Six Steps Down

by Mandi Greenwood

  'One hundred and ten years, to be precise,' said Chandra.

  'Wow,' Aisley shook her head. 'It couldn't have been empty for one hundred and ten years, surely.' But then again, her father had to hire a bulldozer during the first weeks after they moved in simply to remove all the fallen timber and stone and the masses of greenery that had covered half the building. The place was in ruins. 'All that's left of that big mansion, are three bedrooms, a kitchen, a small lounge, and one manky bathroom with a poxy shower,' said Aisley. 'It was in a pretty bad state when we arrived. Maybe it really was empty all those years.'

  'Just waiting for you,' wailed Archie in a spooky voice. He waggled his fingers at her. 'The house of … death!' He howled the last word and the reading man stood up and slapped his book shut. He glared angrily in their direction.

  'Sorry,' Archie cringed. 'Really, incredibly sorry!'

  The man shook his head and stomped away, down the steps, and out of the reference area.

  'D'you think he's gone to complain?' hissed Freya, while Chandra, Aisley, and Cate tried to stifle their sniggers behind their hands. Lucan looked more worried than ever.

  They all held their collective breath, but relaxed when the man marched straight past the main desk and exited the building.

  'Phew!' said Archie, starting to gather up his things. 'I think on that note we should call it good and shut this party down.'

  Everybody started to pack up.

  'Wait!' Cate piped up. 'We've got something else to tell you all before we leave. Well, Aisley has anyway.'

  All eyes turned to Aisley. She took a deep breath, folded her hands neatly in her lap, and related in an undramatic kind of way what she and Cate had experienced the previous Saturday night. When she got to the bit about the footsteps passing right in front of them, Freya gasped and Chandra's jaw dropped. Aisley was expecting laughter and maybe the odd joke when she finished speaking, but there was only silence. She could tell by the individual looks on everyone's faces that they did not doubt her. Not one bit.

  Everybody sat still for a moment absorbing what they had heard. Lucan frowned and studied his hands. He spread his fingers out on the table in front of him. Freya's mouth had formed a perfect "o" and she sat gaping from Aisley to Cate and back again like a ticking metronome. Archie had tilted his chair back to an angle that was perilous even for a seasoned tilter such as himself. He was contemplating the ceiling tiles thoughtfully. Chandra, who'd been about to stand up when Aisley started her tale, was leaning forwards with his elbows resting on his knees. He was staring at Aisley with a look that was impossible to read, except that it was intense enough to make her pulse race.

  'I was a complete wuss of course and bravely ran away,' said Cate, breaking the spell. 'But our Ais here is a regular ghost buster. Not satisfied with what we'd already experienced, she followed the … ghost. She followed it into the freaking wine cellar!' Cate shuddered at the thought.

  'Really?' Archie laughed. 'You rock, Brannon. Sincerely. You do realise that this turn of events takes our Humanities presentation to a whole new level, right.'

  'What did you see?' asked Freya, still looking a little stunned. 'In the wine cellar?'

  'Nothing,' replied Aisley, shrugging.

  They were all quiet again for a moment.

  'Wow,' said Lucan.

  'Wow,' Aisley nodded. 'That about sums it up.'

  Chapter Seven

  In the Hours Before X Factor

  Later in the evening

  The Humanities group parted ways outside the library fifteen minutes later. It was arranged that they'd all meet up again at Sheldon's Seat on the next Friday evening. They'd have a fun pizza night and put some serious effort into searching every single one of those damn boxes. Now they all felt like they knew Michael and Lily Sheldon a bit better, any information they would uncover would seem more relevant than it had the week before.

  Lucan and Archie lived near each other so they took off together. Lucan had a couple of books he'd borrowed tucked into his backpack. One of them was A Guide to Historic Gippsland Homesteads. He was quite determined to discover who else, if anyone, had resided in Sheldon's Seat between the Sheldons and the Brannons.

  A car tooted its horn. It was Freya's mum. Freya said goodbye and jogged across the road to where her mother was waiting for her in their brand new Mercedes. Freya's parents ran a travel business and they always seemed to have new cars.

