Story16 Jan 2009 07:34 pm

After the fork, it didn’t take too much longer down the road – which fortunately went along without offering any further rights or lefts – to get to a single drive, with a single mailbox, and a single camp light, swinging in good faith to show them the way.

Rowen turned to her roommate and grinned.  She was excited, and not just because the way ahead promised a meal and a bunk for the night, but because it promised her brother, and that oft-sought after feeling of contentment she experienced when she was home – Home, of course, being wherever her brother was, not a building.

Her roommate chuckled quietly, Rowen’s happy and infallible excitement catching.

“Here, here, here!” she practically sang as he pressed the brake peddle and shifted the car into park.  He nodded unnecessarily, a thoroughly bemused expression on his face as she fairly leapt out of the vehicle.  At the same time, the door to the small and slightly out of shape manor burst open and a man strode forth and captured her in his arms with a giant bear hug.  Even without the greeting, one would have assumed he was her brother, due to the shared trait of shiny copper hair which was glinting in the light that spilled out from the open doorway.

“Oh my God, Rook!” Rowen practically squealed as he released her from his hug, “I can’t believe you paid money for this dump!” She grinned, a bright glint in her eyes and Rook laughed, easily seeing the curiosity and anticipation practically radiating from his sister.  She didn’t fool him for a minute – she loved it.

Another car door slammed, and Rowen almost jumped. “Oh geez,” she mumbled with a slight cringe – she’d all but forgotten her roommate.  The sound of muttered malediction was rapidly followed by the sound of boots squelching through mud.  A Californian at heart, this was almost virgin territory for him – her roommate was not used to this kind of weather.  She hurried to his side as he opened the trunk of the car to retrieve their luggage, feeling somewhat guilty.  Rook followed languidly over, showing no notice for the howling wind and rain that whipped over him and through the flimsy excuse for a coat he was wearing.

“Rook, this is Charlie,” Rowen said, almost proudly, “my roommate.”  Charlie paused good-naturedly in his current task to grasp Rook’s hand and shake.

“Hey,” Charlie said.

“Hey,” Rook said.

Rowen rolled her eyes. Well, at least one wasn’t trying to interrogate the other, right?  Men.

Formalities over, the two men grabbed the few suitcases – each much heavier than it should be, in their unspoken yet mutual opinion, and Rowen shut the door to the trunk.  They clambered up the three steps, and Charlie let out a quiet sigh of relief when Rowen closed the door behind them as they stepped inside, shutting out the almost wintry chill.  He was drenched already, and they’d only been exposed to the elements for a few minutes.

Rook heard his sigh and grinned in his direction.  “Lovely weather we’re having, yeah?”

Charlie blinked for a second, looking for any trace of sarcasm in Rook’s face.  There wasn’t any.  Unusual, Rowen had said.  Huh.  Charlie shrugged his shoulders in response, favoring ambiguity over agreement in this case.  It didn’t matter; Rook had already matched pace with his sister.

“So, did you have any trouble finding the place?” He asked her, leading her up a set of stairs.

Rowen smiled.  “Course not, thanks to your cheeky note.”

Rook paused on a step and thought.  “What note?”

She sighed, moving up the steps ahead of him.  “You’re hilarious. The note you left me.”

Rook shrugged and followed her.  “I didn’t leave any notes.”

His sister kept climbing the stairs, choosing to ignore the comment.  Sometimes her brother could have an odd sense of humour, and being here, almost alone, probably wasn’t helping.  They reached the landing and she glanced at him sidelong.  “So…how’s the thesis coming?”

“That’s not funny,” Rook responded with a half-smile.

“That’s what I thought,” Rowen answered with a knowing smile, tinted with amusement.  They proceeded down the hall, and Rowen forgot to keep up the banter for a moment.  The hall was faced with wood, making it darker than it otherwise would have been, and the wind and rain on the roof only added to the atmosphere. She’d been here before, but the combined elements of the weather and knowing she would actually be staying here, this time for more than a single night, added a sense of romantic eeriness to the air that transformed the manor completely in her mind.  Rowen’s fingers were practically tingling with the desire to open each door and inspect each pane of wood.

Charlie caught up with her and nudged her slightly with his elbow.  “Just like the movies,” he muttered with a grin, momentarily breaking the spell Rowen had found herself under.

She smiled back, “Sure, if you like that sort of thing.”

They’d stopped at a room near the end of the corridor.  Rook gestured grandly.  “Your room, my dear,” he said with a lopsided grin.  Rowen chuckled and went inside, Charlie following with her suitcase. It was small, but large enough to house a full bed – thankfully – and a dresser.  There was a window, too, and outside a tree loomed.  It looked very much like every scary shadow tree ever seen in any bad dream.  Its tangled branches even scraped across the window, making a tinny sort of sound, like someone was throwing bottle caps at the glass.  Rowen loved it.

“And for the gentleman,” Rook continued, a hint of emphasis on the word ‘gentleman,’ “The suite across the hall.”
Charlie lifted a brow in Rowen’s direction, noting her brother’s foretold unusual behavior with an amused smile, and left her suitcase to check out his own accommodations.

Guests settled securely in their respective quarters, Rook grinned, enjoying his playacting.  “Dinner will be served promptly…whenever you make it yourselves.”

Rowen laughed and gave her brother a good-natured shove.  “I hope you have more than chocolate pudding cups in your fridge this time.”