*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever really want to) they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Devon, Ashley, Rachel, Katie, Leigh and Angel. Plagiarism is against the law.. and there's two of us to fight for this story.. so..please don't do it.. thank you and have fun trying to figure everything out.

"I need a vacation." Justin Timberlake, youngest member of the singing group 'N Sync, grumbled as he flopped down on the couch in the tour bus. He had a towel draping his shoulders and his face was flushed from all the activity and energy he had given the audience during that night's concert, which had ended ten minutes earlier. He mopped his face with the already damp towel and tossed it across the room in the general direction of the gym bag that had been designated for the concert laundry.

"I think we all do, J." JC shook his head with an amused smile as he fiddled around with his beeper to see who had paged him over the last few hours, taking a seat on the other end of the couch.

"I second that motion." Lance nodded, flopping onto the floor of the bus, which rumbled gently under his cheek, signaling that they had began their journey to the next venue.

"Hey guys, when are we due for a break?" Joe made a face as he searched through one of his bags for a clean set of clothes.

"About another week or so. I think. But, I could be wrong. Its been known to happen before." Chris shrugged tiredly as Busta, the group's dog, barked shrilly to demand some attention from it's owners.

"No, I think you're right Chris." Lance mumbled, his voice muffled through the carpet on the floor. Lance folded his arms under his head, using the limbs as a makeshift pillow of sorts.

"Hey JC," Justin raised his head off the couch long enough to look over at his friend, seeing if he had the other's attention. JC gazed over at him, an eyebrow raised in inquiry. "Mike said she knew the perfect place for hiding out. Think you could call her and ask her where it is?"

"Are you nuts?" JC demanded incrediously. "Its nearly two am in Florida."

"Yeah, so." Justin shrugged with a pleading smile. "You're her boyfriend. She'd love to hear from you tonight."

"Not at two in the morning she wouldn't." JC shook his head, glancing down at his beeper again. A total of twelve people had beeped him, most of them friends that he hadn't talked to in quite a while.

"Sure she would." Chris joined in, doing his best to help Justin out. He, too, wanted to know where the place was so they could all go straight there after the last concert before their mini vacation.

"You've called her before at this hour." Justin reminded giving JC a pointed look. JC shook his head with a rueful sigh.

"Even later sometimes." Joe nodded sagely, joining the conversation.

"Yeah, but that was different." JC mumbled, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Do tell, how was it different?" Lance inquired, straining his neck to look over at a very tired JC.

"I called her because I wanted to talk to her. Not because I wanted something from her." JC pointed out with exasperation.

"Whatever. Just call her, would ya?" Justin reached over, giving JC a playful shove.

"If you guys want to know so badly, then you call her." JC shrugged flippantly, eyes closing and a small grin playing on his face.

"No way. She'd kill us." Chris shook his head emphatically.

"Better for me to die, eh?" JC snorted, opening his eyes to give Chris a halfhearted glare. Chris smiled up at him, batting his eyelashes for good measure. JC shook his head, laughing softly.

"She wouldn't kill you, man. Yell at you for a few minutes, gumble about it for weeks, but not kill you." Joe stated the obvious as he leaned back in his chair. JC sighed, shoulder sagging momentarily as he pulled his cellular phone out of the bag resting at his feet. Justin raised a fist into the air in silent triumph when JC dialed the number he had memorized the first day he met Michaela Costeo several years ago. He held the phone to his ear, glaring at his friends in consternation. He couldn't believe they were actually making him call her at this ungodly hour of the morning. He waited patiently as the phone rang once, twice, three times. He shook his head, about ready to hang up when the phone clicked in his ear, signaling that someone had picked up the other extension.

"You better pray that someone is dead or dying to give justice to a call at this hour of the morning."Mike's raspy, sleep-filled voice filled his ear.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"Yes you did, or you wouldn't have called."

"Okay, then I'm sorry I woke you."

"That's fine. What's up?"

"The guys actually wanted me to call and ask you something."

"It's Jusitn's fault."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's always Justin's fault."

"Oh, right."

"So, what did they want to know?"

"Where that dream vacation is located. They all want to head over there right after the last show."

"Oh. Um. It's on Thornstone Island."

"And where's that?"

"Caribbean Islands, or thereabouts."

"Okay. We're planning on going next week. Care to join us?"

"Well, since Leigh is my friend and she doesn't know you, I'd kinda have to go."

"I'm gonna let you go back to sleep. You're in a bad mood."

"No I'm not. Just trying to wake up enough to have a conversation."