  Cate was about to begin walking with Aisley and Chandra when another car tooted its horn. This time it was Cate's brother Felix. Felix was very proud of the fact that he was now a P-plate driver and he was sitting behind the wheel of his dad's Holden, waving to attract Cate's attention.

  'Oops, that's me,' said Cate. She started to trot over to the car, but paused to wink at Aisley. 'Now behave,' she said, smirking.

  'Cate!' Aisley growled.

  Cate just laughed and darted off to the car without another word.

  Aisley and Chandra set off in silence along the footpath that skirted the botanical gardens. A moment later Felix drove past and honked the horn again, making them both jump.

  Cate leaned out of the window and waved. 'Bye-ee!' she sang loudly.

  'Oh grrr,' grumbled Aisley, kicking at a stone.

  They resumed walking.

  Chandra laughed. 'What? You think it's a secret?' he asked.

  She looked at him. He was ambling along, looking as casual as always, with his hands in his pockets and his bag hanging off one shoulder.

  'What is it that I think is a secret?' she asked, although she was fairly confident she knew what he was talking about.

  'Us, of course,' he said. He took one hand out of his pocket and caught hold of hers, linking their fingers together as if he'd been doing it for years. 'We may as well have a neon sign flashing over our heads for the whole world to see,' he said.

  'You think?' Aisley could almost hear her heart beating in her ears.

  'I don't think. I know,' he said. 'Everyone can see we're crazy about each other.'

  Aisley lifted her eyebrows.

  'Everyone?'

  'Everyone with two eyes and a brain.'

  'I thought I was pretty good at hiding it,' she said, smiling.

  'You were,' admitted Chandra. 'That's why I made sure you found out about Bria asking me to her dinner. I wanted to see your reaction.'

  Aisley stopped and stared at him. 'But you weren't there when Cate told me about it.'

  He grinned. 'No, that's why I was late. It was deliberate. I wanted to give her time to tell you first.'

  'You're amazing!'

  'Thanks.'

  Aisley rolled her eyes and grinned. 'That's not what I meant.'

  They started walking again. 'So, tell me,' Aisley asked. 'How did you know how I'd reacted to the news when you weren't there to see it?'

  'When I did arrive, the look you gave me when I sat next to you said it all,' Chandra replied.

  She stared at him. 'You're pretty sure of yourself, huh?'

  He smiled at her, melting her heart. 'Yep.'

  They walked on in silence for a little while. Aisley used the time to slow her heartbeat down to almost normal pace again. The winter evening was turning gold around them as the day ended. The air was getting chilly, but Aisley didn't feel it. All she could feel was Chandra's warm hand in hers. For the first time, she wished the distance to her home was much longer, because she didn't want this moment to end. Alas, all too soon they arrived at the bottom of the Loch Hill Road. They stopped walking. This was where they had to say goodbye.

  Chandra made no move to release Aisley's hand though. He did the opposite and took hold of her other hand as well, forcing her to turn and face him. 'I thought I'd ruined everything the other day,' he admitted, stroking the backs of her hands with his thumbs. 'You know, with that stunt on the cliff.'

  She raised her eyebrows.

  He shook his head and smiled. 'God, you were so pissed off at me!'

  'Well, yeah!' she said, rem
embering how close he'd come to falling. 'How did you think I'd react to you throwing yourself off a cliff?'

  'In hindsight, it wasn't a great move,' Chandra said.

  'No.'

  'But it turned out okay,' he continued. 'Better than okay actually, wouldn't you agree?'

  She grinned and nodded, remembering the kisses in the driveway.

  'Anyway,' said Chandra. 'What I'm trying to say is that I'd really like us to be us. That is, if you're cool with it?'

  Aisley looked down at their linked hands. 'Gee,' she joked, 'I could be wrong, but I'm thinking you might be asking me to go out with you.'

  It was his turn to roll his eyes. 'Well, duh!'

  Aisley laughed and Chandra impulsively reached out and brushed her hair away from her face.

  She gave him a piercing look. 'So, what makes you think I'd be interested in going out with you?' she demanded.

  With his hand still on her hair, he leaned forward and kissed her. Aisley felt delightful warmth spread through her at the touch of his lips.

