd like to welcome our newest Spooks. Master Baz, Master Teddy." Grimm offered a nod to the young men at his side. "And I'd like to thank everyone for continuing to keep our mansion running smoothly."

He lifted his glass, and everyone did likewise, toasting their efforts. That done, Grimm leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together and placing his chin on top.

"We all know that living here has its risks. Not just in the mansion, but in the park as well. Here inside those gates, there are fearsome things that might not even exist in the world outside, where we could run from them. Here, we are trapped with people twisted by their own desires and the overflow of magic, here at the heart of it all."

Silence reigned over the room, the shadows seeming to creep closer. A chill ran up Teddy's spine - he knew some of what Grimm spoke about. Once again, he saw the cruel gleam in Raf's fiery eyes, heard his oath.

I'm gonna burn this place to the ground.

"In order to stay as safe as possible inside our mansion," Grimm continued, "we follow our rules, and some brave few volunteer to defend us if ever the need arises."

People who had been staring down at their plates or laps picked their heads up to look at Grimm. Teddy in particular felt drawn to Grimm's words.

"It has been a long time since I asked for volunteers," the master said, voice quiet. "Many of you have no idea such a group exists among you. They are called Ghouls, and they are the ones who will take up arms against the likes of the Lost Boys, should they ever come calling at our gates."