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Dexter Morgan
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#1
Old 07-07-2011, 07:45 AM

Kiera sat in front of the basement door, on the bottommost step just at the mouth of the corridor that led to its heavy door. He had no idea why he went so near it, after watching his family dragged to their death as he cowered in the corner. Perhaps, he thought as he twisted a string of his white hair between thumb and forefinger, he wanted to open the door and see what had happened so long ago. So long, yet he had never went within the shadow of the corridor after that night. When thunder exploded above the house, he jumped, a reflex he could never control anymore. Standing, the boy rearranged his oversized beige shirt to fit him as well as it could, and crawled up the stairs again. Walking through the curtains that had always hung in the hallway, he went back out the door between the entrance hall’s staircases and closed it quietly. Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped forward, toward the door, but with no intention of leaving the house. He had not done so for several years.

The windows flanking the door showed a gray afternoon, slowly fading to evening as it poured a storm forth, streaming down the glass. Lightning flashed, throwing swift shadows onto the hardwood floor. A door was on either side of the entrance hall, one leading to the living room and den, and the other leading to the kitchen and dining room. When Kiera started toward the nearer door, the one to his right that led to the kitchen, it opened swiftly; Dmitri, the murderer of his family, the psychologically-deranged gardener that had been with them for many years, lumbered into the entrance hall, heavy and thick, nearly bald, his tiny black eyes glaring around him. Kiera had to suppress a gasp and stumbled back behind a column that reached the second floor, moving to the other side. Dmitri growled, most likely to himself, before stomping toward the door that Kiera had come from moments before.

Pressing close to the wide, dark gray stone of the column, sitting, then ducking low to avoid being noticed, he muttered a silent thank you for being spared another chase through the house. When the door slammed shut, he stood, much taller than what he used to be, much older. His adult form, which appeared to be at least thirty, fit the child-Kiera’s clothes much better, and before taking to the stairs, he unrolled his sleeves and pant legs. He sprinted upstairs, which dulled his footsteps for a dark purple carpet runner, going left and passing three tall doors. The thunder above the house had dulled, the evening’s storm slowly being pushed away, and in the fluttering shadow thrown from the lit sconces made eerie movements in every corner. Shuddering, Kiera went to the library, through the left door at the end of the hall. Its door locked, and he made sure it did with the heavy bolt beside the brass doorknob. With a sigh, Kiera stepped into the library and looked around.

Its carpet was a dark purple, like the runner in the hallway outside and on the staircases. The bookshelves reached to the dark ceiling, several ladders leaning against the wall to the right. Everything was lit with oil lamps, candles sitting on the window sill. He passed the first two rows of shelves and went to the fireplace, which only sported several smoldering embers that hardly lit the old, velvet-covered dark red chairs. He tried to shake the nagging feeling that something would soon be altered, reaching into his pocket and pulling a match, striking it on his thumb, and tossing it into the fireplace. As he waved the small flame with a scrap of paper, he kept glancing at the window. Nothing but the forest trees and clouds could be seen, but he felt if he looked hard enough, he would see what was coming.

When he lifted a flame high enough to be able to support itself, he sat in one of the chairs and looked at it. Something was wrong, and he could not get it out of his mind.

Ottersaurus
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#2
Old 07-07-2011, 08:14 AM

Alera felt a shudder down her spine as she guided her rusted car down the winding road through the woods. She drove an old 1993 Volvo 240 in a rather sickly pale green. Rust wore around the edges of it and one of the tires look like it would fall off at any moment. The dirt road had become muddy thanks to the recent storm, which made persevering through the forest more difficult than the young woman would have liked. A steady rain pounded against the hood of the vehicle, making a monotonous white noise that rendered the driver weary. The majority of the storm had passed by now, but this wretched rain still lingered as though to mock the traveler.