  She forced herself to break away. 'I don't know if it's a good idea,' she teased. 'You like being naughty and you're always getting in trouble.'

  He smiled and kissed her again.

  She pulled away a second time. 'You keep getting top marks without ever, ever having to study!' she scolded him suddenly. 'Do you even know how infuriating that is to the rest of us mere mortals? I mean … what the hell!'

  He went to kiss her again and then burst out laughing instead. 'See!' he said. 'This is just one of the many reasons I like you so much, Ais. You're never afraid to say it just like it is.'

  'Well someone has to try and keep you honest,' she scolded.

  They regarded each other for a moment. 'So what do you think?' he asked. 'Does the idea of being seen in public with a naughty, infuriating guy turn you on?'

  This time it was Aisley who kissed him. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Their school bags dropped to the ground. Time passed, evening began, and the stars started to come out. With Chandra's arms tight around her and his face buried in her hair, she put her mouth to his ear. 'Yes, it does,' she whispered.

  The next morning, Cate was waiting for Aisley in her usual spot at the bottom of the gravel road. 'Did you see X Factor last night?' asked Cate as they began walking to school.

  'Nope,' replied Aisley, inspecting her nails.

  'That Dillon is such a hunk, omigod!'

  'Yep.'

  'I thought you said you didn't like him. Remember? You said he looked plastic, like a Ken doll.'

  'Oh. Yep.'

  'I don't think there's anything plastic about him.' Cate flicked her glossy hair out of her eyes. 'I mean … that voice! How can you say there's anything remotely plastic about that voice?'

  'Nope.'

  'Huh?'

  'Oh. I mean, yep.'

  Cate stopped and put her hands on her hips. 'Ais? What the hell?'

  Aisley stopped too. 'What? I mean, what was the question?'

  'Are you feeling alright?'

  'Yep. Couldn't be better.'

  Cate stared at her for a minute and then they began walking again.

  'Well did you see Masterchef, then?' Cate tried a second time.

  'Yep.'

  Cate stopped again. 'You liar. You did not!'

  'What?' Aisley stopped too and gave her friend a blank look.

  'You never watch Masterchef.'

  'So?'

  Cate sighed loudly and moved her school bag to her other shoulder. 'I asked you if you watched Masterchef last night and you said you did. But I happen to know you'd rather eat razor blades than watch Masterchef — your words — so why did you say you did?'

  Aisley grinned. 'Why'd you ask me if I did when you knew I didn't?'

  'Hah!' Cate pointed at her. 'To catch you out. Which I did very well, although I do say so myself.'

  'Good for you Cate. Good for you.'

  They began walking again. 'Don't get smart with me, young lady. I've a good mind to put you over my knee,' Cate scolded.

  'Yep.'

  'Say yep one more time and I'm punching you out.'

  'Yep.' Aisley giggled, skipping out of reach.

  'What's going on with you today,' grumbled Cate. 'I'm obviously going to have to look elsewhere for a decent bloody convers …' Cate stopped for a third time. 'Oh!' she gasped. 'You didn't? You did, didn't you?'

  Aisley kept walking. 'Now you're the one making no sense, Cate. I have no clue what you're talking about.'

  'Omigod, omigod, omigod!' Cate rushed after Aisley and hugged her arm. 'You got together with Chandra last night, didn't you!'

  Aisley couldn't wipe the smile off her face. It seemed stuck there with glue. 'Yep,' she said.

  Chapter Eight

  Pasta Carbonara

  Wednesday

  A few days later, Aisley had a double elective, Food Technology class first thing in the morning. She usually shared a workstation with both Lucan and Willa Fry. Willa was off school with a bad cold, so it was just Aisley and Lucan. This suited them fine. It meant they could talk about Sheldon's Seat in peace.

  'How did you go with that research you wanted to do?' Aisley asked him.

  They stood side-by-side and chopped onions, garlic, and mushrooms for the pasta carbonara they were learning to make.

  Lucan put a garlic clove in a crusher. 'Sheldon's Seat had a big write-up in that book Cate gave me,' he said. 'It really is the biggest house in Seamere, you know. Or at least it was, originally.'