"Like I said, I'm gonna let you go back to bed."

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are. Its not your fault. It's Justin's, remember?"

"Vividly. Call me later?"

"Promise."

"Okay, then I'll go back to bed."

"Alright. Sweet dreams."

"I'll try."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." Mike laughed then hung up the phone. JC shook his head with a rueful smile as he closed up his cell phone and shoved it back into the bag he had taken it from. He leaned back and closed his eyes, shutting everyone out of his mind for a moment.

"What'd she say?" Justin finally prompted with a hint of testiness.

"I just love how you use my girlfriend for your own demented reasons." JC remarked, raising an eyebrow at the younger man. Justin flushed slightly, turning away.

"Sorry." he mumbled, causing JC to smile with satisfaction.

"Its okay, she knew you put me up to it anyway." JC shrugged. Justin grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it at JC, who ducked it easily. Soon the group of men headed to their bunks for some sleep before they hit the next city. Each day that passed seemed to be longer than the day before, but only because they were getting closer to the vacation they were all planning to Thornstone Island. Each night, the gave their all to the fans during the concerts the performed and divulged the personal lives to interviewers and fans in the afternoons. Finally, the morning they were going to the island came. All five members of the group waited on a dock patiently for the girls to show up. Each of them had ivited their girlfriends along so they could spend some quality time together. Justin paced up and down the dock, muttering under his breath about women always being late for everything. Joe shook his head with a grin, leaning back against the railing. Justin glanced down at his watch and sighed again.

"Calm down, Justin. They'll be here." JC smiled over at his younger friend, trying to calm him down.

"Yeah, well, they're almost an hour late." Justin shook his head, feeling a bit peeved that they were being held up from their vacation.

"Justin, it might not be their fault. Their flight could have been delayed." Lance pointed out, playing the devil's advocate in this instance. Justin tossed a heated look at Lance and shook his head as he continued to pace.

"Awe, Curly will get over it. He just hates being made to wait by a woman." Chris snorted with a shake of his head as a young woman walked over to them with a smile.

"Are you Mike's friends?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. That would be us." Justin nodded sourly.

"Okay. I'm Leigh Thornstone, my dad used to own the island you'll be spending the weekend on." she introduced herself, shaking each person's hand.

"I'm JC Chasez, and this is Chris Kirkpatrick, Joe Fatone, Lance Bass. And grumpy over there is Justin Timberlake." JC smiled at her.

"I guess all we're waiting on is Mike and the others." Leigh nodded, dropping her book bag onto the dock with a loud thump. The group took a hard look at Leigh for the first time. She looked to be one of the grunge types with all black clothing, a couple of chains and black hair dyed with purple and orange streaks.

"How did you meet Mike anyway?" JC inquired suddenly, causing Leigh to throw back her head and laugh.

"Well, I was at a Korn concert about five years ago. The mosh pit was sorely lacking so I started thrashing around and bumped right into Mike. Knocked her on her ass. She just stayed on the ground, laughing hysterically. I helped her up and we've been friends ever since." Leigh shrugged, pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head.

"Mike was moshing?" Justin's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"Oh yeah. Mike's a wild one. You better watch out for her. Get her to a metal concert, she shock the hell out of you." Leigh nodded with a laugh as she gazed out at the water, looking for the boat that was going to pick them up.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same person?" JC inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sure. Ask her yourself." Leigh shrugged again, noncommitally. Just then Mike's car pulled into the parking lot with a screetch and she opened the door, bolting outside. Devon, Ashley, Rachel and Katie all followed suit laughing at Mike's antics as she yanked her duffle bag from the trunk. She tossed a glare at the rest of the ladies as she headed toward the guys.

"If I hear that song one more time, I'm gonna kill myself!" Mike yelped as she dropped her bag on the dock next to JC. "Hi honey."

"Which song is that?" JC inquired, draping an arm along her shoulders.

"Livin' La Vida Loca." Mike answered in a groan.

"Mike, you have to be the only woman in the world who doesn't like that song." Devon laughed as she strolled over to everyone.

"I'm not impressed with Ricky Martin. So sue me." Mike snorted with a shake of her head.

"I see how it is, chica." Leight snorted with a shake of her head.

"Leigh!" Mike shouted, grabbing her friend and delivering a hug to her.

"Mike!" Leigh returned in kind with a laugh as a small boat appeared next to the dock. "This is our ride. Grab your gear folks and lets get outta here."

