Weeds grew up between the cracks of the cobblestone driveway, causing a shift in the stones, making the path bumpy and leaving behind craters in the ground.

In the middle of the circle driveway was a three-tiered stone fountain. The bottom was filled with greenish, stagnant, murky water. The next bowel had a fancy rose design twisting around the sides and the rim, and it had six little ones that let water flow into the bottom one. On top, there were three majestic weather-worn horses that water would flow from their muzzles into the bowl down below.

The run-down C-shaped manor itself was huge, having three stories, excluding the attic. In the middle of the C was an overgrown garden with a spot for tables fit for a tea party.

Five steps leading up to the double, seven foot wooden door with golden curled handles with intricate details on them. On the sides of the steps were thick railing that had vase-like pillars in between the steps and the railing.

The once-white paint on the walls has faded to a dull gray, peeling and flaking off due to centuries of neglect and weather.

The wooden shutters on the windows are now hanging on by a thread, looking as if any moment they could come crashing down and splinter into millions of pieces.

At one time, it was a beauty to behold, but now it was a mess of rot and ruin.

Victoria's eyes grew wide as she opened the door to the truck and got out slowly, her gaze never leaving the manor for a moment. "This place is -" She did not have words for how big this place was. "This place is just -"

Edwin's eyes scanned the manor before him, taking in every little detail. "Massive? Enormous? Gigantic? Colossal? Titanic?" He marveled in amazement, feeling excitement bubble up inside of him.

"A dump. A big dilapidated dump." Victoria bluntly replied, crossing her arms over her chest with a deep frown on her lips. "It's so overgrown and run down. It looks like it should be condemned! It's probably not even structurally safe."

Tyler was awestruck, trying to find the right words as his eyes darted around Briarwood Manor. "It's like a castle!" He exclaimed, his eyes sparkling brightly with wonder and marveled at the potential it could be.

"A castle? You don't say?" Victoria deadpanned sarcastically, earning a glare from her mother. She wasn't wrong in her tone, but she wasn't going to admit that. "It's a manor, Tyler, not a castle. I don't think this place compares to Buckingham Palace."

Tyler frowned, slumping his shoulders, feeling a bit discouraged at Victoria's words. She didn't see what he saw in the manor before him. "I think it could be so much better with a little hard work, right Dad?"

Liam let go of Emmaline's hand and turned towards his youngest son. "Yes, it does need a lot of work before it is restored to its former glory." He agreed, turning back towards the manor and watching the crows perch themselves on the roof, cawing away.

Victoria looked up at the crows and then over to Liam. "What former glory?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. "This place isn't salvageable, we could just go back to London, stay in a nice hotel and live there." She pivoted on her heels and moved towards the estate car.

Emmaline grabbed her daughter's flannel shirt collar. "Oh no, we are not leaving." She sternly said, earning a huff from her eldest who jerked her collar out of her hand. "This manor was left to Liam in a will. We only have to pay for the restoration. That is what I'd call a deal."

"A deal?" Victoria snorted. She couldn't believe how sickly optimistic everyone was about the move. It baffled her. "This is a
sinkhole for money! We will go broke just trying to fix this. We're not millionaires! This manor would even bleed millionaires dry."

Liam looked between Victoria and Emmaline, noting that this must've happened a whole lot. "No, we're not millionaires, though. Restoring this place won't put much of a dent into my savings." He explained, approaching them, a kind smile on his face.

Emmaline turned to her husband, a smile gracing her lips. "There is nothing to be concerned about, Victoria." She reached for his hand and laced their fingers together as they walked towards the doors.

Dustin ran up halfway up the stairs to the front door and turned around, his eyes scanning everything. "Look at that garden! It's huge! I've never had a garden before! We have a garden!" He exclaimed, stretching out his arms to the side.

Rose softly laughed at how excited Tyler was about the yard. "It is huge. Much larger than I had imagined in my head." She agreed, thinking about all the possibilities they could use all this space for.

Liam walked up the stairs and stood beside his son. "45," He looked at the yard, seeing all the good, strong trees that were dotted here and there, which needed a good trimming. "45 wonderful acres."

