The Sins of the Father [Kassyghost/Knightwatch]

[Knightwatch]

"Woah...it's uh, it's nice?"

You had to be fucking kidding. Jamie's forced optimism sounded hollow even to the young man's ears, and he could see even from the backseat the blanching of his father's face. The older man's gazed was fixed on the looming object which seemed ready even now to collapse into the earth. The building visibly sagged, bowing inwards at the center to give the structure a wicked grin that projected across the courtyard as if it may rise up on its own and snatch the Lincoln.

"It's a fixer-upper," Hector Hannigan replied, dry-mouthed. He felt like Renfield, approaching Dracula's castle. Hell, it was as if just seeing the damned thing had shaved ten years off of his life and at 60, that hardly did him any favors. "You've got to be fucking with me." he muttered, as a wizened, menacing old man hobbled outside in a butler's outfit a few decades out of style. They had only just inherited the estate from his great uncle. Some sort of leasing issue that had to be resolved before it could finally come to them again. So Hector had thought, why not move up in life? He rolled down the electric window as the man approached and he could swear on a stack of Playboys that the sky darkened ominously.

"How may I help you, Master?" the butler wheezed, a withered husk of a man whom Hector rather suspected would exhale clouds of dust rather than breath.

"W-well, we- I mean I -recently inherited 5806 Hornidon Way." the father managed, though it felt as if his wind pipe was shutting the emergency gates to prevent him from making a huge mistake. The old man stared at his with glassy eyes. Jowls vibrating with some suppressed emotion.

"This is Hornyton Dr." he corrected. "Hornidon Way is closer to the city." Collectively the car released a sigh of repressed tension.

"Oh! Well I'm very sorry to have bothered you." Hector replied, taken aback by the revelation before glancing back at his son. "You put in the wrong name."

"Sorry, sorry, do you still have the papers? Maybe the address is on that." Jamie offered,opening the center console and inputting the corrected directions. The old man, however, clearly saw this as his time to shine. Or, well, to gleam dully.

"Well, you just have to head down Wharf St., then take a left at the old shoe store. Then, you go past where the Target used to be-"

"Oh, thank you but we actually have Google m-" Hector tried to interject.

"You keep heading until you get to the old tire swing-"

"I can actually just put it in my ph-"

"So you want to try and get onto the highway-" The old butler lifted on his tip toes as the window rolled up, as if hurtling his last few words over the threshold as the soothing electronic voice severed their human contact and further atrophied what little navigational skills Mr. Hannigan could have claimed in his youth. Before long they were on the road once again.

"We're lucky," Jamie chuckled, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "That place was definitely haunted."

Their next stop, fortunately, was only an hour further. An impressive, renovated estate, equipped for a more modern lineage. Hector stepped from his car, a little stiff after such a long trip and tried to fix his salt-and-pepper hair in a more dignified manner in the side mirror. It wasn't as if anyone was going to be greeting them, but he was sure his wife would be eager to take pictures of the family all together in their new home, even if the moving truck wouldn't be there with their actually stuff until tomorrow. The lines in his face only served to accentuate his naturally good looks...at least that's what he told himself. Ignoring the few places he'd begun to sag a little more than common denial could account for.

His son, however, still had his youthful features. Thick, black hair, an angular, severe face that, while not conventionally handsome didn't have to be. He was rich! Just starting college next year made that quite the benefit. Together they gathered outside of the car, as if for roll call before making their way towards this new marvel: Their new home.

 

[Kassyghost]

Sasha Hannigan sat in the passenger seat staring out at the dilapidated mansion as her son Jamie made jokes with is father about the state of the property. She kept her tongue clasp inside her mouth, not wanting to say anything bad about the property that Hector had inherited but her mind raced in fear as they had already sold the suburban two story where they'd started their marriage and eventually raised their two twin children. Kassy was seated in the backseat next to her paternal twin brother, having recently turned 17 she was allowed to purchase her own smart phone and had her nose buried in the screen for most the trip and nothing had changed as they sat parked in the driveway of old estate. "This isn't it...." She muttered quietly more to herself than her family.

