Time passed slowly, making half-an-hour feel like six hours. At least, for Lydia it did. It was hard to ignore or focus on time while thinking of so many other things at the same time.

Right now, Lydia was in her assigned room. She had just finished tying the laces on her black bodice, then tidied the grey dress underneath. She didn't like the thought of making an appearance for dinner, but she was somewhat hungry and figured, if anything, she may be able to get some more useful information.

Something is wrong, here, and I want to know.

Once she was done changing, she left the room and walked through the corridor at a hesitant pace. However, as she found herself in the main room, she did what she usually did whenever passing by this area.

She took a curious glance at the barred-off staircase, an ominous feeling coming over her conscious thoughts. She could practically feel the source of her strange feeling, the one acting as a bad forewarning, radiating from this dark area.

I feel as if it’s watching me...And I wonder if it is…

She shook her head, cursing herself, and proceeded toward the curved staircase.

However, she was quickly stopped by a strange sound.

Was that...No, that wasn’t...

As the realization finally clicked, Lydia gulped nervously. This wasn’t just any sound. Not just any creak or chirp. It was muffled and distant, almost inaudible, but could not be mistaken.

It was a scream.

Lydia felt something drop in the pit of her stomach, and she hesitantly turned to face the closed-off staircase.

It was as dark as ever, and as of now, the place went completely silent.

However, as she continued to stare, completely paralyzed, the darkness seemed to grow. It went from a dun tone to a pitch black, and it was only moments before she could feel the darkness envelop her until it was all she could see.

As she stared down this endless path with no light or even a silhouette, she felt the urge to go further. Perhaps she couldn’t see it, but there was something beyond; something waiting for her, or possibly even stalking her already.

But...What could it be?

"What's wrong?"

Lydia nearly screamed after hearing the voice. She spun around quickly, only to find someone just as suspicious, but harmless for now.

Hinata was clearly a bit startled by the reaction. In her hand was a gold candle holder with a lit white candle on its top. Lydia quickly calmed herself down, and now she was wondering what she just felt or witnessed.

Is this a sign that I’m truly mad?

Hinata took a deep breath, clearly surprised. "L-Lord have mercy. Lydia, what's the matter?"

"N-Nothing, I just..." Lydia blinked hard, trying to find words. "...You didn't hear anything from upstairs, did you?"

"Ah, so you heard it too," Hinata remarked. “Let me guess, it was a 'scream'?"

Lydia’s eyes narrowed. "Yes, and the fact you're comfortable with hearing screams is not very reassuring.”

Hinata only laughed, Fair enough! My apologies, and I can assure you that it wasn't screaming. Not from a person, at least. See, there's this one pipe upstairs that's always screeching. Jonathan says he 'fixed it' every time, but it always does this eventually. It’s nothing to concern over, really."

While the story was believable, Lydia was not entirely convinced. "If you say..."

Hinata chuckled, "Alright, why don't you just head downstairs? Dinner's being served now."

"You won't be joining us?" Asked Lydia.

"I will eventually," said Hinata. "I have to tend to Victor, first."

I forgot about Victor, Lydia thought to herself.

Though she was still unsure, she did what Hinata said and began to head downstairs. Although, she stopped on a step where she couldn't be seen, then took one step up and peered over where the banister met the second floor. While she hoped for something reassuring and supportive of the story she was given, even that didn’t happen.

Hinata's calm nature turned darker, as she immediately spun back, unlocking the gate with haste, and ran up the stairs as the gate slammed shut behind her.

Why does she have to go in such a rush? And what the hell is she hiding?! The secrets in this manor are ridiculous!

Lydia groaned irately, but still proceeded down the stairs. She was anything but happy or calm, at this point. The secrets in the manor were overwhelming; why was there such a need to keep these secrets? What could possibly lurk within the unchecked corners of this place? Something bad? Something good?

It doesn't make sense!

Knowing this would only frustrate her more, Lydia calmed herself. It took the entire walk from the bottom of the stairs to the Dining Hall for her to get the subject off her mind. She eventually just took a deep breath and focused on her current objective.

At the Dining Hall, Lydia observed the new room. It was wider than it was long, and decorated in the same way as the rest of the manor. The long table was made with dark wood with clawed feet, with a total of eighteen chairs surrounding it; eight on either long side, and one on each end. All the patients were seated here, with Jonathan standing beside the entrance.

Alice sprang up, pointing beside her. "Lydia, over here!"

Lydia mentally sighed before taking the empty seat. Esther was on the other side, which she didn't mind, but the fact that soloman was across the way made her uneasy. Even now, he looked strange, as he seemed to be thinking or scheming in silence, refusing to acknowledge the existence of anyone else.

Either way, Lydia tried to ignore it and inspect whatever meal was in front of her; fish with a side of some vegetables. She sighed, but forced herself to start eating before the thought of blood came to mind. The first bite resulted in the small hint of the familiar iron tang, but it disappeared when Lydia realized how hungry she was, and she kept eating.