  'I believe it,' said Aisley. 'Imagine having nine bedrooms.'

  Lucan came very close to looking amused. 'No, I can't imagine it actually,' he replied. 'We have three and I have to share one with Nyle so mum can have the third as a sewing room. It's no fun. Nyle farts all night long. I swear there is something seriously wrong with that boy.'

  Aisley laughed so hard she started to cry and had to wipe her eyes. This was an action she immediately regretted because she had onion juice on her fingers. Her tears of laughter turned to onion tears. 'Ugh! Onions!' she sniffed. 'Oh god, I'm a mess!' She grabbed a napkin and dried her eyes. 'Right. That's better. So, tell me then?' she asked. 'Who's lived in my house for the last century?'

  'Nobody,' said Lucan.

  'Truly?'

  He shrugged. 'Well, when Michael Sheldon sold it, he had to sell it to the bank. That was in 1903. Then, it was on the market for years without being sold. The story began to go around that it was haunted and nobody was willing to buy it. Also, being the huge place it was back then, it was way too expensive for the average home buyer.' Lucan finished crushing garlic and picked up a mushroom. 'When the Depression happened in the 1920s and 1930s, nobody had any money, so it was just completely forgotten,' he said, cleaning the mushroom with paper towel.

  Aisley pondered Lucan's words thoughtfully. It was bizarre to think that the very last people who slept in her house before her family were Michael and Lily Sheldon. When Michael locked the door and walked away, the house just sat there and waited. It was actually a bit spooky. Most houses of a hundred and ten years of age had a colourful history with loads of families who came and went over the years. Different people who left their mark on a house and then moved on. That hadn't happened at Sheldon's Seat. It was like a time capsule.

  'The house was listed by the Heritage Trust in the sixties,' Lucan continued. 'But just because it was listed didn't mean anybody went to any effort to repair it.' He carefully cut his mushroom into slices. 'It's a shame. But it's a good thing your parents came along when they did, otherwise the house would've eventually just fallen down.' He reached for another mushroom and met Aisley's eyes for a moment. 'Your parents are doing a very noble thing,' he said, his black eyes solemn. Aisley didn't think she'd heard Lucan Bevin talk this much ever. Not since she'd met him, in fact.

  'That's really interesting,' said Aisley. 'Thank you, Lucan.'

  'It was fun,' he replied simply.

  It was clear their con
versation was over. Lucan adopted his emo look once more and started heating a frying pan for their onions. His still waters were running deep again.

  When the cooking lesson was finished, Aisley and Lucan picked up their books and their plastic tubs of pasta carbonara and went to the art centre steps for lunch. It was a sunny, winter's day. Cate was already at their usual spot, sitting with Freya on a little wall that ran along the front of one of the garden borders. They were eating their lunch and drawing pictures on Freya's English textbook.

  'Hi,' called Cate as Aisley and Lucan walked up.

  'Hi,' said Aisley. 'Lucan has been playing detective. Just wait until you hear what he's discovered.'

  Chandra was sitting on the bottom step of the art centre playing with his phone. He looked up when he heard Aisley's voice and smiled easily at her. She felt her heart flutter for a second. The last few days had been the best. Seeing him at school was good, but walking home with him was great. Their goodbyes were getting longer each afternoon, but even that wasn't the best of it. The best was getting to know him, away from school and his friends. Getting to know Chandra for the person he was inside, and discovering that they had so much in common. They liked the same TV shows, the same music, and movies. They were planning to go see a movie together on the coming Saturday and Aisley couldn't wait. The two of them shared a similar sense of humour, and the silliest things had them falling about. Aisley realised that, as well as a boyfriend, Chandra was fast becoming a best friend; somebody she could rely on and trust. She walked over and sat down beside him. He reached for the pot of carbonara and she grinned at him, holding it out of reach.

  'So, spill,' Cate demanded of Lucan.

  Lucan told the others about his latest findings while he peeled the lid off his pasta carbonara.

  Freya listened closely. 'Wow. It really is like the house was waiting for you,' Freya said to Aisley.