A Closer Look

Everything You Want

You're waiting for someone to put you together

You're waiting for someone to push you away

There's always another wound to discover

There's always something more you wish he'd say

Everything you want, Vertical Horizon

Glace House stood quietly, un-intruding and keeping to itself. Ivy grew up the stone walls, giving the manor charm. Inside it was well furnished and comfortable in fact. But looks can be deceiving. Despite the decorative throws, and the large crackling fireplace, Glace House gave off a foreboding aura. An aura that screamed out the Houses name. 'Ice' House.

Things were not always this way. There was a time when Glace House, was in fact friendly and inviting. It was in this time that it did indeed invite to its shelter, a young family. A Spanish Ambassador, his friendly wife, and adorable daughter came to live in the House in the early nineteen hundreds. They filled the large empty halls, and galleries with laughter. It was also in this time, that the family decided to seek help for maintaining their house.

It was on one quiet rainy morning that the shadows came to pass. A young woman, accompanied by her daughter came seeking work. The family graciously accepted the help, and welcomed them into their home. They were ecstatic at such a find-the young girl the woman brought with her was just their own daughters age.

At first the changes were small, nothing to worry over. Certain ingredients being stolen from the spice rack, the young hired girl chanting strange words. Then the oddities became larger. One day while walking around the yard, the ambassador's wife discovered a cauldron propped beneath a tree. Then came the day the family cat turned up dead, and at the stroke of midnight the family's daughter woke up screaming at the top of her lungs.

Throughout the course of these events, other changes had been occurring. Slowly the family had succumbed to not questioning the young woman. Without meaning to they'd lost control of their own house. They began relinquishing power to the hired help, little by little, bit by bit. But these little increments added up. Days went by with hushed whispers, and the family creeping quietly throughout the house. Something wasn't at rest there.

One bright spring morning, the family put on their finest clothes and headed out for Easter Service. They returned to the doomed house to find the young woman, and girl waiting on the front porch. Warning his family to wait behind, the ambassador went alone to meet them. His beautiful baby girl watched as arms waved violently, and harsh words bit through the warm air. She watched as the woman nodded to her daughter, and she flew inside. She could see her father questioning, but in just seconds the girl was back, handing some sort of stick to her mother. And she shut her eyes against the blinding green light that all the sudden took over the area. She heard her mother's scream.

After that, the end came quickly. The young woman flew to her husband's side, leaving her daughter unattended. She didn't hear the new words that issued from the other women's mouth. In a trance her daughter walked dreamily to the front steps, and into the house. Following suit the young woman and her daughter went in, and in final defiance, the door flew shut.

In the weeks to follow, the young widow went mad.

*******

The light that pierced through her eyelids, capturing her senses in a dangerous dance, shouldn't have been allowed. It roused her headache to an alarming level. She found that the bright sunshine begging for her to open her eyes was annoying and persistent. Succumbing, she fluttered her eyes open, and silently pleaded with the golden rays to retreat and leave her be. Instead they pursued further, until she violently swung her head to the side.

There her eyes landed on a mirror in which she saw a dark figure standing. With a blink of her eyes he was gone and the reflection now showed a wild red haired girl, tangled in sweaty bedclothes. Ginny let her gaze continue on past the mirror. She saw that the room consisted of a simple chest, a window seat with a large window, a washbasin, and the bed she was in. For a moment she wondered if she'd woken up into a different time period by accident, and whether or not it would be more polite just to go back to sleep. Her eyelids had begun to fall heavily to a resting place, when someone slipped quietly through the door.

"Oh! You're awake! Madame will be pleased."

The girl looked to be about twenty, with raven black hair up in a tight bun, and she held a rather nervous disposition. She handed a glass of water to Ginny. "I'll leave this hear with you and go fetch her," The girl left as quietly as she'd come. It surprised Ginny that anyone could be that light-footed. The way she walked seemed as though she was afraid she'd wake the dead.

Ginny sat up and took a sip of the water. She let it trickle down her throat, curing her of a dry mouth. She hadn't even stopped to consider where she was, whom she was waiting for, or any other seemingly important details. There wasn't much of a need.

"Thank God you're alright!" Ginny was a bit startled to see Desde walk in, with the maid following closely behind.

