Grenwhich Abbey

The Night It Began

 Chapter One...

        Every house has its secrets and Grenwhich Abbey was no exception. In fact, Grenwhich Abbey had more secrets than most; Jayce and Rhys Grenwhich, the current inhabitants, were sure of it. But all though they had lived in the ancient, museum-like building since they were born, neither of them had ever been able to find out any of its mysteries, though they had tried many times.  But on New Year’s Eve of 2014 all of that changed and the boys’ lives were never the same. 

           “I’m not going to change my mind,” Jayce said, folding his arms across his bare, toned chest.  He shook his head at the black-haired lady in the maid attire that he had come to call family as he laid back lazily into a chair. “I’m tired of sitting around in this creepy old abbey with nothing to do. Rhys left and no one tried to stop him, what’s so different with me?” 

          The lady, Ellie, as the boys called her, shrugged her slim shoulders and continued bustling around the extravagant sitting room with the feather duster. She hadn't even said anything to Jayce when he’d announced he was leaving after the New Year’s Eve party, she’d just given him a look; one that he knew so well. Ellie was a woman of few words; she preferred silence and had always found that words had a way of misinterpreting her emotions. Ellie’s dark eyes showed her amusement as the nineteen-year-old Jayce Grenwhich groaned at her silence. 

             “I will take that as a blessing to go forth into the world.” Jayce said finally as he jumped out of the chair and started towards one of the massive stairwells that led to the second floor of the abbey. “Oh,” he paused and looked at Ellie who had stopped dusting. “You know you have the day off, right?” 

         The lady shook head, her curls bouncing, indicating that she did not know. Jayce slapped himself on the head, “I must have forgotten to tell you. Sorry. It just didn't make much sense to me to get anything clean when there would be a party here tonight and everything would just get dirty again.” 

         Ellie sighed, “Fine.” She said curtly, before handing him the duster and her apron and walking out. He bit his lip knowing she was still irritated with him for deciding to leave. ‘What’s the big deal?’ he wondered silently. He didn't remember her being like this when his twin brother, Rhys, had said goodbye three months earlier. But then again, Rhys had promised he was only leaving for two weeks. Remembering that, Jayce assumed that must be what was bugging her.  He knew that he and Rhys were like sons to her just as she was like a mother to them.  

      “Jayce?” the familiar voice of Caitlyn Lewis, Ellie’s ten year old grand-daughter, interrupted his thoughts. 

          “Here,” he called back, setting the apron and duster on a shelf absentmindedly. 

         Caitlyn came rushing into the room; her auburn hair flying behind her as she jumped into Jayce’s waiting arms. “Is it true?” She demanded. 

          “Is what true?” He asked. 

         “Are you leaving tomorrow?” Caitlyn’s grey eyes stared into his, it was clear that she was upset. 

        “It’s true,” Jayce confirmed as he set her back down on her feet. “But I won’t be gone forever.” 

        “That’s what Rhys said.” She accused, sticking her small hands on her hips and pouting. 

       “Rhys has been gone for three months; that’s hardly forever,” he pointed out, running his hands through his coiffed brunette hair.