What A Girl Vants

Chapter Five

The walked together down the wide path, slowly. The house became clearer as they got closer. Silvia was able to see the large stained glass windows that adored the house starting at her like large evil eyes. The trim of the house done with intricate details, even after years of weathering the influence of Victorian architecture was still evident.

Silvia picked up pace her heart pounding, she just needed to get a closer look. Part of her wondered if there was any way she could break into the house. Brandon put a hand on her shoulder snapping her out of her trance. The others had stopped walking and she had continued.

Bridget looked even paler than usual. "I had no idea the house was real. I though we would just walk this path and it would just lead back to the school."

"Same" Brandon looked just as scared.

"Come on guys let's get closer" Silvia tried persuading. "There's probably no one there it's probably just an abandoned house."

"I don't know." Bridget took a step back, as if at any moment she would sprint in the other direction.

"Yes please Bridge?" Jamie made puppy dog eyes at her. She huffed and gripped his hand.

"Fine."

"We'll go together." Silvia took Brandon's hand and with her other hand took Bridgets trembling hand.

Silvia didn't know why but a surge of confidence had filled her and she knew she could take on anything the creepy woods wanted to throw at her. They walked in unison one step at a time like they were walking down the yellow brick road like the wizard of Oz. Jamie was clearly Dorthy it made her wonder who the rest of them would be.

As they inched closer the house didn't seem as dead, it seemed almost lively. The windows had light pouring out of them and the sound of muddled voices echoed through the quiet woods. They were right in front of the house now. Looking around there were carriages parked with big black horses attached, they paid them no mind but their presence cast a feeling of unease on the group.

"I though you said there was no one here." Bridget hissed, squeezing Silvia's hand even harder.

"I said probably." She replied.

"Let's look inside." Jamie dragged them to the closest window and peered in. But it was far to high for him to get a good look. "Brandon give me a boost." Brandon was lean and skinny he didn't look as if he could lift much and yet he was able to hold Jamie up. He looked in for only a moment before dismounting. "I can't see anything. This window seems to just be looking into a sort of entrance room. There's lights on throughout the whole house I can tell that much. Which means someone or something is home." He was trying to hide just how excited he was. "We're gonna have to go to the side or something to see if there's like a main room where anyone might be."

"No way." Bridget was hugging herself with her arms trying to stay warm as the wind rustled through the leaves.

"Bridge-"

"No Jamie." Bridget looked serious but the tremble of her lip gave it away that she was more scared than anything else. "I came here with you and we found the house. I'm scared and I want to go back." She turned and started walking. "With or without you." Brandon gave them one last look before he turned around with his hand son his pockets, keeping pace with Bridget.

Jamie bit his lip trying to decide if he was going to stay or go. "Bridget Wait."

"No Jamie." He jogged to catch up with her. They seemed to be having some sort of discussion. She was frowning and her lips were pursed while Jamie talked with his hands and gestured towards the house. In the meantime Silvia took as many pictures as she could of the from to the house. Zooming in on the window and the carvings on the door. Eventually Bridget sighed and stopped walking, Jamie came jogging back while she stayed there, feet planted next to Brandon.

"Okay we're gonna look round the back and then we're gonna go back."

"Sounds good." Silvia felt herself bubbling with both dread and excitement. Jamie led the way his shoes crunching in the long grass she followed in his footsteps trying to make as little noise as possible. He found a nearly floor length window on the side of the house. He peered in and his eyes went wide. His hands were pleased gently on the window seal and he had pushed himself up on his tip toes.

What he saw nearly made his heart stop. There were people on top of people crowed in what seemed to be a ballroom. They were all pale with sunken faces. The majority had slick black hair that cascaded over their shoulders. The women had extravagant updos while the men had long hair tied back in a pony tail or a bun. One of the women laughed at something and her teeth gleamed two large fangs. Their attention seemed to be pointed at the middle of the room where a grand golden staircase decorated the room.

Jamie turned around and let himself slide down onto the ground. His hands covering his beaming smile. "They're real."

Silvia was particularly drooling on the window. She whipped out her phone and began to take pictures of the extravagant stair case and she stepped back and crouched down to try and get a picture of the house.

"They're real." Jamie repeated in disbelief.

"What's real?" Silvia was now practically on the floor to get an up angle of the building.

He looked at her eyes open wide. "Vampires!"

"What?"

"Those people in there are vampires!"

"We don't know that." Silvia stood up brushing the grass off her dress. "It's Halloween night Jamie. That could be a costume party or something. "

"At the abandoned house in the the legend."

"Well I mean-"

"No." He grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the window. "Look at them! Look they have fangs."

"They could be fake." Silvia couldn't accept the idea of supernatural beings, so she kept trying to refute his proof.

"No way yours and my fangs are fake." He opened his mouth wide showing the plastic fangs in his mouth, tapping them with his index finger. Then he pointed back towards the window tapping on the glass. "Those are real."

"There's no way they're vampires." Jamie another her phone out her hands. "Hey!" Her camera app was already open so all he had to do was go to recent and he scrolled through the hundreds if pictures she had taken of the house. He pulled up one of the ball room and showed it to her, comparing it to the scene inside the house.

"Silvia." He was smiling. "Look, it's a picture of the ballroom from the exact angle except in your picture there's no people. And here." He tapped on the window. "There are people. there are vampires because they don't show up in pictures."

Silvia's eyes scanned the photos trying to see if maybe she had taken it from a different angle but, Jamie was right it was the same scene. She found herself speechless, her heart had climbed into her throat. He handed her back her phone and she just held it limp in shock trying to process it. There was no way, there had to be a logical explanation.

"We have to get in there." Jamie sprinted around the side of the house seeing if there were any empty windows or doors. He came back shortly after out of breath. "Everything's locked." He eyed the window that they had been looking in earlier.

Silvia snapped out of her trance. "What Jamie no. Even if they aren't vampires we can't break into people's houses!"

But Jamie wasn't listening. He was watching the scene in the ballroom. A band had come out and we're setting up to play. One of the men sat down in his chairs and began to tune up his cello, the ready followed in suit carrying various other instruments. The "vampires" were paring up to dance and the conductor raised his arms in the air. He brought them down and a loud clash of music began, at this time Jamie rammed his elbow through the glass. Silvia held back scolding him. He was careful not to get glass lodged in his hands and his reached in and grabbed the handle. He unlocked it and swung the large window open.

He hauled himself up and he was in. Jamie offered Silvia his hand, she hesitated before accepting it and jumping through the window.