Chapter 2: The Mystery of the Marshall Mansion

Chase’s P.O.V

The hallway felt like it was closing in around me, the air thick with the aftershocks of the morning. My ribs still ached from the earlier beating, but I tried not to focus on it. I couldn’t, of course—my mind was just too busy replaying everything that happened.

I had never thought high school would be this miserable.

At least I had Lucia and Keith walking beside me. It was strange, the way they both seemed so much more at ease in this place than I felt. Maybe it was because they actually had friends—people who cared about them—but all I had was an uncomfortable house and a stepfamily that acted like I wasn’t even there.

Lucia, with her fiery red hair and piercing green eyes, was still unusually quiet as we walked, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. She kept glancing at me, but when she caught my eyes, she would look away quickly, as though there was something she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to.

I couldn’t take the silence anymore, so I broke it.

“Hey, is everything alright?”

Lucia stopped walking, and so did Keith.

“Your step-brother, Alex,” she started, “he’s in the same class as you, right?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Why?”

She seemed to hesitate, biting her lip before asking, “Then why didn’t he help you back there?”

I almost laughed, but it came out hollow and bitter. I shrugged, the motion too casual for how I actually felt. “Because Alex is an asshole. That’s why.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t seem surprised. Keith, on the other hand, shifted uncomfortably, clearly unsure whether he should be involved in this conversation. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to be either.

“Why do you say that?” Lucia pressed, genuinely curious now.

I scoffed. “Since the moment I stepped into that damn mansion, he’s been acting like I don’t even exist. I don’t expect him to be all buddy-buddy with me, but when I’m getting beaten up in the hall, the least he could do is… I don’t know. Maybe do something?”

“I get it,” she said slowly. “Alex is… complicated. He’s not exactly friendly to anyone, and he doesn’t like getting involved in other people’s problems. It’s not personal.”

“Not personal? That’s a load of crap. He was just standing there, watching me get punched like it was some kind of show.”

“He’s like that with everyone,” Lucia added, as if that explained it. “He doesn’t like people. He’s just… a loner. You can’t take it to heart. He’s not trying to be cruel.”

I stopped, taking a shaky breath. Thinking about Alex’s blank and empty face made me mad all over again, it made me want to punch him right in the face. “I didn’t ask for this, you know? Moving here, getting a new family it all happened so fast. And now I’m stuck with this… ice king who acts like I’m not even there. What the heck?”

Lucia nods slowly, her face softening. “Alex isn’t big on people, he just loves keeping to himself, loves being that one person who sees others as noise,” she says gently. “He’s… private. Always keeps to himself, doesn’t talk to anyone. It’s not just you, it’s how he is. Don’t take it too personal buddy, okay?” She touches my arm lightly, and it feels nice, like she gets it Right. “He’s always been… different.”

                       

Keith jumps in, trying to make it lighter and to also cheer up my mood, but his voice sounds awkward. “Yeah, Alex is like a ghost. You see him, but he’s not really there, you know?” He laughs nervously, like he’s covering something up. “Maybe he just didn’t want to deal with it. Some people hate fights. Don’t stress about it.”

I crossed my arms, not buying it, not believing any of their word's, I knew deep down that they are keeping something from me, I could feel it in my bones. “Easy for you to say. You don’t live with him. It sucks having someone who’s supposed to be family treat you like you’re invisible, treat you like you are thrash.” I kicked a pebble down the hall. “What’s his deal? Does he hate me that much? Did I did something to him? Why’s he like that?”

I look at them, waiting for something real, for raw answers, searching their faces. “Am I overreacting? Expecting too much from him?”

Lucia smiles, trying to calm me down, but I caught something in her eyes, like she’s hiding stuff. “Don’t worry about Alex too much, okay? He’s just… complicated, confused and many more. There’s stuff you don’t get yet. Give him time and don’t let him get to you.”

She waits a second, then changes the subject. “Anyway, let’s forget him for now. We’ll help you find your next class. What’s on your schedule?”

I pulled out my wrinkled paper. “History with Mr. Abernathy.”

“Cool, we’ll walk you there,” Keith says, patting my back a little too hard, like I was a kid and not the one who had just stepped up to save his ass. “We’re your official guides now, you don't have to fret. We know all the shortcuts and the best spots to hide if you wanna ditch class.” He winks, joking around.

As we walk through the halls, they start asking me stuff about Minneapolis, my old school, my friends, what sports I like. It’s nice as it pulls me out of my head. The tension starts to fade away gradually, and I even crack a few jokes that make them laugh.

“So, you played football, right?” Keith asks, his eyes lighting up. “What position?”

“Quarterback,” I say, a little proud of my wing. “I wasn’t half bad, if I do say to myself.”

“You should try out here,” Lucia says. “Our team sucks lately. We need a good quarterback, someone who can play it really well.”

“Maybe,” I say, shrugging. “I’m not ready to jump into anything yet. I need to settle in first to figure out this place. New houses take time breaking into and the Marshall mansion isn't exactly very welcoming.”

As we walked to my next class, Keith asked me a question I wasn’t expecting. “So… how’s your mom doing with all this? The move, I mean. Is she happy?”

I thought about that for a moment. It was hard to say. “Yeah, she seems happy enough. She’s got this new life, and I guess I’m happy for her. It’s just… I don’t know. It’s different.”

Keith nodded, understanding, but Lucia spoke up before I could go on.

“You don’t like the Marshall mansion, do you?”

I froze for a second. “How did you know?”

Lucia glanced at me with a faint smile. “I can tell. You’ve got that look in your eyes. Like something’s wrong, but you can’t quite put your finger on it.”

I laughed, but it was a nervous sound. “I don’t know what it is. Every time I’m there, it just… doesn’t feel right. The place is too cold. It’s like it’s alive in some way, watching me. I can’t explain it. . It’s huge, dark, and full of weird stuff like dead animal heads on the walls and creepy paintings that stare at you. I always feel watched, even when I’m alone. It’s like the house is alive or something.”

Keith shuddered. “I’ve heard stories. The Marshall mansion is over two hundred years old, and people say there’s something weird about it. Like the house itself is cursed or something.”

“I can’t tell if it’s the house that’s messed up or the people in it,” I muttered under my breath.

“The Marshalls are a strange family, I’ll give you that. But trust me, there’s more to that mansion than meets the eye,” Lucia said cryptically.

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I didn’t. It was clear that Lucia knew something I didn’t, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to find out.

We neared the stairs, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. The stairs leading up to the second floor always made me feel uneasy, like I was walking into some kind of trap. Maybe it was just the old architecture, the way the wooden banister creaked under pressure, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was always just watching.

Then, without warning, I felt a sharp shove from behind.

I didn’t have time to react. My foot slipped off the edge of the stairs, and I went tumbling forward. My body slammed into the steps, and my head hit the stone hard enough that I could feel the sharp pain shoot through my skull. Blood welled up from the gash on my forehead, trickling down my face in a hot, sticky mess.

From above, I heard the unmistakable sound of laughter—loud, mocking. I couldn’t make out the words, but I didn’t need to. It was the same group of assholes who had been bullying me earlier.

I blinked through the pain, my vision swimming. My body felt heavy, like I was sinking into the floor.

And then, I looked up.

Everything seemed to change.