Surprises were a part of life. Everyone had a few just around the corner and Roy was no exception. He’s had plenty in his time, but none made him shriek in fright harder than the inaudible revolving wall that assailed him. He didn’t seem to be alone though; the shrills of Amy and Sarah joined him, adding to the chorus of screams.

The wall completed its half revolution and locked itself in place. As for the three swept by it, there was nothing to keep them from being launched and tumbling into the ground. A series of thuds echoed as they all fell to the ground. Roy’s landing bruised his body, but it wasn’t as bad as he expected. The ground wasn’t rough wood or smooth tile. It was strangely bumpy and soft. There was no light in the room, leaving him to only guess what the floor was made of.

Then the ground beneath him moved and asked, “Roy, can you get off of me?”

“O-oh, sorry,” Roy quickly fumbled himself off of Sarah, grabbing into the darkness to find something to hoist himself up. His hand found something. Latching on, he hoisted himself up, and straight into Amy. His head smashed into what felt like her forehead.

Amy yelped, “Watch where you’re going!”

“How can I?” Roy snapped back, “As you can see, it’s pitch black in here.” Rubbing his forehead, he took a look around. He didn’t know why; there wasn’t a point looking around in complete darkness. Objective one was to find the kids. Two was to get out. “So how are we going to do this,” Roy asked, “No light will make this difficult.”

“Speak for yourself,” Amy chimed in. “Vampires can see just fine in the dark.” Her haughty voice denoted that she was almost certainly crossing her arms with a smug smile.

“Well, uh, I guess that makes things easy. So can either of you see where the kids are?”

“I don’t see them,” Sarah said, “But I can hear them. They are on the other side now.”

Roy scratched his head and frowned. “Then all we have to do is get back?”

“Seems like it,” Sarah replied.

As long as the kids stayed out of the way, getting out seemed as easy as just finding the trigger on this side. But, Roy wouldn’t be satisfied with just leaving. “We can leave, but how about exploring this place?” The cozy little property on Ihlfam’s Refuge had a dark side to it and Roy’s curiosity was starving.

“I’d rather not,” Sarah sharply said. “Today has already been a little much. I need to get out of here, get Luna and Riza, and get home.”

Amy proudly declared, “I, on the other hand, have no problem with checking this place out. Maybe a little dusty and dirty, but that won’t stop me!”

“Alright, great!” Roy replied. “We can check it out, but let’s get Sarah out of here first.”

“Already working on it,” Sarah said, her voice full of concentration.

Roy was left in the dark. Sarah went to work feeling up the wall, looking for the switch. Amy on the other side did the same. Meanwhile, Roy kept his hands to himself. Letting them wander in the dark could prove disastrous.

But keeping them glued to his side didn’t help at all; Amy punched him in the shoulder. With her voice laced with irritation, she said, “Roy, could you stop touching me? I’m trying to work this wall and it’s really bothersome.”

“I’m not touching you, though.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Then what else could be that’s spontaneously touching me?”

“Amy, don’t move.” Sarah’s voice instructed.

“Oh god, don’t tell me it’s something else.” She yelped, “It moved.” Her voice was quiet, as if she was holding her breath and her entire body was rigid with tension. “W-what is it?” She asked the question, but her tone indicated she wasn’t keen on hearing the answer.

“Don’t move, stay frozen like you are now. I’ll come over and take care of it.”

Roy frantically turned his head back and forth, following the voices. He kept trying to see what was going on, but he was as blind as a mute bat in this crippling darkness.

“It’s moving!” Amy let out another shrill. “Sarah, tell me. What. Is. It. What-is-it, what-is-it, what-is-it, what-is-it?” She began panting heavily, trying to contain her panic.

“Calm down, holy shit.” Roy felt Sarah slowly sidle past him. “All it is, is a small spider-”

“Sp-sp-sp-spider?!” Amy let out a blood-curdling screech that pierced ear drums. Roy clasped his hears to protect them from the noise, but what he heard next was nothing short of a storm. Still standing clueless in the dark, he heard Amy and Sarah shriek and yelp and holler. There was banging on the walls and stomping on the floors – and the screams grew only more daunting. Then Amy uttered intelligible speech, “We are getting the hell out of here, now!”

She shoved past Roy and a moment later he heard a click. This time he knew to brace himself. The aggressive wall didn’t seem so intimidating this time. He followed the motion of the wall without much fanfare, emerging into the glorious light on the other side.

“Fuck spiders, fuck spiders, fuck spiders, fuck spiders!” Amy rushed straight past Roy, her hands up in the air but not as high as her voice. She went out of sight around the corner. The front bell rang a moment later. She was gone.

