I left Victor asleep in my bed at the mansion. He had a tough time sleeping the previous night, and he would get through the day better with a little more rest.I dressed in jeans and drank a cup of coffee on the balcony while I waited for him to wake up. When he didn’t, I went downstairs to the morning room without him.I took my place at the table across from Alex. Benson placed a glass of juice in front of me, and I wished them both good morning.“Good morning, dearest,” Alex said. “Where’s Victor?”“He had a restless night, so I let him sleep in,” I replied. “Where’s Cassidy?”“She had some personal business to attend to,” Alex replied. “She’ll be back in plenty of time to accompany us to the ceremony.”“It’s too bad she couldn’t make it to the rehearsal or dinner yesterday,” I said. “She would have enjoyed the art and history of the Association Complex.”Alex smiled and sipped his coffee. “She’s seen it. I’ve taken her there several times for the full tour. She promised to resear
Life was going our way. Victor was the Leader of the Association, and I was starting classes at Frampton University in two weeks!I had to go shopping for new jeans and tops. A silk designer dress would be out of place as I walked through the quad.But today, I promised to walk through Archer Manor with Amy. We wanted to make notes about any changes and ideas we had to convert the enormous old mansion into a place for homeless Betas and Omegas to start over.I drove to Lycan Square and parked in front of the manor. I spotted Amy and climbed from my car to meet her at the manor’s front door.“It’s still creepy,” Amy said. “How do I fix creepy?”“Paint it a lighter color?” I suggested. But the bad vibes seemed to emanate from the core of the house. Paint couldn’t cover that.But I didn’t want to discourage Amy from her mission. Her idea to turn this place into something positive must become a reality. A homeless shelter and employment training center were needed in Denhurst.We climbed
Heather waited on me when I returned to the little restaurant the next morning. While I was ordering coffee and a pastry, she recognized me.“Daisy Wilson, how are you,” she said.“I’m good, Heather. How are you?”She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’m looking forward to starting classes next week at Denhurst College. I love to learn.”“What’s your major?” I inquired.“Pre-law,” the pretty Beta replied.“You’ll make a great lawyer,” I told her. “I was going to study law too, but a friend talked me into journalism.”I looked around at the mostly empty restaurant. I deliberately arrived during the slower time between breakfast and lunch.“I’m practicing my investigative skills with a story I think needs to be brought to everyone’s attention,” I said. “I’d like to speak to you briefly about it.”Heather checked her watch. “I can take my break in five minutes. I’ll check on my tables, grab a cup of tea, and be right back.”Heather warmed up my coffee and returned with more pastries.“What did
I slowly opened the hidden door to see what was on the other side.Like the walls, the door was made of heavy granite, cut to fit between the columns, and perfectly balanced, making it easy to open and close after the lock was disengaged.The short section of the hallway on the other side of the door was in shadow. Farther on, there was a T-junction about twenty feet into the tunnel. Light was shining from around both corners.The walls, ceilings, and floor of the passage were granite. The space looked dry and a little dusty, but the air was clear and breathable.Excitement buzzed through my veins as my mind tried to absorb what was before me. I heard stories about the Ivory Column Passages all my life.Six of the tunnels led throughout and beneath the complex, making it possible for the highest-ranking members of the Association to move around the buildings without being seen.The Association claimed the six passages had stopped being used a century ago and were sealed off.But peopl
I turned off my light and shivered in the darkness. But if a terrifying beast lives down here, it could probably see in the dark.The whispering got louder. It sounded like words coming from human throats, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying.I had to get out of here. But how?In total darkness, I began to move along the room's walls. Maybe there was another door to a different passage or a way out.“Ouch,” I yelped when I bumped my head on something.After staying still a moment to see if the whispering thing was coming closer, I examined the object I bumped my head on with my hands.It felt like a heavy wooden ladder. Why would there be a ladder in the corner of the room?Unless ….I was under the complex. A ladder must be for climbing up. Maybe it was a way out through the ceiling.I turned my light on again and saw the sturdy ladder leaning against the wall, the top near a wooden square that resembled a trapdoor in the high ceiling.The whispering had stopped, but I hu
The traffic was light, and I made it to the mansion in less than twenty minutes. I parked near the garage and hurried inside.Benson was waiting for me in the foyer.“Miss Woodward is waiting in the sitting room,” he told me. “I’ve brought her tea and cookies.”“Thank you, Benson,” I said. “Will you tell my father I’ll need to speak to him when I finish with Heather?”“Of course, Miss Wilson,” Benson replied. “Please let me know if you need anything else.”I gave him a smile and hurried into the sitting room.Heather jumped to her feet when she saw me. “How could you do it, Daisy?” Tears welled in her eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you anything.”I shook my head. “Heather, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Then how did they know I spoke to you?” she snapped. Her body trembled with anger while tears flowed down her cheeks.I sat on the sofa and urged her to sit next to me. “Please tell me what happened, Heather. Maybe I can help.”Heather remained standing and crossed her
I rechecked the results and came to the same conclusion. The language on the boxes was that of the people of a country near our world’s equator.It was a tropical paradise whose indigenous people preferred to be left alone by more civilized nations. Their chief exports were sugar and what the words on the box meant in their language.The strange words on the boxes meant fresh lemons.Why would there be boxes of lemons stored deep underground beneath the Association Complex, and who put them there?And what about the ancient gravestones set into the floor in the room where the lemons were stored?I hadn’t mentioned the boxes or the gravestones to Cassidy or Alex. I wanted to do this research first. Now, I wondered if it was a coincidence that they suddenly wanted to depart on a tropical vacation.Next, I put graves and the Association Complex into my computer’s search bar.A few dozen results came up. I clicked on the first one.It was similar to one of the articles Amy and I would hav
I learned a few things I didn’t know about ghosts and hauntings before my phone rang again.It was Heather. Her voice was filled with joy. “Daisy, I want to thank you. You’ve made our lives better than they were before.”“I’m glad,” I said. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to call you and tell you the good news.” I felt a little ashamed that I had forgotten about her.“Dad is excited to start his new job at Wilson, Inc. He’s going to love working there, and he’s never made that much money. And the new deed to our house just arrived. Our home is now safe from being taken from us.”“My friend Amy is starting a new homeless shelter and employment training center at the old Archer Manor,” I said. “She said she’d hire you to work there if you want.”“I’d love to work for Amy and help the homeless!” Heather enthused. “Thank you, Daisy.”“You are very welcome,” I said. “I’ll call you tomorrow with more details about the job. I’m meeting Amy soon and must get going.”“Okay. Thanks again.”As