She should have stayed in town. That was all she could really think about at the moment. There was no telling where this road would take her or where the forest ended. When she last stopped for gas the storm was just blowing in and the gas station attendant had urged her to stay in town for the night. She might have taken him up on his offer if he hadn't been leering at her through cracked glasses. Aside from the overall dreary atmosphere of the townsfolk, Alera had other reasons for moving on. Why risk staying in one place for too long anyway? After what happened...

The young woman shook her head to clear her thoughts of the past. That was something she didn't need on her mind right now. After all, she had the future to look forward too and if she could get away from that shadow following her that's what she would do.

A clearing in the trees up ahead woke her from her dream-like daze. She had to pull over for a while, even if that meant just catching a few winks in the car. As the reason for the clearing came into view, Alera caught herself staring blatantly. The large manor before her looked as though it were right out of an old Gothic novel. Her vehicle slowed as she approached; dull blue eyes focusing in on the large iron gates. "Holy cow..."

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#3
Old 07-07-2011, 08:59 AM

Kiera let his light yellow eyes lose themselves in the dim fire that had made its existence in the fireplace. The library’s heavy carpet and crowded books made for a safe haven even his room upstairs could not offer. It brought back memories of how it was before his life had all but ended. His mother would sit in front of the fireplace at night, with moonlight shining through the arched window. She would read from a book, one she randomly selected, pulling Kiera close so he could listen. He was the youngest of them all, and while his older siblings would be elsewhere, in the garden or roaming the forest, or locked in their room, he would sit contentedly with that beautiful woman he was proud to call a mother, one who was ageless, with a fait face, oddly purple eyes, curly black hair with the faintest hint of violent to the sheen. Her smile was always the kindest of the family.

Sitting there, alone, listening to the thunder fading away, Kiera could almost hear her singsong voice reading from her books, lulling him to a sense of security, letting him fall into a deep sleep. And he would hear her voice even then, from far away, an echoing sound that would let him know she was near, that he would be left alone by his siblings. But as he stared at the fire, which had started to fade away, his mind was wrenched back to the night he refused to help them. Her voice was not calm that night, not happy and content. It was screaming his name, begging him to come help them, save what was left of their family. Her purple eyes were wide and frantic, hands reaching out as she was carried over the shoulder of Dmitri to her doom. And he stood there, behind one of the support columns by the wall, watching and shivering. His savior from the world, the one who had always cared for him, had always loved him, had been dragged to her death, and he had not done a thing to stop it.

Kiera started with the explosion of thunder from far off. Sitting up in his chair, he sighed shakily, reaching up and wiping the tears from his eyes, shaking away the weakness he felt. The past had him by the throat, he knew it, and he knew he would never let it go. The guilt he had would follow him forever. The child within, the child outside his outward younger form, could not let it go. He could not hold it as well as the adult Kiera could. He was looking toward the far wall when he saw a flash of light, something dimmer than lightning and near the road. He nearly fell over his own feet stumbling to the window, crouching down. The road outside the wrought-iron gate was rarely, if ever, traveled, but as night fell, a dark green car was rattling down the mud-slicked surface, slowing as it approached.

Kiera gasped, falling back, returning to his child form. His bones snapped into place as they shortened, joints rearranging very slightly. Without bothering to roll up his pants legs or sleeves, he hurried toward the door, but didn’t unlock it. He hoped the car would just pass, but he worried.

Ottersaurus
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#4
Old 07-07-2011, 10:13 PM

An alluring aura surrounding the property seemed to all but steal the young woman's attention away. For a moment she considered that it may be abandoned; only the grounds were much too well cared for. If she looked closely, she would see flickering lights from some of the windows, as though the old mansion still ran on oil lamps and candle light. The greenery surrounding the home seemed to have been trimmed recently. The outside of the edifice appeared to have been kept in good shape. The paint was chipped here or there, but she decided that only showed how long it had been standing for. A rare treasure like this was surely a spectacle for anyone to see; let alone live in.