Sarah also strided forward, but she went to huge Luna and Riza who were lined up against the opposite wall like criminals getting a mugshot. “Don’t ever do something like that again, you two,” she scolded them with a loving voice.

“How did you two even manage to trigger the wall and get back there?” Roy crossed his arms and asked. The two kids shrugged while they were being smothered. More importantly, Roy wondered, how did he not notice the revolving wall? “Well,” he said, “I guess Amy won’t be helping me explore this weird room.” He would prefer having someone tag along, but he manage by himself – he would have to get a lantern or some light source though.

“Yeah, she’s always has had problems with spiders. Insects and bugs too. Doubt you will get much out of her, sorry.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Roy said with a laugh. “I’ll figure something out.”

Sarah tilted her head, “You know what, I’ll let Liz and the guys know. They’ll come over and help you out. I’d like to help as well, but I have to look after these two.”

“I can manage by myself, but if you get the others to come, that’d be great.” To be honest, Roy didn’t want to go there by himself. A dark and mysterious secret room had danger written all over it. “Before you go, would you like to take anything to go? The cookies, maybe?”

“Hell no,” she immediately said, “No more sweets for these two for a long time.” The children by her side pouted in defiance.

“Well, if you ever need anything let me know – I make more than just sweets, you know. Bread, drinks, and even some dishes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, whisking her two sisters away. “Catch you later,” she said as she made her way out. Roy followed her and watched her leave the café.

With that done, he waltzed over to one of the booths and toppled onto the cushiony seat. Losing two children and being whisked into a secret room by a revolving wall was more than he bargained for. He was drained, a little bruised, and, to top it off, peckish. Roy wanted to find that realtor, Mr. Boyle, and ask him what this was all about, but first, he needed to cook dinner.

He headed over to the downstairs kitchen but stopped in his tracks. To his surprise, An was walking down the staircase. He did a double-take just to make sure he just wasn’t seeing things.

“What brings you down here?” He asked.

An completed her descent and stood at the foot of the staircase. She looked around and asked, “Was there trouble?”

Roy shook his head and pushed out a laugh, ‘You don’t wanna know. We found Luna and Riza behind a secret wall-door by the bathroom. It was… a mess.”

“I see,” she said with a tilt of her head. She turned around and began to walk back upstairs, but she stopped. A low rumbling growled. The source was her stomach.

“Take a seat, Roy instructed with a smile, “I was about to cook dinner.” An didn’t say anything. She turned herself around and carefully sat herself on a stool by the counter. She sat straight and expressionless like a statue. Roy suppressed his laughter. An always acted out of the ordinary; Roy enjoyed her peculiarities more than he probably should.

Leaving An to her own devices, Roy retreated into the back kitchen. Opening his cabinets and drawers, he tried to decide what to make. Something that wouldn’t take too long but still be filling. Taking out Romano and Parmesan cheese, he found his answer. Alfredo pasta sounds delicious in his head and made his mouth water.

In minutes, he had a pot of boiling salted water full of fettuccini. A saucepan sat next to it, filled with simmering and melting cheese topped with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. He wafted the aroma and took in the pleasantly cheesy smell. With the pasta done cooking, he added it to the thick sauce and mixed it in. He left the kitchen with two steaming plates of fettuccini alfredo.

“Here you go!” Roy cheerfully said, presenting the hot dish to An. He pulled out a stool and sat on the other side of the counter, digging in to the food without a second thought. An, on the other hand, took a measured approach. She dug around in the stuffed plate with her fork, sifting through it. That alone didn’t satisfy her; she twirled her fork in the pasta and hoisted up a few strands. She examined it from top to bottom, gyrating it in front of her. Roy chuckled to himself as she went through the ringer with her pasta. The fact that her stoic face made slight adjustments – her eyebrows furrowing, a small frown, her nose wiggling to sniff it – made watching the ordeal all the better.

Roy was enjoying his food, savoring each bite, then she took her first bite. An’s eyes widened just a hair and took another bite. She slurped another and put down her fork. Just like that, she was already done eating.

“Wow that was fast,” Roy said bemused. It took her less than a minute to finish her entire plate (it’s portion size unusually large as well). In fact, she spent more than double the time looking over her food then consuming it. Glancing at his own plate, he was only a third done himself. When he was younger, he used to eat food as fast as he could. There was always something he wanted to do, somewhere he wanted to go. Eventually, he slowed down. It became an experience to him to savor his food, taking in the aesthetics, the aroma, the texture, the spices, the taste. But there was more to eating a meal than just what you are eating; to him, it also became who he was enjoying it with. When he sat with his friends savoring their lunches, it gave them the opportunity to slow down their day, freely talk and mess around, and enjoy some of the finer details of life. It was as much rest and relaxation as it was goofing off and chowing down food.

