Tales from Ravenhearst: Home, Sweet Home

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst series. This is an AU of that universe. This was inspired by The Basement Chronicles by SilveRanger on AO3. I highly recommend you read that as well, even though it is not related to this story.

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Of course, she wanted to free the spirits as well. That would be ideal. But only knowing the location of Rose's body, as well as not having the means to shut down the machines would make that impossible. And she wasn't strong enough to destroy them or have access to anything to cut the thick tubes. No, she would have to leave, get help, and return later to free them. She silently promised this to herself. She would not forget about Rose, Emma, Gwen, or Charlotte, even though the world had long since forgotten about them. She herself was not ready to be forgotten yet either.

There must be a way out through the reservoir, but any openings were blocked by iron bars. There was no chance of escaping that way. So, she had to flee through the way they had come in: the door that led into the main atrium from the outside. Unfortunately, it would not be so simple. The door was locked with another one of those needlessly complicated puzzle locks. Although, since the point would have been to keep her in, it served its purpose well.

Charles could not, at any point, discover that she was studying the lock on the door so intently, if at all. That would immediately make her look suspicious. Besides, Rose told her that the lock itself was missing a vital component. A piece to the puzzle that Charles always kept under lock and key. She would either have to somehow swipe the key out from under his unsuspecting nose and steal it from where he kept it in the master bedroom or get him to trust her enough to show it to her. She had originally piqued his interest due to her adeptness and fondness for puzzles after all, something that they, annoyingly, had in common. Expressing this interest could get him to lower his guard. She decided that this would be the best course of action.

Of course, seeing Rose's body would have left its own trauma. Honestly, she should've known. Nightmares plagued her, nightmares of her flesh peeling from her bones as she decayed rapidly, of an endless vortex filled with tortured screams. She woke up screaming and crying from it. Charles, after some very vehement persuasion, got her to admit what made her so scared. Obviously, he was livid with Rose; clearly, this was something he hadn't wanted her to see. She tried to convince him that she had stumbled upon it while exploring, that Rose had nothing to do with it, but Charles didn't buy it. Ultimately, there was nothing he could really do physically to the woman, but he could keep Maddie separated from her as a punishment. Rose had gotten quite attached to the girl, and Charles took advantage of it. So, for a week, the only contact she was allowed to have was with Charles or Eric. It was suffocating, to say the least, but she survived.

It made her wonder, though; why had Rose shown her something that she wasn't supposed to see, knowing that she would get in trouble if she was caught? Did she think she was doing a kindness for her? Or maybe she was daring to hope that Maddie would be the one to set them free. She certainly was. But it may take awhile.

Maddie began to occupy her free time with studying the puzzle. She did this while she convinced Charles and Eric that she was reading in the library instead. And if anyone came looking, she could hear them coming, giving her time to hide or make it look like she had just emerged from one of the rooms. She asked Charles about his puzzles and how he made them, giving him her starstruck attention whenever he cheerfully reciprocated. Eventually, he showed her a puzzle piece that he said was for one of his puzzles. But Maddie knew it was the one she needed. But she held herself back. She had to play a patient game. She had to thoroughly convince Charles that she wouldn't run away.

It took many more months. It was about a year after her kidnapping that she made her move. Now was the time to act.

It was during a time of the day that Charles would least suspect. She knew exactly where Charles hid the component, where he kept the key, and she was certain she knew how to solve the puzzle. That last step was going to be the hardest out of all of them. But she knew that Charles and Eric would be too distracted, giving her enough time to complete it. She took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. This was it. This was her one and only chance. If she was caught, Charles would lock her away for a very long time. Worse, he might do... that to her to prevent her from escaping again. Either way, there was no turning back now. No one was going to find her. She was too well hidden, she realized that. She would have to do this on her own.