"Desde? Wait why am I..."

"Here? Lucky coincidence really," Ginny stared blankly at her. Her head pounded as she recalled fainting in the little chapel in London. "Yes, you see you must have still had my number tucked away in your purse because around three yesterday I received a call about you. Seems you fainted in a church. I don't really understand, honestly, but here you are all the same," Desde smiled imploringly.

Ginny didn't feel in any mood to try and explain something she didn't half understand, so she gracefully fell back on her pillow, allowing the glass of water to roll onto the floor. It really wasn't like her to put on such an unkind act, but then again she didn't feel herself. Something in the air gave her a cold feeling, a feeling that made her want to do things so unlike herself that they sent a shudder up her spine.

The voices of the maid and Desde mixed in a cautious whirlwind. The glass was swept away, presumably by the maid, whose name Ginny believed to be Maria, and covers were pulled about her shoulders. No more was said, she had been taken for fainting, and the two left. As soon as the door clicked shut, Ginny went to open her eyes.

She tried to open her eyes, but found to her amazement that they were stuck shut. They felt heavy and for all her effort she couldn't open them. She felt panic creep into her chest settling right over her stomach. She pursued the idea of lifting her hand to force her eyelids apart, but as could be expected her arms were rendered useless as well. Before she was able to think up a decent plan, her eyes snapped open.

Why was she always in the same room? This time she sat on a velvet chair perched in a corner. She'd never seen it before, but at the same time it seemed obvious that it had always been there. Getting up daintily, in a way that was not her own, she moved over to the door. Yet again it swung open before she reached it. The same devenar man walked in not at all surprised to see her. She decided to wait for him to speak.

"Why are you resisting?" he turned sharply to face her, and despite herself she jumped a little. His tone was sterner than in the past.

"Pardon me? Resisting?" she tried to adopt the same tone.

"Honestly, Elita, are you not aware?"

"Aware of what?" the questioning irritated Ginny, as well as the name. It seemed it would be much simpler to just explain than to keep up the game.

"Of the potential," Ginny's insides froze and she stood transfixed with the words.

"Potential," she said firmly, without question. "I am so sick of potential. I don't understand it, and I'm almost certain I don't want it," she turned to walk out, leaving an impression, but the man caught her arm and she let out a whimper.

"Elita, do you really want to leave? I don't think you do," And then she didn't. She would rather die than leave his presence. She wanted to kiss him and hit him and fall crying into his arms. She wanted to be whoever he wanted her to be.

"No."

"Yes, that's right. Besides, there's not really a choice. It's destiny. It's in the name," she jerked her head up, and her eyes met pale, plain walls. She looked around finding herself back in Desde's house. She cried out in frustration. Whoever he was, he was teasing her...making her believe in whatever lies he was spinning, making her want to know more. He left her an undeniable clue, something about the name, but at the same time he lead her away from the right trail. As consciousness sunk in, the name faded away leaving a blank whole. In the end, all that was left was desperateness.

*******

Maria tiptoed quietly through the sitting room, and drew back the curtains that hid a large window, which was barely see-through from the layers of dust. Of course, one could have a better view of the same landscape from the window just a floor down in the parlor. She chose the one she did, however, for the very fact that it did lye in a room un-used, and covered in dust. She could see out, if she strained her eyes, but no one could see in.

Streams of finely dressed people made their way up the front steps and into the large entry hall. Laughter floated up through the ceiling, reaching Maria's ears. It was enticing, in its singsong little flow, but upon hearing it, anger swam rapidly through Maria's veins. Grabbing a vase, she prepared to fling it against the nearest wall. An anguished cry from above stopped her. Replacing the vase and curtain, she glanced around once more and left, softly.

Making her way through hallways, passages, and up staircases she reached a deserted bedroom. Deserted until the evening before when her mistress had brought a young girl in, and set her up in the room without explanation. The door creaked as she entered, and the girl broke her steady gaze at the wall. Maria tried to find what she was looking at, but the walls were as plain as ever.