An adjusted her posture and stared straight at Roy. “It was good,” she plainly said.

“I thought as much when you scarfed it down that fast,” Roy teased. “Would you like more?”

She shook her head, “No.” Clasping her glass with both hands, she took a measured sip of water.

“So, how are you liking it out here so far?” Roy asked as he twirled more pasta on his fork, trying to make small talk.

“Indifferent,” she said.

Roy frowned while taking in another bite. “Well, maybe you wouldn’t be so indifferent if you left your room more often. Solduen is a pretty interesting place and there are tons of cool people to meet. A lot more to do than whatever it is in you room. What are you doing in there anyways?”

An didn’t answer. She took another sip.

“No really,” Roy remarked a little annoyed, “Tell me, what is it that you do in your room all day?”

She put down her glass and looked at Roy. “I sit and wait.”

Roy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there nothing you want to do? Any hobbies or anything? Books or something?” Roy dug his fork around in his plate quarter full of pasta. An sitting around doing next to nothing didn’t sit well with him. There was so much to do, but she didn’t even bother try finding anything. “Maybe this isn’t the best way to say this, but I don’t think it’s good for you to sit cooped up in your room all day doing nothing. You are free to do what you want with your time, but I ask that maybe you get out once in a while. Maybe sit downstairs in the café? I’m sure you will meet some nice people or find something you want to do.”

An looked at him with a perplexed face, slightly tilting her head to the side. Roy felt a rock sink in his stomach; he wondered if he had said something wrong. It was because she was staring at him as if he was the strange one. An straightened herself and replied, “If that is what you wish, then I shall do so.”

He let out a breath of relief, letting go the tension in his body. Saying that was a lot more stressful than he imagined. His plate was not empty and he took both of their and began the clean-up. While washing the pot and pan, he heard the bell on the front ring. He peeped out of the kitchen.

“Hey Roy!” Liz waved with a brimming smile. “I heard you had a problem with a secret room?” Behind her walked in Icarus and Michael.

“I’d gladly take some time off working to explore something mysterious like that,” Icarus remarked with a grin. It would have been a challenge for Roy to tell the identical twins apart if not for a scar on Icarus’ right cheek. Supposedly when the twins were young, Icarus got into a small accident playing with fire, leaving a burn scar on his face. The injury didn’t seem that bad though, since it was rather small and didn’t take away from his pretty-boy-esque style. Michael stood silently next to his brother. He stretched out his neck to audible pops and cracks and then yawned.

Roy took a cloth and wiped off his hands and came out into the café-proper. “Indeed I do,” he said, “Sarah’s sisters discovered it, much to her dismay.”

“I could tell,” Liz said with a laugh. “When she swung by my house to tell me, she had that look that was somewhere between pissed off, relieved, and anxious.” She and the boys strided into the café and froze. “Oh it’s, uh, Anorlynn. So sorry, I didn’t notice you.” She respectfully said with a nod of her head.

An swiveled in her chair to face the group. “I know,” she said, “Don’t worry.” The boys glanced at each other spooked. Neither wanted to say anything. They did lower their heads to greet her as a compromise.

“Anyways,” Roy interrupted the nervous teenagers, “The secret room is by the bathroom over there.” He pointed out the large hallway at the back left of the café. “Let me close up the front, lock the doors, and we can take a look. See what this is all about.”

“Should I leave?” An asked.

Roy rubbed his chin as he closed the blinds and door, “You can come with us, if you want. I think we should also have someone stay out here just in case we can’t get back or we need help.”

“I will stay here then,” she announced.

“If that’s what you want,” Roy said with a shrug. From a cabinet, he produced a lantern. He turned to the others, “Let’s go.” He led them to the wall and warned them, “When I trigger the switch, be careful so the wall doesn’t smack you.” They nodded their heads and he felt his way around the wall, identified the strange, and triggered the silent mechanism once more.

The trip to the other side was much more pleasant once you knew what was going to happen. All it was, was like following a revolving door when you get used to it. It was still dark, of course. He took his lantern and lit it.

“Interesting,” Michael commented, “But less exciting than I thought.”

It was a spacious, barren room furnished with nothing but dust. Roy stepped forward and took a look around, the wooden floors squeaking and creaking. He shined the lantern around, but still found it difficult to see.

“Hmm… There’s a door over there,” Liz pointed at the wall opposite of them.

“And over there,” Icarus motioned to their right, “Is a staircase.”

