Chapter Two

“A Day for Surprises, Part Two”

Lady Ellingham was absolutely nothing like Spirit had imagined her. For one thing, she was tiny – Magnus was holding her in the palms of his hands with room to spare. For another, she was quite old – her hair was a stark white color, and her face was wrinkled from years and years of smiling. Spirit had pictured someone tall and elegant. Lady Ellingham was certainly not tall, and although Spirit wouldn’t have admitted it then, she wasn’t very elegant either. The brightly colored floral dress she wore was wrinkled, and her fingernails needed a trimming.

“I’m so glad to see that you all made it here intact!” she said only slightly too loudly. “It’s been too long since I’ve had guests. Come in! Come in!” She beckoned to the girls, who were still in shock.

The girls stepped over the threshold and into Ellingham Manor’s enormous entrance hall. Directly across from the doors was a flight of stairs that led up to the mansion’s second floor.  They could tell that the house was, or perhaps had been, grand. Possibly. At one point in time. The hall wasn’t in terrible condition, but something wasn't quite right either. The marble floors were nearly spotless, the dark oak banisters needed a good polishing, the chandelier was missing some candles. Even though these were minor things, they made for a strange atmosphere. 

A thousand tiny paper cuts, thought Kitten.

“Hey, Barnaby.” said Darkling. “Nice apron.”

The CBers all turned their heads to see Barnaby. He was wearing an apron this time, and was sweeping up the broken pieces of the vase. Quill guessed correctly that this was the shattering noise she had heard before they arrived.

Barnaby opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t sound like himself. “I’m not Barnaby!” he said, in a squeaky voice. “Can’t you tell the difference?”

“Um…no?” Darkling wasn’t sure how to answer.

“See, Magnus!” the robot said, oily tears brimming in its eyes. “Barnaby and I look just the same! It’s embarrassing being mistaken for… him!”

The robot ran off, crying furiously.

“I said something, didn’t I?” Darkling asked.

“That,” Magnus explained, “is Roxann. Barnaby is her twin brother. They have an…unusual relationship.”

Roxann’s weeping could still be heard above the loud clattering of what sounded like pots and pans.

“Oh, never mind her,” said Lady Ellingham. “Let’s head into the dining room. You all must be hungry after your long journey.”

“Oh, of course, Lady Ellingham,” said Mary.

“Please, Mary, call me Flora. Everyone does – well, I wish they would, anyway. The robots are programmed to call me by my title, and I can't be bothered to reprogram them. I like moving forward in life – I find going backward to be such a waste of time.”

“Who else lives here?” asked Queen.

“Just the robots and I,” said Flora as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Oh, look! Here we are.”

Any other questions the CBers might have had were forgotten as soon as the group entered the dining room. The room was enormous, with the Manor’s signature tall windows along one wall and a mural depicting some kind of futuristic city on the other. There was a long table in the middle of the hall, with fourteen chairs around it. A fireplace crackled merrily in the corner. The unsettling atmosphere of the entrance hall melted away as the CBers sat down. A raucous game of “I Spy” started up between Nyx, Kitten, and Pygmy while some of the other CBers gazed out at the grounds. Night had fallen, but the puffy white clouds were still visible. The long grass rustled in the wind. Waves were crashing on the edge of the lake. Just beyond the walls of the estate, tall pine trees could be seen.

“It’s almost too beautiful to be real,” breathed Lumi.

“Like someone froze a moment in time,” said Mary.

Meanwhile, at the head of the table, Quill and Queen were still talking to Lady Ellingham.

“Thank you for inviting us,” Queen said warmly.

“Oh no, thank you for coming, dears. I’ve wanted to have guests for such a long time, but the robots wouldn’t let me. You have no idea how important this is to me,” she said, tearing up a little. A unpleasant expression crossed her face, as if she had just eaten grass, and she turned to a small doorway that none of the girls had noticed. “Roxann, could you bring out the salads?”

Almost immediately, Roxann burst out of the door, carrying eleven plates of salad. They were balanced on her arms, hands, feet, and one on the top of her flat head. Carefully she walked to each CBer and finally Lady Ellingham and served the salad.

“Sorry it took so long, Lady Ellingham,” Roxann said in her squeaky voice. “I cried in a few of the salads by accident, and they got all oily, so I had to make them again, and then I had to make sure they all had the same amount of tomatoes-”

“It’s fine, Roxann,” said Flora.

