Echos In The Catacombs

Chapter 17: The Skeleton Tree

A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little shorter
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Violet's P.O.V

We'd left the graveyard a couple of hours ago. We had no idea where we were wandering to exactly. Not a single word had been spoken since. I took it upon myself to break the silence.

"I don't understand how her surname could be Avanstein. Mummy told me that her parents died when she was five-years-old. And I thought your surname changed when you got married..?" I spoke up.

"You are aware that Mum and Dad were never married, right?" Noire responded. "Not to mention, Avanstein could've adopted her."

"So that means we're the Scottish man in the speaker's adopted grandchildren?" I asked.

"Yes." Noire replied bluntly. I suppose she was still a little mad.

"I'm just gonna ask one question." Pene piped up. "Where the actual fuck are we going?"

"I th-thought we were l-looking for our files, and o-only Lizzie and R-Riven needs theirs. I'd assume that L-Lizzie knows where hers could be. S-so...I th-thought we-" Klaude started.

"I'm going to save you the trouble of stuttering out that sentence." Pene interrupted. "What I imagine he was trying to say was that we need to go to Brookbank Asylum."

"That's what I was thinking. I just didn't say anything because the silence was too awkward to break." Lizzie chimed in, Riven now holding her hand with her free one.

"I knew you were thinking that. You're actually intelligent." Pene responded.

"I cannot decide if that was a compliment or an insult but I'm going to imagine it was both." Lizzie spoke calmly.

"But isn't Brookbank Asylum, I don't know, ginormous?" Angel asked politely, as if she was afraid she'd interrupted.

"We could try find her old room, that's got to have something relevant in it." Lizzie spoke.

"W-wouldn't we need a k-key?" Klaude questioned.

"I doubt any of the keys there would work, they'd all be rusty by now." Noire chimed in.

"What about the Skeleton Tree?" I replied.

"I'm sorry but, what?" Vice quizzed.

"Have you been living under a rock?" I asked.

"No, I've been living under a building." Vice responded bluntly.

I sighed in annoyance. "It's supposed to be some dumb legend, but I doubt it's fake knowing the world we live in." I paused for a moment. "Basically people say that the Asylum staff planted a sapling on top of a mass grave and as the tree grew, the skeletons of the decomposing bodies fused with it."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Noire asked.

"What if a skeleton key is buried underneath the skeleton tree? Huh?" I stated, clearly proud of myself. "Besides we're already here." I gestured to the Asylum that loomed over us.

There were no trees in close proximity to the building itself. No nature, no forms of life. That's why there was a singular, rather bony-looking, tree. 

"We were walking aimlessly all this time, how did we end up here?" Noire asked.

"We have thing called brain in skull. Brain smart." I replied.

"You really think there'll be a key buried under that?" Lizzie asked.

"I'm sure of it. It seems to be the most logical option." I responded.

I looked at Riven, she'd stayed silent for so long. Silent like she made no noise whatsoever. 

"Riven?" I asked.

She didn't look at me. She was staring at the Asylum with narrowed eyes and a grumpy look on her face.

All of our faces now held a look of surprise as she managed to choke out a singular word whilst pointing at the building. "Bad."
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Hope you enjoyed Chapter 17 of Echos In The Catacombs
Chapter 18 should be out soon

Catch You Later~