Matt headed straight up the stairs, Rowan hung back with Cupid and I. We were on the side that clearly housed the second floor of the library and near the landing there was another set of grand doors that were currently open and looking into the massive room. Ahead of us was a closed door and the hallway leading away from the library held more closed doors.
"Unless the maintenance crew locks them all the doors are unlocked." Matt explained, "If we follow this down there's the stairs that lead to the third floor as well as the bedrooms on this one. Ahead of us is an office, lounge, and another office. There's also an office at the back of the library on this floor."
"What's on the third floor?" I asked.
"Six more bedrooms, another office, and a huge lounge room that was also use as a recreational room." Matt answered.
"How do you seem to know so much about this manor?" I asked, I felt stupid right after because he probably explored it multiple times and learned all that.
"So, I work for the Forest Service, and I have my rounds where I am one the people taking care of the building and ensuring that it remains a safe place for the public." Matt answered.
"When he has permission, he takes us to the servants' areas that are normally locked, and he knows where there are secret rooms and such." Rowan added.
"There's secret rooms?" I asked.
"Well yeah, a lot of old buildings had them for various reasons. Some was just to keep the servants out of sight. Some more sinister and used to keep unwanted children out of sight." Matt answered, "Sorry I'm kind of into history on old buildings and all of that."
"No need to apologize, I think it's cool that you know that." I said.
I took Cupid with me as I wondered down the hall to look into some of the rooms. I found the stairs Matt had mentioned, they curved up mimicking the grand stair cases that led to this floor. Down the hall from us I could hear humming. I looked back at the boys to see them going into the room Matt had said was an office.
"Sounds like someone else is exploring today too." I told Cupid as I followed the sound to the last door in the hallway that ran opposite the stairs.
I knocked lightly on the door. No one answered and the humming didn't stop. I was thinking that someone just had headphones in and didn't hear me knock. I tried the handle and found it was unlocked.
"Hello?" I called as I entered the room.
A huge carved four poster bed frame was the first thing I noticed. There wasn't a mattress, just the frame. I couldn't see anyone in the room, I walked closer to the bed to look around to the side I couldn't see. The humming finally stopped.
There was no one there. The frame caught my attention. There was hand carved designs in the wood.
The door slammed closed.
I jumped and Cupid barked.
"Most have caught a breeze." I told Cupid as I went back to the door.
It was locked.
"Matt. Rowan. This isn't funny. Let me out." I called out, thinking that Matt probably had a set of keys and they were playing a prank on me.
There was no noise from the other side of the door.
Cupid laid down at me feet as I tried the handle again. It wouldn't move and it being an old manor the doors locked with keys.
"Matt! Rowan!" I screamed and ponded on the door.
There wasn't anyone in the room, but the being trapped was making it hard to breathe. I felt ice touch my arm then move to my cheek. I jumped and looked at Cupid to see if she was noticing anything. She had her head down and was staring at me, keeping perfectly still. Her nose twitching was the only movement. She wasn't making any noise and if she sensed anything, she wasn't acting like it was a threat.
I jumped when it felt like lips kissed my forehead and when I touched the spot it was cold, like ice had just been pressed there. Cupid shifted slightly and perked her ears.
"Jacelynn?" Rowan's voice came through the door, "We heard you scream. Are you okay?"
"The door's locked." I called back as I stepped towards it. My eyes kept scanning the room trying to find something to make sense of the feeling of being touched, of being kissed.
"I know, Matt went to get the emergency keys, he doesn't have his set on him right now." Rowan told me.
"How did the door lock?" I asked as I pressed my back against the door and had Cupid touching me leg.
"It's an old building." Was Rowan's only explanation, "We heard you scream, are you hurt or anything, do we need to call for help?"
"Not hurt, I ... I ... It felt like someone touched me but there's only Cupid and I in here."
"That was probably just your mind playing tricks on you when you realized the door wouldn't open. May have just been cold air and it felt like more."
"I guess, how long is it going to take Matt to find the key?"
"He said he'd be back up in a few minutes." Rowan answered.
A light in the back corner of the room by the head of the bed caught my attention. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, it looked like a light reflection off something. I stepped towards it trying to figure out where it was coming from. I looked up at the window to see if there was anything hanging there that could be catching the light and causing it. There wasn't anything there, not even curtains. I went to the window, looking out gave a great view. Off in the distance I could make out the corner of looked to be the cemetery. I could see an angel and what looked like headstones.
Behind me I heard the lock click and the door open. Matt and Rowan both walked in and over to me.
"Are you okay?" Matt asked.
"I think so." I answered.
"Your skin is ice." Rowan said, I didn't even realize that he was touching my arm.
"I don't feel cold." I told him.
"Could just be shock, being locked in a room is not usually a fun thing." Matt said, "It's odd though, I've never heard of seen that happen here before."
"You've only worked here for what? A year now?" Rowan said.
"Yeah, but it's an old manor house, there's all sorts of ghost stories that get told. Especially to the new guy who has to work the graveyard shift in the building." Matt responded,
"Graveyard shift?" I asked.
"To make sure we don't have people sleeping here or partying." Matt answered, "It's almost like doing security. A lot of the rooms get locked for the night to limit where we need to worry about, the library stays open and sometimes the local elementary schools will have class slumber parties there."
"That makes sense. I didn't think of this before but is there actually electricity here?" I asked.
