by HR Mason
The road was deserted except for her car, a fact which seemed odd considering it was the only way to Everwine Manor. She had little time to ponder because it began to rain, huge drops pounding on her windshield and blurring her vision. Blinking rapidly in an attempt to see more clearly, Runa turned the wipers to their highest speed. The blades danced a sort of tango across the glass but did little to clear the deluge.
Slowing to nearly a crawl, she leaned in closer to the steering wheel. It had become impossible for her to see more than a few inches past the hood of her car. To make matters worse, her head was pounding and sudden waves of nausea rippled in her middle. It had all come out of nowhere. Between the lack of visibility and her sudden malaise, Runa thought it best to stop for a breather.
Noticing a spot to safely maneuver her car off the road, she eased the Volvo into Park and exhaled sharply. Her head was spinning like an out-of-control carousel. The rain, which had turned into a torrential downpour, pounded its fists on the hood of her car. The spot where she stopped was heavily wooded, the only light for miles around coming from her car’s high beams. Looking at her phone, she squinted as the overly bright display illuminated the car. It was ten minutes before eight o’clock. She was going to be late.
Runa’s stomach churned violently, and her head thudded as the beams of her headlights grew blurry. She blinked, trying to clear her suddenly distorted vision, but it was no use. She grew disoriented, and before she could stop herself, she slumped in the seat as she passed out.
Without missing a beat, Runa’s subconscious took over, playing a series of images like the reel of a silent movie. She saw a woman with blonde hair falling from a window high above the ground. Runa wondered if the woman had been pushed or if she had jumped. Strangely, she felt the woman’s desperation deep inside her soul, almost as if she were the one falling.
The woman never hit the ground but instead continued to tumble. Down, down, down she went, on and on, free-falling into an abyss that seemed to have no end. Suddenly, the ground rose up beneath the woman. Runa let out a scream because she didn’t want to witness her inevitable impact. Just as the woman was about to hit the ground, Runa jolted awake. Her eyes popped open, and strange words echoed into the stillness of the car.
“Du er i fare.”
Panting, Runa straightened her body until she was once again sitting upright in the driver seat. Looking around to locate who had spoken the strange indecipherable sentence, she saw no one. She was alone in the car. The words began to fade, but Runa remembered she had heard them before.
“What is happening to me?” she whispered into the quiet, shivering uncontrollably.
Trying to make sense of the nonsensical, she winced at the scraping sound of windshield wipers on dry glass. The blades were going a mile a minute, but the rain had stopped. In fact, as Runa looked outside, she didn’t see a drop of moisture anywhere on the ground. The leaves on the trees hadn’t seen rain in several days. They were dry as a bone.
Turning the wipers off, she tried to untangle the web of confusion in her head. A rush of headlights drew her attention to the long line of cars heading up the hill toward Everwine Manor. The road, completely deserted before she passed out, now flowed in a seemingly endless stream of traffic.
Grabbing her phone, Runa checked the time. The display read ten minutes before eight o’clock, exactly the time she remembered it saying before she lost consciousness. How was it possible that no time at all had passed? It didn’t make sense, and she was suddenly afraid. She wanted nothing more than to go home and bury herself beneath her blankets. Something strange was happening, and she had no clue what it was.
“Get a hold of yourself, Runa. You’ve been working too hard and you’re stressed. That’s all. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything.”
She took a deep breath, trying to convince herself of the simple fact.
Placing her shaking hands on the steering wheel, she maneuvered her car back onto the road. Taking her place at the end of the line of traffic, she aimed the Volvo up the hill toward Everwine Manor.
Runa turned up the volume on the radio in an attempt to drown out the strange words that echoed in her mind.
“Du er i fare.”
She had no idea what the phrase meant, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Six
Trying to control her racing heart, Runa followed the car in front of her, claiming a space in a cobblestone parking lot the size of a football field. She’d never been to a home that had its own parking lot. She estimated there were at least one hundred other cars parked alongside hers, her beat-up Volvo looking out of place next to the fancier models. The ancient vehicle didn’t quite belong, kind of like Runa herself.
Pushing her feelings of inadequacy aside, she hopped out of her car and followed the line of guests as they meandered from the parking lot down a marble path winding through an expertly trimmed formal hedge garden. The sculpted shrubbery zigged and zagged, forming a sort of maze. Runa was glad she was following the crowd; on her own, she would have surely been lost.
The perfect symmetry of the towering hedgerows opened up to reveal the most opulent courtyard she had ever seen. A large fountain, interspersed with both cherubs and gargoyles, bubbled to life before her eyes. On the opposite side of the water feature, two men in tuxedos greeted the guests as they arrived.
As she waited in line, Runa took in her surroundings. The grounds were more opulent than anything she could have imagined.
“If the lawn is this magnificent, the house must truly be amazing, just like Emily said,” she mumbled to herself, trying to calm her nerves. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
When it was Runa’s turn to enter the party, the servants greeted her, placed a flute of champagne into her trembling hands, and directed her through the floral archway toward a large enclosed outdoor building teeming with guests. The glass ceiling of the structure, draped with gauzy white fabric, was twinkling with interwoven lights peeking through the delicate material.