"Is everything...alright?" she began cautiously. The girl turned to face her, and her two bright cafe eyes overflowed. Uncertain what to do, Maria walked closer. "Oh, my. Are you sick? What's wrong?" The girl's liquid gaze turned to her once again, and she moved her lips, though no sound came out. "Would you like some tea? Is your throat sore?" she felt utterly helpless. The girl seemed like a fish out of water, and Maria was without a bowl.

"Where has he gone?" the words that came from the girl's mouth were dry and whispery.

"Who, pray tell?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know," she seemed frustrated, jabbing a fist into her pillow. "But he needs me. He does, he needs me. Or maybe I've got it wrong. Maybe I need him," She now seemed to be speaking to herself. Maria tried to sneak out, prepared to find Desdemona, but her attempts were hindered.

"Wait! Where are you going? Please don't leave! You've got to help me find him!" Maria turned back, and saw that the girl looked beyond frightened. She nearly cried at the sight of the startled child.

"I-I really wasn't aware there was anyone else in here."

"Well, of course he's gone now. I just need to know, that's all. It'll be better once I know. It's the name, did you know?" Once again she seemed to be mostly speaking to herself, but Maria decided to answer anyway.

"The name? Yours? Mistress Desdemona said it was Virginia, is that correct?"

"No! Of course not! What a silly thing to say. It's Elita," as Maria prepared to question further, the girl jumped up. She gasped zealously and then her face went utterly blank. She fell back on her pillow, and started to sob. This time Maria made it out the door, and was soon flying down the main staircase in a desperate rush to find Desde.

*******

Dazzle. Swish. Sway. Float. Click. Ladies and gentleman of high society sashayed across the ballroom in intricate patterns, putting on airs. Women of all ages paraded around hanging on the arms of high-class men. Old fashion garments, and jeweled masks were worn for this particular meeting. It was a party mainly thrown to return the Crushanes to their spot of glory within the circle.

Desde waltzed around the room making small chat, here and there. Her eye caught on a younger lady sitting alone on a couch at the edge of the crowd. She was quietly observing the crowd, and every once in a while would snap a picture with her camera. Removing a pencil from her handbag she jotted down a note, and returned to watching the guests. Desde slithered through the crowd, and came up right beside her, unnoticed.

"You must be Draea Fields," she said, addressing the woman. An icy glance was thrown her way, and her finely penciled eyebrows rose a little.

"And you must be Desdemona Crushane. Pleasure," her voice, however, held no pleasure at all.

Desde tried to maintain a smile, all though her eyes narrowed slightly. The choice to invite Draea to the party had been made only out of necessity. Draea had made herself known to the wizarding world at a very young age of seventeen. Her fashions were of the highest class, and showed much quality in taste. She was extremely well known, and was among the elite of the wizarding world. Not inviting her would put an unwanted speck on her social standing.

Despite the welcoming smile she kept, Desde extremely disliked the girl. She was clever, and quick, with brains and good looks. She was sharp, dressed well, and acted as though she had nothing to lose. The combination put out a highly self-confident woman, who wouldn't be easily taken. All this made Desde nervous. She didn't like people who weren't easily persuaded by her charms, and bent to her ways. As such, the girl was only there for the party and not for the after meeting. She was straight in her ways, and there was no point in talking to her, other than for the appearance of it.

"May I say, I just love your fall collection. It's absolutely magnificent," She was sucking up, but what did it matter?

"Hm," Draea barely regarded her, and didn't bother to remove the bored look from her face. Desde sucked in a breath, and restrained herself.

"Will you be coming out with winter robes?"

"Of course," Hastily, she picked up her camera and took a picture of an elderly couple dancing. The whole idea of this event being on film made Desde more than uncomfortable.

"Umm...what are those for?"

"Inspiration. I attend parties like these to see the styles, and how I can improve on them," she said this all while snapping away at other guests; a middle aged woman by the punch stand, a young couple laughing, a man peering out the window. By now, Draea was standing.

"I see..." Just then a man came sauntering up, his eyes fixed intently on Draea.

"You're Miss Fields, are you not?" he flashed her a brilliant smile, but Draea barely looked at him. Desde tried to hide her disgust.

"I'm not if it means you'll leave me alone," Her camera was once again in front of her face as she captured moments to be forever frozen in time. Desde was about to beg pardon to the young man when a shriek came from the entry hall. She swept over to find her young maid running down the marble staircase, her hair falling out of its neat bun. She looked frantic and skidded across the floor to where Desde stood.