“Let’s check out the door first,” Roy said, trying to rub his hands in anticipation, The lantern made it difficult. They headed over the door and Roy carefully turned the knob. He pushed then pulled – the door wouldn’t move. He kept trying and Icarus and Michael came up to help him. They all shoved on the door. With a pop then a creak, the door swung open, almost letting the three boys tumble to the floor.

What Roy saw startled him. He didn’t end up in another room but rather outside under the starry night. It was like an enclosure; the area was surrounded with the adjacent buildings with no clear way to get in or out. The area perplexed Roy. However, with the brilliant moon and twinkling in the cloudless sky illuminating the strange space, Roy found the quaint place gorgeous.

“So this is just a dead end,” Michael commented rather unimpressed. He strode around and checked out the corners. He came back, finding nothing that grabbed his attention. “All that’s here is a small alleyway to the right that leads to a wall – another dead in.”

“Then let’s go back inside and check the staircase,” Liz suggested. No one objected to the plan.

They trucked back inside and climbed up the creaky staircase built into the wall. The staircase went up as many floors as the other side, three, and didn’t seem to have anything out of the ordinary. It was just extra rooms and space, leaving Michael and Icarus especially disappointed.

On the way back down, Roy stopped at the foot of the staircase. It seemed like the entire house was cut and half, and he couldn’t think of a reason why that would be. Other than the secret entrance, it looked to be a completely normal house. That, he thought, couldn’t be the case.

“Don’t you guys think the floor here is creakier than it should be?” He asked aloud. On the first floor, the wood floor was unusually noisy.

“A little bit,” Liz replied, scrunching her face.

Roy stepped around and pressed his weight onto the wood floor. He read the face of the house and had a feeling it had something more to hide. With nothing else to do, the others joined him in testing out the flooring. They were in agreeance, the floor was off, but none of them could put their finger on what it was. Until Roy pounced on an empty space next to the staircase. “Take a look over here – this spot is strange.” Roy crouched down and shone the lantern light at the floor.

Michael strode forward. He gingerly stepped out then spot then stomped. He mumbled something then got on the floor, put his ear to the ground, and knocked. “It’s hollow,” he said, getting up.

“Let me take a look.” Icarus stepped up and put his hands all over the floor. Much like how Roy tested the wall to get to Riza and Luna, Icarus methodically knocked and felt his way around the spot. “Ah! Here we go…” Icarus said with excitement. The floor popped and sat ajar. Icarus, with the help of his brother, hoisted the wooden panel up and settled it against the wall.

“Another secret passage?” Roy chuckled. Underneath the floor was a stone staircase, revealing another level of darkness.

“Now this,” Michael exclaimed, rubbing his hands together, “Is what I was looking for.” Wearing a grin from ear-to-ear, he leapt down the steps without hesitation. His brother followed him and Roy and Liz eventually trekked down as well.

The stone aged with cracks lining it, but it held the visage of a once finely chiseled stone work. Roy and Liz joined the twins who waited at the bottom. Shining his lantern light, he found himself in a massive room carved out of stone.

“Where are we…” Roy murmured, walking in the room.

“Wait a minute,” Liz interjected, “Are we in the tunnels?”

“Tunnels?” Roy questioned.

There were corridors that branched out from the stone room. Liz glided around peaked into each of them. “Looks like it,” she confirmed. “Under Solduen is an ancient network of tunnels catacombs used long ago. Most of the passageways have been sealed off or lost, but this definitely looks like a part of the network.”

Roy scratched his neck, “So, what do we do then?”

“Leave it,” she immediately said. The twins frowned with displeasure. “Who knows what’s down here. We could easily get lost or trapped. And I know those two are itching to go through something like this – it is a rare find – but we can’t do it without proper preparation. Supplies and things.”

Roy nodded his head. A reasonable response. He was in no rush to go through the area anyways; it’s not like he had a need or use for any of this. He did, however, want to avoid trouble. And if exploring it right now as is meant that possibility, he would gladly pass. “Another time then,” Roy remarked.

Icarus groaned, “We bail just when we get to the good part. What a damn tease.” The twins both seemed annoyed. They clearly were itching to run through this entire place. “It feels like we wasted our time now.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Roy mused. “We may not be able to check out this area, but I can offer you something else: how about I offer you all to some treats and drinks as thanks for helping me out today and for setting up the café. Cookies, cakes, tea, you name it. I’ll make it for you.” The boys mulled over it. They nodded their head – the arrangement seemed favorable to them. Roy hoisted his lantern and led the way out of the secrets and darkness of the other half his café.

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Sorry if this took a little longer than usual, the chapter went on longer than I anticipated. As always, If you have any questions or comments or critiques or reviews, I would appreciate it and be willing to entertain them!