Josh and I make our way back inside and Ashley is still freezing since we hadn't started a fire yet. Josh gets started, but it isn't going anywhere. "Come on..."
"How long do you think it'll take him?" Chris looks over to Ashley and I who are snuggled under a blanket as Josh tries to lite the fire.
"My money's on blankets for everyone!"
I shake my head, "You can do it, Josh. I believe in you."
"We..." Chris corrects, "We believe in you."
"Yeah!" Ashley laughs, "Totally! Woo!"
Ashley and I start cheering in unison, "Let's go Jo-osh, let's go." we clap our hands in the unison as well, in a classic cheer fashion.
"Alright, peanut gallery, you know what? I got an idea for you two."
"What?" Ashley looks up to Josh.
"Okay, well, I am pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have... a spirit board."
"A what?"
"Wow." Chris exclaims, "You have a spirit board?"
"Wait are you saying... we should have a seance?"
"Those things are a joke, man. They don't do shit."
"No way, bro." Josh chuckles, "We used to do it all the time, me and... well..."
Before we can say anything else, Sam calls to us from the balcony, "Hey, Josh. No hot water is kinda major oversight doncha think?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just gotta fire up the boiler. It's in the basement. You guys see if you can find the spirit board, I'll fire up the boiler."
I jump up, "Why don't Ashley and Chris look for the spirit board and the two of us can go fire up the boiler? It'll be easier with two sets of hands right?"
"Sure, why not." Josh smiles. Josh and I walk into the kitchen, heading to the basement door, "I couldn't help but notice you gave Chris and Ash a mission together."
"Yeah, I was thinking they could us some alone time." I nod and smiles over to him, "they are very sweet together. I wish they'd just freakin' get on with it already."
"I swear, they just need like... something to bond over, y'know? Some sort of traumatic event to push them into each other's arms."
"Maybe?"
Josh grabs a flash before we head down into the basement. "You know, Elena..."
"Yes, Josh?"
"I just wanted to say..."
"Yes?"
Josh turns to me once we are at the bottom of the stairs and sighs, "It really means a lot to me that everyone came back this year and you know, that you came, Elena."
"Josh. We're here for you. Really. Whatever you need. Whenever. We're all gonna make it through this together." I smile softly up to him.
"Um... I want us to have a good time, you know..."
I nod, "I know."
"Uh..." Josh walks over to boiler cabinet and opens it, "Sorry to drag you down into the bowels."
"Just get Sam some hot water so we don't have to hear her complain."
"I mean I wouldn't want you coming down here on your own, you know?"
"Well yeah, it's creepy down here."
"Yeah, not a place to be on your own." I look around and see a baseball bat. I pick it up and smile over to Josh, "You know you don't look bad holding that."
"Yours?"
"You bet it's mine. I used to play ball with my Dad all the time. Of course, that was before he got too busy to hang out with me... Oh well, save it for the couch, right." Josh takes the bat and sets it on the ground. "Okay, lemme see what I can do with this old hot water machine." Josh hands me the flashlight. "Here, can you... can you hold this?"
I nod and hold the flashlight, but before long I hear a noise and look around, "What was that?"
"What was what? Just shine it here so I can see what I'm doing." I hold the light so Josh can see into the boiler box. "Nice one. Okay first things first, we gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up."
"Sounds kinda complicated."
"No, it's actually pretty simple."
I try to raise the water pressure, but I press the button on the panel too late, "Dam!"
"It's okay, just try again."
I nod and try again, getting it right this time, "Whoa!!"
"That's more like it. Alright! Five, girl!" Josh holds his hand up. I laugh and high five him, "Yeah!" Josh smiles and closes the boiler cabinet.
I hear the same noise again, "What the hell is that...?"
"Could be a lot of things... and none of them nice..." Josh starts to tickle me.
"Hey, quit it!"
"I'm just... just 'Joshing' ya."
"Har har..." I fake laugh.
"You were really freaked out."
"I don't like creepy things or places..." I shake my head and laugh. When I look back to Josh I decide to scare him. I put on my best scared face and look behind him, "Oh, my God, don't move..."
"What?"
"Something's behind you."
"Yeah, right."
"No... Josh... I'm serious... There's something back there..." Josh looks over his shoulder. "Ha.. Gotcha."
"Alright. Alright. Your point."
"Thirty. Love."
"What? No... Where'd you get the first point?"
"It doesn't start at thirty?"
"No." Josh chuckles, "Fifteen."
"Oh, well, I'm more of a volleyball girl." I chuckle softly as Josh steps toward me, as he does I hear the noise again, "okay, so you hear that too, right?" I look down the hall.
"... what?"
"The rhythm's like, weirdly regular."
"Not.. no... nothing regular about it."
"We should check it out."
"Why?"
"I dunno, what if it's like, a pipe that's about to burst or something problem with the furnace?"
"Unlikely."
"If it were me I wouldn't want this place to burn down on my watch."
"... yeah, right."
Josh and I walk to the noise, but before get to the end of the hall a man in a mask jumps out. I scream and the two us turn and run. Josh keeps looking back over his shoulder to see if I'm behind him. When we get to the top the stairs I struggle with the door, "Oh come on, now why are these doors locked?!"
"To keep out strangers!!"
"Hey..." The man says.
"... what?" I stop and look at the man.
"Heeyyyyyy..."
"... WHAT THE HELL?!" I yell at the man, realizing it's Chris.
Chris takes off the mask, "Boom! You just got monked!"
"WHAT!!"
"Nice one." Josh laughs, "That was good."
"Why w.... Why would you do that?"
Chris shrugs, "there's all this cool old movie crap down here. What, was I... was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?"
"Are you serious?!" I shake my head as Josh laughs, I turn to him and shove him back, "were you in on this you putz?"
"Nope." Josh shakes his head, still laughing, "But I wish I was! That was too good." Josh high-fives Chris. before we head back to the main lodge, Josh locking the door behind us.
"I'm ready to admit that your dumb prank may have had a slight whiff of humor to it."
"Joke master!" Chris chuckles.
"I said nothing about jokes. I said your prank, which as dumb..."
"Holy crap you were scared." Josh jokes, "Admit it."
"I was not!"
"Come on, you totally pissed yourself!"
"Josh!"
"What... in God's name... Are you wearing?" Ashley walks up to Chris who is still in his monk outfit.
"I found my true calling." Chris places his hands together in a praying position.
"Please tell me you're going to take a vow of silence." Chris pretends to speak inaudibly. "Okay. okay... did you at least find the thingy."
Chris takes the Ouija board out of his costume, "boi-oi-oi-oing! Here's our one way ticket to the spirit realm..!"
"Hmm..."
I shake my head, "you guys are all insane."
"Come on.." Josh smiles and places a hand on the small of my back, "if you get scared I'll hold your hand."
I shake my head, "fine."