GD 2: GRAVE DWELLING

Grave Dwelling Chapter 3

I awoke to my Samoyed barking like mad, and found all the drapes had been torn down from the windows. Instantly enraged, I stormed from the room. "Butler! Maid!" I called.

Two butlers and a maid met me in the foyer. "Ma'am?"

"Who took down the drapes in my room?" I demanded.

They all looked at each other, confused.

"As far as I know, Ma'am, no one did," the maid said.

"Don't play dumb, or you're all as good as fired. Who took down the drapes?"

"No one has been in your room since we cleaned yesterday," one of the butlers said.

I huffed. "Whatever, you're all fired! Go home!"

They all looked shocked, but quickly left my sight.

"Hear that?" I bellowed. "Everyone is fired! All of you get out of here!"

I figured the only way to be sure this ridiculous nonsense stopped was to get rid of everyone.

"Are we getting severance pay?" A butler asked on his way to the door.

"As if," I said. "I can't very well reward whoever's been trying to terrorize me, can I?"

He shook his head and left rather than arguing, which I appreciated. Anyone should know it's a moot point to argue with someone who has so much money.

When I returned to my bedroom, I found my dog running in rampant circles around the bed.

"Obby, stop that!" I told him. "What's the matter with you?"

He froze mid-stride and stared straight into my eyes, growling. He never growled at me.

"Stop it!"

He barked.

"What are you doing?"

He growled again, and crouched as though he was preparing to leap. I turned and ran from the room.

"Raven,"

I shrieked, and stopped in the middle of the foyer. "What? Who's there?"

"Raven," it repeated, a low gravelly voice. It sounded choked, as if its windpipes were damaged.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Have you... forgotten about me?"

I put a fist on my hip. "Forgot about you? I don't even know who you are. And if you're the one who kept me up last night and tore down my drapes, obviously I didn't forget about you. Now would you leave me alone?"

"Leave you alone?" It repeated.

"Uh, are you deaf?"

"After all I did for you," the voice sounded closer to me now. "You want me to leave you alone?"

"You call tearing down drapes doing something for me?"

"I apologize, I was only trying to get your attention,"

"Then why not leave a note? Now if you don't leave, I'm calling the police,"

"All I did was love you,"

"Ew, creepy," I flipped my hair. "I don't even know you,"

"You used to. It... hasn't even been that long,"

I was confused. "What are you talking about? Who could I have possibly known recently? I haven't met any new people since I moved here,"

It waited a long moment before replying. "What about before that?"