When the geriatric butler scuttled out from the front door and started spouting directions to Hec, Sasha breathed a sigh of relief when the realization they wouldn't have to stay in a place, that as her darling son had stated, was definitely haunted. She reached across the middle console and placed a gentle kiss on Hec's cheek. "Well thank god, Hec, I wasn't going to say anything, but thank christ that wasn't the right place or I was gonna get on the phone right this second and call the realtor and see if we could get our old house back." Sasha said with a bit of humor in her voice but the truth was she was stone serious.

An hour later they pulled into something far more livable and a big smile washed over Sasha's beautiful face. "Oh my God Hec, It looks brand new! I can't believe it's over 200 years old, are you sure it's the right address or are we lost again." Sasha giggled having a bit of fun at her husband's expense.

"It looks new cause a lot of it is, look at this." Kassy said holding out her phone so that her brother could see the article she'd pulled up. The screen showed a burnt out ruin of the house at 5806 Hornidon Way and the article stated that in the year 1910, 6 people were found dead, 3 servants, 2 guests and the lady of the house Gertrude Bathory Hornidon, Hector's great aunt. Apparently Dr. Klaus Hornidon , Hector's famous great uncle, was out of the house at the time and was spared a fiery death, although conflicting accounts from the surviving guests of the tragedy claimed that he himself was the one hosting the social event at the time the fire. The authorities found it suspicious but no official charges were filed due to his affluent standing in the community.

Sasha heard Jamie saying something an leaned back to peer over her shoulder and catch what the teens were talking about. "Jesus Hector...that's gruesome, you didn't say anything about people dying in here." Sasha protested, her smile fading and a look of disgust replacing it.

"Chill out mom, it was a really long time ago, practically ancient history." Kassy said, "I think it's kind of cool" She added in.

"Well atleast it's been freshly remodeled since then." Sasha tried to make the best of things for her husband's sake, she didn't want to put a bad taste in his mouth on the very day they were moving in.

The family exited the vehicle and stood together while Sasha set her phone on delayed photo setting and ran over to join her family, feigning a smile for the picture. She was nervous and could quite push off the uneasy feeling she had away, it was as if the house felt like it was watching them, staring into their backs as they stood still for the photo. Obviously that wasn't the case but she still felt that way. "Okay guys the movers are bringing our furniture till tomorrow so I guess we'll be roughing it tonight. Let's get our stuff and go in and check it out." Sasha said after retrieving her phone from the roof of the Mercedes SUV. The whole family had a chuckle at their mother's joke, as 'roughing it' really wasn't the case, Hector had spent top dollar on air mattresses, sleeping bags and all manner of camping supplies even though they'd only have to go 24 hours without furnishings. Sash had packed a picnic basket with high end wines, cheeses, meats and artisan breads, really not roughing it at all more like 'glamping' .

She reached up and placed another peck on her husband's cheek and forced a smile. "I'm sure it's gonna be great honey." She tried to be reassuring. The kids grabbed their bags out of the back of the truck and bolt for the large front entryway, while Hector carried their stuff and trailed behind. Sasha pulled up her photo gallery on her phone and previewed the picture they'd taken to make sure it was in focus. "That's weird" She muttered to herself seeing that the family unit was perfectly in focus but the background, specifically the house appeared to be out of focus, almost like was in motion, jumping just to the right at the time of the picture. She turned her phone over and checked for a smudge on the lens, but saw none. Sasha huffed confused, but brushed it off, dropping the phone back into her Louis Vuitton bag.

 

[Knightwatch]

"Come on, mom, if you think about it people have died everywhere we lived." Jamie protested at his mother's obvious discomfort. He hardly wanted her to work up his father. After all, the old man had been a worrywart raising he and his sister. Now? The young man was fairly certain he'd fall apart at the first sign of bad news. "You don't see a lot of Native Americans running around do you? We killed them all in the places we live in now." as if to accentuate his point he jogged lightly after his sister, waving his hands in the approximation of what a ghost may do. That is, if ghosts were in any way related to the Wacky Arm Flailing Inflatable Tube Man.

"What's the matter dear?" Hector had been about to ask as his wife inspected her camera phone with chagrin. Yet, before the words could pass his lips she had dropped the device into her bag, continuing towards the manor's large, double doors. He was relieved, as the consequences of his inquiry would be that she'd actually give him the answer and he hardly wanted to waste another half-hour before they could inspect their looming home. Already his children were at the door, watching him impatiently as he headed a little stiffly up the steps and fumbled for the keys. Then, once in hand he moved to insert it... The light scraping of metal-on-metal made them flinch in unison. A light abrasion peeled a line of the burnished copper, exposing the fresh, glistening metal to the sunlight. Hector blinked in surprise, drawing his hand, key still grasped back. It shook, violently, and now his family stared in concerned mingled with impatient confusion.

