When we knocked on the door, I heard footsteps from inside. A few seconds later, the heavy door creaked open, and standing there was a girl in a maid's outfit. Her long, silky black hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail.
"Welcome, everyone," she said, bowing slightly. Her voice was polite, but her face showed no expression at all. "I am Anna, the maid in charge of this mansion."
I heard Ms. Rinka mutter under her breath, almost to herself, "Wow... so someone really lives here."
Lucas, being Lucas, immediately spoke up, "Wait, seriously? You're saying you're a maid?"
Anna straightened up, still expressionless. "Yes. Is there any problem?"
Lucas looked around at us, throwing his arms out dramatically. "You're all seeing this, right? She looks incredibly beautiful! She could pass off as a princess. And you're telling me someone this beautiful is just a maid? This is a joke, right?"
Before he could embarrass himself further, Ms. Rinka knocked him hard on the head with her knuckles. "Shut up, idiot."
Then she quickly turned to Anna, sighing. "Sorry about his rudeness."
Anna bowed again, calm and professional. "It's okay, ma'am. There's no problem. Do you mind coming in?"
"Oh, right," Ms. Rinka said.
We all started walking inside. As I followed the others through the doorway, I noticed William slow down beside me, glancing back over his shoulder. Curious, I turned slightly and caught sight of Harrison standing outside, staring off into the distance at something I couldn't see.
"Hey, Harris," William called out to him. "What's wrong?"
Harrison snapped out of it quickly and shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing." Then he hurried to join us, and the door shut behind him with a soft thud.
Stepping fully inside, I immediately noticed the difference. From the outside, the mansion had looked completely run-down — the paint was faded, the walls were cracked, and even the windows looked old and dusty. But the moment we entered, it was like stepping into another world.
The inside was stunning — polished floors, grand chandeliers, and walls decorated with intricate patterns and paintings. It didn't make any sense.
Anna spoke again, bowing politely. "Please, leave your lodgings here. I will take care of them."
She gestured toward a nearby corner where some shelves and a large counter stood, almost like a reception desk.
"There are rooms upstairs," she added. "You may go and choose."
Ms. Rinka stepped in front of us and clapped her hands once, getting everyone's attention.
"You'll all go in pairs," she announced. "Same roommates as at the school dorms. No changes."
There were a few grumbles here and there, but no one really complained. One by one, we started heading up the massive staircase, lugging our things with us.
We started heading upstairs one by one. I was just about to follow when I heard William call out to me.
"Oi, Ren, you coming or what?" he said, already halfway up the steps, lugging his bag along.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered back, starting toward the staircase.
But right then, I heard a sharp voice behind me.
"Hey, maid girl!"
I turned around to see Marcella standing near Anna, arms crossed, a scowl on her face. Most of the others ignored her — probably thinking it was just Marcella being Marcella — but curiosity made me pause.
"Do you mind carrying my stuff and following me?" Marcella demanded.
Anna bowed slightly, her expression still blank. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I am not allowed upstairs."
Marcella's face twisted into something nasty. "Are you refusing me?" she said, voice dripping with arrogance. "You're just a lonely maid, you know. It's your job to do what guests ask. Should we talk to your boss so he can fire you? Huh? Where is your boss anyway? Do you even know who I am, you insolent—"
She raised her hand like she was about to hit Anna.
Before I could even react, Kaida appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Marcella's wrist midair.
"Do you mind stopping?" Kaida said, her voice calm but firm.
Marcella yanked her hand free, glaring at Kaida. "Mind your own business."
Before things could get worse, Ms. Rinka stepped in, her voice sharp. "Marcella, that's enough. We are guests here. Mind your manners."
Marcella huffed and stormed off, stomping up the stairs with her luggage in hand.
Ms. Rinka turned to Anna, bowing her head slightly. "I'm sorry about that. Please forgive her."
Anna bowed again, her tone still polite. "There is no problem, ma'am."
Kaida moved closer to Anna, reaching out and gently holding her hand.
