This place is kind of a trip I'll say
Dinner was pretty informative! Of course Mr. Hadley and his wife were gracious enough hosts. I feel like I should call him Sir and his wife Ma'am. Lance told me a little more about his house. I can't believe it was used for the Undeground Railroad. Faith didn't seem all that impressed. In fact I think she was kind of suspicious of everything.
I guess I would like to believe that there is something creepy going on and with all I've seen since I've left Sunnydale, I guess we can't be too cautious. Part of me wants to just keep living in this kind of past, where we aren't dealing with evil things, but I don't think that's the case.
Dinner was finished and we excused ourselves from the dining room. Lance and Julianne went to take a nightly walk. I guess they are old fashioned in that way. Nightly walks for me were well, more like let's try not to get eaten by the pesky vampires. I thanked our hosts for the lovely dinner and Faith and I left the dining room. She pulled me aside quickly when we hit the hallway.
"Red, there's something strange goin' on here, and I don't mean just the with the past history." She stopped me near the study area in front of the library.
"Faith don't you think you're jumping to a wee bit of a conclusion here? I mean ok so it's a little unusual they are so well old fashioned but really they are just genuine I think," I kept my voice down as I saw some of the other house workers glancing around at us.
"Red, I'm telling you something's off here. Passin' by those pictures, somethin' went off in me and it's like they were watchin us," she leaned closer in to me. "Couldn't you feel it too?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Ok maybe a little," I whispered as another person passed us and I motioned for us to go in the library. "But that doesn't mean that these people are evil. I mean we don't have any evidence to even prove it."
"Will, come on, if I'm feelin it, you know something's up. This place ain't paradise, and it's time we did some Nancy Drewin," and then she glanced around. "This being the library and all I say it's a good place to start."
"But these aren't even our books Faith, I mean it's not like Sunnydale High school where like Giles is here and I can just go in and research.."
She gave me that look she meant business. "Like that ever stopped you before. Come on." She smiled and shut the library door in front of one of the houseworkers.
I glanced around. This library of course wasn't nearly as big as the one at UCSD and not as big as the one in Sunnydale High, but it certainly had enough old texts lying around. I ran my finger near the bookcases. "So what am I looking for here?"
"I don't know Willow, you're the bookworm here, remember?" Faith paced around.
"Right," I found a volume on the Civil War and plantation houses and pulled it out. I started to flip past the chapters on the Underground Railroad and plantation houses used during it. Then I found another passage about this particular house. This house was as Lance talked about, but it looked like some of the slaves actually died here, and not in a very wholesome sort of way.
Faith's pacing was getting me kind of nervous. I guess she just wanted an answer. "Alright, I think I found something. Maybe."
"Spill."
"Well ok the history of this house around the Civil War is kind around some not so wonderful things. It seems like the house was yes a passage for the slaves of the Underground Railroad, but many seemed to have gotten trapped. Or were left here to die. Or some were beheaded," I swallowed. "It says that the owners of this house loved ritualistic kind of torture techniques to keep the slaves quiet."
"I knew it," Faith rubbed her fists together. "Our hosts are nothin' but creep ass slave traders."
I shut the book. "Faith this doesn't prove anything. It's sort of history. I mean bad history and none that makes me get all with the happy but The Hadleys don't seem to be related to this at all. The previous owners of this house are long gone."
"I still am not buyin' it Red. Look at how they are keeping this house. Lady J said it herself, everything's genuine and real around here. That means they are keeping up the place for somethin', and it ain't for the guests, I'm tellin' you that much."
I sighed. "Ok so I guess I'll keep looking for something, it seems like there's a lot of stuff here. What are you gonna do?"
She folded her arms. "I'll go and really check out the grounds see if antique boy and his lady got something up their sleeves. I'll see ya later."
"But, what if the workers want to know what I'm doing in here?" I pleaded.
"You'll think of something. You're crafty Red, I got no doubts."
She left afterwards and I was left to do some more research. Yeesh, the very least I could've used some peaches. Or donuts. I missed Xander's donuts right about now.
I guess I would like to believe that there is something creepy going on and with all I've seen since I've left Sunnydale, I guess we can't be too cautious. Part of me wants to just keep living in this kind of past, where we aren't dealing with evil things, but I don't think that's the case.
Dinner was finished and we excused ourselves from the dining room. Lance and Julianne went to take a nightly walk. I guess they are old fashioned in that way. Nightly walks for me were well, more like let's try not to get eaten by the pesky vampires. I thanked our hosts for the lovely dinner and Faith and I left the dining room. She pulled me aside quickly when we hit the hallway.
"Red, there's something strange goin' on here, and I don't mean just the with the past history." She stopped me near the study area in front of the library.
"Faith don't you think you're jumping to a wee bit of a conclusion here? I mean ok so it's a little unusual they are so well old fashioned but really they are just genuine I think," I kept my voice down as I saw some of the other house workers glancing around at us.
"Red, I'm telling you something's off here. Passin' by those pictures, somethin' went off in me and it's like they were watchin us," she leaned closer in to me. "Couldn't you feel it too?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Ok maybe a little," I whispered as another person passed us and I motioned for us to go in the library. "But that doesn't mean that these people are evil. I mean we don't have any evidence to even prove it."
"Will, come on, if I'm feelin it, you know something's up. This place ain't paradise, and it's time we did some Nancy Drewin," and then she glanced around. "This being the library and all I say it's a good place to start."
"But these aren't even our books Faith, I mean it's not like Sunnydale High school where like Giles is here and I can just go in and research.."
She gave me that look she meant business. "Like that ever stopped you before. Come on." She smiled and shut the library door in front of one of the houseworkers.
I glanced around. This library of course wasn't nearly as big as the one at UCSD and not as big as the one in Sunnydale High, but it certainly had enough old texts lying around. I ran my finger near the bookcases. "So what am I looking for here?"
"I don't know Willow, you're the bookworm here, remember?" Faith paced around.
"Right," I found a volume on the Civil War and plantation houses and pulled it out. I started to flip past the chapters on the Underground Railroad and plantation houses used during it. Then I found another passage about this particular house. This house was as Lance talked about, but it looked like some of the slaves actually died here, and not in a very wholesome sort of way.
Faith's pacing was getting me kind of nervous. I guess she just wanted an answer. "Alright, I think I found something. Maybe."
"Spill."
"Well ok the history of this house around the Civil War is kind around some not so wonderful things. It seems like the house was yes a passage for the slaves of the Underground Railroad, but many seemed to have gotten trapped. Or were left here to die. Or some were beheaded," I swallowed. "It says that the owners of this house loved ritualistic kind of torture techniques to keep the slaves quiet."
"I knew it," Faith rubbed her fists together. "Our hosts are nothin' but creep ass slave traders."
I shut the book. "Faith this doesn't prove anything. It's sort of history. I mean bad history and none that makes me get all with the happy but The Hadleys don't seem to be related to this at all. The previous owners of this house are long gone."
"I still am not buyin' it Red. Look at how they are keeping this house. Lady J said it herself, everything's genuine and real around here. That means they are keeping up the place for somethin', and it ain't for the guests, I'm tellin' you that much."
I sighed. "Ok so I guess I'll keep looking for something, it seems like there's a lot of stuff here. What are you gonna do?"
She folded her arms. "I'll go and really check out the grounds see if antique boy and his lady got something up their sleeves. I'll see ya later."
"But, what if the workers want to know what I'm doing in here?" I pleaded.
"You'll think of something. You're crafty Red, I got no doubts."
She left afterwards and I was left to do some more research. Yeesh, the very least I could've used some peaches. Or donuts. I missed Xander's donuts right about now.