[ IP ] Miranda Castle , Belgium

The towers were tall and imposing. Above them hung a heavy fog. Only the truly desperate would dare come to this terrible place. 
 
 Emily clutched her reticule nervously. This horrible castle was her last stop. Her last hope. There had been three previous governess assigned to this household. The first went mad. The second fled in the night, never to be heard from again. But it was the third that shook Emily's bones. The third had thrown herself off the cliffs. It was said on winter nights you could hear her screaming all the way down. 
 
 This would work. It had to work. Emily was tired of cleaning chamber-pots and dirty fireplaces. Her hands perpetually smelled of smoke and piss. She'd heard the woman who ran the agency agonizing over finding someone to place in the castle. She'd stolen the letter the old woman had written which informed Lord Featherstone there would be no further placements. 
 
 Emily knocked on the great iron gargoyle that guarded the front door. She waited, practicing her accent in her head. Goood Daye, Mast-er Featherstone. Goood Daye. 
 
 She had to sound like a lady. Or enough of a lady to teach his children. 
 
 When the door opened her eyes widened. The wizened old man stood stooped over but was still able to look her in the eye. 
 
 `` We do n't want no uninvited visitors!'' he shouted. 
 
 `` I'm sorry?'' 
 
 `` Was you invited?!'' 
 
 `` I think so.'' 
 
 He scowled. `` You either was or you was n't. If you do n't know, then you was n't.'' 
 
 He shut the door very loudly, leaving Emily standing nose to chin with the gargoyle door knocker. 
 
 Emily waited a few minutes before knocking again. The door gave a little. She pushed it open, looking around anxiously. She'd have left, if she could. But the carriage was long gone and Emily was determined to at least see the dreaded Lord Featherstone. Was he as hideous as they said? Was that what caused the previous governesses to meet their fate? A man would have to be a monster to create that sort of fear. 
 
 She quietly made her way through the hallway, looking for any signs of life. There were rooms, so many rooms. Emily started to feel dizzy. Every corner she turned gave her another set of rooms. 
 
 She heard voices that sounded like they came from very far away. She followed the sound, noticing the hallway got darker and darker. There were no lamps lit. Emily only had the voices to guide her. 
 
 As she got closer, she could almost make out what they were. It sounded like children, playing a game. 
 
 `` We all fall down. We all fall down.'' 
 
 An orange light emanated from the door at the end of a hallway. The voices came from there, Emily was positive. 
 
 She opened the door, peeking inside. Two pairs of small green eyes looked at her. The twins held hands as they swung each other back and forth. 
 
 `` Have you come to play? We like games.'' They spoke in one voice. 
 
 `` I'm Emily Goodnight, your new governess.'' 
 
 The little boy grinned. `` Oh those are the best. They taste just like candy floss!'' He jumped, revealing a set of sharp teeth. Emily backed up, hitting her head on the door behind her. She felt her eyes roll back in her head. 
 
 Emily's eyes opened. She smiled blearily at the man gazing down at her. 
 
 `` Goood Daye, Mas-ter Featherstone'', she said.
