Chapter 1
I glanced down at the paper one more time. 1700 Memento Mori Street, this is the place. I looked up at the house, a small shudder creeping up my spine. The house itself was a lone mini-mansion the stood over the rest of the houses. The hill was covered with dead grass and trees, making it look like it popped out of a horror movie. I read over the letter again:
Dear Guest,
You are formally invited to attend a small get together at 1700 Memento Mori Street. 7 other people will also be in attendance. You will be treated to a small feast with all the food you could possibly imagine. That night, you will rest in individual rooms, each with four-poster beds and a dresser with a generous amount of spare clothes. After words, you will all receive a small sum of wealth that you can use to your heart’s desire.
Sadly, there is but one catch. In order to make certain that you are worthy of such gifts, we will have to play a little game. The information on the game will be after you have all feasted, rested, and are ready to participate.
Can’t wait to see you,
Mr. E
A sigh escaped my throat as I walked up the hill. The letter came in the mail about a week ago, telling me where, when, and how this “Mr. E” planned to have this party go. As much as I’d love to just skip this whole thing over, an opportunity for free food was too good to pass up.
I walked up to the door and noticed all the detailing. On the door was a silver lion head, holding a ring in its mouth. The very thing frayed my nerves even more than before. The door knob was at least pretty. It was silver, like the lion, and had a flower-like design. It at least gave some sort of comfort.
Slowly, I gripped the handle and turned it. The door opened with a creepy, long creek. I swallowed some bile as I headed inside. The inside decorations were extraordinary, and that was putting it mildly. Unlike the outside, the inside had polished hard-wood flooring with a lime-green rug in the hallway. The staircase, set off to the right, had also been clad with lime-green carpeting. The walls were decorated with soft wood paneling, the occasional painting showing off its colors. The ceiling held a large, glittering chandelier, reflecting beautifully.
This place looks like a freaking palace! I looked around the foyer, marveling at the pure beauty of it all. Walking to the center of the carpet, I looked up at the chandelier above, awe struck.
“Looks like the last guest is here” A voice behind me stated. I jumped and turned around, getting into a defensive position. The person before me was a male in his early-mid 30’s. He had a bit of a square jaw, making him look a tiny bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger. His golden brown hair hung loose from his ears, and his eyes were a sparkling blue. His clothes were a black tailcoat, purple tie, dark grey vest, black slacks, and black dress shoes. I dropped the defenses and stood a bit more properly.
“I apologize,” He said, “I had no intention of frightening you, young miss. Please. Follow me to the dining hall”
I nodded and let him lead. He guided me through the central hallway, which I estimate is the way to the dining hall.
“Thank you, sir” I said politely.
“Please, call me Mr. Wolf” The man, Mr. Wolf, asked of me. I smiled and agreed.
Mr. Wolf turned into a doorway, a huge banquet waiting on the other side. Just as the letter said, seven other people were here on invitation of our host, Mr. E. Only three of them actually caught my Attention. One of them was a boy about my age with jet black hair and mischievous blue eyes. He was wearing a loose black sweatshirt with a dark grey t-shirt underneath it. He was currently tearing away at a turkey leg like a ravenous bear. I rolled my eyes at his actions.
The other was a female that had to be in her early 20’s with short brown hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Her eyes held a serious tone in blue shading. She was wearing a pink tank top under a sky blue shrug and a necklace of some sort that had a ruby-like gem in the middle of a gold pendant, tied together with a dark purple ribbon. She was eating a salad slowly, as if she was calculating each bite she took.
The last was the one that scared me. It was a man that was in his mid 30’s, dressed in tan formal-wear, like a lawyer or business man. His forest green eyes were locked in a cold, dead stare to the food in front of him, almost as if he hated eating. His dark copper hair was well brushed and overly groomed, as any business man with an ego ever.
Mr. Wolf led me to the only open chair left, one next to the lawyer/business tycoon. The formally dressed man glanced over at me as I sat down. Afterwards, he looked back at his meal, deciding to focus on that instead. Tensely, I picked up a burger and took a fearful bite.
After the meal, Mr. Wolf asked us to introduce ourselves and say one thing to describe us. One by one, we each gave our names and some pointless information. It was the boys turn, so he smirked and excitedly exclaimed, “My names Darien Salvic, and I love to wrestle!” I smiled at him while I rolled my eyes again. He’ll at least be fun to hang with.
Next up was the woman, standing up in a calm manner. “My name is Alicia Bain, and I just came here from England” She stated, an English accent evident in her voice. Wow, she’s really from England? Now I really want to get to know her.
The business man was after her. Scuffing, he stood like everyone else. “My name is Eric Black III, CEO of Black enterprises” He Egotistically stated, “My business has been in standing for 27 consecutive years of service”
Crap, now it was my turn. Shaking slightly, I stood up. All of the eyes on me, especially Black’s, made me scared beyond belief. “M-my name is M-Melony Parker, and I-I like forensics” I stuttered out. Fearfully, I sat back down. I cursed under my breath for acting so meek in front of everyone. It’s always like this when I’m in front of people. My nerves get the better of me and I make myself look like a complete fool.
After my fail of an introduction, everyone was led to the second floor. It was like the first floor, hard wood with lime-green carpeting, wood paneling, and random paintings on the wall. The only difference was the artificial plants that were hanging over head instead of a chandelier. To be fair, the chandelier was huge and the hallway wasn’t as big as the foyer.
Each of us was escorted to a room, like promised, everyone creepily getting the room of their favorite color/colors. Whoever Mr. E is, he knows a bit of creepy info. From the end of the hall, I could hear Darien jumping on his bed. After another eye roll, I went into the room Mr. Wolf gave me. Just like the other rooms, mine was painted my favorite color, sky blue. It was pretty barren, only a desk, dresser, bed, mirror, and window. Then again, the barrenness makes it kind of cozy.
Looking at the clock, I discovered it was 10:34, half an hour after my usual time. As a yawn escaped my lips, I decided to turn in for the night. If what Mr. E wrote true, then that means he gave us all back up PJ’s. Sure enough, a comfy pair of black yoga pants and dark blue t-shirt awaited me. After getting dressed up, someone knocked on the door. Cautiously, I opened it.
The person on the other side was Alicia, wearing hot pink shorts and a dark purple sleeveless loose top. Quickly, she pushed me back into the room and shut the door. After locking the door, she looked over at me.
“Ms. Parker,” She asked, “Have you noticed something… off about all of this?” Now that she mentioned it, I did find it odd that Mr. E hasn’t shown himself to us all night. That and Mr. E somehow knew all of our favorite colors.
After voicing these to her, Alicia looked grimly out the window. “As I suspected,” She stated, “This ‘Mr. E’ is planning something, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it has to do with tomorrow's ‘game’” She had a point, this is all pretty weird. Another yawn was let loose, signaling I needed sleep.
“Alright, Ms. Parker, I’ll let you sleep” She stated, getting back to the door. “But remember,” Alicia turned to me on last time for emphasis, “We’re going to have to be careful tomorrow, who knows what Mr. E is planning” She left my room, closing the door as quietly as possible.
After everything with Alicia, I’m ready for a good night’s sleep. I snuggled into bed, thinking random things.
Before I was sent into a pleasant dream, I remembered something from the fifth Series of Unfortunate Events book.
“Memento Mori” is Latin for “Remember, you will die”
