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 Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 11:05 am
"Steven," said Nathan in a calm, amiable sort of voice, "Do you think it's a good idea to make fun of someone twice your size who could probably compress you into a softball without too much trouble?" They reached the top, and Nathan paused while still on the steps, grey eyes widening slightly. This is way too much of a cliche. Someone is really trying to screw with our heads. Well, he supposed that had been fairly obvious from the get-go. Feeling somehow even more uneasy than he had since the whole thing started, he stepped out onto the dusty hardwood.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:11 pm
Codi was moments away. Her long index finger was just barely hovering over middle C. At this point even Muse had stopped talking, curious to see what would happen…
Somebody called for them. Snapped away from her trance, Codi leaped out of the chair and fell backwards on her rump, the other older girl slamming down hard on the cover. What was left of her soda flew across the floor, leaving a sticky brown trail of fizzing liquid in the dirt, staining the wood underneath.
She began to lecture her furiously. The girl reminded Codi annoyingly of her older sister, Laura, who would’ve probably done the same thing in this situation—and though she could tolerate Laura doing so, a person she hardly knew didn’t cut it. Codi was particularly selective about who she chose to listen to.
Also she didn’t believe in horror movies.
”Lay off!” Codi hissed, gnashing her teeth together as she lifted herself off the ground, brushing the dirt from her pants, ”What, do you honestly think some little ghosty’s gonna pop out of the piano and eat our guts? Seriously!”
She paused, thinking for another reason as to why she was feeling so resentful towards this girl.
”…And don’t slam on the key cover! You’ll ruin the finish. Now let me through so I can—“
There was a resounding BANG! and Codi flipped around, shoulders tensed and back arched like a startled cat. The sound had come from the door—mainly the woman who had just ran into it. She was on the ground and holding her shoulder; judging from the flakes of paint drifting slowly towards the ground, that must’ve been one hard collision. Codi softened and momentarily forgot about the piano (although she did pull out another soda can and straw to replace the one sitting on the ground across the room).
”Woah,” Codi blinked, taking a step forward, ”That was loud…are you okay?”
”What? No piano?” Muse cut in eagerly, ”I was a little iffy at first, but now? Come on! I’m curious! Just one key…”
”In a second,” Codi mumbled, ”I think this is a little more important, don’t you?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:27 pm
The first few people entered the area above. She could hear their footsteps on the ceiling as she ascended the stairs. With every step upwards, an odd feeling of dread crept through her mind. The feeling was quickly replaced with anticipation of the way out. And the way back to her normal life. What would she do when she got out? The police? No, first she would salvage her interview.
Speaking of which... Michelle reached the top of the stairs where Patrick was helping people out of the trap door. You really couldn't build a trap door in your house without seeming suspicious. She could see the ornate chandelier in all its disrepair from the fourth step, looking up. Some rich guy captured them all for what? Entertainment? Whatever. It didn't matter who or why. Only that they got out.
Reaching the top, she paused to address Patrick. "Excuse me," she said, pointing to his cellphone. "Do you have the time?"
As soon as she said this, a sudden chill ran down her back like when you think about fingernails on the chalkboard. Only, this was unprovoked. She got an eerie sensation behind her that was too intense to ignore - like she was being watched? - and whipped around. No one was there. In fact, nothing was there. She was near the ceiling, so... She looked downwards at the little boy whose voice she heard before. Had he gasped? She took a deep breath. Just then a loud BANG sounded from above, which made her jump in her brief insanity.
She turned back around, shaking it all off.
"Sorry, just startled me," she mumbled. Michelle climbed the rest of the way out and got out of the way, awaiting her answer. Everything else disappeared, her continuing sanity depended on this answer.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:52 pm
Anna's eyebrows shot up as the girl spat at her like a cornered cat, and the green orbs beneath them narrowed into an extremely chilly expression. First off, she hadn't slammed the cover closed. Sure, she'd shut it firmly, to make sure there was no resistance from the teenage psycho, but she'd made a conscious effort to be careful as well; even it proved, against all likelihood, to be booby trapped, it was a beautiful instrument. Which brought her to point number two. Did she honestly think that the piano was booby trapped? No, probably not. Still, it made sense to her to be careful in a situation where so many of the variables were still unknown. It wasn't as though she'd had a mental breakdown, or started screaming about ghosts, but the little lunatic was telling her off and glaring up at her like she was the insane one.