Dustin's mouth dropped open, and a bewildered noise left his lips. "45 . . . acres?" He repeated the words, his brain trying to comprehend the acreage as he turned to Liam. "Please tell me we don't have push mowers? I don't like push mowers. It is super hard to handle, and it gives me blisters. Gloves make my hands all sweaty, and they just slip around inside." He slapped his hands on his cheeks and pulled them down his face.

Liam furrowed his eyebrows at his son but then chuckled softly. "No, we are borrowing riding mowers," He replied to his son, pulling his hands from his shoulders. "We have to trim down the grass first since it is so high to find out what is hiding in the grass."

Dustin sighed in relief, slumping his shoulders, feeling much better. "Oh! That is much easier, and I can carry the grass trimmer and maybe use it?" He asked excitedly, bouncing on his feet. He folded his hands together and gave the puppy eyes at his dad, hoping it would work this time.

Liam shook his head, chuckling at how excited his son was to potentially operate such machinery. "Oh no, safety first, Dustin. You do not get to use the grass trimmer. It's too heavy for you. Remember the last time you almost cut off your feet? We do not need something like that to happen out here."

Dustin crossed his arms, frowning that he wasn't going to get help out with the yard. "That was because Tyler scared me." He defensively said as he pointed to his brother, shaking his head. "He popped up behind me and startled me, I dropped it on the ground while it was still on. I managed to jump out of the way before you turned it off."

Tyler frowned as he looked into the window. "Did not," He called back to his brother. "I was just checking up on you and seeing what you were doing. Dad didn't say you could use it, and you got in trouble for using it." He put his hands on his hips and bobbed his head back and forth.

Liam shook his head and crossed his arms as he sighed, bitting back amusement. "Tyler, we all know you didn't mean to, and Dustin, you aren't entirely innocent either." He sighed softly, knowing both of them saw it in a different way when it happened, like in most cases when things start to happen.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at his brother, sticking his tongue out at him. "It wasn't a scare. It was a startle!" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his father, pursing his lips.

Liam was not too happy with how his sons were acting. "No playing word games. It is not a way to talk of becoming a young Christian boy," He scolded quickly before he picked up a stick and wrapped up the cobweb that covered the door.

Tyler looked down at his feet, shifting on them sadly. "Sorry, Dad." He vowed as he bounced over to Rose and looked into the murky water of the fountain. "Brain eating amoeba water, cool! I want to bottle it and keep it in my room."

Victoria's eyes slowly grazed over the West Wing from the East Wing, taking in the growing ivy and the broken windows.

She raised her eyebrows and focused back on a window on the second floor. She was a great distance away, but she could see a silhouette in the window. She tilted her head to the side like an owl as she squinted, trying to focus and make out what it was.

'What the . . .' She thought as she shifted her gaze towards her brother and step siblings before looking back at the window . The figure was gone, and the curtain was back across the window like all the others. 'Now that's freaky.' She shook her head, thinking her mind was just playing tricks on her.

She looked over at Edwin and inched closer to him. "Eddie?" She asked in a soft voice so no one else could hear, as she kept her eyes focused on that window, never pulling them away.

Edwin looked over at his sister and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you whispering?" He asked, having no idea why she would be lowering her voice down that low.

Victoria gave a sideways glance to Edwin, her eyes focused on that window. "I think I saw someone in the West Wing," She asked in a whisper, quickly pointing to the window where she saw the figure.

Edwin raised his eyebrows, having a hard time believing what she said she saw. "Whatever you're suggesting, just don't. No one is here. It is just your mind playing tricks on you." He replied, rolling his eyes while looking at things logically and realistically.

Victoria didn't know what she saw, and she wasn't suggesting anything. "I'm not suggesting anything. I'm stating a fact. I saw someone in the East Wing window." She defensively countered, frowning as she put her hands up in front of her.

"I'm sure it's your imagination." Edwin passively commented, waving her off with his hand before walking away from Victoria and towards his mother, who was beside Liam.

Victoria clenched her jaw as she narrowed her eyes at her brother as he walked away. "Thanks, Eddie," She sarcastically whispered, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling jaded that he thought she was crazy. 'I know what I saw whether he wants to believe me or not. I am NOT crazy.' She reminded herself as she exhaled slowly.