"Mistress, oh mistress!" she sagged over trying to catch her breath, and Desde raised an eyebrow.

"Maria, what are you on about. Don't you realize you're interrupting," She said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, but Mistress, the girl! The girl!" Before Maria could say another word Desde's stern look had vanished and she was striding swiftly towards the stairs. Maria chased behind. "She was raving on like a lunatic, Miss, and I swear she thought there was someone else in the room."

Desde stopped momentarily, looking a bit alarmed, and then continued on. Maria followed her expectantly. Finally, at the landing on the third floor, Desde halted and addressed Maria, rather annoyed. With a harsh word, Maria ran off to attend to the guests, and Desde went on alone. Outside the door, she took a deep breath and turned the brass handle. Her eyes landed first on the empty bed. It only took her only a minute to survey the tiny room and find that it was completely empty.

*******

She fell asleep but only for a few minutes, five at most, and it was dreamless. Soon she was staring again at the pale walls, that despite their normality, held a daunting secret. Not really, of course. They were just walls. But they represented all she was feeling. You looked at her and saw a plain, normal girl, right out of school. You looked closer and saw how desperate she was, and how close to the edge she was getting. Just like the walls...you looked closer and saw that in some places the paint was thin, almost non-existent, almost totally destructed.

Ginny swung her feet over the edge of the bed, and gasped at the cold wood floor. She shivered as the air rolled over her skin, now unprotected by the covers. Looking forward, she saw that the door stood ajar. It was then that she vaguely remembered the disgruntled maid running in at her scream. She recalled her nonsense ramblings, and wondered if perhaps that encounter had also been a dream.

Walking across the room, she slipped out the door, and closed it behind her. She didn't have a clue where she was going, but she felt a need to get out of that room. It was so plain, so normal, that it scared her. Like behind the walls, were secrets and bones. A few times during the day she could've sworn she'd heard whispers from them.

She found that the level of the house she was on, consisted of dark, dimly lit, narrow corridors, which led her deeper and deeper into a confusing maze. She walked, as though in a trance, a zombie of some sort. She walked, and walked, yet she never seemed to be in the same place twice. She started to wonder if she wouldn't just spend the rest of her days walking around through the house, until it sucked her up and she joined the bones, and whispers.

Her desperate thoughts came to an end when she discovered an unlocked door (most of the others were sealed tight), and entered a room encased with dust. It was a little larger than the one she had been staying in, yet still small. Ginny squinted her eyes, trying to make out what lay before her. She reached into her robes, and was relieved to find her wand there.

"Lumos."

The room was crowded, with a few pieces of furniture, and many dolls and old-fashioned toys. The bed was covered with pillows and stuffed animals. All around the room were porcelain dolls, soft dolls, rag dolls, and any other kind you could imagine. The room was clearly that of a child's. Ginny casually wondered if it used to be Desde's. That thought was put aside, though, when she saw a Spanish flag hanging on the wall. Who in Desde's family would be Spanish? Well, whoever's room it was, it was clear that it hadn't been used in years. The air was musty and Ginny coughed a little as she went further in.

Something about the room intrigued her. In fact, so far the whole house had. It was like one big mystery, and Ginny was desperate to unravel it. She was filled, now, with curiosity and began opening up drawers, riffling through the things. It all looked pretty ordinary, she found, a bit disappointed. There were dresses, and play clothes, and all the normal things a child would have. Just as she was giving up her search, she found something peculiar. Between two shirts in the bottom drawer, was a key. It was very old looking, large and copper. Without hesitation, Ginny slipped it in her pocket, and left.

Walking further into the labyrinth of a house, Ginny's eyes started playing tricks on her. Just up ahead she'd see a woman in a white gown dart around the corner. Or there'd be a tall man, noble and distinguished, who would beckon for her to follow him into a room, only for her to get there and find it locked. And there was whispering again. It was strange, but with each step she took she felt more and more resistance. It felt like there was a wind pushing her back. Yet, she kept on. Up ahead, a copper door handle shown through the darkness, and atop it a copper keyhole. She started to walk towards it, and then just when it was barely an arm length away, she heard it.