Alice broke the silence. "How are you coping, Lydia? It's the end of your second day here."

"I'm fine," said Lydia.

"That's good," Alice remarked. "Really, it is good that you are. You'll want to get used to this place fast, because it'll probably be some time before you leave."

"I guess so," Lydia muttered.

Alice nodded, then stopped after having to answer to someone else.

For now, Lydia was simply quietly thinking to herself; about everything that was happening, from the people she was meeting to the place she was living at. The concept of this place and its owners were the most intriguing, and yet she had so little information.

Perhaps that’s why it’s itruiging.

As she continued to conspire, one thought finally clicked. These people had been here a lot longer than she had. Alice herself was the third patient, and the very first was just across the way. If they had been here longer, then they had certainly heard and seen more.

"Alice," Lydia spoke, "Have you ever noticed anything strange about the manor, or about Hinata and Victor?"

Alice seemed a little taken back. "Not that I can think of…” She seemed unsure. “Well, actually, I suppose there are a few little oddities here and there. However, you get so used to them that you forget they're odd in the first place. So, once again, you just need some time to adjust."

"What kind of oddities, though?" Asked Lydia.

"The usual," Alice explained. "Sometimes we’ll hear scratching, and there's occasionally a groan or two. Hinata says the pipes squeak a lot, which makes sense given the manor’s age, and the scratching may just be some stray vermin from the countryside. In other words, there are only the usual prob-"

"Jonathan, do you think you could fetch me a glass of water?" Soloman suddenly asked.

"Of course, Mr Archange," Jonathan obediently replied, and left the room at a steady pace.

Now it was only the patients, and while he was clearly trying to be discreet, Lydia knew what Soloman was doing. He was making sure that only they would hear. Sure enough, once he saw that Jonathan was out of earshot, he began talking suspiciously.

"Why are you asking about 'strange things'?" Soloman interrogated.

Lydia bit her tongue. She didn't like the way he talked, nor did she like him in general. This didn't go unnoticed, though. Soloman leaned across the table, his tone lower.

"You've noticed too, haven't you? You heard, yes?"

"The screaming?" Lydia inquired.

Soloman nodded. "Something about this damn place isn’t normal; that bad feeling you have? It’ll never go away unless you somehow adapt to the thought of asylum-like conditions; irrational screaming, random scratching, bad feelings, etcetera. That should give you an idea of how your stay will be.”

Lydia gained a tone of prominent sarcasm. “Thank you for that warm welcome.”

Alice rolled her eyes. "So a few things don't make sense; that means the manor's haunted?"

"Maybe not haunted,” Soloman retorted. "But it’s still wrong. I've been here for almost two years, and the screaming doesn't stop. Nor does the scratching, the groans, the creaking- all of it just keeps going, even though Hinata promises that it'll be fixed by tomorrow. Besides, is nobody unnerved that we hear screaming on a usual basis, which, for the record, sounds nothing like a ‘pipe’?"

"You know," Alice argued, "You really should be in a lunatic asylum with that kind of paranoia. You know the concept of Hinata telling the truth isn't impossible, right?"

Warren chuckled,”Typical Soloman; all wind and piss.”

“Shut it, you brainless git,” Soloman snapped. “And I never blamed Hinata!”

Warren propped himself up. “Although, I will credit you with one thing. I bet she is hiding something, and ‘squeaky pipes’ is a good excuse...to hide...GHOSTS!"

Lydia flinched, while Alice just rolled her eyes, and Soloman facepalmed. Warren seemed convinced, though.

"Creaking, groaning, scratching- all signs of a haunting," Warren continued. "There's a ghost upstairs. Also, why haven't any of us seen Victor? It's because there is no Victor! Just a ghost that used to be him!"

Elizabeth shook her head disapprovingly. "Is everything you suggest worthy of being a child's idea? Clearly, Hinata has a pet of some sort. 'Scratching' would imply claws, and the floor would creak if something walked on it. Perhaps a large dog, and she keeps it separated out of the fear that one of us may have cynophobia."

"Sorry, I don't speak Italian," said Warren.

Elizabeth groaned, "It's a phobia of dogs, you dope."

Warren sneered, "You could've just said that in the beginning, instead of failing to make yourself sound smart.”

"At least I know how to say words longer than five letters," Elizabeth snapped.

"At least I know how to spell words longer than six letters," Warren retorted.

"So do I!"

"Really? Then spell 'stupid.'"

"S-T-U-P…” Elizabeth growled angrily. “How the hell did I fall for that?!"

Warren and Silas both burst out laughing, and Esther tried to hide her chuckling. Soloman only had a disapproving glare, clearly irritated. However, as he heard Hinata announce her return, he said one more thing before ending the conversation.

He spoke quietly, "Keep an eye out, and you'll see what I mean."

After he said that, he sat back down. Hinata continued to ramble on, and Alice gladly continued the conversation. Knowing that it was evidently a bad idea to continue, Lydia remained silent and focused on eating. She desperately wanted to, but did not say anything else for the entire time.