Normally, he wasn't creeped out by the dark. Hadn't been since he was around the age of four or so. But as he moved hesitantly up the wooden stairs, the steps creaking every so often beneath his feet, Mike found that it seemed like there was something off about the darkness. Stopping when he reached a landing, unaware that the door had closed, he glanced back the way he'd come and thought he could still see Sei standing in the doorway. Thinking about turning around and going back down, Mike instantly regretted the idea, as he thought the other teenage boy would like rib on him for chickening out.
Not thrilled with the notion, Mike whispered, "There's nothing spooky. It's just your imagination," and stretching out a foot, he waved and tapped it until he discovered that, as he thought, there was another flight of stairs.
About to start up them, he nearly screamed when everything was suddenly lit up. The landing he was standing on to be revealed that it was nothing more than the space between two sets of stairs, Mike glared at the window high up on the wall and listened as thunder rumbled across the sky. Thinking of the candles he and his friends had agreed to set out to find, the sixteen year old wondered if Ryan still carried a torch in his coat pocket. Not knowing the answer, but figuring it was likely a yes, Mike crept toward the next flight of stairs and after a moment, began to tiptoe up them, unaware that he was doing so.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he paused and looked at the hallway he found himself in. Somehow, he wasn't sure how, it wasn't as dark as the stairwell he'd come up or the hall one story below. The heat thick, he sneezed at the amount of dust coating everything. Walking over to a series of dark, bulky shapes, he peered at them and after a moment thought it was more stuff covered by sheets. Turning away, he was about to start back down, wanting to tell Sei that there really wasn't anything up here but crap covered by dirty sheets, but stopped when he noticed a dim light coming from a room. Curious, he sneezed a second time and after thinking about it, his curiosity won out and he headed toward it, wondering what was causing it, as it didn't look like it was a normal electric bulb.
His shoes made no sound as he sneaked down the hall, the thick layer of dust that coated floor muffled his footfalls. When he reached the source of the light, he stopped when he saw that it was coming through a door that was open a crack. Peering in, he was immediately overwhelmed by what he saw, as none of them had thought that anyone lived in the old manor. But, now peeking in through a slightly open door, Mike found this wasn't true, as he saw, across the room, asleep on a simple, metal-frame bed a beautiful woman wearing a tight negligee. One of her breasts was nearly exposed over the top, he could make out the faintest hint of the top of her nipple, while the dim light afforded the teenage boy just enough light to see that her sleepwear had pulled up slightly and that her bush was visible. Having only seen naked woman in the magazines he kept hidden in his closet, Mike found she didn't measure up to any of the images and was beyond beauty when compared to them. Feeling himself starting to get hard, he suddenly stepped back away from the door.
Thoughts about how it was wrong and perverted to spy like this chased themselves around his head and after a moment, he decided that they were right. Turning away, thinking he had something to tell Sei, he took a couple steps back the way he'd come, but on the third step, the floor beneath his foot suddenly creaked really, really loudly. Whispering, "Fuck," Mike glanced at the open door, fearful that the woman had certainly heard.
After a couple seconds, he exhaled and decided she was still asleep. Looking away, he started to take another step, but stopped when a low, sultry voice inquired, "Who's there?" and before he could think to hide, the door was flung open, revealing the woman he'd had been spying on, holding the source of the dim light, an old-fashioned, glass oil lamp.
Excuses flashed through his mind and for a moment, Mike fumbled with something to explain himself as he stared at the woman, who he was starting to think looked no older than twenty-four, twenty-five. Before he could say anything, the woman set down the lamp and hastily beckoned him toward her. Thinking it was only in his wildest dreams that such a gorgeous creature would actually want him to come to her, the teenage boy was slightly put off when she hissed, "You should not be here. It is dangerous. Especially if Brutus or Angela find you."
Wanting to ask who these people were, and why it was dangerous, Mike never got a chance as the woman suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his hand and dragged him into her room. Shutting the door firmly, Mike felt like his head was spinning. Questions starting to build up, he watched as the woman marched across the room, explaining, "My name is Angelique. I am a maid here, and have been for the past three years, when I took the position at the ago twenty two," and opening a chest, she told him, "There is a lot I could tell you about Spelstorm manor and the occupants, but there isn't time. If you are discovered, it would be bad," and trailing off, she whispered, "I'll have to sneak you out one of the."
The rest lost as the woman began to rummage through the chest, Mike found that he was still too overwhelmed to say anything. Taking a couple deep breathes, he tried to say something, but found he could only mumble his words. Questions he felt should be asked, especially as he felt the woman wasn't being entirely truthful when she said she'd taken the position as the maid, bled together and after a moment, Mike found all he could really was stand there and stare at her.
In his opinion, the view wasn't too bad, as the woman was now bent over and Mike had a full view of her gash. His hard-on getting worse, he tried to tear his eyes away, telling himself it wasn't polite to stare. But, countering this with the fact that woman didn't seem to care at the moment that her downstairs could be seen, Mike continued to look at the dusty, pinkish squiggle that was was her vulva.
"Ah ha," the woman suddenly exclaimed, which caused Mike to startle and to look away from his free peep show. Watching as she began pulling clothes out of the chest, he wanted to know what she was doing.
But, before he could ask, Angelique turned toward him and beckoned him closer. Hesitantly walking closer, he watched as she arranged what she had taken out and as he saw that a number of them were girl's clothes, Mike listened as Angelique said, "I'll probably get in big trouble for this. But I am going to sneak you out one of the secret exits. I'll have to disguise you. And, if we run into Brutus or Angela, you'll have to let me do the talking and trust me in what I tell them."
The sense that he was in a vast ocean and slowly drowning washed over him and unsure what to say, Mike eventually nodded, then pointed at the clothes and asked, "Am I expected to wear those?" to which Angelique told him, "Yes. I'm going to disguise you as a girl. And if we run into Brutus or Angela, I'll tell them you are my niece, visiting. They'll believe that, as she does show up every so often, usually at odd hours."
Again, Mike had the sense that the woman wasn't being entirely truthful. But, before he could ask her about this, Angelique handed him the clothes and told him, "You can change in my private bathroom," as she indicated a door he hadn't seen coming in.