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HILL HOUSE, THEN
It wasn't until Nellie got sick and had to stay in bed for a few days, that Luke and Camille realised the potential of their friendship. It was only ever Millie and Nellie or Nellie and Luke — and, if he was allowed to play with them, it was Millie, Nellie, and Luke. Camille and the older twin were never together without Nell, but since she had the flu, they had no choice. They decided to explore Hill House and stumbled upon a silver tube with a wide opening.
"Do you see anything?" Millie asked as Luke tried to look through the hole.
"Nope," he shook his head before pushing up the black-rimmed glasses that were falling down his face. "Just dark."
The two stood there, just looking at the long pipe, not exactly understanding its purpose. Millie thought it was a portal to another world, while Luke suggested it was how bugs travelled through the house, as they couldn't use the stairs — the six-year-olds couldn't agree on which.
"What'd you find?" Theo asked as she walked into the room. The younger kids just shrugged.
Theo stepped forward to take a closer look at the pipe. She placed her hand among the cold silver and was silent for a few months. Luke and Camille looked at each other in question, confused as to why she was looking at the tube so intently.
"Hmmm," she finally said.
"What?"
"It's like a telephone, but for inside the house," she explained before turning back to the kids. "Luke you stay there. C'mon, Millie."
Camille followed the older girl, the girl she so dearly admired. Theo could be cold from time to time, but she was smart and funny; and Millie loved spending time with her. The brunette's eyes flitted down to Theo's hand with her eyebrows furrowed and then looked back up to her. They walked into the bedroom, Camille overwhelmed but the intense odour.
"What's the smell?" she asked with her nose wrinkled.
"What smell?"
"You can't smell that?" Camille exclaimed.
Theo stood next to the bed and placed her hand on the pillow. "It's smells the same in here as the rest of the house..." Her voice trailed off and Millie stared at her in confusion.
"This was a sickbed..." Theo whispered.
"You can feel them, right?" Camille asked, her brown eyes gazing up at Theo. "You can feel the person who died here?"
Theo smiled slightly as she held her hand close to her chest. "Your a smart kid, Millie."
"Hello, can you hear me?" they heard Luke's voice coming from the pipe. "This is Luke Crain calling."