"Elita," She whipped around, wide-eyed. There at the other end of the hall he stood. For once, in an act of defiance she turned back to the door, and continued towards it.

"Elita!" his voice came more commanding. She grimaced and she founded her steps were harder.

"Virginia!"

She froze. Only one person, outside of her family, had ever called her that. Turning back to him again, her insides squirmed with fear. She looked frantically around and saw no escape. He was striding towards her, fast, and intent. She backed up until she hit the door. Her hands searched out the handle and she turned it wildly. Locked. She was about to scream, when Desde came running around the corner right behind him.

"Ginny! Thank God! There you are," he turned to look at Desde then walked around the corner she'd come from.

"But...but...didn't you see him?" Desde gave her a sideways glance, dismissed it and moved forward.

"You must be tired still. What are you doing up? What do you think you're on about, leaving the room to wander around? You'll catch cold!"

All the while Desde was steadily guiding her through the halls towards, she assumed, her room. For once, she just let herself be led on. She was too tired to think about anything any more.

*******

Draea watched Desde's retreating figure till she was out of sight, and then turned back towards the crowd. She rolled her eyes to no one in particular and carefully made her way to the refreshment table. She knew the games Desde played, and she knew very well the reason her presence there had been requested. She wanted to make it clear that she was no pushover - no-one to be toyed with.

She poured a glass of the deep purple liquid, but didn't bother touching it to her lips. That part of her that was oh-so observant was kicking in again, and her fingers were itching for the camera. Sliding the glass back on to the table, she grasped the camera and steadily focused in on a couple of men talking in the corner. She liked their suits a lot, and knew it could be just the type of thing she was looking for. However, she found her eyes remained on the same spot even after the picture was taken.

Her eyes were busy scrutinizing the spot her eyes were fixed, trying to find what made it so fascinating. Just when she was narrowing in on a conclusion, the loud chatter of the crowd died down, and hushed whispers spread throughout the room. Draea tore her eyes away, and looked over at the attraction. One of her strawberry blonde curls fell into her eyes, and she hurriedly pushed it aside. She let out a sigh at what turned out to be the object of everyone's attention. Gossip in the air that night had been that some prodigy girl was staying at the house. Draea had dismissed it as rumor, but now Desde made her way down the grand stairs, with a red head clinging to her side. She seemed weak, and was very convincing, all though Draea was sure she'd been hired for the part.

As the two reached the bottom of the stairs, the crowd moved in a little closer, all earnest for a better look. Draea, in turn, marched forward and pushed through the crowd. She stopped in front of the couch that Desde and the girl were now sitting on.

"Thanks for the invite. It was quite a show," her voice sent a clear message, of what she thought of the party. She gave one last lingering glance at the redhead, wondering what she was getting paid for this. Finally, she tilted her head slightly up, in a barely noticeable scoff, and saw the girl look at her questioningly. She gave Desde a tight smile and walked straight through the hall and out the front door, her stilettos clicking all the way. Outside on the steps she sat down, and inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. The return of bubbling conversation from inside, sent her on to her feet again, and soon she was running all the way across the huge front yard to her car.

*******

It was near eleven o' clock by the time the strand of endless well wishers were finished meeting and marveling over Ginny. Lying on the couch she watched the different groups chatter away, in a very observant mode, same as the previous occupant. She'd had plenty of time to mull over her most recent encounter, but had stopped when her head began to ache. It made no sense. He was bad enough in her dreams but now he was leaving them...Her eyes were getting heavy again but there was no way she'd sleep. Sleeping those days only seemed to lead to trouble. However, in the end, the decision was made for her.

In almost an established method, guests began to leave, and soon the room was filled with only a group of about twenty. These twenty sat down on chairs that had now been set in a circle in the center of the huge room. Desde was running about, hurriedly speaking to people, making what seemed to be last minute plans. Ginny wondered if Desde remembered she was there, and if it wouldn't be more suitable for her to just leave. After deciding leaving wouldn't be possible (she was in no way ready to look around the house again) she went for the next best plan. She got up, stumbled forward a bit dizzily, and to her dismay found herself sitting right back down.