"There is, so electricity came around in 1882, Meadow Manor was almost seventy years old at the time, but because the family had money and the right connections electricity was added. It didn't work very well at first but they had the money to keep people working on it. Then in 1913 the house was completely wired and working, twelve years later it became more common in this area." Matt explained.
"Don't mind him, he has a random history setting that gets triggered every now and then and there's no off switch. He just kind of has to cycle through it." Rowan said teasing Matt for the history lesson.
"I'm sorry didn't mean to go teacher mode." Matt responded; he was blushing.
"No need to be sorry, it's cool that you know all that." Rowan said punching Matt's arm.
"Did they go over all that when you started working here? Or was that stuff you knew ahead of time?" I asked. The light in the corner was still drawing my attention even though I was trying to ignore it.
"A little of both. I like history and I know more about what specifically happened in this manor's history because of working with the Forest Service, but some of it is research I did on my own because I was curious." Matt answered.
"Do they do tours ever, seems like you would be the person to have give them." I said,
"Sometimes they do. I love when I get to lead groups of little kids through. As much as I know about the manor, there is a guy I work with who has taken care of it since before the Forest Service was granted the property." Matt said.
"What?" I asked.
"The oldest man I work with, Richard, is eighty-three years old. He started working here in 1953 when he was sixteen. The manor was granted to the Forest Service in 1970. The family was wiped out by the Flu strain that hit that year and the will left the manor to the Forest Service so the land wouldn't be developed and destroyed." Matt answered, "Richard has told me a lot about when he was here before it was granted over. He was thirty-three when the Flu hit and had worked here for seventeen years already. He's who has shown me the secret rooms."
I was impressed by how much Matt knew about the Manor. I wanted to know everything and I didn't work here.
"Would I be able to meet Richard sometime?" I asked.
"I'll ask him but I don't see why not. He treats me like the grand kid he never had and enjoys talking to everyone about his life here." Matt answered.
"I don't know why I never thought to ask that." Rowan said, "All the time you've spent telling me about Richard and everything he's shown or taught you and I never once thought to ask about meeting him."
"Well sometimes you just need a woman to point out the obvious." Matt said as he elbowed Rowan.
"You're not wrong." Rowan agreed, "Since there was some unexpected excitement, how about we head back and order some pizza?"
"Down." Matt said.
I nodded and picked up Cupid's leash from where I had apparently dropped it earlier. We followed the boys down the stairs. I had the feeling of being watched but every time I looked there was nothing to be seen. I was lost in my own thoughts about the room, how much I wanted to go back there and figure out what had happened I ran into Rowan. He was stopped standing near my 4runner.
"Sorry, I was a little lost in thought." I told him and tried to hide the blush creeping up my neck.
"No worries, Matt and I were wondering if you want to join us at my place for pizza or if we should have it at yours so Cupid can be in her home." Rowan said.
"I'm good with mine." I answered.
"Well we'll be over in a few, going to change clothes and all that."
"Door will be unlocked." I said.
I headed into my apartment just realizing the time, it was already going on seven pm. I got Cupid her dinner before going back to my room to change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I wondered how long I had been trapped in that room. It didn't seem long but it was later than I would have thought.
I heard Rowan and Matt come into the apartment and headed to the living room to join them. Matt was already scoring my DVD collection as Rowan petted Cupid. Next door the neighbors in unit one seemed to be partying or starting to we could hear the music coming through the wall.
"You're going to have fun with them tomorrow." Rowan said nodding to the wall that separated my apartment from unit one.
"Oh?" I asked.
"They don't talk to any of us so I have no idea what their names are. But every now and then they decide they want to party and they'll blare music louder as they get drunk and it will be an all-night thing." Rowan answered.
"Oh joy, at least it's Friday night and I don't have to worry about work or anything tomorrow. Just want to get the cleaning done." I said.
"Anything planned after that?" Matt chipped in.
"No not yet. Wasn't sure how much cleaning I wanted to do." I answered.
Before we could say anything else there was a knock on my door and Matt went to answer it.
"I had the pizza just delivered here, I kind of already knew the address." Rowan said.
We settled on putting Supernatural on since we had all seen it and could talk without feeling like we were interrupting something.
"Hope you don't mind we just did a meat lovers pizza." Rowan said, "I completely forgot to ask what you would want."
"No, it's good, actually it is my favorite so yeah." I said.
The music next door was getting progressively louder as we dug into the pizza while it was still hot enough to burn our mouths. We ate in friendly silence, all of us seemed to be thinking about something that had nothing to do with what Sam and Dean were doing.
"I'm sorry you had a scare to at the manor." Matt broke the silence.
"It's all good." I said, I had just finished my third piece of pizza and couldn't eat anymore.
"We'll get out of your hair, if you're interested in hanging out when you're done with your stuff tomorrow just come knock on the door." Rowan said as Matt was cleaning up the mess of paper towels and paper plates.
"Sounds good." I said as I walked them to the door.
I turned off the PlayStation and TV before letting Cupid into the back yard and washing up for bed. The neighbors in unit one had their music loud enough to sound like it was coming from my own speakers.
I let Cupid back inside and she jumped onto the bed and wiggled into her spot. I turned off lights and crawled in after her. The music was too loud for me to fall asleep easily. It seemed like hours later before I finally drifted off even with the music.