Fan Fiction ❯ Caitlin ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Next chapter…6-pgs leisure style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

::Chapter 2::

 

I had woken up late the next morning and rushed to get ready for work. I worked at a local bookstore called The Quill. I have always had a weakness for romance novels and found that working here, my addiction only grew worse. The Quill was located on the busiest street of Northwest Crossing and we were a pretty busy little store. We even had our own 'local authors' section of the store.

 

Fortunately for me, we were overstaffed that day, and so, I went home early. I headed for my apartment to change clothes; a loose-fitting button-up white shirt and a pair of khaki capris, followed by my most comfortable pair of sandals. I brushed my hair out from its usual ponytail and let it hang in waves over my shoulders.

 

On the way out of my bedroom, I noticed a slip of paper lying idly on the coffee table in front of the television. Lucas must have left it there before he left and it was so like me to not notice it there before. I picked up the paper and began reading the simple note.

 

Sleep well, my beloved Cate.

Yours always,

Lucas

 

"Oh, Luc," I said, calling him by the nickname I gave him. He never stopped with the not-so-subtle hints. I left the note where it was, smiling lightly, then picked up the phone sitting on the end table on the other side of the couch and called mom.

 

Ring, ring. Of course she didn't answer. She was at work at the moment, but she insisted that I still check in. My mother's full-time job was as a secretary for a well-known real estate company in the area. She's good at what she does and her boss knows this. That's why he's always got her working so hard.

 

The answering machine picked up. "Hey, mom, it's me. I was just calling to let you know that I'm home. I got off work early today. I'm going to go out for a little walk, but I should be back in no time, so give me a call back when you get home, ok?"

 

I needed to clear my head about this whole Lucas situation. It was doing nothing for my nerves. I headed out the front door, grabbing my keys along the way and shoving them deep into my pockets as I closed the door behind me.

 

Gladys, my next-door neighbor was out sweeping her porch that afternoon. She was a kindly older lady with dark skin the color of mocha and thick black hair that she always kept pulled back, showcasing her gray eyes.

 

"Hello, Cate," she said, calling me by my nickname and smiling lightly.

 

"Hi Gladys," I replied, walking down the stairs of my two-story apartment. "Going out for a walk."

 

"Do you have an umbrella with you? I hear it's supposed to rain today."

 

I looked up at the clear blue sky. Not a cloud in sight, and the sun was shining as brightly as ever before. "It's a gorgeous day today. It's not going to rain," I said, laughing. She simply smiled at me as if she knew something that I didn't.

 

I ignored her warning and made my way down the empty streets of my hometown, thinking about what I was going to do. I had a lot on my mind; most of it was about Lucas. Maybe I should just give in to him. What would it hurt? I mean, what if we did get along fabulously? Of course, I don't feel the same way that he does about me right now, but a person can learn to love somebody else, right? I love Lucas; I really do, just not in the 'I want to be with you forever' sense of the word.

 

I was rambling and I knew it.

 

I stopped walking and looked around at my surroundings. Somehow, without noticing, I had taken myself to the other side of the cobblestone bridge that led to the small island on the outside of town. How had I gotten here without noticing where I was going? There was no telling with me. I must have been so preoccupied with my thoughts that I hadn't noticed where my feet had taken me.

 

Now that I thought about it, I had never really been too curious about this island, like all the other kids when I was in school. To me, it was just one of those things that had to be left alone. It was untouchable in my mind. Everybody else was always whispering about ghost stories and hauntings that occurred on the island. I had never concerned myself with those things. But now I felt compelled to venture on into the forest and discover for myself what was really going on here on this island.

 

Hesitantly, I took a step forward onto the beaten path that led into the woods, my heart thumping loudly in my chest as a foreshadowing of things to come. After the first step, the rest came easily and I found myself walking with a fast-paced stride through the forest, just wondering what kind of things I would find.

 

I came suddenly, upon a clearing in the middle of the forest where a familiar sight met me. It was the lake that I often viewed from my balcony. My gait became slower as I approached it cautiously. The sparkling blue water showed my reflection as clear as day on the glassy surface and I couldn't help but smile at myself. I sat down at the rocky edge, slipped off my sandals, and dipped my feet into the cool bath. There was nothing more relaxing than that moment just then.