Alera wondered for a moment if whomever resided there might let her stay the night; even just for a few hours. Once she was a little rested and the storm had passed, she could be on her way and never bother them again. That was a ridiculous notion, however. Surely the family that lived here wouldn't want company knocking at this hour. Or, by the look of the nearly rusted-shut gates; at any hour. It really didn't appear that anyone came or went at all.

As she gazed at the elaborate manor, her mind couldn't help but wander to what it must have been like in its glory days. People must have been in and out of this place all the time, whether it be for official or personal business. The family that owned the land must have been very wealthy at one point, though from the looks of things they could very well still have money. Images of horse-drawn carriages arriving through the iron gates flooded her mind with visions of beautiful people in Victorian era dress. Surely they would attend lavish parties with dancing and mind blowing dinners. Her thoughts of this old property seemed a little fanciful, but everyone should indulge their mind every now and again. This was a far cry from the wretched hole of an apartment that she used to call home.

Something on the grounds caught her eye and tore her once more from her thoughts. Movement? It could have been a resident from the house, but what would they be doing out in the rain this late? Alera made a vain attempt to focus her eyes through the steady rain. Something was definitely out there, but as hard as she tried she couldn't seem to pinpoint what it was. Just as she was ready to forget it and keep driving, she saw it again. This time whatever moved had been closer to the gate. She peered through the darkness and nearly jumped as the clear sound of something hitting the gate rung through the quiet noise of the rain.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she switched the engine of her car off. The damned thing was noisy enough; let alone when she was trying to keep an eye out for this mysterious figure. Removing the keys from the ignition, Alera hesitantly reached for the handle on the door. What was she doing this for, anyway? She had no business intruding on these people, and she was no sort of authority whatsoever. It was positively rude of her to go snooping around their home for some person she may or may not have seen. Still, she took a deep breath and opened the car door.

Once outside the vehicle, the rain only poured harder. She grumbled to herself and pulled her worn coat closer to her thin frame. "Fuck my curiosity... It's like even the rain wants me to get back in the car and keep driving." Alera shrugged off the eerie feeling the property seemed to give off and slammed the door shut, beginning to step forward slowly. Her eyes would do her no better outside the car than they had inside. For whatever reason though, she continued walking up to the gate. "Hello? Is anyone there??" She leaned forward to look through the large gates, hoping she might see whatever had been there before.

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#5
Old 07-08-2011, 04:17 AM

Kiera forgot to breathe. He was listening for the rumble of the car straining through the rain, for it to just go by without a glance in the direction of the house. But something was wrong. He felt a presence, something cold that ran down his spine, the presence of something that should not be near. The car’s engine cut off, and he gasped in a breath. A slam, then a call. A woman’s voice. It sounded so familiar, but he shook that notion from his head. Leaning his back against the door, he knew only the worst was about to happen, and he could do nothing to stop it. Just like before, he could do nothing. Unlocking the door, he peered into the hallway. It was silent, save for the thunder and rain falling. Dmitri was nowhere to be seen, possibly still in the basement. He spent most of his time down there, when not terrorizing Kiera.

Stepping into the hall, he closed the door and wished he could lock it from the outside. Down the hall and the nearer set of stairs, he could see the time before that night. A beautiful morning, sunlight shining through the windows, the door open to let in the sweet scent of the garden’s flowers and the songs of so many birds in the trees outside. The yellowish-gold glow of the sunlight spilling into the entrance hall made even the deepest gloominess fade away. A carriage was outside, ready to carry the older children to school. They would be there for a month, leaving only Kiera, his parents, his grandparents, and his two aunts and three uncles. He would not go with his six siblings; his mother said he could not. He was weak, and if he were to leave the house, he would get hurt very easily, or sick.

