Unaware of what was going on, Duchess ran about the room, barking happily. While in another part of the mansion, Steph contently and happily played with her dolls and the pretend tea-set in the room provided. All the while the magick of Spelstorm Manor continued to work, slowly altering the reality and perception of the two that had once called themselves Mike and Sei.
Mike, now Duchess, eventually grew tired of playing with herself and walking over to the bed, she turned around three times and then lay down on top of it. Around her, the room began to bend and shift until suddenly with a sound that sounded like someone had punctured a balloon, the room began to shift.
The carpet shifted and turned a shade of green. As it shifted into something that more closely resembled grass, the bed deflated and by the time duchess had settled to the ground, a dog house had begun to form around her. With-in minutes the room had transformed into something that closely resembled someone's enclosed back yard. With another audible sound, again sounding like a punctured balloon, the room shifted violently and as the backyard faded, along with Duchess, the bedroom shifted back to what it originally had been before Mike had wandered in.
Meanwhile, Steph was unaware of what was happening around her as the bathroom began to slowly fade away and the room shifted location. As it settled into a new location, Steph suddenly rose, told her dolls, "Excuse me ladies," and headed for the bathroom.
Unfortunately, she was still in between the finishing stages of the transformation and the bathroom she choose was the one that was slowly fading away.
Stepping into it, Steph was suddenly overcome with a sensation of being two people in two different locations and the suddenly the feeling passed, just as the bedroom she had been in settled into its new reality and the bathroom settled back into Spelstorm Manor. Doubling over, she grasped her head and screamed out a high pitch scream as memories of first Steph pierced her mind and then rapidly vanished as the memories of being Sei reinstated themselves.
Doubling up, Sei grasped his midriff and slowly crumpled to the floor, all the while asking himself, "Who am I and what has happened to me," over and over.
------
Downstairs in the foyer, the door slowly opened and three people walked in. In the lead was Sei's sister, Sarah. Next to her was her boyfriend Tommy and bringing up the lead was his younger...by about one year...brother, Chad.
Turning his head, Tommy asked Chad, "You sure you heard correct from your friend, that he heard that Sei, Mike, Johnny and Erick where coming up here this evening. Because I don't want this to turn out to be no wild goose chase."
Chad looked around at the foyer, took in the cobwebs and the dust covered sheets that someone had place over the little furniture that could be seen and nodded at his older brother.
"So where do suppose they could be," Sarah asked mildly.
Tommy shrugged and looked about the foyer. In truth, this had been Sarah's idea to come up, mostly because she didn't want Sei in trouble for trespassing. After much arguing, she finally convinced Tommy he should come. The down side was that Chad suddenly wanted to come and that Tommy was forced to put his plans on hold; most of which consisted of practicing his pitches and throws with his best friend Alonzo.
"Should we split up or stick together," Chad whispered.
Tommy looked at him, told him, "Don't be such a wimp. Oh, and stop whispering. It's not like there is anybody here to hear you."
Looking at Sarah, Tommy volunteered the idea, "I say you and I should search one floor and Chad search a different floor by himself. That sound good?"
Sarah shook her head and replied, "Much as I want to spend time with you, I think we might get more ground covered if we all split up, with each of us taking a different floor. And in the end, we meet back here in about an hour."
"That sounds sensible," Chad offered and Tommy glared at him and then nodded.
"I'll take the second floor," Sarah said and began walking upstairs.
An idea sparked in Tommy's mind and he said, "Hold up. I'll come with you until I can find the stairs up to the third floor," and quickly began to follow Sarah up the stairs to the next floor.
Reluctantly, Chad looked about and then asked himself, "Now what am supposed to check? The basement or the first floor?" Unsure, he began to wander about the foyer until he opened a door, found himself looking into a hallway, looked back at the foyer, checked his watch and then stepped into the corridor.
------
Upstairs, reality had adjusted Mike's new life. Sei, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.
Sitting up slowly and then feeling what she was wearing, realising the body she was in, Sei suddenly had an overwhelming desire to cry out for her mommy.
Standing and looking around, Sei took in the two doors, decide she didn't want to go back to the bedroom and that she wanted to get out of this place, not caring that his mind was stuck in the body of a four year old girl. Walking across the room, hoping the door wasn't locked anymore, Sei reached up with some difficulty and grasped the latch and pulled.