Frames

Chapter 2.

     Gavin snatched up a sandwich.

     "So, what now?"

     Jessica wasn't sure.  She supposed they could explore, but she was hesitant to leave the room.

     "We're not prisoners!" Gavin cried, sensing her concern.

     "I know, but what if something happens?  You're not always the most careful person.  What if we mess up and get sent away after being here less than ten minutes!"

     "You can stay here and be paranoid all you want, but I'm looking around."  Gavin strode to the door and left without another word.  

     Jessica sighed.  Once her brother got going, there was no stopping him.  She decided she had best go after him before he got them both in trouble.

     Jessica crept down the stairs.

     "Gavin?" she whispered, "Gavin!"

     She went from room to room, soon distracted by the curious objects dispersed throughout the house.  There were more suits of armor, some with dents or missing pieces; a few were strangely off-colored in certain places.  One had a large axe lodged in the breastplate.

     There were also more creepy masks and a random assortment of stuffed animal heads hanging from the wall.  Some common, like deer and elk, but there were also a few exotic animals, such as moose and lion and one that looked strangely like a jackalope.  As Jessica wandered,  she came across stranger and stranger things.

     She walked further along the dim corridor, marveling at how large this house was.  It felt like she had been walking for hours when she heard it.  A scream like a wounded animal drifted through the semi darkness behind her.  Jessica’s scream hardly matched it.

     She ran down the passage, not daring to look behind her.  When she finally slowed an eternity later, she was in a dank, dark hall.  Startled, not sure where she was, Jessica turned to go back the way she had come.  

     As she turned, a small light caught her eye.  Her eyes swept across the dim passage.  They came to rest on a closed door. she noticed a faint light escaping from under it.  For some reason, she felt drawn to the light.  

     She found herself taking a step forward, then another.  Before she knew it, Jessica was standing before the door.  Involuntarily, her hand reached out.  She found the knob turning.

     "What are you doing?"

     Jessica screamed, her hand jerking away from the door, as she wheeled around to face Taren.
Taren's eyes were wide, her face pale in the limited light.  She stared at Jessica as if she were an escaped convict.  Suddenly Jessica was being hauled up the stairs, Taren's grip on her wrist bone-crunching.

     When they had entered the kitchen, Taren whirled Jessica around to face her.

     "What did you think you were doing?" Her voice was quiet, deadly calm.

     "I-I was looking for my brother."

     "In the Black Hall?"

     "I didn't know where he was. I-I got lost."

     Taren sighed, her features relaxing a bit.

     "I do not wish to be rude.  It's just that the Black Hall is a dangerous place, especially for children."

     "Dangerous!" Jessica cried, "I never would have gone in there if I knew it was dangerous!"

     "I'm glad you are so sensible," Taren said as she turned and began clearing the counters, "I wish more people had that quality."

     "What's so dangerous about the Black Hall?"

     Taren paused in her work, "What?"

     "You said it's dangerous, why?"

     "That hall is in the oldest section of the house.  The foundations are weak, and you never know when one wrong step will send you tumbling down to oblivion."

     "So, I could have broke the house?"

     "If I hadn't been there to stop you."

     Taren resumed her cleaning.  "In the future, you might want to be more careful.  It is fine to go exploring, but you must abide by certain rules."

     "Rules like what?"

     Suddenly, the door they had come through opened and Wess rushed in.

     "Taren, we have a situation in the East Frame," he paused, momentarily thrown off when he noticed Jessica.  "What's going on?"

     "She somehow managed to venture into the Black Hall." Taren informed as she began piling dishes into the sink.

     "I was looking for Gavin," Jessica said quickly, "I got lost."
   
     Taren dried off her hands on a dish towel and pulled Wess aside.  They spoke in hushed tones, though not quietly enough for Jessica to be unable to eavesdrop.

     "You need to establish some rules.  Her adventure today was too close." Taren hissed.

     "Oh, come on, don't be such a worry-wart.  Kids are supposed to have fun!  Rules interfere with their growth and development."

     Taren sighed, exasperated. "You're supposed to be the adult!  I can't spend all of my time parenting your charges!"

     "Would you relax?  I know what I'm doing.  I've worked out a system that perfectly balances my duties around here with taking care of children."

     "Wess," Taren's voice was barely audible, "this is a dangerous place.  The children need some sort of supervision if you expect them to survive--"

     "If I may interrupt," Jessica said, cutting her off, "What do you mean 'survive'?"

     They stared at her, as if they had forgotten Jessica was still in the room.

     After a moment, Taren recovered her senses. "Why don't you go unpack.  I will find your brother."

     Before Jessica could say another word, Taren herded her out of the kitchen.  She practically shoved Jessica up the stairs and into the children's room.

     "Gavin will be here shortly," Taren said as she slammed the door.
   
     Jessica sighed and flopped down on her bed.  Things sure were strange here.  Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to hate her previous accommodations.  She might have even given Aunt Sarah another try over having to stay here.  

     She couldn't get Taren's words out of her mind:

     This is a dangerous place.  The children need some sort of supervision if you expect them to survive.
   
     She was startled by Gavin flying into the room.

     "Man, I thought she was gonna kill me!"

     "What?" Jessica asked, trying to recover from the shock of his dramatic entrance.

     "Taren!  I was wandering around--this house is huge by the way--and suddenly she came out of nowhere!  She was trying to be nice and calm, even smiling!  That just made it worse.  Man, that chick is CREEPY!"

     Jessica couldn't help but agree with her brother on that.  She hoped they didn't run into Taren any time soon.