Everyone grabbed what luggage they had and boarded the boat carefully. They talked idly of what happened on the tour and what had been happening in Orlando. Leigh listened with half and ear while she talked with the owner of the boat. She would have to go into town tomorrow to pick up some last minute supplies for the house. Tonight they would be roughing it. It had been a few months since she had been to the house her father had left to her in the will. Soon, the boat pulled up to the dock on Thornstone Island. Leigh stepped out of the boat and sighed happily, a smile gracing her face.

"Welcome to Thornstone." she stated graciously, sweeping an arm toward the path that led to the house.

"Wow. All this is yours, Leigh?" Mike gazed around at the trees surrounding them.

"Yeah." Leigh nodded as she picked up her bag again. "Follow me."

Everyone grabbed their bags and followed Leigh up the winding path to the mansion that awaited them. The house itself was magnificent, huge and looming above everything else on the island. It was ornately built with brick and brass with a white roof and a huge wraparound porch. Huge bay windows decorated the whole house. A huge New England style white guest house was located two hundred feet to the left of the main house. It, too, was beautifully crafted. Everyone gazed at awe as the stood on the front porch of the main house.

"There's a pool in the back. There's also a tennis court. Dad was really into keeping up the physical form." Leigh smiled as she opened the front door to let everyone inside. The whole group spread out to take a look around the house. A faint musty scent filled the house, signaling that no one had really lived in the house in quite some time.

"I'll show you all to the rooms you'll be staying in." Leigh mumbled as she flipped on the light that illuminated the winding wooden staircase. She climbed the stairs silently and stopped at the first door on the right. "This house was built over a hundred years ago by my great grandfather. It has a lot of history, so don't be surprised if you hear weird things at night. It's said that this house is haunted."

"Awesome." Mike laughed softly, glancing up and down the hallway at the detailed paintings hanging on the walls.

"This is what we call the Desire Suite. It's one of the biggest rooms we have and one of the favorites of my father. This is the room he and my mother spent their honeymoon, not that you want to hear about that." Leigh mumbled with a shake of her head as she opened the door. "Anyway, I thought Devon and Chris would like this room. It's big and airy, enough room to have a lot of privacy."

"Thank you. It's beautiful." Devon smiled as she stepped into the room.

"Why don't you get unpacked and settled in. You can meet us downstairs for dinner in an hour." Leigh suggested. Devon and Chris nodded, tossing their bags onto the king size bed. Leigh turned and walked across the hall, stopping in front of the first door on the left.

"This is the Intrigue Room and it's up for grabs. Anyone who wants it, claim it now because I'll have no griping about room placements." Leigh grinned impishly.

"Lance and I will take it." Rachel smiled as Leigh opened the door.

"We will?" Lance laughed with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, we will." Rachel nodded firmly, poking Lance in the side with her elbow. Leigh shook her head as she lead the others further down the hall to the second door on the left.

"This is the Temptation Room. This room is connected to the Intrigue Room, which is why I'm putting Katie and Justin in here. That way Lance and Rachel can keep an eye on the two of you." Leigh stated with a smile, causing Justin to redden and Katie to laugh. Justin tossed a glare at Leigh as the couple stepped inside to get a better look at where they would be spending the next week. Leigh crossed the hall to the second door on the right and opened the door.

"This is the Loveswept Room. This one is up for grabs, too." she stated simply as everyone gazed inside.

"Joe and I will take this room." Ashley nodded with amusement.

"Okay. Have fun, my little loveswept bunnies." Leigh shook her head with a laugh. "That's all the rooms on this floor, so it looks like you two will be on the third floor with me." JC and Mike glanced at each other, amused smiles on their faces. The followed Leigh back to the winding staircase and up to the third floor.

"That's the Shadows, my apartment type thing. The only other door on this floor is down there. It's called the Mystic Knight room and personally I think it's the best room in the whole house. My mother thought so, too. The decorating theme is mostly King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table." Leigh explained as she opened the door. Sheets covered everything to keep the dust off the furniture. "I'll see you in an hour."

Mike shook her head as Leigh disappeared and JC pulled the sheet covering the king size bed off in a grand gesture. He gazed down at the maroon bedspread with a smile before he walked over to the small couch and pulled off the sheet covering it. Mike pulled the drapes away from the windows and gasped at the view. She could see the jagged cliffs on the other side of the island, the waves crashing against the rocks.

"How well do you know this Leigh person?" JC inquired as he walked over to the bed, setting his bag down on top of it so he could unpack.

