Scene 3: The Ceremony

The women look worried as they realize Elias' direct challenge. "Come with us young mistress. Come, step away from this brute and lets end this curse."

Elias is infuriated by the woman's insistence and quickly turns to one side and another as if waiting for some invisible presence to confirm what had to be done. "Sister, don't listen to this non sense. Don't trust those witches! The family needs you here. Our family"

Claire tries to stay strong, to keep her position, shielding the witches from Elias' attack while she considers everyone's words.

"Leave them alone!" Claire screams at Elias. "I'm not going to let you hurt them. I..." She glances back over her shoulder at the three beautiful women, then turns her eyes back to Elias. "I'm going with them and you can't stop me!" Her fierce expression softens a bit. "Please don't try to stop me, Elias. This place, it's evil. We should all leave and never look back."

Nathaniel is leaning against a wall, watching the exchange between the witches and his cousins. He wasn't sure what cousin was correct, but had an inkling Claire was the key here. "Elias, I don't know if this place is 'evil' or if we are cursed, but peculiar things are happening here, and if these ladies can help end it, please let Claire try." he then moves to stand between the two siblings, although he's not sure he could stop Elias if he tried.

"These witches can't help! They will ruin everything". Noticing how it Elias until is sister is "safe", the blond woman pushes Nathaniel back. The other two women quickly take you away from the room as you sense some strange magical changes.

One glance back is enough for you to see the blond woman's dropping her illusion, reveling the mystical runes painted all over her skin. "I sense dead surrounding you boy. Let them have their peace". Those are the last words you hear before you leave the manor...





Once outside, the red-headed woman turns to Nathanial and Claire and points to the graveyard "Come, we must find the door which has been open"

As the two women are taking Claire and Nathaniel back to the graveyard, Alexander suddenly runs out of the main door, catching up with them!

"What door?" Claire asks, though she doesn't slow down and continues to follow the women towards the graveyard. She looks back when Alexander catches up with them, but waits for him to speak first.

"Well, if they, uh, are talking along the same narrative as the Caretaker, then this perhaps may be a metaphorical door to the afterlife." Nathaniel says. Pausing in thought to wonder if Claire's schooling has covered what metaphors are yet.

Alexander doesn't speak for a long moment. Finally, he addresses Claire, his tone still short and hurt: "Cousin. I found Elias. He seems to be lost in another world, at least his mind does." The man's shadow seems to move on its own, stretching toward one of the witches. "I suppose we can see what these women have in mind for us then."

"He was behaving strangely..." is all that Claire says in response to her cousin. They continue to follow the witches.

Listening to Nathaniel's hypothesis, the red-haired woman nods in agreement. "We protect the barrier between the this world and the spirit world" she starts explaining (finally!). "A growing unrest among the spirits was sensed ten cycles ago. Since then, we have been trying to find the cause."

The raven haired woman points back to the manor. "Something there is causing it" They start walking back to the graveyard.

"I'm no powerful witch," Claire says, sticking close to the two women. "I'm just Claire. But if I can help in any way, I want to. Just tell me what to do." She hesitates before adding, "And... and I think I would like to join you. For good. I love my family, but..." She looks at her cousins and suddenly looks rather sheepish. She thinks back to the moment when they all forgot she was even there, when nobody - including herself - remembered her birthday. But also further back, to when she was sent to Riverlight Manor to be properly trained, to being told that she would have to find a husband and to the revulsion that thought wakes in her. "...but I don't think my place is with them."

Alexander pauses at Claire's pronouncement. He feels a sense of... loss? It is hard to pin down, filled as he is with both anger, hurt, and fondness for his cousin. But then he notices the women walking toward the graveyard. "Beg pardon, but I think what you're looking for is this way in the old tree."