Liam, now at the manor doors, tried every skeleton key on his keyring, with possibly more than 50 different style keys. "Why don't all of the keys have what they are used for engraved on them? That would make it so much easier than trying every one of them until it fits in the keyhole." He grumbled, growing frustrated with how long it was taking.

Edwin walked up beside his stepfather and looked at the ring full of keys Liam had pulled out of his messenger back. "Maybe we can do that after we figure it out," He suggested with a smile. "I have an electric engraver pen my grandpa gave me. I would love to finally use it for once."

Emmaline perked up, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms, leaning against the railing. "Eddie, that was about three years ago. You got it from Dad. Does it still even work?"

Edwin opened his mouth to speak but closed it back as he thought about it. "It should still work. Every once in a while, I check to make sure!" He responded, itching the side of his head. "The last time I checked was about a month ago, I think?"

Liam looked over at his stepson and nodded his head. "That would make things much easier for me, and that would give you time to check each key and which door they open, then maybe even organize them on keyrings?" He put the next key in, turning it, heading a click signaling the door was unlocked.

As the doors were opened, the entryway they were greeted with a musty smell, causing noses to curl at the pungent smell. Boxes, from both families' houses, were set on the floor, along with their furniture and the manor's dusty old furniture as well.

There was a long red dirty rug with gold outlining it on the stairs with three inches of cream marble showing on each side. Many scratches and scuff marks lined the floor, probably made by the careless movers or the people before.

Cobwebs stretched everywhere, from the corners of the room to the coffee tables and couches to even the windows and lamps mounted on the walls. Thick dust covered everything that was originally in the manor, not a space was spared.

The bottom floor was a wide-open entryway with steps going up to the second floor. There was an entryway behind the stairs that led to the gardens. Off to the right side was the dining area that led into the kitchen, while the opposite side was one huge living area.

Edwin walked around, pivoting on his heels with wide, starry eyes. "Wow, this place is so cool! Look at all this space!" He exclaimed, his voice echoing just a bit inside where they were at.

He made a beeline over the stairway and rested his hand on the black oak lion head at the beginning of the railing. "Cool," He looked closely and jumped back, wiping his hands on his pants. "Yuck," He cringed, watching the spider drop onto the floor and scurry away.

Victoria reached into her purse and pulled out a wipe for him to use. "Here," She walked over and handed it to him. "Cobwebs are so sticky. It is kinda hard to get off without something wet."

Edwin took the wipe and used it in his hands, faintly smiling. "Thanks, Vicky," He said, stuffing the wipe into his pocket after he had used it. "You have exactly what I need in your purse every time."

Victoria reached over and ruffled his hair. Her frustration with him about what she saw in the window was fading away. "No problem, little bro." She quietly said, watching Liam and Emmaline being in their luggage from the top of the estate wagon.

Emmaline looked up from the setting a box down and pressed her lips together to surpass a chuckle. "Aww," She cooed. "Brings me back to when Victoria would always try to brush his hair and put it up in sparkly hair ties."

Edwin's face flushed the color of a tomato as he listened to what his mother said. Embarrassment burned inside as he glared at her. "Goodness, Mom, did you have to bring that up?" He asked, covering his face up with his hands, feeling embarrassed that she had to bring that up. "Do you know how embarrassing it was? You took pictures of it and showed them to my friends."

Emmaline laughed softly, walking over to her children and pulling them into a side hug. "Sorry, sorry," She apologized while pulling away and resting her hand on the railing. "It just brings me back to the good old days when you two treated each other nicely."

Edwin smiled, walking over and standing beside his mother. "It's fine." He sighed, looking down at Tyler, who was weaving between the boxes. "How far is the church away from here?" He asked, looking up at his mom, who quickly scolded Tyler.

"About an hour away," Emmaline replied, walking down the stairs and up a box. She opened it up and looked through it, taking out her notepad she matched the page up with the number on the box.

Edwin walked up the staircase, followed by Victoria, Rose, Tyler, and Dustin. "That sounds cool, I wonder what it looks like." He mused, his eyes looking at the cobwebs that coated the railing.

Dustin darted up the stairs, passing Edwin. "I'm going to look for my room. Anyone who wants to call dips better hurry before I get the best room!" He laughed as he darted down the hall and peered into the rooms.

