Garnet & Jewel: Tread

Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

I had agreed to meet Garnet at the Batterton's on Friday and stay with her for the weekend. She knew how much their house gave me the creeps, but Garnet assured me that it would be a weekend to remember. 

Come on, Jewel. It will be fun. I can't think of a better place to host this event, can you? Besides, it means a lot to Mitch and Gemma, especially since they can't be here to host their party.

I knew how much it meant to Garnet, so of course, I was going to go. I promised to get there in plenty of time to help with the preparations, and Garnet pledged to have plenty of food on hand to keep us fueled.

I finished packing my bag, grabbed the dress bag containing my costume, and off I went. It was raining, and my wipers were on high speed. Even though it was daytime, the dreary sky made it seem later, and the clouds were dark and angry. Wonderful. I hope the weather clears for tomorrow. I said to no one as I drove cautiously but slightly mesmerized by the whoosh, whoosh of the wipers and the oncoming headlights.

I snapped out of it quickly, though, as I approached the dead-end street where the Batterton's lived. Iron gates surrounded its enormous structure, and it sat back from the road. I took a deep breath as I pulled through the gates. The long driveway led around to the side of the house, but Garnet said to be sure to enter from the front. She gave me a key the day before and said to let myself in when I got there. 

Just as I was ready to exit the car, the rain started coming down even harder. If that's even possible, considering it was already pouring. So, I left my bags in the car, hoping the rain would subside, and I could retrieve them later. 

I wanted to get inside and out of the cold, wet weather. I had stepped in some mud and worried that I would leave tread marks on the floor, so I made sure to wipe my feet before unlocking the door and entering the foyer. Little did I know what lay in store, however. What happened next would change the course of the evening - and my perception of the Batterton manor forever.