A Girl, a Murder, and Twelve Dreadful Children

Chapter XIII: A Losing Argument

Next to making friends, the most thrilling experience of life is to make enemies. -- Harriet Monroe

Enniskillen tapped his fingers against the banister. If he had been a personification more inclined to lashing out in rage every time things didn't go his way (more like my bastard "cousins" in Ireland, he thought), the pests downstairs would very quickly have learnt not to go barging into a personification's abode again. Being -- he flattered himself -- a more reasonable, civilised sort of personification, he merely waited for an opportunity of scaring them half to death.

As he waited, he found himself becoming unwillingly interested in what they said. A fine argument was raging down in the dining room. And other people's disagreements were always entertaining.

"I don't care what you thought! You should be at school!"

"But today's a half-day!"

"Then you should be at home, or with your friends, or anywhere but here!"

Enniskillen idly picked at flecks of peeling paint as he listened. It was an age-old story: a child thought they could do something, and an adult thought they couldn't. The unusual thing about this argument was where it took place.

If Dani and Hotaru had known they had an unwanted audience, they would have stopped arguing pretty quickly. They didn't know, unfortunately, and so they continued yelling at each other.

"It's not safe for you to be here," Dani shouted.

"Says you," Hotaru retorted, with rudeness that would have shocked her mother if Tsukasa had been there to hear it.

Dani tried another approach. "You could be arrested for trespassing if you're caught."

"So would you!"

Round and round in circles the argument went. Enniskillen quickly got bored of hearing the same thing over and over again in different variations. Time to interrupt, then.

Creeeeeak.

Dani and Hotaru both fell silent. They stood so still they might have been turned to statues. In unison they looked up at the ceiling. Had those cracks in the plaster always been there?

Crack!

That was even more ominous.

"Dani?" Hotaru almost whispered. "Is the house falling down?"

A piece of plaster fell out of the ceiling and broke into pieces at their feet. That was all the proof they needed.

"Get out! Now!"

Dani didn't wait for Hotaru to obey her. She grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her out. Enniskillen laughed silently at their terror. That would teach them to barge into his home!

~~~~

"So what did we learn from this disaster?" Dani asked when they were safely out of the house and in no immediate danger.

Hotaru pulled a face as soon as she thought Dani wasn't looking. Dani saw, but let it pass without comment. "Not to go into houses that might fall down without making sure it's safe to enter."

Dani nodded. "Exactly. Now go home."

She had underestimated the determination of a teenager on a mission. Hotaru had gone to considerable trouble to get to Beechview House. She'd be damned if anything short of imminent danger to life or limb would stop her thoroughly exploring the house.

Dani saw Hotaru's stubborn frown and suppressed a groan. This day was not going as she had hoped it would. And weighing on her shoulders was the uncomfortable knowledge that she had gone to a great deal of trouble for no real reason. This trip to Enniskillen had achieved exactly nothing and given her only a sore leg.