Chapter 5

"That'll be $15.35, ma'am," a somber voice said, snapping Leslie out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw the taxi driver still looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"Oh, right, sorry," she said and dug her fingers into her purse. She pulled out some money and gave it to the man. She alighted from the vehicle, took two suitcases out of the trunk, and stood in awe of the mansion before her. She felt overwhelmed and very small in this huge mansion.

"So this is Blackwood Manor," she muttered to no one in particular.

A lady in a maid's uniform with an impassive face walked up to her and said respectfully, "Are you Leslie Harrison?"

Leslie cleared her throat and responded, "Yes, I am," trying to fake a smile.

"Welcome to Blackwood Manor, madam. My name is Kris," the lady introduced. "Let me get that for you," she said, referring to the brown-colored suitcases. "Right this way. I've been waiting for you. I was sent to receive you," Kris said, pointing forward with her hand and guiding Leslie through the gigantic black gate.

"Right, sure," Leslie responded and looked around the huge house as they walked in. It had a gothic vibe to it, all eerie and silent. It filled her with the heebie-jeebies, and she fought back a shudder as they reached the fancy French doors, which were opened by a fancily dressed butler who simply nodded towards them.

Leslie's jaw dropped as she took in the luxurious decor of the mansion. She quickly caught herself and looked forward to see Julian Blackwood perched on a pristine royal blue sofa with the daily paper in his hand, his eyes laser-focused on the papers. He didn't even spare her a glance as he said in a deep, cold voice, "Welcome to Blackwood Manor, Miss Harrison.”

“ I would say the pleasure is all mine, but that would be lying, Mr. Blackwood," Leslie bit out, finally gaining a glance from him.

He quirked an eyebrow and folded the paper elegantly into place and stood up. "Right," he said. "Let's get on with the tour of the place. I have rather important things to do, so let's begin," he said impatiently.

Irritation swarmed Leslie. "You don't have to do this—" but he had already walked away, leaving her to catch up with him. She bit her tongue in frustration and speed-walked to catch up with him. His tour was one of the most boring tours she'd ever had to live through, and being an artsy girl, she'd been to many boring tours. But Julian Blackwood? He ranked top on that list. He randomly pointed out the essential areas so fast that she couldn't even keep up with them. She barely noted them at all.

"And this will be your room," he said, pointing to a door on the right side of the large hallway.

"Um, thanks, I guess," 

He nodded. "I suggest you stay away from the east wing. Mother and Alexander stay there."

"Oh, um, okay?" she answered. Julian's gaze lingered on her face, noting the way her eyes were filled with confusion. He cleared his throat.

"I have more important things to do, so I'll be on my way," he turned and walked out slowly.

"Wait, who's Alex—" Xander, she muttered slowly. He'd already left. She poked her inner cheek with her tongue. "Of course, he left just like that." She huffed out a breath and opened the door to her new room. Just like the rest of the house, the room was magnificent with trendy, minimalistic designs filled with luxury everywhere. She was even afraid to touch anything for fear that she might break something.

A knock sounded at the door. When she opened it, it was Kris at the door. "Dinner will be ready at 6, madam."

"Oh, will anyone be joining me?"

"I'm afraid not, madam."

"Then c-can you send it here, please?"

"Um, I'm not sure—"

"Please," Leslie urged.

"Um, okay. I'll send it to your room."

"Thank you," she said and closed the door. After Kris left, Leslie walked to the spacious bathroom and decided to soak in the large bathtub, letting go of her worries for just a few minutes. She got out of the tub half an hour later and decided to sort out her clothing. She was in the middle of doing that when Kris knocked at the door again.

"Madam, dinner," she said from the outside. Leslie opened the door, and a large trolley was pushed in.

"Oh, I think this is a bit—" Kris just bowed slightly, turned around, and left. "I can't finish all this," Leslie said, feeling sorry for the food that was bound to waste. Besides, she didn't have much appetite anyway.

---

Dinner was, well... just dinner. She didn't have an appetite, so she had only a bowl of pasta. She couldn't help but feel lonely as she curled up into a ball on the huge queen-sized bed.

"Dad, I miss you so much. I feel so out of place here. I miss Ted and Tesla too. I didn't even tell them I was leaving. They must be so worried. I'll have to tell them tomorrow. I can't even paint because I didn't even bring my supplies with me. I miss my bed. This one's too big," she muttered and sniffled when tears gathered at the base of her eyes. A sense of deep longing overwhelmed her, and she couldn't sleep.

Midnight crept in, and Leslie was finally able to close her eyes to sleep, but a screeching noise woke her up instantly. She got up, startled.

"Huh, what was that?" Her curiosity overrode her fear as she got up from the bed and tiptoed, opened the door, and took a peep outside. She stepped out and walked along the large hallway, trying to figure out where the noise came from. She heard the same noise again and flinched. The whole house had an eerie feel to it, and in an instant, all her previous curiosity faded away, and she only felt fear now. She felt like she was being watched, and it creeped her out. She quickly walked back to her room and placed a hand over her heart.

"Is this house haunted or something? What kind of sound was that in the middle of the night?"