As though she'd been called, Desde turned and walked towards her.

"Now, now, you just relax here. We just need to have a short meeting and you're free to listen in," She started to leave, and then on second thought turned to her again. "If you get sleepy, don't hesitate to nap."

Ginny sat puzzled, but assured herself sleep was out of the question. No sooner had she thought this, than she looked up to see him ascending a makeshift platform. Her eyes promptly snapped shut, only to open again upon a completely different view. Looking around she saw that she was on the platform now, in a chair to the right of him, and without thought she began to listen to what he had to say.

"My good servants, how pleased I am that you have all gathered here tonight. The food and festivities were fine," he nodded to Desde, who Ginny saw, sat to his left, and the crowd applauded.

"Yes, yes, we are all very glad to be in the fine residence of Miss Crushane. As you all know, our plans are moving a bit slower than we'd hoped. There have been a few obstacles thrown in our way by the Ministry as well as various Aurors. There are also certain people that need to be...spoken with...before we can move forward. Let me now draw your attention to our guest of honor, Miss West."

Once again the crowd applauded, but this time with more vigor. Ginny looked around to see who she was. Instead, Desde came up behind her and whispered, "stand up" in her ear. Confused, but too tired to do otherwise, she stood, nodded in acknowledgement, and sat back down. Her head was spinning.

"Clearly, we are all glad to have her in our midst. Now, what is it ladies and gentleman that we are all striving for? Let me help you. Our mission is one of fulfillment. All over this sad wizarding community are witches and wizards, just like you, unhappy and unsatisfied. They've got no power in their lives! They live and breathe by their day-to-day routines. Ah, it is indeed a sad circumstance, but there is, as all you fine people know, a solution," he paused for good measure, and Ginny got the distinct and strange impression that all that had been aimed towards her.

"In this world there is no good or evil, just power. You all have chosen the path of control; control of your lives, situations, standings. Now, why shouldn't everyone have this opportunity? Oh but they can. All they have to do is embrace their inner power, and except who they truly are," At this he looked over at Ginny, and she knew those words had been for her. All of a sudden things started falling into place, at a rapid speed.

"I turn this task to you, my fellow servants. It is on your heads. It is on you to seek out those special few and bring them to their glory. Do not disappoint, I advise you. Let us now go and help those who aren't on the clear and right path to find their way. We will meet again on November twentieth at Dimitri Gearhoffs house. All are welcome," On this final note he looked slyly at Ginny and she could almost feel a transformation take place. Suddenly, she knew.

*******

The next day Ginny woke at sunrise and immediately dressed in the spare dress Desde had given her. She found her way to the stairs, wondered quickly why they'd been so hard to find the night before, and made her way down them. In the large kitchen, the maid Maria was making what looked like crepes. She glanced up, and was startled at Ginny's quiet presence.

"Miss West, you're up early. Please sit, breakfast will be ready soon," Ginny let the name roll of her, completely done with musing over it.

"No, breakfast won't be necessary. May I use your phone?" Maria nodded in the direction of a hallway off the kitchen, and Ginny went out and found the phone hanging on the wall. She called home to reassure her family she was all right, and then called for a cab. She stood for a minute in the hall collecting herself, and pulled a letter from her pocket. She then returned to the kitchen.

"A cab will be here for me shortly. Please deliver this letter to Desde for me," she handed the letter over to Maria who glanced at it momentarily before securing it in her apron pocket.

"Yes, Miss. Are you quite sure you wouldn't prefer to stay for breakfast?" She looked a bit worried about Ginny's leaving without her mistress's consent.

"Positive. I'll just go wait outside then," she said and then turned swiftly and left through the kitchen door.

Outside, the morning air was cool and refreshing. The backyard was large and kept going until it ended in steep rocky cliffs. At the far edges were trees, but there were none on the green, well cut lawn. There were no trees, except one, which stood near the front end of the yard with a swing attached. She walked over, and sat on it until the cab arrived.

*******

Desdemona,

Thank you much for hosting me for this short while. It has been entertaining. You throw quite a party. Please tell Tom I will be there on November twentieth. I would appreciate if you would let me know where to go. Sorry I have to leave with such short notice.

Elita West

*******