 

The rumble of thunder sounded in the distance and I realized that Gladys had been right about the rain. Hopefully, I would be able to make it back home before the rain started. I started to gather up my shoes and pull my feet out of the water when a sound in the forest commanded my attention. I quickly turned in the direction of the noise and thought I saw something moving in the distance. Had I been watched? Or was my over-active imagination running away with me again... Maybe it was just an animal...

 

I quickly pulled my sandals back on and was making my way back up the rocky shore when the downpour started. It would have been nice if it had been a little sprinkling of rain, but no...Not with my luck. It was as if a rain cloud had just burst open over my head and I ran in the direction of the old path towards the bridge that would lead me back to town.

 

Or so I thought. I ran fast and hard, not stopping to take a break, the rain beating down on my uncovered head, when suddenly I realized...I'm lost...

 

I stopped, looking in all directions, thinking that maybe I'd be able to see the bridge from between the trees. But I couldn't. I couldn't see anything, and I didn't know which way to go.

 

The leaves rustled in a silent whisper that seemed deafening in my ears. Caitlin, they seemed to speak, bidding me forward...And I followed.

 

I kept following the trees' whispers, almost as if I were in a trance, until I came upon another, larger, clearing of the forest. And in the middle of that clearing, much to my amazement was the mansion that I had heard stories about my whole life.

 

I looked upon the almost disastrous ruins that must have been, at one point in time, a magnificent dwelling, overshadowing everything in its opulence. But now… it's nothing. Where the massive spiraling tower must have once been glorious, they are now depressed and covered in foliage, and the thick shrubbery, that once must have encased the manor in its flowering beauty, nearly hid the house in its over-grown state. I could see the blackened brick that looked as if it had been burned, the crumbling cobblestone pathway, and the large “S” carved into an inlaid crest above the large front door.

 

Everything seemed to go silent as I stood there, staring at this once magnificent house, until, suddenly a wild wind ripped through the air and I felt as if I were being pushed forward. The manor was large and foreboding as I neared it, warily, and I felt a chill go down my spine, feeling like somebody had breathed down my neck. I continued to stare at the manor, my eyes transfixed on one of the upper-story windows where the curtains were drawn back. I couldn't see anything or anyone, but somehow I felt that I was being watched.

 

I cautiously approached the massive oak doors with the large knockers shaped like lion's heads. I was amazed to find that the seemingly locked doors opened invitingly before my hands even touched them. I stepped inside and was startled when I heard the doors slam shut behind me. As I walked forward, beyond the foyer, I took in the large empty, open space that led up into two large staircases that met at a rotunda on the second floor, and noticed a dim light coming from a large room on the first floor to my right.

 

"Hello," I called. "Is anyone there?" I hesitated a moment as if I expected someone to answer. "I don't mean to intrude, but it's raining outside and..." I began walking towards the lit room. "...And I didn't have anywhere else to go." I stood in the middle of the double door entrance to discover a sitting room, fire a-blaze and a chair gently rocking as if somebody had been there only moments before.

 

Unlike the foyer, this room was fully decorated. There was a set of matching extravagant couches, a small coffee table, and the rocking chair sitting in front of a large marble fireplace. The walls were decorated with various paintings, some of which I recognized, and, near the doors that I entered through, I noticed the paintings were slightly burnt along the edges. A large oriental rug that I was currently dripping all over mostly covered the hardwood floor. The heavy curtains were drawn tightly closed over the ceiling-high windows so that the soft glow of the fireplace never permeated to the outside.

 

I gingerly took a place in front of the fireplace, on the floor, mind you, and hoped that whoever had been here was gone. Another part of me almost hoped to have met whomever it was so that it might quell my thoughts of the haunting of this mansion.

 

"They're just silly stories," I told myself as I held my knees close to my chest and began rocking myself. The soothing motion gave way to my sleepiness and I soon found myself napping restfully. I only vaguely remember the creak of the floorboards as someone came near, or the strong arms that came round me, picking me up...Or the sharp intake of breath as they gazed upon my face.