"Sorry, I must just be excited!" he replied with a grin he hoped would dispel any fears his family harbored. Against he tried to line they key up with the lock, and his hand wavered to-and-fro. He felt...cold. As if he should expect his hands to be numb, frostbitten, rotting-

"Dad?" he started as he looked at Jamie who placed his hand on his father's wrist. Then, after a moment they, together, slid the key in the lock. The tumblers fell into place, a noise as thick with finality as the drop of a guillotine. Together they swung open the double doors, expecting a darkened corridor within. Instead, sunlight filtered down through the skylight, filling the entryway with color.

"Looks like they cleaned the place up for us." Hector acknowledged. He glanced down at his hands, holding them before himself. Not a tremor, he realized. It had been peculiar but hell, he really had been excited. Together they moved into the building, past the entryway. Unspectacular for now, but just begging to be filled with the various ornamentation of a wealthy WASP family with no tastes. It wasn't until they had arrived in the main room that the truly spectacular sights struck them. Two, sweeping staircases lead up to a landing above, both framing the large doorway to an expansive library. Hector practically danced forward, opening the doors and giving a small exclamation of joy. "It's all still here!" he cried. Indeed, books lined the walls of the expansive room. Old tomes, seemingly untouched by the time.

"Well I'm going to find my room," Jamie told his mother, not exactly intrigued by the fountain of knowledge beyond. He was a bit more interested in getting the best room before his sister and that meant being quick on his feet and fully utilizing the "dibs" system utilized since time immemorial. He rushed to the stairs, placing his hand on the strange, copper-like railing and for a moment froze. The metal was cool, smooth, and yet it felt hollow. The lightest touched seemed to send a vibration upwards, and he wondered, if his sister had placed her hand on the far one, if she could feel it too. It unsettled him, for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on but the thought was discarded as quickly as a boy given access to a new toy and, shaking himself, he flew up the stairs.

 

[Kassyghost]

Sasha watched without saying a single word as Hector's hands shook, early onset Parkinson's disease? Christ he was only 60, could it really be something as bad as that or was it as simple as simple excitement as he'd said? Sasha reminisced, the memory of her mother criticizing her choice in men when she'd announced that they were dating all those years ago, almost 20 now.

Sasha had been a model in NYC, stunning in every since of the word and had the world by the short and curlies by all accounts. Hector was older sure, could he have theoretically been old enough to be her father? Yes, but that was neither here nor there, afterall he was rich. Well not rich yet but on the fast track to becoming so, and that's not to mention how damn charming he was. He'd been 40 when they'd started dating and even though she wasn't even technically old enough to drink legally yet, modeling seem to mature you beyond your years and so she didn't think anything of it. Sasha knew that her mother didn't like it because he was closer to her age than Sasha's and most likely had a crush on the man herself. It was only a few years later when she'd gotten pregnant with the twins and as one might imagine that pretty much puts an end to a career where you have to starve yourself and play dress up for a living. Sasha never minded it, Hector asked for her hand in marriage and soon they were happily married family whose husband was a go-getter and his old money wealth did indeed become self-made new money wealth.

She snapped out of her own head, reminding herself to make Hector a Doctor's appointment as soon as they were settled, just as Jamie helped his father get the door unlocked and as it swung open and the grandiose main room was revealed the whole family gasp in awe, even Kassy who actually took her face off the glowing screen of her smart phone to take in it's splendor. "Holy shit!" she muttered and Sasha quickly scolded her, "KASS watch your mouth."

"Geez mom, I'm 17 I can say shit..." Kassy retorted as they all walked inside and took in the spectacle. "oh Hector it is very beautiful." Sasha gushed, ignoring her daughter's minor rebellion. Hector immediately B-lined for the large opening to the library, Kassy close in toe.