"Well enough to know that she's not going to murder us while we're sleeping." Mike teased, walking over to him with a smile.

"Ha ha, very funny." JC rolled his eyes, unzipping his bag. Mike laughed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind.

"Well, what do you want me to say? I've known her for years."

"I don't know. Something more reassuring and less sarcastic. I mean, we've never met the woman before." he shrugged, taking a seat on the bed. He pulled Mike down onto his lap with a laugh. "You have to admit that meeting her for the first time this way is a bit strange."

"Yes, but everything about our lives is strange. Why should this be any different?" Mike raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's so strange about our lives?" he pushed her down onto the matress, grabbing a pillow.

"Oh, come on!" Mike exclaimed loudly. "You are a male pop star that has been stalked by girls in the age bracket of ten to fourteen. I am the girlfriend you can't admit to having. That's not strange? At least Brian was allowed to admit that he was dating someone."

"You had to bring up the Backstreet Boys, didn't you?" JC groaned, flopping down on the bed beside her.

"Only to get a point across." Mike commented with a soft laugh. Just then a loud groan sounded on the floor above them, causing the couple to fall silent. JC gazed over at Mike with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, I give. What was that?" he questioned, climbing to his feet.

"The ghost. Let's go check it out." Mike grinned, bolting for the door. JC reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her up short.

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow. Besides, its time to go downstairs and meet the others." he scolded her playfully. Mike sighed with a nod, walking toward the door again.

"You coming?" she glanced behind her shoulder. JC was nowhere in sight. She sighed shaking her head with an amused smile.

"JC? This is so not funny. Come on." she called out, glancing around the room. Not a sound issued from the corners. "Alright. You're on your own."

Mike stepped out into the hallway and started walking down the hallway to the main staircase. She had the strangest feeling that she was being watched. She glanced behind her shoulder, her skin crawling with goosebumps. She turned in a slow circle, looking for anything out of place. Nothing seemed to be out of place to her untrained eye. She had never been in the house before, so she would have no clue if anything was missing or moved. She shook her head with a snort.

"You're losing it, girl. All those ghost stories as a child are coming back with a vengeance." she muttered to herself as she took one last look around before she turned back and headed for the staircase again. She heard a noise behind her and she froze with a groan.

"It's just the house settling. God, Mike, when did you turn into a wuss?" she scolded herself, refusing to turn around and investigate the sound. She stopped at the top of the stairs and sighed. She had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her. She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling but not succeeding. She almost wished Leigh was around to walk downstairs with her. She shook her head again with a laugh and glanced over her shoulder. Her heart leapt into her throat and a scream died on her lips.

"JC!" she yelped, punching him in the shoulder. "You damn fool! You scared the hell outta me!"

"I know." he smiled as she punched him a couple more times for good measure.

"You big poophead!" she shoved him with a laugh. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

"What happened to the chick who loved horror movies?" he raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"She's still here and ready to box your ears." she stated flippantly as she started down the stairs.

"Tough words for such a small girl." JC snorted, following right behind her. She spun on her heel, eye glimmering with angry humor.

"You think?" Mike demanded with a smile.

"I know." he shook his head, baiting her. She reached out and gave him another shove and he grabbed her hands, holding them behind her back with a smile.

"You were saying?" he teased softly. She sighed with a shake of her head.

"Someone's sleeping on the couch tonight." she mumured.

"No I'm not." he shook his head cockily. "You can't resist me."

"Oh, I can't?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Not with my boyish good looks and sauve charm." he countered with a laugh.

"You've got to be kidding me." she groaned loudly as he leaned her back against the wall.

"I see I need to prove it to you, then." he grinned down at her, his lips a breath from hers. She opened her mouth for a rebuke and instead got a mind numbing kiss. After a moment, he pulled away from her with a smile.

"Admit I'm right." he whispered.

"I have the same affect on you, so I don't have to admit anything." she snorted with a shake of her head. They heard loud clapping and both glanced down the staircase and saw Justin, Joe and Chris standing on the second floor landing applauding their performance. Mike's face heated to a bright red color as she hide her face in JC's shirt. JC laughed as he released his girlfriend.

"Thank you. We perform nightly at the third floor landing. Tips and monitary payment are accepted." JC shouted as the couple walked down to meet their friends. Mike rolled her eyes as Justin let out a loud catcall. The five of them walked down to the first floor and into the rather large living room. Most everyone was lounging on the couches and chairs strewn about the room.

"What's the plan for tonight?" JC inquired as he and Mike sat down in an overstuffed chair.

