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Once we got to the top of the hill, the manor seemed even larger, extending in either direction, the sides curving to block off any views of the backyard. Diagonal from the large double doors that led inside was a wooden bench that looked to be in excellent condition. The tree directly behind it had Collin damn near running back down the driveway.
“What the fuck is that?” he pointed and began to walk backward.
Tyson shook his head and took a few steps of his own in the same direction. “Yeah, I don’t know about all this.”
Sasha looked at him with a perfectly arched brow. “Are you that gullible? The gates wide open had me iffy for a minute, I won’t lie. But that and these fake ass bones? It’s clear someone is fucking with people.”
I tilted my head and studied the tree. There were deer skulls and a variety of other bones nailed or tied to it, nearly covering the entire trunk. They didn’t look fake. I shared a look with my sister, and she clearly agreed.
Saying that would cause the others to spiral into a panic and that would lead to a disaster. We needed to make it back to the car before anyone had any kind of breakdowns.
I wasn’t bothered by the bones. Our adoptive father was a hunter, maybe that’s why.
If anything, I found it odd they were attached to the tree like that.
Alex was still undeterred. “We already came this far. Let’s just have a quick look inside.”
He broke away from us and began jogging towards the front door.
“Get back here!” I snapped in a harsh whisper.
“Goddamnit,” Jacob grumbled, stupidly following after him.
“What are the chances the front door opens?” Collin asked.
Before anyone could reply we had our answer. Alex walked right into the manor as if he’d been invited.
“Oh, shit,” Amber mumbled.
Collin ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, shit is right. Why did the door just open like that? All these signs to keep out and it’s not even locked?”
“The warnings were ignored. They entered despite them,” Bellatrix replied.
He whipped his head towards her. “Why are you talking like that?”
My sister blinked and rubbed the back of her neck, laughing his question off. “Sorry.”
“Maybe the house isn’t what we were being warned about. The warning signs could be strictly for the woods,” Sasha reasoned.
“The woods belong to the manor,” I replied nonchalantly.
Amber stared at me with curious eyes. “How do you know that?”
“Look.” I nodded to the manor where a few of the windows now had lights shining through them. “You guys wait here; we’ll go get them.”
I reached for my sister and started for the front door.
“Ain’t no splitting up,” Tyson immediately replied, following right behind us with everyone else.
I jogged up the three steps that led to the round front stoop. The door on the right was still partially open, I could hear Alex and Jacob’s voices echoing inside. I swallowed and took a breath, crossing over the threshold.
A chill skirted down my spine the second I moved deeper into a large foyer. Two wall sconces were flickering in and out, showcasing the room in a half-assed glow.
“This place doesn’t look abandoned,” Sasha mused quietly.
“What if it isn’t?” Collin rasped.
My eyes traveled over oak floors and damask walls. To the far left was the biggest staircase I’d ever seen, leading to another that continued upward. Like exterior, the bare bones of the interior were gorgeous.
Skilled craftmanship had gone into the detail of the woodwork.
“Guys! Come check this out!” Jacob’s voice carried from the right.
We all filed in that direction, crossing into a room where the light was on low, but steady. While this place looked well cared for it was a stretch to say anyone lived here. All the antique furniture was mostly covered in sheets and not positioned in any sort of decorative formation.
“How did you get the lights on?” Bellatrix asked, keeping close to me.
“Alex hit a button.”
“Course he did,” Tyson laughed.
“I’m right here,” Alex sang. “You two, come look.” He pointed to me and my sister, making a come-hither motion with the same two fingers.
“What is it? We should start heading back.”
“We will, right after you come to see this photo of you.”
“Alex…” I sighed and walked across the room.
He was standing on the other side of a haphazardly angled loveseat. Me and Bellatrix walked around it and almost stopped in our tracks.
“See.” Alex shimmied his head proudly. “It’s titled the Demonio twins.”
I stared at the portrait in front of him, equally unnerved and intrigued. It was large, set in a heavy, ornate metal frame.
Two young girls were holding hands, one had white hair the other had black--bows of the same color adorned to the top. They couldn’t have been much older than eight or ten. Their eyes were wrong, and their faces stitched. One’s pure black and her sister’s the opposite, white with no iris or center.