The room’s ambience was ethereal, making her feel like she was standing beneath a starlit sky. Four enormous chandeliers hung in each corner of the room. A black-and-white checkered dance floor was flanked on one side by a string quartet playing chamber music in the background.
Tables lined the perimeter of the room, each draped with elegant white linens and set with fine bone china dinnerware. Large flared vases overflowed with white plumeria and dangling green vines. Men in tuxedos mingled throughout the room, removing empty champagne flutes and replacing them with full ones. Everything was done so seamlessly it appeared to be a sort of choreographed dance.
Runa scanned the room for a familiar face but came up empty. Chase was nowhere to be seen, and she hated crowds. Her heart palpitated and her palms grew sweaty. She anxiously drummed her red fingernails on her champagne flute, debating how quickly she could make her exit before anyone discovered she was there.
She was just about to leave when she heard his voice.
“You’re here.”
Swallowing hard and trying to get her nerves in check, Runa turned and smiled at Chase, her eyes widening in shock and appreciation. He looked like he had walked off a movie set, sporting a black dinner jacket and matching trousers that fit him like a glove. His white shirt and black bow tie gave him an air of elegance and sophistication, and his perfect dimpled smile made her heart do jumping jacks in her chest.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t change your mind,” Chase said with a sparkle in his eyes. “You look absolutely gorgeous, by the way.”
“Thank you. I almost stayed home,” Runa admitted. “In fact, I was just about to run to my car and pretend I’d never come.”
Chase leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Looks like I got here just in time, then. I have no intention of letting you get away that easily.”
Goose bumps erupted on Runa’s flesh, and words failed her.
“Come with me and I’ll introduce you to my parent
s.”
Chase placed his hand on the small of her back and steered her through the crowded room. Runa allowed herself to be guided as she followed, almost in a trance. She was glad her legs remembered what they were supposed to do, because her brain had turned to mush. She was unable to form a coherent thought with Chase’s proximity. He was completely intoxicating, and in that moment, she understood she could easily fall under his spell.
They came to a halt in front of the head table, and Runa glanced down at the champagne flute she was holding. A small drop of the liquid sloshed onto her hand, and she realized she was shaking. Chase must have noticed the tremor as well because he took the drink from her hands, placed it on the table, and clasped her clammy palm inside of his.
At the table before them, a beautiful golden-haired woman was perched beside a stunning dark-haired man. The man was in deep conversation with one of the servers, and the woman was working the clasp on a gigantic diamond tennis bracelet.
“Mother, Father, I would like to introduce you to my date.” Chase cleared his throat in an effort to gain his parents’ attention.
The woman stopped fiddling with her bracelet and stood to face them. “Of course, darling, I would love to meet—”
The elegant beauty stopped midsentence and covered her mouth with her perfectly manicured hand in an effort to stifle the loud strangling guttural sound escaping her lips.
Upon hearing the strange noise his wife made, Chase’s father’s head snapped in their direction. His tanned face drained of color as he looked back and forth between Chase and Runa.
“Who…? How…?” the man stammered, clearly at a loss for words.
Runa’s eyes darted from Chase to his parents, a feeling of unease settling in her gut. Mother, father, and son stared at one another, their eyes speaking volumes, although no one uttered a word. They carried on a silent conversation which didn’t include her; Runa was simply a bystander, an observer of the strange scene playing out before her eyes.
Chase’s mother’s hands flitted about like tiny butterflies, unable to find a landing place. His father shifted his weight from one foot to another, staring at Runa and shaking his head.
Finally, Chase broke the awkward tension.
“Runa, this is my mother, Camille, and my father, Easton,” he said as he gestured toward his parents. “And this is Runa Brandon.”
Easton seemed to remember his manners first and reached out to clasp Runa’s hand tightly in his. He gazed at her with a look of blatant longing that made her feel strangely unsettled. Without breaking eye contact, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly.
“It is so nice to meet you, Runa. My, you are lovely.” Easton’s hungry eyes swept over her, lingering far longer than they should have. “My son has told us absolutely nothing about you, so you’ll have to excuse our shock.”
“Of course,” Runa replied uncomfortably.
She slowly pulled her hand away from Easton, having to tug a bit harder than she intended. He seemed intent to hold on.
“Mother? Aren’t you going to say hello?” Chase scolded.
“You’ve left me little choice in the matter, haven’t you, Chase?” Camille retorted sharply.
“Mother, I’m warning you…,” Chase began.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Camille snapped at her son.
“Enough,” Chase warned through gritted teeth.
Taking a deep breath, Camille smoothed her shaking hands over her white dress. Turning her icy blue eyes toward Runa, she glared at the younger woman. The anger Runa saw behind those eyes made her take an involuntary step backward. She had no idea what she’d done, but obvious hatred emanated from Camille.
“You should not have come here,” Camille practically spat.
“Mother,” Chase warned again.