Before she could convey any of this in the withering tone she'd picked out, a loud sound of impact, something against wood, jarred her nerves, and she tensed, her eyes flinching shut. When she opened them, the girl was across the room, talking to a woman leaning up against what looked like the front door. Maybe she'd tried to kick it down, Anna thought with a small, humorless smile. She couldn't say that she was surprised it hadn't worked; someone had gone into a lot of trouble to get them there, and it made sense that whoever it was had taken extra precautions to make sure they stayed put.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:38 pm
Steven looked at Nathan, smiling slightly still. "What? I was only joking." he giggled. He then looked at the trapdoor and climbed through it, dragging Nathan and Ander with him. He found himself in a large room with nothing in it exept for a piano. He then noticed some girls by the front door, one seemed injured. Steven then looked carefully around the room and then noticed the floor. "Hey guys. There isnt any footprints in the dust on the ground, except for your guys'." he noticed, pointing at the ground. Steven then had a thought, and looked at Nathan. "So, isn't it possible we all got into that place down there by being taken through some other way? Maybe if we go back down there and look around some more we might be able to find a way out all togeather. It makes sense really." he smiled smartly. "So, can we go back down there and look? Its worth a try, I see no other way out of here." he sighed. Steven really wanted to explore down in the dark some more, and if nobody agreed with him, he was planning on going back down by himself.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:47 pm
Patrick watched the young girl dash to the piano and the ensuing scene with a curious expression. A calm, somewhat aggressive look came over him when the loud 'BANG!' resounded in the room and in his ears. He spun on his heels, pivoting in a very military-esque manner. Sympathy shone in his rather dull eyes as his eyebrows furrowed along with it. He made a move to begin walking toward the girl and make sure she was okay, but halted when asked a question by another female. Turning sideways, he glanced down at his phone and the time lit up on the screen. 13:06? Okay, that's wrong. Smiling apologetically, he showed her his phone and shrugged. "Phone's screwy. Sorry."
Immediately, he jogged over to the fallen girl and knelt down on one knee. Resting one forearm on his bent knee, he extended a rough, calloused, and very large hand on the girl's shoulder. "You alright?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:12 pm
Vera sat on the dusty floor. When the tiredness started to fade away from her body, all she could feel was the intense pain shooting through her shoulder. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to tolerate the pain. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she scorned, Did I really believe the door could be open or broken down? Huh?
A young girl's voice broke through her thoughts, expressing concerns. Vera opened her eyes, and looked at the girl in front of her. The girl was mumbling to herself softly. Ah, crazy young teens do seem to be increasing by days, nevertheless, Vera smiled politely, "Yes, I am fine, thank you." From behind the girl's back, she could see people looking towards her. Blushing, Vera put her hands onto the floor, and tried to use her hands to support herself, to get up from this awkard position. But an extremely painful ache hit her hard in the shoulder, like a hammer. Wincing slightly, Vera settled down onto the floor again. Great, she was going to sit here, forever.
Patrick jogged over, towering ever the more over her. Turning her eyes up to his face, she could see him more clearly in the light here. He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder. "I am quite fine," her voice turned slightly embarrassed, "But, umm, I can't seem to be able to get up from the floor." She smiled, cheeks blushing redder by the seconds.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:24 pm
Nathan's eyes widened at that, and he looked at the floor; sure enough, the only footprints he could find corresponded to the movements of people in their group. After checking every possible trail, he looked back at Steven, obviously impressed. "You're right! They probably haven't left whatever it is open, but it's definitely worth checking out." He looked around at the others, most of whom seemed to be preoccupied with the girl who'd slammed into the door. He didn't see any need to involve strangers in his decision, anyway. Motioning for the kid to follow, he flicked his lighter open and started carefully back down the stairs. God, you are the worst grown-up guardian type ever, he thought to himself, but even this couldn't dampen his excitement. Steven was definitely onto something; the only question was, had the people who'd brought them in forgotten to shut any doors?