"Ohh Daddy it's even more impressive than you said." Kassy crooned seeing the countless shelves of ancient tomes stacked right up to almost 20 foot ceiling, and the romanticized ladder on wheels to access the highest shelves. Sasha smiled, temporarily forgetting her anxiety as Kassy bloomed from the church mouse quiet default and gushed at the sight of the library. Before her cellphone there was another thing Kassy had had her nose buried in, books. Much like her father she'd been a bookworm, infact they were in many ways very similar , picky about food, discerning film critics and then their was the books. Hector had atleast the excuse of being raised before the internet but Kassy seemed to just be naturally drawn to paper and bindings. Once Sasha had asked her why and her response was both simple and very telling about the young burgeoning woman, "Because mom they have things in them that you just can't find on the internet."

Jamie on the other hand, took after his mother, and Sasha adored that. Sometimes Kassy could be too complex to read, but Jamie was a good straight forward mother's boy and there was nothing wrong with that. Books held no interest for him and he bolted off immediately for the upstairs looking for a space to occupy. "Jamie you can have which ever room you want, but not the master bedroom that one is your father and mine.....Hey hear me? Jaim?" Sasha called after him but he seemed to barely notice. Sasha wanted to find the room she was most interested in herself. "Hec....I'm gonna find the kitchen and put this stuff away." She said holding up the picnic basket, but he and Kassy were too busy pulling books from shelves and examining them.

"Dad how did all these books survive the fire back in 1910?" Sasha heard Kassy asking her father as she made her way down the marble causeway toward the kitchen. The hallway was preposterously long and Sasha wondered if they were planning on hiring a staff to help with cleaning, she knew Hector would take care of all that. The first room was a massive living area with floor to ceiling windows and enough floor space to hold 60 guests. "ohh yeah there is no way I'm cleaning all this by myself." She said to herself and just as she pulled out of the archway she could swear she heard music. She paused but on second examination she thought it must have just been some errant wind chimes left over.

The next archway opened to a massive dining room, it too was cavernous and she took note of the furnishings. There was a massive 15 ft dining room table and chair set all covered in dust cover sheets. She briefly wondered why this singular set of furniture was left behind but reason was quite obvious. The table was huge and it was most likely assembled here inside the room where it stood now. Moving it would be an act of futility because there were very few houses that could actually make use of it. At the center of the room was the immense fireplace with gothic decorations and an opening large enough to walk into without ducking one's head. It's art was disturbing and Sasha had to wonder how attached Hector would be to it, she hoped not too much because she wanted it remodeled immediately, it was far removed from her style choices.

Finally there was the end of the hall and a room that made her happier than any previous room, the kitchen. It was huge with several islands and enough counter space to prepare three thanksgiving feasts. The counter tops were breathtaking white speckled marble and the cabinets were all dark stained oak with divine hardware. Their was even a breakfast nook that was almost as big as their last dining room with big windows showing off the acreage of the back lawn, stretching out with sculpted shrubbery and a small pond. "I changed my mind HECTOR! We are staying right here, I LOVE IT!" Sasha screamed down the hall in absolute glee.

 

[Knightwatch]

Hector scanned the volumes of ancient bound volumes, fingers dancing along the old leather spines as if soothing some massive beast of literature. He was entranced, his bright blue eyes (His best feature, he thought) taken in by each name, story after story embossed in gold, cursive print. He thought it odd that they all looked so...similar. In fact, every book he could see from where he stood looked so similar. Bound in a strange, pale leather with the same print. His great uncle must have paid for each of these to be custom. A perfectly uniform library! He sighed in admiration to the great doctor's love of the written word and when his wife called something his way he hardly heard what it was. He certainly didn't care.

"Yes, dear," he replied in a voice barely louder than his normal speaking tone. He turned his attention to his daughter, Kassy, furrowing his brow at her question. She was a quick girl, he had high hopes for her to make a name for herself if she could keep her attitude in check. He had to admit, he secretly wished her brother had gotten her brains so he could get further in life but he could hardly complain. "I don't know," he confessed, equally puzzled. Reaching out he slid a book off the shelf, flipping it open. The pages were yellowed with time,and the black, spidery letters almost looked as if they'd scatter from the light. In fact, he could swear they... Fishing his glasses from his shirt pocket he fit them on, squinting. An innocent story peered up at him. The Jungle Book or some such, he realized, at he grinned at the fond memory. His first book as a child. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him before, a trick of the light and the letters almost looked like they were shifting, evolving. Almost.

