Supernatural (Tom Holland x Reader)

2. Patrick Holland

The butler led me through a series of rooms (I can't remember which...the blooming place is the size of Buckingham, for Pete's sake...) and up at least a thousand stairs to the third floor in the east wing. He wordlessly indicated the door and took his leave, letting me and my thoughts alone outside the door of a "strange" little boy in a frigid hallway.

I knocked lightly on the door and waited a few moments. I knew Patrick was in there...I could hear him speaking...probably to a doll or a toy soldier. When there was no answer, I slowly and silently opened the door and poked my face in the crack I'd made. What I saw certainly surprised me.

"I'm sure she'll think I'm mad too. Just like the other ones." He paused for a moment as if waiting for an answer. I couldn't tell what he was speaking to...his back was turned to me as he sat on his four-poster bed. "Really? Is she quite pretty?" Another pause. Curious, I silently stepped into the room, careful not to make the ancient wooden floorboards creak under my weight. Immediately, I was hit with the Feeling. I remembered it well, having felt it my whole life. The sort of sense I got when there was someone, something, else there. I cleared my throat politely and ignored the Feeling. It had caused me enough issues in the past.

The little boy whipped around. Well, not little, persay. He was maybe twelve and his dark brown eyes were wide with surprise. I noted the freckles that peppered his sweet face and smiled at him softly. He reminded me of the way my little brother used to look.

"Hello! I'm Y/N. I'm your new governess." I approached him carefully and held out my hand for him to shake. Little boys like being treated like men. I learned that a long time ago. Patrick, however, was hesitant.

"Mum sent you to fix me, didn't she?" he sounded quite sad. "You think I'm mad too, don't you?" I paused a moment.

"May I take a seat on your bed, Patrick?" I smiled at him again, hoping to put him at ease. He nodded wordlessly and I sat. "I don't think you're mad at all," I replied, avoiding his other question. "In fact, I think you're quite brilliant, really." Patrick looked at me, confused, as if nobody had ever said a thing of the sort to him.

"Really?"

"Truly. In fact, can I tell you a secret?" I internally held my breath, unable to believe what I was doing. The last time I'd revealed my secret to anyone, I was nine. They had me carted off to a nasty doctor woman with large needles and pills that tasted like dirt.

"Sure," Patrick answered, a little warily. I leaned in close to his ear with the sort of smirk on my face that a child has when revealing their fancy.

"I can sense them too," I breathed, almost silently. I pulled away slowly and grinned. Patrick's eyes went wide.

"W-what? I thought..."

"It's true." I shrugged. "Ever since I was a toddler. My grandmother visited me in my crib once, I think. At least that's what she told me."

"You can hear them too?" Paddy was positively quivering with anticipation. I nodded.

"As clear as day." It felt like a great weight had been lifted off my chest. "Everyone thought I was insane...hearing voices, feeling presences. Nobody believed me."

"I do," Patrick admitted. "Can...can you see them? I can. I see my brother Tom all the time. He comes and tucks me in just like he always used to. Mum and Dad never have time anymore."

"No," I sighed softly. "I've never been able to see them." The answer nearly broke my heart. I could tell Patrick had been hoping desperately for someone to speak with about seeing spirits.

"Oh." There was silence for a few minutes.

"You can't tell anyone I told you this, okay?" I told the boy. "It'll be our little secret."

"Okay," Patrick told me. Then, he did something I never in a million years expected. He threw his arms around me in a tight hug. I smiled. Finally...finally someone understood.

As I took my leave, I said "I'll see you at dinner, Patrick!"

"It's Paddy," he told me. I winked.

Time-Skip

Dinner was...less than pleasurable. It was just me and the boys (and the occasional dining maid come to clear the table or refill the glasses). Paddy gazed at me the entire time with glittering eyes. Every once in a while I'd shoot him a knowing glance.

Lord and Lady Holland weren't home. They were both occupied elsewhere, leaving their children alone with the city block's worth of manor they called home.

"Okay, Sam and Harry, now what did you learn in your readings today?" I asked the two teens in between sips of soup.

"Bugger," replied Sam.

"Boys, I know you hate school, but your mother insists that you do your reading and she'll have my arse if you don't," I chuckled. Sam and Harry didn't find it so funny.

"Good," Harry snorted. "We don't want you here, anyhow. You're a freak just like Paddy. Believing in ghosts. HA! Besides. We're seventeen. Tom was already working by then." He muttered the last part quietly, and I realized with a sudden pang just how deeply this death had affected the Hollands.

Time-Skip

I wandered around the house for a half hour trying to find my bedroom. I found it on the second floor, a hallway-and-a-half down from what must've been the entertainment room. Although the bed had been freshly made, the room was gray and dusty and smelled as if it hadn't been opened in about a hundred years. I checked the time on my phone and sighed. Midnight. I'd been up for hours and hadn't found sleep.

At last, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. I grabbed a flashlight and padded barefoot down the hall to explore my new environment. I passed large windows that bathed the ornate carpet in pale moonlight. The hallway was filled with closed doors. I wondered the use of the rooms beyond them. Around 12:06, I heard what sounded like soft piano music coming from the alleged entertainment room.

"That's odd," I whispered to myself, "I thought the boys were asleep."

Curiously, I tiptoed down the hallway. The music grew louder as I grew closer. I'd been right. It was coming from the entertainment room. I peeked my head around the corner. What I saw chilled my blood.

A/N: Alright! Part 2. I apologize for any errors as this has not yet been revised, but I hope you're enjoying so far! What do you think Y/N saw in the entertainment room? Comment below! Have a nice day, my lovelies.