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:26 pm
Patrick payed no mind to her blushing aside from a slight flicker of confusion that appeared in his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed in concern at her response, immediately kneeling low enough to slip his arms around her waist. He lifted her to her feet with ease, keeping a strong but nonetheless gentle hold on her to make sure she was steady. "Can you walk? I can carry you if need be." A soft tone had overcome his voice, accompanied by a soft gentleness.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:15 pm
Steven smiled up at Nathan as he said he was right. "See? I am a genious aren't I?" he giggled as he grabbed the back of Nathan's shirt so he didn't get seperated. He then suggested, "Why don't we feel along the walls first? You get high, I get low." he said as they were encased in the darkness again.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:25 pm
After Rose flicked the lighter on, things started to happen rather quickly. The others on the floor stood up, and in the dim light, she tried to make out the faces. From what she could see, however, she didn't recognize any of them. But then...? The girl who had tripped over her used the lighter flame to get to the wall, but not without stubbing her toe first. However, when she tried the switch, it didn't work. At the same time, one of the guys found a staircase and ventured up it. He opened the trap door at the top, and a little more light filtered in. Gratefully, Rose flicked the lighter off. It had definitely been more than the thirty seconds allowed by the safety warning on the side.
As everyone else drifted up the stairs, Rose continued to sit, pondering. Deciding that the best way to figure everything out was to be with the group, she gingerly made her way to the stairs, hoping that she didn't hurt herself like the other girl. It would be just like her to find something to trip on in a smooth surface...
Rose ascended the stairs, lost in thought, half-listening to the conversations above. She heard a boy's voice say something about footprints in the dust, that theirs were the only ones. A moment of panic ensued. How long had they been down there? She was still wearing the same clothes as she had been before, and they didn't look too messed up, but still...
As she came out into the light, she blinked for a moment, blinded after the dark of the basement. Once her vision cleared, she could see that the room they were in was quite beautiful, and that the kid was right: the only footprints in the dust were those of the others, and now hers as she stepped onto the dark wood floor. Her combat boots made less noise than she had expected, but that was probably because of the dust. Looking around, there were a group of people huddled around a girl on the floor, and a few who looked like they were going to explore. Rose briefly considered following the explorers, but she figured safety in numbers and focused on watching the other group.
((Gah, curse move-in day!! And Welcome Week!))
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:26 pm
Nathan stepped down onto the floor of the basement once more, and it was reassuringly solid beneath his feet. "I hate that fu--" He broke off, remembering who was hanging on the the back of his shirt. "Fudge-nut staircase," he concluded, recovering quickly, then answered Steven's question. "Yeah, that sounds good. And you know, if you're such a genius, if we don't find the door, it'll be your fault." He grinned, though he wasn't sure the kid would see it in the dim light. The teasing in his voice was obvious enough.
As he spoke, he moved to the nearest wall and started exploring its surface with his fingertips; it was going to get really old, really fast. He could already tell.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:36 pm
Steven giggled. "Ooo!! You were going to say the 'F' word. Thats bad." he smirked. He then looked up at Nathan's face after his 'its going to be your fault' comment, knowing he was joking, and then said "Well, if we find something, anything at all, then I get all the glory." he giggled again, feeling on the lower part of the wall. He made sure to always be close enough to Nathan to be able to be in reaching distance of him. As Steven felt along the walls, he began to whistle. he then looked up at Nathan. "Can you whistle?" he asked excitedly.
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 9:51 pm
Nathan glanced down at the boy, amused. "Yep." To prove it, he whistled a few bars of "Of Wolf and Man" by Metallica. It sounded odd, high, clear, and haunting; all and all, it bore little resemblance to the song he blasted from his car. It made him feel weird for some reason, sort of empty. "I'm actually in a band," he continued quickly, then smirked. "We're not very good, but it's fun. What kind of music do you like?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:00 pm
Steven smiled. "You aren't a very good whistler." he joked. He then thought for a moment, "I like any kind of music really, I'm just not a fan of heavy metal. My uncle Carlisle loves it, but I find it annoying." he sighed. He then felt on the walls some more. He still found nothing that seemed interesting or helpful to them in any way.
((I WON"T BE ONLINE TOMMOROW NIGHT, BUT POSSIBLY IN THE MORNING!!! ....FYI...))
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