"Well, pumpkin, you said he survived the fire? Maybe he commissioned all of these books before he died and they...put them in here after?" Even to him it sounded like a flimsy theory. He imagined Sam Spade or another detective in these books would have poked a thousand holes through it. Still, as unbelievable a suggestion it was, he wasn't sure there was another that accounted for all the facts. Well, most of them. He was't entirely sure how these volumes looked so remarkably old if that were in fact the case.

Upstairs Jamie toured the hallways of his new home. He had heard his mother, but this was simply too good an opportunity to waste talking to her. Or, as was more accurate with his mother, listening to her. He loved her of course, more than anyone, but his sister had been suitably distracted by a bunch of ridiculous books that would well be there long after they'd settled in. Prowling the hallways, he flung open every door he passed, dismissing closets, noting bathrooms and, on one occasion, being met with a store room full of sheet-covered furniture. He started when he saw these, his hand shooting from the doorknob as if expecting the need to bolt. Almost immediately his face flushed in embarrassment and, inexplicably he took a quick glance down either hall way just in case he had to explain being such a pussy to someone. Thankfully the coast was clear. Could he really blame himself, though? Even with the privilege of reason those in-numerous sheets hung in all-too-human-like silhouettes.

He shuffled into the room with what he felt was nonchalance but was a little too stiff to pull it off. It wasn't dusty, he realized, surprised the cleaner had gone through so much trouble.But that was, like, their job, right? Then, screwing his courage to the sticking place he reached out, grasping a trailing edge of one of the sheets and pulling. His heart leapt from his chest, nestling into his throat as if it were expecting to make its daring escape. Then, as quickly as the adrenaline had peaked, it plummeted, leaving giddiness in its wake. It was a mannequin. Not some pale shopping mannequin or doll, but the bust of a man with a cross section of wooden organs. A medical doll, he realized, his sister had said their great, great uncle was a doctor! The sudden venting of his fear left him shaky and he couldn't help but chuckle...then laugh. He laughed so hard he was out of breath, like in the past and he and his sister would get into tickle wars. His sides hurt now, as if his ribs were made of wood and were beginning to crack and splinter. He couldn't stop! He went to his knees now, face flushed, half expecting any moment for fragments of bone or blood to fall from his still cackling mouth.

It was over. Almost as soon as it had begun it was over and he stared at the floor trying to catch his breath. What was that? It had been a little funny, sure, but god he felt like throwing up now. Had he really been that worked up? He breathed hard for a few moments before getting to his feet, glad the house was so big. In fact, he couldn't hear anything. Was this place sound proof? He felt fine now, and for a moment he took a tally of the strange sheets, like a tour guide making a quick head count. Doctor or not, did his Great Uncle really need 14 mannequins? Jamie was hardly an expert on the subject but still. It was creepy either way. Not bothering to replace the sheet he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

 

[Kassyghost]

Kassy listened to her father's answer, disappointing but honest. The books surviving the fire was a bit of a conundrum but he hadn't felt the need to just make something up just to placate her curiosity. No much like Kassy his mind was an analytical one and same reason both of them enjoyed the act of reading so much. Where some people would start a book and become frustrated by their lack of understanding a complex plot twist, Hector had taught Kassy to just keep reading until the true answer was eventually revealed.

She too marveled at how almost every single book seemed to be from a matching collection, a library of perfect uniformed symmetry, beautiful to look at but she had to wonder if it was practical. In her own collection of books she could reach out and pull the exact book she was looking for right off the shelf without having to even read the title on the spine because they didn't match. Either the color or the binding or the size were all different and she'd spent so much time with each of them that she new them like old friends. This Library however you'd have to either organized alphabetically or use a dewy decimal system to reference where the book you were looking for was located. Finding a favorite book may take minutes or hours.

Kassy mounted the sliding ladder system that allowed for ease of access to the higher shelves, because as a child the first thing you learn is that adults keep all the good stuff up high and out of the hands of children. She paid no heed to the locking lever that actuates the brake mechanism and ran straight to the top of the ladder. Up on the top she found what she was looking for, bound in the same tan leather and gold leaf writing as all the other tomes, but the title was the Kama Sutra. A smile breached her pink lips as she flipped it open and scanned through several pages of Indian text before coming to one of the highly detailed illustrations of two figures in the throes of passion. Their bodies seemed to be configured in some complex yoga position that seemed nearly impossible to achieve for the uninitiated . She could feel strange tingle under her skirt and a warmth emanating from her own sex. As her bright blue eyes traced the lines of the nude human forms it seemed almost as if they were moving on the page, an animation more than illustration. Could being turned on actually effect your eyesight?

