1.2 } La Creepsta

I should have known that if a man is well off enough to own an estate in Monte Vista, and that estate is big enough to have a name, then I should expect something grand.

But I guess I wasn't thinking, because when my taxi dropped me off at La Creepsta, I was, well...shook.

It was a week after the reading of the will, and my mother was still mad at me. I could still hear her voice fussing at me, calling me a disappointment for putting my university and life on hold to move here. I never said I was "moving" to Monte Vista permanently, but I wanted to visit and take in everything. Uncle Castillo left everything to me, which was completely generous, thoughtful, king, and totally unexpected. Besides, missing a semester of college wasn't going to hurt me. I didn't even know what I wanted to major in. Maybe this was a chance for me to take a breath and figure that all out.

Of course being here, and seeing this house, sort of made me want to drop everything and just become a spoiled rich girl who lazed around in the sun and grew olive trees.

I couldn't even bring myself to venture upstairs just yet. The first floor was so beautiful. I could see spaces on the wall were paintings once hung, but I knew that most of them were donated to a local museum in Uncle Castillo's name per his request. He was a very worldly man, and culture and the arts were important to him, something I appreciated. I couldn't help but tear up a little as I toured the house. It was bittersweet. Being here made me feel closer to him than I ever had, and it made me even sadder that he was gone. I realized then just how much I missed him, and always would.

My favorite room, however, was one that made my heart feel like it was going to lurch out of my chest: the office. It was beautifully decorated with authentic relics from around the world, specifically Egypt. It felt like I was walking through time into the past, when sun and sand and Gods and Goddesses ruled the world. I wondered if Castillo knew about my childhood fascination with Egypt and so, left all of this here for me instead of donating it along with all his other art and finds.

I stood in the office for a long time, just...feeling. I knew without a doubt that this was my new favorite place in the whole world. There was something in that room, something wonderful, that warmed me from the inside out. Part of me wondered if it was Uncle Castillo himself, watching over me from somewhere. Another part wondered if it was some ancient magic still lingering on one of this timeless relics. Whatever the case, it was amazing. And after I cried again over my lost uncle, I smiled. I wasn't going to become some spoiled rich girl. I was going to do something amazing and life a full life that meant something. Maybe I didn't know exactly what it was yet, but as I stood there, I made myself that promise. "Thank you, Uncle Castillo." I whispered softly, praying that wherever he was, he could hear me.

I spent the rest of the day unpacking a bit and cooking in my new kitchen. But I was so exhausted from the flight and the general excitement of the day that I went to sleep pretty early and fell asleep faster than I ever had before.

I stood outside on a wooden porch, a chill wind making me shiver. I didn't know where I was, but it certainly wasn't Monte Vista. However, it seemed familiar to me. I looked up at the darkening sky, at the eerie way the moon shone through the grey clouds, and realized it was somewhere I had been before.

I was in Midnight Hollow.

As I stood there, I began to notice a man coming towards me. He wasn't walking, he was...floating. There was a translucent yellow haze about him, and he stared at me with a frightening gaze.

"Where is he?" The man asked me. His voice was an echo of weariness and heartbreak. I thought I saw tears on his cheeks but I couldn't have been sure. "Please tell me where he is..."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, stunned. "Where is who?"

"He promised he would help me," The man said. "He promised he would help me!"

I started to feel afraid, because the man seemed to be getting angry. "Who are you talking about?!" I yelled.

"Castillo!" The man yelled back. "He promised he would help me! HE PROMISED!"

I awoke gasping for breath, throwing the covers aside. I felt sticky with sweat and heavy with fear. The dream replayed in my head, making my thoughts foggy and my head hurt. I didn't know what to think. I wanted to blame jet lag, or the general rollercoaster that had been my life the past few weeks. But it had felt real and terrifying, and it made me shudder to think about it.

I didn't sleep for the rest of the night, and decided I would just wait for the sun to come up...

Author's Note: I want to send a HUGE thank you to TheMelony for building me La Creepsta! I gave her a vague idea of what I wanted and she ended up building me the most perfect house imaginable and I'm so excited to get to use it. So thank you so much!! You're the best!!