Chapter One
Athena rolled over in her bed. She could not sleep at all. It probably had to do with the fact that she and her friends had just bought this old house. She wasn't used to the house, that they had just bought, Athena concluded. She got up from her bed and walked over to the closet and pulled out a bathrobe and put on her slippers and grabbed a lit candle, and decided to explore the house. It was a huge old Victorian Mansion that she, her friends and little sister had bought on impulse while on a visit in the country. She walked over to the door of her bedroom and opened it slowly and as quietly as she could, so as to not wake up the others. Rain poured in buckets outside. She didn't know why but she loved thunderstorms. Ever since she was a child. Athena decided to explore the first floor of the mysterious house, first then the second and third. As she made her way down the main hallway of the second floor, she jumped at a noise behind her. Athena whirled around to see her best friend Tameket Ipheus standing there, holding a candelabra as well, grinning from ear to ear.
"Jumpy tonight are we?" She whispered, trying to muffle her laughter that was bubbling up inside her like a volcano. Athena gave her a murderous look.
"You scared the crap out of me!" She murmered. At that moment there was a flash of lightning that was so bright, it illuminated the gothic hallway. Goosebumps jumped up on her skin like fleas. The wallpaper in the hallway was a nice crimson colour with black victorian designs on it. Portraits of people who once inhabited the house years ago, were fading but were still just as beautiful. In the light of the candles and the lightning, they appeared pale, mysterious and hauntingly lifelike. To Athena, they seemed like ghosts. A painting of one seemed to strike her eye. She held her candelabra to it and read the gold plaque, that was starting to rust, stating who she was. Her name was Marpessa Zycanthus. Athena moved the light to the portrait to get a look at her face. She was nymphlike and beautiful, with curly, golden blonde hair and blue eyes the colour of the sky. Athena smiled and looked down at the plaque again to see the date of Marpessa's birth and death inscibed bellow her name.
The plaque read:
Marpessa Zycanthus
1202-present
Athena gasped. A loud clap of thunder followed, making Tameket who was looking at another portrait as well, look over at her with a startled gaze. Tameket walked over to her and put a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"What's the matter?" She asked. Athena pointed her finger at the date.
"She's not dead," She murmered, lightning illuminating the hallway and Athena's pale-stricken face. Tameket's lips moved as she read the inscription, her silvery blonde hair falling over her face. When she read the part of the dates her violet eyes widened.
~*Rebekah*~*316*~Plummer4life!~*