"Are you okay?" Kaida asked, her voice softer. "I'm sorry for what happened. Don't worry — if she bothers you again, just come and talk to me, okay?"
Even though they were talking, neither of them showed much emotion. Their faces stayed almost completely neutral. It was... weirdly intense.
Anna looked straight into Kaida's face and said, "Don't worry about me, ma'am. I'll be fine."
Kaida smiled faintly. "Just call me Kaida. Drop the formalities."
Anna gave a small nod. "I understand... Kaida-chan."
For the first time ever knowing, I actually saw Kaida smile — even if it was just for a brief moment.
As I watched, something else caught my eye. I glanced up at the staircase and noticed Lyra standing there, her hand on the banister. She looked... pissed.
But the second she noticed me looking, her expression flipped — she smiled sweetly and waved before disappearing upstairs.
Weird.
Kaida let go of Anna's hand and started walking toward the stairs too. When she reached me, I couldn't help but comment.
"Wow. What was all that about?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen you so worked up."
Kaida paused for a second before answering, her voice quiet. "I just... felt like I had to help her. I don't even know why."
I watched her walk past me, her steps slow but certain, and for a moment, I stayed there, staring at the space she left behind.
Something about this mansion — about tonight — didn't feel right.
I finally started moving upstairs too.
By then, William was already gone. Figures — that guy never waits.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I glanced back for a second. Anna was still downstairs, just standing there, expressionless, doing nothing. Even though earlier she had told everyone to leave their luggage so she could take care of it, nobody actually did. Everyone had just carried their own stuff up, ignoring her.
I looked at my own bag and shrugged. Guess I wasn't any different.
Turning right, I moved along the hallway. A few doors down, I spotted William standing there, grinning like an idiot and waving at me. He had already picked a room for us.
I headed straight over, and when I entered the room, the first thing I noticed were the two beds side by side.
"Oh, so there are two beds," I said aloud. "Not gonna lie... I was kinda hoping it would be just one bed so we could share."
William froze. His face changed completely — he blushed, glancing away like he didn't know how to handle it.
"Seriously... you are sometimes very weird," he muttered, trying to act cool but clearly flustered.
Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Don't tell me... do you swing that way?"
I smirked. "Well, if it's for you, I don't mind swinging that way."
William immediately came over and shoved his hand against my face, pushing me back lightly. "Stop that! You're embarrassing me!"
Laughing, I tossed my bag onto one of the beds and plopped down.
As I leaned back with my arms behind my head, I muttered, "You know... everything's been weird since we got here. I've been having this feeling that someone's watching me. Or maybe... watching us. I can't tell what it is."
William sat on his bed too, nodding slowly.
"So it wasn't just me," he said. "Ever since we got on this island, I've felt it too. But... it's not like when someone stares at you normally. It's like—" He paused, searching for the right words. "—like someone's looking straight into my soul."
I sat up slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Wow. You're getting deep into this dude. Stop being... phisolofical. Or is it physiological? Wait. I forgot the word."
William chuckled. "Philosophical, dumbass."
"Yeah, that," I grinned. "Anyway, maybe it's nothing."
William shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see tomorrow. I still have some questions to ask Ms. Nakamura anyway... For some reason, I can't even remember exactly why we came here."
I blinked. "Wait... so it's not just me and Kaida? You too?"
He nodded.
"This is serious," I said, feeling my stomach twist a little. "We really have to figure out what's going on."
After that, we both just laid down on our beds, talking casually about random stuff.
At some point, William mentioned, "You know... this house kinda feels haunted."
I chuckled. "Well, it'd be fun if it actually was haunted. Haunted stuff makes life interesting, don't you think?"
He laughed lightly too, and we kept the conversation going, bouncing jokes and theories back and forth.
Then, after a while, I remembered something.
"Oh yeah," I said, turning my head toward him. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you. Why is it that whenever we were in our room—"
Before I could finish my sentence, a loud, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hallway.
We both shot up from our beds immediately.
CHAPTER END.