“You’ve brought this upon yourself, Chase. What were you thinking, bringing her here? What will people say?” Camille shook her head in disdain.
“Who I spend my time with is no one’s concern but mine,” Chase replied.
Mother and son locked eyes in a battle of wills. After several moments of strained silence, Chase stepped away from his parents and turned toward Runa.
“Since my mother can’t seem to remember her manners, Runa, we’ll take our leave. I’ll show you around the estate.”
Without another word, Chase draped his arm across Runa’s shoulders and steered her away from his parents.
Seven
Still reeling from the intense encounter with Mr. and Mrs. Everwine, Runa wiped beads of perspiration from her upper lip. She had no idea what happened, but clearly her presence greatly disturbed them.
Glancing at Chase, she noticed his face was a mask of indifference. He seemed completely unruffled by his parents’ reactions to meeting her.
Needing some sort of explanation, Runa stopped walking.
“What was that about, Chase?”
She planted her body firmly in front of his, refusing to move until her question was answered.
“What do you mean?”
“The way your parents reacted. Why did they say those things?”
“Oh, that was nothing. My mother is a drama queen, and my father is always over the top. Don’t worry about them,” Chase explained with a grin and a wave of his hand.
“Your mother looked like she wanted my head on a silver platter, Chase. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to ignore that,” Runa replied indignantly.
“They don’t matter.”
“Your parents don’t matter?”
“They have their lives and I have mine. Their opinions are inconsequential.”
Runa searched Chase’s face for clues but found none. Something told her she should simply thank him for the invitation and leave. It was clear there was more to the Everwines’ reactions than met the eye, and getting involved with Chase was probably a bad idea. She should go home and forget she’d ever met him.
As if he could read her mind and sense her apprehension, Chase traced his fingertip across her cheek, wiping a wayward wisp of hair from her face. Her heart lurched inside her chest. She felt drawn to him in a way that was both exciting and terrifying. He was such a nice man. Maybe she should give him a chance. In that moment, against her best judgment, she pushed all thoughts of leaving aside.
“Forget about my parents. Come with me, Runa. I’ll show you the rest of Everwine Manor.”
He extended his open hand, and she placed hers inside without another moment’s hesitation. All thoughts of anything besides Chase were whisked away on the breeze that ruffled the leaves of the weeping willow trees.
The pair wandered hand in hand down a winding path aglow with twinkling lights. Before Runa could prepare herself for the shock, Everwine Manor emerged into view. Resting upon a sheer cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the mansion was both imposing and inviting. She caught her breath, unsure of whether she wanted to run away or inch closer. As her eyes adjusted, the house seemed to exhale, as if it had been waiting for her all along.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“It is,” Chase replied.
“Tell me about it.”
“Everwine Manor was built in 1898. It’s surrounded by acres of forests overlooking the ocean. There’s not another house for miles around.”
Trying to memorize each nook and cranny of the exterior of the vast estate, Runa moved forward as if in a trance. Everwine Manor was a grand Victorian mansion interspersed with elements of both Queen Anne and Gothic Revival architecture. It was three stories tall, boasting cupolas, pointed frames and arches, wide porches, and a dizzying array of stained glass windows.
The steeply pitched roof was scattered with several gables, ornamental pillars, and various asymmetrical facades. A startlingly high tower with a large turret jutted from one side of the third floor, standing like a sentry above the house.
“It’s huge. A person could get lost in there,” Runa murmured.
“The sheer siz
e is the only reason I’m able to live under the same roof as my parents,” Chase quipped.
“How big is it?”
“The house is over twenty thousand square feet in area, with three floors, two separate wings, and twenty-five rooms. The tower itself rises a hundred feet above the ground,” he explained.
Runa fixed her gaze upon the imposing turret at the top of the dangerously high tower. Something about the structure felt familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint why. It was circular in shape and boasted some of the most beautiful and intricately designed stained glass windows she’d ever seen.
As she watched, she thought she detected movement behind the windows, but it was so far away that she couldn’t be certain.
“Would you like to see the inside?” Chase interrupted her thoughts.
“I’d love to. Can we go inside the tower?”
“No. The third floor has been closed off for years.”
Runa followed Chase through the mammoth front door and stood in the grand entryway. Inlaid hardwood floors gleamed beneath her feet, and a sixteen-foot ceiling loomed above. Several glimmering chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bathing the area in soft light. She tried to conceal her shock and awe, but it was pointless. Everwine Manor was impressive, and it was absurd for her to pretend otherwise.
As she entered the hall, she noticed exquisite rooms to both her right and left. The first appeared to be a formal parlor. The polished table was set with a lovely china tea service, the ornate empty chairs beckoning, seemingly ready to entertain guests at a moment’s notice.
A large maritime painting hung above the fireplace. The vivid depiction of the ocean caught Runa’s attention. She could almost feel the icy coolness of the water upon her skin.
“That painting is lovely,” she gushed.
“It’s a Cleveland Rockwell. He did a lot of paintings of the area around the time Everwine Manor was built,” Chase explained.
“I’ve always been drawn to the water.”