"Well, there's really not a whole lot of food in the house, but the guys get to cook tonight. The ladies get the night off." Leigh grinned as she sipped a glass on wine, a fire glowing in the fire place.

"Oh we are, are we?" Justin raised an amused eyebrow.

"That's what I just said." Leigh nodded, tossing a wink at Mike, who laughed softly with a shake of her head.

"Are you sure you want to let them loose in the kitchen. I mean, they have trouble making Kool-Aide." Mike giggled, raising an eyebrow. JC let a out a cry of outrage.

"I will make you eat those words." he told her with mock severity.

"It'll probably be the only thing edible." Mike countered, folding her arms across her chest as the other women either coughed to cover their laughter or held a hand to their face to hide their smiles.

"Well just see, won't we?" JC grumbled as he disappeared from the room. Reluctantly, the other men followed him, heads hanging and acting like they were on the long walk to the executioner. Leigh shook her head with an amused smile.

"Okay, y'all can go and explore this place if you want to. I think I'm going to stay here and relax for a while." Leigh mumbled, eyes closing as Mike jumped to her feet.

"Devon, care to explore with me?" she raised an eyebrow at her older cousin. Devon sighed with a smile.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Hey, I wanna explore too." Katie pouted slightly, lower lip protruding.

"Well, come on then." Mike wiggled her eyebrows at the youngest girl. "Anyone else game?"

The rest of the ladies shook their heads. Mike shrugged her shoulders and left the room, Devon and Katie following behind her. They all peeked into the kitchen before they headed up the stairs. The guys were all giving JC a hard time about cooking something that was worth eating. Mike shook her head with a soft laugh. When they were finally up on the third floor, they all decided to go up into the attic to see what kinds of things had been stored there over the years. Devon opened the door and everyone immediately started coughing.

"God, it smells like someone died up there." Katie grumbled, holding a hand in front of her nose and mouth. They braved the stench and climbed up the narrow ladder that lead up into the attic. No light whatsoever made it into the room through the thick coat of dust covering all of the windows. They shuffled around the room, Devon running her hand along the wall, trying to find a light switch or something to that affect. She sighed when her hand came into contact with a huge spider web.

"Okay, this isn't as fun as I would have hoped." Devon mumbled loud enough for the other girls to hear her.

"Dev, come on. You've never been a wuss before." Mike sdmonished playfully as she wiped the dust off one of the windows with a sheet that had covered a piece of furniture. A small ray of light filtered in through the small circle, illuminating very litte yet enough for Devon to find the ancient light switch. A couple of dim light bulbs exploded into light, illuminating the whole room. Boxes and crates were strewn everywhere with manaquins and dressers filled with old, moth-eaten clothing.

"Talk about haunted house." Katie mumbled as she took a look around. "Some of this stuff is older than my grandmother."

"Too true." Mike nodded as she opened one of the crates to see what was inside. Old dishes and a box of silver rested inside the crate, brown and tarnished wit time. She set the lid on top of the crate and moved on to the next, totally intralled in the history caught in these crates and boxes. Devon stood off to the side, hands on her hips, a look of utter dismay on her face.

"This is....grungy." she finally stated to everyone in the room.

"Yes, but, it's also historical." Mike ammended as she opened another crate. Katie had opened on of the tall standing closets. She gasped loudly, drawing everyone's attention to what she had just uncovered. Mike climbed to her feet, clapping the dust off her hands as Katie pulled out a beautiful ball gown. It had long since faded with time, but it was still a startling blue color. Beside it was an officer's dress uniform from the Civil War. It looked to be a part of the Confederate uniform. Mike pulled out the uniform, examining it carefully. It had the stripes of a highly ranked officer and the name Thornstone was sewn onto the left breast. Mike shook her head with amazement.

"This is absolutely wonderful." Mike whispered, taking a closer look at the uniform she held in her hands.

"So glad you found something that interests you, but this is quite boring for me. I'm gonna head back downstairs and see how the guys are faring in the kitchen." Devon rolled her eyes with a rueful smile.

"Alright." Mike nodded distractedly as she hung the uniform up again and continued to search the closet for anything else of interest.

"I'm gonna go with Devon. You'll be down shortly?" Katie headed toward the small ladder.

"Yeah." Mike nodded, not really paying attention to what the two women had said. Devon and Katie shook their heads with soft laughter as they climbed down to the third floor hallway.

"I don't know about you, but this house gives me the creeps." Katie mumbled, rubbing her arms for warmth because a chill had set into the house.