The CBers began to eat their meal. Magnus, who had left to deliver the CBers’ luggage and then help Barnaby with the carriage, returned and started to play the piano. After a few minutes of quiet (everyone was very hungry), conversation started back up again. Soon, the dining room was full of joy and laughter. Barnaby returned from the stables and quickly got into an argument with Roxann about whether they were identical or not. A fight soon began, and a painting was knocked down before Magnus was able to separate the twins.

After dinner was finished, the group migrated to the parlor, where many games of Monopoly and Clue were played and a box of ginger snap cookies was passed around while Roxann and Barnaby got into an argument about what the Lady’s favorite candy was. Finally, at one in the morning, the CBers climbed the stairs to the bedrooms. The guests were split into five groups of two, with each group getting their own bedroom. Most of the CBers were too tired and happy to pay much attention to anything, but the night did not go without incident.

“Have you seen a little silver box anywhere?” Spirit asked Mary, who was her room-mate.

“Nope,” yawned Mary. “Is it something important?”

“Not really," Spirit lied. "I tend to overpack.”

“Alright then. I am off to bed. See you tomorrow.” Mary hopped into her bed and was soon asleep.

Spirit, on the other hand, couldn’t drift off that night. The strange, unsettling feeling was back. Nothing major was wrong – at least, nothing that Spirit had noticed – but there were a lot of little things, things that added up. Why did Lady Ellingham only live with three robots? Why were the grounds so unkempt? And perhaps most importantly, where was the robot she had packed? Over and over again these thoughts ran through her head, being refined and smoothed like stones in a river. 

Spirit didn’t sleep that night.

OOooooooh, I feel like I'm going to be the first one murdered or the murderer him/her self….

Dear, dear, dear me. 

Yes, Lady Ellingham, my robot actually does come in a silver case! It's adorned with a gold lace. XD 

uhhhh, so what does this mean? I had lots of work now so i could not check. So am i in or not?

becuase i do not know.

(p.s i do not know who that magnus guy is, but that is actually my ski lodge name  xD)

Oh, hello Eric! This started on the first, and since you didn't respond to Agent Winter's post asking if you wanted her spot and we were almost to the start date, I let her keep it… I'm sorry. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. 

Yaayy this is so good! Can't wait to keep reading!

//This is an automated message from RoboTOP. RoboTOP copyright 2009 by Silicon Intelligence.

Hellloooooo everyone!

I just wanted to say. 

KEEP.

ON.

WRITING.

PLEASE.

Lady Ellingham (or Flora), your writing is AMAZING. You have captured everyone's personalities and made everyone a part of the story. Thank you so much. This is amazing. DO NOT LET THIS DIE. PLEASE. 

– Nightfall 😀 

Thank you so much, Nightfall! I probably should have explained – new installments are now going to be posted on Sundays. 

See you all Sunday – oh and guess me if you can! 

Chapter Three

“The Menagerie”

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” said a voice. 

Kitten rolled over in her bed and groaned. That was some dream – the carriage, and the mansion, and the robots… She really ought to be getting to bed earlier.

“The door is pretty creaky, and I didn’t want to wake you up, so…” the voice trailed off.

Kitten opened one eye and looked around. She was in the Manor. A smile spread across her face as she remembered last night. Luminescence was standing near the door in a purple sweater and blue jeans. Her hand was on the doorknob. Kitten wondered how long she’d been waiting as she glanced at the brass alarm clock on the bedside table. It had six hands, all moving at different speeds and in different directions. “What time is it?” she asked groggily.

“Nine a.m,” replied Lumi, opening the door with a creak. “I’m going to go downstairs now – see you there! But take your time if you want to. Or hurry. It’s your choice really.” The door slammed shut. “Oops, sorry! Hope I didn’t wake anyone… or hurt anyone’s ears…” Kitten smiled and sat up. She looked out of the bedroom’s window. There were a few trees, and the lake just beyond. A trellis ran up the wall right beneath the window. Kitten stretched, and went into the bathroom to begin the day.

Lumi continued her banter all the way down the corridor and into the entrance hall. She met Nyx on the stairs and they made small talk as they headed into the dining room. 

“Luminescence, can I tell you something?”

“Of course! You’re gonna say you saw Spirit walking in the grounds early this morning. That was weird, right?”

“Um, no,” said Nyx, raising her eyebrows. “I wanted to apologize. For what I said when the carriage tipped over.”

“Pshaw! It’s nothing,” Lumi said earnestly, waving a hand in the air. “I talk a lot when I’m nervous. It’s annoying. I know that because-”

“Welcome! Welcome!” The girls recognized Lady Ellingham’s voice as they stepped into the dining room. “So glad you two made it downstairs! The Week of Wonder and Whimsy is starting soon! We’re just waiting for the last few guests to make their way downstairs. Have some brioche – Roxann made it.”