Tyler followed him after turning away from the East Wing, looking into every room to try and pick out one that they liked the best.

Edwin's eyes focused on the second floor. The West Wing was heavily boarded up between the two walls of the hall where the West Wing began. "Why did they board that side up? From the outside, I didn't see anything wrong with it," He asked, putting his hand on the board.

Liam looked down the hall and laid eyes on the boarded-up West Wing. "According to the letter my grandmother left, she had paid someone to do some updating of the manor in the late 1930s. She mentioned she had the West Wing boarded off due to how unsafe it was while it went under restoration with some fire damage. She mentioned that it was finished, but she hadn't gotten around to unboarding it." He replied, recalling exactly what had been said.

"So, shouldn't we unboard it?" Rose asked, turning towards her dad as she stepped away from the boxes with her name written on the side.

Liam thought about it, weighing his options. "Well, if it is boarded up, the chances of it being in better condition than the East Wing, so, it's best to leave it alone for now. Besides, it's just the second and third floor that is boarded off. It can be done later. I've got to pay someone to remove it without damaging the infrastructure."

Rose nodded as she looked over the railing of the second floor and towards her dad. "Sounds good." She agreed, turning on her heels and following the sound of her brothers goofing off while looking for a room.

Victoria looked at Edwin, and she shrugged her shoulders, looking back up at the boards. "It's like someone wants to keep people out." She mused, after expecting the boards. She noted there seemed to be no nails holding the boards together.

Edwin reluctantly inspected the wood, knocking on it a little too hard, causing him to yelp. "Ouch," He bit his lip as he held his knuckles. He sucked in a deep breath and allowed the pain to ease away before speaking. "It is as hard as a rock."

Victoria rolled her eyes and mimicked what he did but much lighter. "Eddie, there is no need to pound on the wood. Your hand is not a rubber mallet." She commented a tiny bit sarcastically as she walked towards the wall, her eyes following from the ceiling to the floor.

She turned her back around and walked down the hall, her eyes trained on the walls. She noted there were some huge paintings on the walls in between the doors that lead into a hallway. "Look at these paintings." She murmured, her eyes admiring the detail.

Edwin smiled, looking at the dust-covered pictures. He reached his hand up to wipe off the dust but stopped, knowing that it was probably a bad idea. "We have to find special cleaning stuff for paintings so we don't damage them." He suggested, withdrawing his hand and stuffing them into his pockets.

Victoria walked down the hall, twisting her purse straps between her hands. This was becoming a bit overwhelming for her, from moving, to finding herself a room in the manor, to the East Wing boarded up, to the many boxes downstairs, and how much daunting work needed to be done.

Suddenly, Tyler squealed from down the hall, his voice carrying through the whole manor. "THIS IS MY ROOM! IT IS JUST LOVELY!" followed my thumbs from his feet, jumping up and down on the floor, to which Rose scolded him for.

Victoria cringed every time Tyler squealed, wishing that he would stop that since it hurt her ears. "Can he ever just be quiet?" She huffed, pushing open a door, which creaked loudly, causing her to cringe once again. She hated how creaky everything seemed to be in the manor.

Edwin thought about it for a moment, crossing one arm over his chest and resting his elbow on top. "He's a seven, Victoria." He reminded his sister, walking past her and pushing open each door while looking inside each one he passed.

Victoria's eyes widened at the fully furnished room, looking like she had stepped back into the Victoria area. "Oh wow," She marveled, feeling like she was in a period drama, unable to ignore the slight interest in the manor that sparked inside her.

She scolded herself for feeling that way and had to remind herself she never asked to move across the world into a dilapidated manor. Which made her wonder how long the dazzle of living here would wear off for the rest of her family. They'd come to the same conclusion she had: This wasn't worth the time and money.

〰🔘〰🔘〰🔘〰🔘〰🔘〰🔘〰

A/N:
So this is part of the previous chapter. I have started to keep things around 3k words since it works better on wattpad and gives me more room for extra chapters.

Chapter Talk:
Welcome to the manor, and I wonder who that figure is? I can say it will be a ghostly friend. Okay, I'm lowkey proud of all the "ghostly" stuff I will be adding happen because that's the mystery.

Thanks for reading!