"I know what you mean. But I'm sure its all just myth. I mean, this house can't really be haunted. There's no such thing." Devon stuttered, quickening her pace down the stairs.

"What about the house in Ammittyville?" Katie raised a delicate eyebrow as she too, quickened her pace to keep up with the older woman.

"Freak of nature. A hoax. Something that has become a legend so children won't break into old rundown houses." Devon suggested with a shrug as the two now practically ran down the rest of the stairs.

"Yeah right. You don't really believe that, do you?" Katie snorted, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Not one word of it." Devon shook her head as the pair burst into the kitchen, startling all the men from their tasks.

"What happened to you?" Justin raised an eyebrow at them in amusement.

"Uh....nothing." Katie shook her head nervously.

"Okay, that was believable." Justin nodded with a smirk. "Ten to one y'all got scared and wanted the company of a couple of strong men."

"Excuse me?" Devon snorted, making a face at the younger man. "You wouldn't be able to protect us even if you had an instruction manual."

Justin stuck his tongue out at her as he continued searching the cupboards for what canned food there was in the houe, Katie giggling the whole time. JC shook his head from his position in front of the fridge. Chris walked over to Devon with a smile.

"Come on, tell the truth. You two started talking about something and scared yourselves." he stated softly so only she could hear.

"Guilty as charged." Devon hung her head, a blush tinting her cheeks a bright rosey color. Chris laughed softly, placing a sound kiss on her cheek.

"Don't worry. I won't tell if you won't. You want to stay here and help us poor souls cook dinner for everyone?" he inquired, gazing down at his girlfriend as Rachel, Leigh and Ashley stepped into the kitchen, laughing over a story Leigh had been regaling them with.

"Sure." Devon nodded with a soft smile.

"You guys haven't started yet?" Ashley demanded with a laugh.

"Well, do you see anything simmering on the stove? Do you see any of us preparing anything to be cooked?" Justin countered sarcastically as he slammed the cupboard door shut.

"Justin, don't make me hurt you." Ashley warned, shooting daggars at him with her eyes. Katie walked over to Justin and placed a hand on his chest.

"Stop that. No bad moods on this vacation." she admonished with a gentle smile. Justin sighed, showing a smile himself.

"Uh, guys?" JC inquired suddenly. "Where's Mike?"

"Upstairs in the attic." Devon answered as she and Rachel searched for something easy to cook for dinner.

"Why is she up there?" JC countered, raising an eyebrow.

"She wanted to go exploring. We went up there and she found a bunch of old clothes and stuff. Got pretty interested in it." Devon shrugged, causing Leigh to laugh.

"The attic has been the home for everything that went out of style for almost eighty years." she told everyone.

"I don't think I like the idea of her being alone up there." JC shook his head, worry lines creasing his forehead.

"She'll be alright." Leigh promised him with a smile.

Mike lifted a candle stick that was placed on the mantle of an old fireplace with the intentions of lighting it, but a loud noise filled the room. It sounded like a rumbling, almost like an earthquake. The fireplace started shifting to one side, opening to a small hallway. Mike laughed softly to herself with a shake of her head.

"No way. This is too cool."

She glanced around for another candle or something to light her way through the passage to wherever it would take her. She finally found an oil lamp and lit it. When it gave off enough light to satisfy her, she stepped inside the passage way and started walking. Mice scrambled out of her way and cobwebs filled the hallway. She groaned, trying to dodge the cobwebs the best she could. After walking straight for a few feet, she came to a set of stairs. She stood at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, debating on whether or not she wanted to pursue. She glanced around, swearing that someone was watching her, but it was impossible because she was the only one there. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one had come up to the attic. Nothing was there but the shadows.

"You're losing it, Mike. Just your imagination and too many horror movies." she scolded herself softly as she carefully walked down the set of stairs. The whole passageway was a labrynth of sorts, leading to different areas of the house. Some of the passageways, though, were devoid of the tell-tale signs of time. There were no cobwebs and no dust. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed a couple of blankets on the floor in a makeshift bed. A door opened in front of her and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She shook her head with a groan as she stepped through the doorway. She was now back in the room she and JC were sharing. The door closed immediately behind her, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

The dinner was almost ready and all they were really waiting on was Mike and Leigh. Mike was still up in the attic for all they knew and Leigh had gone outside to get some firewood for the living room. Suddenly the house filled with an ear piercing scream and eveyone paled.

"Mike?" JC shouted as he and the others head to the stairs.

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