5 to 1 *On Hiatus*

Ch 1: The Announcement

"What's up, Uncle Si?" I ask, sitting down next to the lads in Simon Cowell's office.

"Well, seeing as you just finished your Take Me Home tour and you all need a break from everything, we've decided to send you to Romania for a month. There's this really old castle there that is said to be haunted and I figured if anyone would like it, you five would."

"Oh, definitely. Like a haunted house." Liam perks up. I smile, old castle means secret passages, secret passages mean great pranks. This is going to be the best month ever.

"Yeah, like a haunted house. Anyway, we're taking your phones so you can't be tracked by the satellites, because knowing your fans, they will find you at all costs. And you will be completely off grid for a whole 30 days. No internet, not a single tweet, no instagram, not a word to the outside world. Mostly because you wouldn't get signal there anyway so what's the point really?" he explains. (A/N no im not copying the author of truth or dare for the off grid thing, just need to set something up for later)

"True." I nod. No internet means no YouTube. I may need to improvise on the scary theme music for my pranks...

"Sounds like fun. When do we leave?" Niall asks, his accent standing out in the room full of Brits.

"Tomorrow. At 9 A.M. Paul will take you to the airport, disguised of course, and you will go to Romania by yourselves. Oh, by the way, its just you guys. No security, no bodyguards. Not even Paul is going.

"Wow. Okay. One month, just us as a band. Off grid. Sounds AWESOME!!" I say ominously.

"Okay. Well, its getting late, so you five better go downstairs so Paul can take you back to the complex. Get some sleep, tomorrow you disappear for awhile."

"You guys go ahead. I just have a question for Uncle Si." I say, waving the others ahead of me.

"What can I help you with, Lou?" he says, looking up from his stack of documents he was signing.

"Where, exactly, in Romania is this castle?"

"Uh, Transylvania I believe. Why?" he asks, looking at me like I just asked him the most pointless question in the world.

"I always like to know where we go so I know what kind of pranks I can pull on the lads. I can have so much fun in Transylvania. Thanks, Uncle Si!" I call behind me as I jog down the stairs to catch up with the boys.

"No problem." I hear him say before I get out of hearing range.

=================================

"Would you like anything else before I turn in for the night, Prințesă?" Vladimir Amanar asks me, his pressed black suit reflecting back the darkness around him.

"Nu, mulțumesc, Vladimir. Noapte buna prietenul meu." I say with a smile.

"Your Romanian is getting better, Prințesă." he smiles back, his folded skin from his many years looking like that of a Chinese dog.

"I have been practicing, Vladimir."

"It appears so." he nods. I love Vladimir like a father, as my own father was murdered many years ago, just after I was born. Vladimir was my parents' butler since he was young and when our castle was raided and my parents killed my mother told Vladimir to hide me away and keep me safe. He did and now my 21st birthday is quickly approaching. On Hallow's Eve I will become of age and be free to go where I wish. But I don't know if I wish to leave the safety of my castle, my refuge for the entirety of my life. Vladimir says I talk as if I am from some centuries ago but I do it out of habit, books and Vladimir being my only company. The people that killed my parents still look for me, wishing to kill me and end the Varias bloodline, but Vladimir wards them off, as do the 5 foot thick walls of this castle, a true fortress. Vladimir tells me that the townspeople believe our home to be haunted as no one ever comes or goes but Vladimir, who leaves with caution through a hidden tunnel. He says that they say that they've seen weird creatures around our home, like bats that become men infront of their very eyes and wolves that can stand on their hind legs and are bigger than great black bears! I believe these legends as the note my mother left for me told me to. She said in it that she knew one day they would come for my family, but I do not know who they is.

I turn off my light and settle down into the covers, clutching the well worn paper between my fingers and shutting my eyes. I instantly fall asleep and dream of my parents' faces, though I've only ever seen them in photographs.