“I didn’t cry in it,” Roxann promised.

Lumi and Nyx served themselves toast with marmalade and sat down next to Lady Ellingham, who was scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper.

“What are you doing?” Nyx asked.

“Writing out our itinerary for the week,” Flora explained, not looking up from her work. “There’s so much I want to share with you, I don’t know how I’ll fit it all in…” 

Luminescence, Darkling, and Mary were huddled together, theorizing about what would happen during the WWW. Queen was talking to Magnus, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. Agent Winter and PygmyOwl were staring out the window at the grounds. A layer of mist sat gently on the land as the wind blew. The place was peaceful, but the CBers were becoming more and more excited about the Week of Wonder and Whimsy.

Lady Ellingham, meanwhile, was becoming more and more impatient. Finally, she sent Barnaby to fetch the two remaining CBers. Quill arrived, bouncing on her toes, but there was no sign of Kitten.

“She’s not feeling well,” Barnaby croaked. “Roxann, would you come and help me – hm – take care of her?”

Roxann quickly followed as Lady Ellingham stood up on the table. She was still shorter than most of the CBers.

“Sorry I’m late,” Quill whispered to Agent Winter as she sat down, grabbing a slice of toast. “I was exploring the house – there’s some really beautiful stuff that I found. You should come and see it.”

“Maybe tonight?” Win suggested.

“Sounds good.” The two CBers now turned their attention to Lady Ellingham, who had been saying something about what a pleasure it was to have the CBers and how it had been ages since there were guests at the Manor. She looked down at the table for a second, cleared her throat, and continued.

“Ellingham Manor is a lovely place,” she said grandly. “It’s full of secrets, so I suggest you search behind every door. However,” she added, just loud enough for the room to hear, “please keep in mind, not all secrets are rewarding.”

The guests shared looks of confusion. There was nervous laughter from some, which was quickly stifled. “What on earth?” Darkling muttered to herself.

“Today,” said Lady Ellingham, “I’m taking you all to the Menagerie. Put on your best coats, it’s a bit misty. Off we go!”

The group filed out of the dining room and through a door onto a large outdoor balcony, with Magnus (carrying Lady Ellingham) leading the way. They marveled at the quiet, still grounds as they trotted along a path, past a large reflecting pool, and through an iron gate into a large garden. Flowers, cacti, and other plants of all shapes and sizes seemed to greet them as they walked along the narrow pathways. Nyx had never seen most of the plants in the garden, and the mist made the scene look like a different planet. The group wound its way through the gardens until Magnus held open the door to a greenhouse. The greenhouse was warm and dry; most of the CBers took off their coats.

“Welcome,” said the Lady, “to the Menagerie.”
The CBers looked around. There were a great many tables lining the walls. Cages sat on top of these tables, and in the cages were-

“Mechanical animals,” said Agent Winter. She was right – in each cage was a small group of animals, meticulously created to resemble the real thing. There were insects, butterflies, spiders, cats, dogs, teacup pigs, and birds. Farther away, there were paddocks for larger animals – horses, a cow, elephants, lions and tigers – all with brown leather skin and glinting eyes. The sounds of clinking and clunking gears and wheeshes of steam punctuated the stillness.

The CBers ran in between the tables, examining the beautiful animals. Only Luminescence stayed behind. She waited for Magnus and Lady Ellingham to join their guests and made a run for the door. She desperately wanted to stay, but there were other, more important things. She used the plants that she remembered to guide her back out of the gardens – left at the two-headed venus flytrap, right at the tree with silvery leaves, left at the sunflower-like plants that stared at you with unblinking “eyes”. She ran through the rusty iron gate and past the reflecting pool. Into the dining hall, down the corridor, up the stairs, to the left. She opened the door to the bedroom she shared with Kitten. The room was dark – the curtains were drawn. Kitten lay sleeping in the bed that Lumi had slept in last night – the bed farthest from the door.

“Kitten?” Luminescence creeped up. The room was silent. She lifted off the blanket, knowing and dreading what she would see.

Kitten wasn’t there. A bunch of pillows had been bunched up to look like her. Lumi felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. There was a crash and some muttered cursing. Lumi turned round. The sound was coming from the window. She ran over and opened the curtains.

No one was there. Broken pieces of wood – pieces of the trellis – lay on the ground.

“Oh no,” Lumi breathed. “This is bad.” The floor rose to meet her as everything went dark.