Reinhold House

III

"This is mental," Noah says, mouth agape and eyes frozen on the large building. Julia looks back at me, her eyes wide and fearful. "He's there. On the doorstep," she whispers. My eyes flit back to the house. It looks like a typical horror movie house. It's made of dark wood, a few spots of white visible where the wood has rotted away. The gables looked like they had been a pastel blue, but erosion and old age had turned them a whitewashed pearly colour. A bay window was set into the front of the house, the window grimy and foggy. It looked like it had three or four stories, a tall tower-like structure making it appear taller. A small awning hangs over the front door, a thick piece of of ivy dangling from it. Overgrown bushes surrounds the lot, ivy and grass mixing into a mass of dark green.

We all silently stare, the eerie quiet washing over us. The bushes sit as still as us, almost competing. Noah is the first to move, opening his door and groaning as he stands up. The hypnotic spell of the house is broken as we all stir and find our ways out of the car. Julia quickly stands beside me, muttering, "He's gone now. But he was there." I look back at the house, shivering. I'm suddenly aware of the knife in my back pocket, and my fingers wiggle as they unconsciously reach for it. Noah is now walking across the lawn, the grass reaching his knees. I follow him, Julia treading behind me, and I raise my knees high to walk through the tall lawn. Our shoes scuff on the bumpy cobbles that make up the front porch. I study the door knocker, an odd impish design. It looks like a small head with curled horns, eyes wide in anger and teeth bared with a thick bronze circle held in its mouth. Noah laughs, muttering something about "ridiculous" and he grabs the knocker and beats it against the door. I wince, stepping back. The loud noise echoes around the house, and we all silently stand as we listen to it reverberate.
"He knows we're here now, you dolt," Julia softly hisses, glaring at Noah.
"He?" Noah nervously inquires, edging away from the door.
She waves him off, about to talk before the door creaks open slowly.
Noah looks back at us in fear, inching through the doorway, still muttering. Julia glances at me, holding the bat tightly and motioning for me to go after him. I step into the foyer, overwhelmed by the stuffiness and the cold. I jump as I notice Noah dragging a small table across the wood to act as a doorstop. He positions it in the doorway, now muttering about ghosts closing doors.

We've all congregated in the center of the foyer, now discussing where we should explore first.
"I haven't seen him since the front porch. He hasn't said anything else, and I now don't know what to do," Julia murmurs to me, leaning in. As if the creepy man could hear her, Julia freezes as she stares up the stairs, as if someone is at the top. A few minutes go by, and she hasn't moved. Noah calls her name and I tell him to zip it. I watch her, creeped out by how still she is.
"No!" she suddenly yells angrily, knuckles turning white around the softball bat. I jump, heart pounding. Julia's eyebrows raise, then furrow, as she still looks up the stairs.
"What...?" she questions, stepping back. She seems to be in shock, and for a long moment, she confusedly stares at the floor.
"I can't! They're my friends!" she suddenly hisses, now glaring. A long pause. She quickly looks up at me, screaming, "RUN!"

Not knowing what was going on, I run to the door, legs pumping. I slam into it as it rushes shut, the small table keeping it open shattering into tiny pieces. Noah is frozen in fear, and I rush past him into the dining hall, running past the long table and into the great room. I freeze, as does my heart. On the couch, sprawled out, seeming to take a nap, is HIM.

It was definitely the man Julia spoke of. His shaggy dark hair was in his face, covering his eyes. He seemed long and lanky, his legs draped carelessly over the side of the red couch, arms dangling. His clothes looked old, like from the early 1900's. With his striped suit, striped pants that were cuffed at the bottom, two toned shoes, and nice white gloves, he looked like an upper class man from that day in age. I step back, heart now going berserk. I see a small smile appear on his face, and he laughs, a deep bellowing laugh.
"Your heart sounds so scared, my dear," he drawls, his deep and cool voice slightly spoiled by his lisp. I let out a yelp as he sits up. His hair is still in his eyes, and he cocks his head, his long neck tilted. He's smiling now, and I see why he has a lisp. Two of his teeth are long and pointed, the tips of them pressed against his bottom lip. He fakes apology, his hand dramatically going to his chest.
"My apologies, my dear. I have forgotten my manners. I am Theodotus Reinhold. And you are Phoebe Dwight. We are no longer strangers to each other. "
He smirks, as if he knew I would be shocked at that news. I was quite shocked. This was the Reinhold's only son. And he was somehow still alive. He also knew my name.
"Not quite alive, yet I am flattered. My strength is too weak to be considered alive," he says, laughing at my stunned expression. He stands, and I realize I wasn't wrong in my observation of him being tall. He towered over me.
"Your little friend is quite stubborn," he blatantly states, slowly walking around the room. "I wonder why she won't just kill you two."
I still feel frozen, frozen in fear, but also just unable to move.
"She's our friend," I mutter, immediately regretting speaking. He appears in my face so quick, it's as if he flew.
"Friends are lies. You have none. I see your jealousy for this girl. You are not friends."
He stands back, head angled down at me. I feel so thankful that his eyes are still hidden. He laughs, brushing the hair from his face and glaring down at me. His pupils are tiny slits, small dark lines that just absorbed darkness. His irises were a bright yellow, and I could see my frightened reflection in them.
"My eyes have the ability to control. I could make you walk off a cliff if I wished. But I will not waste that power on a puny human like yourself."
I gulp, trying to move again but failing. He sighs, waving his hand in my direction, and I fall to the floor.
"I forget how fun teasing them is," he grumbles deeply to himself. I struggle to stand up, as if a large weight is pressed against my spine. My vision starts to go blurry, and I fight to stay conscious. I see Theodotus' shoes in front of me before I black out.