She couldn't believe what she was seeing as the male figure seemed to thrust his hips against his female partner's rendered vagina. Kassy blushed, reaching down and feeling the page to see what the trick was, some sort of early holographic paper possibly? The paper wasn't raised though and soon the image had completely changed from two figures locked into a sexual position, into something more akin to a demon from Dante's Inferno. Kasssy gasp and clapped the book closed. She blinked hard several times, trying to right her eyesight but as her confusion reached an apex she suddenly felt that the drawn characters from the book weren't the only ones moving, she was too. The wrought iron ladder she was perched atop of began to slide sideways down the wall. "DADDY!!!" Kassy screamed out in fear, dropping the book and grabbing the ladder with both hands. But as it reached the end of the line and the tracks abruptly stopped at the wall, the ladder clanged hard and Kassy lost her grip and fell. "DADDD!!!" She screamed as she plummeted head first, her tiny plaid skirt fluttering up and exposing her freshly dampened panties to the world.

Sasha found the refrigerator, which actually took some time, it wasn't an obvious appliance but hidden within the oak paneling of the wall. She placed the items from her basket within and then further explored the kitchen space, imagining the gourmet creations she could craft with a space as fine as this.Behind one of the counters was a small half sized door mounted and when she opened it she saw a large dumb-waiter. She'd have to warn the kids not to play in it, she was fairly sure they were too old for such antics now, but better safe than sorry, the space was easily large enough to fit a full grown person inside and the twins were still immature enough for joyrides. As she rounded the corner she found the large walk in pantry and next to that was the servants stairway. Smaller and far less ornate than the main sets of stairs in the front of the house this one was made for simple utility. She ascended quietly hoping she might actually be able to possibly give her son a playful scare.

Sasha reached the top, tip toeing into the hallway, she peeked into the first room she found, it was the master bedroom, and it's impressive size made her swoon. She was about to forget her prank and explore the space but she heard faint laughter coming from further down the hall. It was incredibly quiet but she was sure she'd heard her son's distinctive laugh, and not the one he used to humor his father's lack luster jokes, but his real laugh, the one he used when he actually found something hilarious. Sasha smiled and went jogging down the hall just as her son appeared from one of the rooms. He had tears brimming his eyes and his face was still a bright red. "Jaim....Jamie honey did you find your room? What were you laughing at sweetie?" She asked as she strode up behind him, clasping her hand on his strong shoulder and giving him a loving squeeze. Sasha peeked around the corner and peered into the room he was just in, obviously not a bedroom it was filled with creepy ghost looking figures and furniture. One was uncovered and looked like a corpse from a horror movie, it's organs exposed. "Ewww....gross....Oh did you give yourself a scare. I was thinking about doing the same thing, looks like your Late great Uncle beat me too it huh? Geez that is pretty creepy huh? Well don't worry, I have no plans on keeping that stuff around, I'll either donate it or sell it on Ebay, it's probably worth something, they look antique. Come on, Lets find your room shall we?...You feeling okay?" She asked, mildly worried about his pallor, he looked frazzled and more than just a basic jump scare reaction should cause, especially for him.

James 'Jamie' Klaus Hannigan wasn't your average anxiety ridden teen boy, he'd always been unnaturally stoic, even as a baby. Kassy would cry and carry on terribly, especially when she was teething, but Jamie barely made a peep. The first day of school, Kassy had gripped onto Hector's hand with an iron grip not wanting to let go and join her Kindergarten class, while Jamie had walked away from her like she wasn't even there. Most recently the idea of leaving home for college was on the horizon and while Kassy hesitate to put any applications in even though she was the more gifted student, Jaim' took the first acceptance letter and was more than content to head off and start his own life without any apprehension at all. It broke Sasha's heart a bit, but she was also very proud of his independent streak. Now though she looked into his face and saw something close to real anxiety. She reached down and grabbed his hand leading him down the hall to look for his room.