Going down the stairs, the windows black and streaked with rain, the smell of water and saturated earth in the air, Kiera had to wonder why she would lie to him. He was perfectly healthy, in his opinion. Strong, certainly, or he would have been killed long ago by Dmitri. Clumping down the last several stairs in his large but tightly-tied shoes, Kiera ran to the window, shuddering the candles in their sconces on the way. He could see, past the old, dead rose bushes, the ivy creeping its way up the gate, a lump on the road. Someone was moving outside it, approaching the gate. He had no idea what to do, how to scare the woman away. He feared for her, but could not move.

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#6
Old 07-16-2011, 04:43 PM

The woman reached to grasp the gate in her slender hand. She tried desperately to see through the downpour. There was movement again, this time closer to where she stood. "Hello??" The gate shook as a woman drenched in rain and dressed in old Victorian style garb threw herself against it. Alera nearly screamed, as the figure seemed to have come from nowhere.

Before she could formulate words, the woman spoke. "Please miss, you mustn't linger out here!" she cried out over the pounding rain. Pale white hands fumbled with a lock on the gate for several moments before it fell away. "You'll catch cold standing out here in this storm. You must come inside, dear!" Her sad, seemingly hollow eyes pleaded with the stranger as she opened the creaking iron gate just wide enough for Alera to be pulled through. It seemed she didn't really have a choice.

She stumbled forward and nearly slipped before turning to thank the woman, but couldn't seem to find her again. The lock had been put back in place and footsteps could be seen in the mud where she had stood, but where..? Alera turned back to the house only to see the woman hurrying down the mud-covered road towards the front door. She immediately began to run after her, though the rain slowed her down. The next time she lifted her head to look, all she saw was the front door closing and a drenched skirt disappearing through it.

Alera hurried to the door and hesitantly reached for the large brass handle. She had been invited in, even if the woman had been acting strangely. It's not like she was breaking in or anything. With great caution, the brunette pushed the door open and stepped inside. Lightning lit up the sky and she nearly slammed the door up in fear of the accompanying thunder. Water pooled on the floor where she stood; her clothes thoroughly drenched. That woman seemed to have disappeared again... "Hello...? Hello! Is anyone here?" She bit her lip and looked around, beginning to back up against the door again.

The whole property gave off an aura of unease, and she quickly found that the manor was no different. Things were darker inside than she had expected. The furnishings were older, probably still from the same time the house had been built. As her eyes wandered through the entrance room, she caught herself whispering, "It's like stepping into a time machine..."

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#7
Old 07-16-2011, 05:42 PM

Standing with the door only just opened, Kiera managed to see in the jumping of the candlelight the newcomer who had followed the mere spirit of his long-lost mother into the house. The only solace he had was knowing Dmitri would stay hidden at least until morning, when the storm had finally moved on. He hated rain, the noise it made, it was all too much for him to comprehend. Kiera was always so thankful for those storm clouds to move in, but that night it had harbored even worse coming. A young woman, trapped in the prison of his house, the gate locked behind her. Kiera was paralyzed in the den, unmoving, a child in appearance as he stared at the soaking human.

He could almost hear the voice of his mother, calling to her, luring her into the house and out of the rain. It was not the spirit's fault; she was trapped in a realm all her own, where she still lived, and still felt. As though the spirit itself had left her body before Dmitri had dragged her to her death, she felt a need to bring in the lost, those she found who had nowhere to go, as if Dmitri had never even existed. He could often feel her near. He would hear whispers in the dark, her voice soothing his anger, his fear, his hatred for the gardener.

Kiera felt misplaced, though, with an outsider so near. She radiated a feel he had never sensed, something alien, something strange. Artificial, almost, and his mind returned to the cities. Cities, cars, so much that changed and left them behind, so much odd to him, to what his family would have been had they survived that night. She looked cold, he considered, a bit scared. She appeared the same size as his mother as well, at least near enough to be able to wear her clothes and get out of those weighing her down and possibly leaving her open to illness. And illness was a death sentence.

Slowly, he curled his hands around the door, pulling it open, but staying behind it. He moved just enough to be seen by her if she looked to her right.

 


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