The Moretza Mansion

Ari had walked into the ballroom, giving herself a tour since no one had followed her. She looked around the wide open room. She hadent seen this room before. Or the piano. A smile lit up Ari's face seeing it. She loved playing the piano. She sat down on the bench and pulled up her sleves. She looked at the sheet music placed on the piano. 'Mysterious Nights' was the title of the piece. Ari smiled again 'sounds nice' she though. She started playing the song and it drifted around throughout the mansion, reaching everyone's ears.

Woah, Woah, Woah. A lot of information to take in there.
"Wait ok so your saying that these keys," Eric walked over and picked up the key from the other girls hands, "Unlock something but it's not the door? So why are there keys that don't unlock the door."
Eric did want to help...I mean trapped in here, who wants to be trapped in a mansion. Well everyone... but you know what I mean. I need to get out of here the game starts in like an hour! But on the other hand there are alot of attractive women here... Eric thought to myself.

"Look, I'll help. But I need to go home in less than an hour. My football game starts and I don't wanna miss it," Eric said pointing at them all, he followed the group outside of the kitchen.
The other girl began to play a beautiful song, when we entered a room. Eric loved her talents. It was so dreamy, it took him away to another place another universe away from being trapped here.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" Eric asked her, "Oh by the way, I'm Eric."

Leigh

Leigh was a little annoyed that Allison had taken the box of keys, but Leigh calmed down a little when she found out that one of the keys opened the music box.
Instead of searching around the house like everyone else, Leigh decided to explore the contents of the music box.
She started to look, until she heard another new voice.

"Hey, babe." he said flirtatiously, "Know where we are?" Leigh honestly didn't feel like talking to him. It seemed as though she could learn all of his personality just by looking at his eyes. Allison came to the rescue and started talking to him, giving Leigh more time to look at the box.
Then, Leigh could hear piano music from the ballroom. The blonde haired boy started to walk away, reminding Leigh that every primitive thing is attracted to music, just then, Leigh could see it; an inscription on the inside of the box.

It said,

"Everything isn't what it seems. Don't jump so quickly to conclusions; you just might be wrong."

"Allison, come over here. I found something on the inside", Leigh said.

Ari looked up from the piano, slightly suprised, but did not stop the song. She wasnt one to stop a song in the middle.
"Me?" Ari asked but then reaslized that was a stupid question. She tucked some hair behind her ear absentmindedly so she could see the sheet better.
"Oh. Well my mom got me into it. She always incouraged me and wanted me to continue with it, saying i had a gift. So i continued practicing and playing. When she died a few years ago, I thought of quitting piano, but eventually i descided i couldnt. I wanted to continue for her. And my little sister, who loved my music too. I got really good after a while and developed a love for playing. We didnt have a piano in our house, it was too big to move around in our frequent moves, so i began to find jobs that incorprated the piano, like before i got kidnaped here i played the piano at a restraunt i worked for" Ari explained still playing the song.
"The pianos kinda give me an attachment to her, my mom. Silly right?" Ari asked, kinda talking to herself now.
Ari shook her head, realizeing she was babling on about pianos and her mom.
"Why, do you like piano?" She asked remembering Eric had origionally asked her the question.

Allison walked over to Leigh, curious as to what she found, and also trying to avoid the new guy, who was clearly a flirt. She had thought that the key, only unlocking a music box was a little strange, and clearly here was the answer.

"Everything isn't what it seems. Don't jump so quickly to conclusions; you just might be wrong."

The words entered her mind and seemed to take up every nook and cranny in her brain. She repeated them in her mind. That could mean a lot of things. "That could mean that there really is something, we just thing that there isn't. So, there really could be another door in this place, a window, a key that actually opens the door, or something of that sort, but we just assumed that there wasn't because that is what it seems like. Curious. Now I really want to see what the other keys unlock." She grabbed two off the counter, leaving two for Leigh.

Ari told her history to Eric. He was so curious.
He walked closer to her, the music was sending him into a trance, a sleepy dream.
He came and sat to the right of her, on the bench she was sitting on.
"That's such a great story, that you were....um....motiv...motivated, yep, after what happened to you."
"The pianos kinda give me an attachment to her, my mom. Silly right?" Ari said.
"No, not all," Eric replied, he looked at his toes, they was tapping away to the tune. It's sad, Eric had never lost anyone in his life, and for her to be able to go on and play that instrument was amazing.
"Why, do you like piano?" She asked Eric.
"I dunno, I've never heard anyone play like that before...My family had never been into piano, so we had never learnt anything, and in music class, well I failed, suppose she assumed we all knew how to play. Everyone sucked of course, so I've never heard anyone play as beautiful as you. I think it just takes me away from this planet to another universe, you know?" Eric said dreamily, looking at her fingers move up and down the piano keys.
"Um, will you teach me?" Eric asked, intrigued by her fingers. She was just amazing.
"Maybe sometime after we get out of this place, you, me, we could go on a...a...a date."

"Um, will you teach me? Mabye sometime after we get out of this place, you, me, we could go on a...a...a date." Eric said.
Ari regaurded him carefully. He seemed to be the flirt type but seemed to be being genuine with her. Ari wasnt the one to fall instantly in love though, or fall over looks. Eric was cute by that wasnt everything. Personality was bigger than looks for Ari.
"If we get out. I dont know how long we will be here, or even if we will get out" Ari corrected, finishing the song but starting a new one she knew from memory.
"I could teach you piano here though. Anytime you would like." Ari offered. She could tell Eric was intrested in piano and wanted to learn to play, so she would teach him. She began to hum along to the song she was playing.

Eric thought about it, She's playing hard to get . I love girls like that. He smiled.
She had already started playing a new song. This one she looked like she didn't know it well. But her fingers didn't show her trying to remember it.
"I could teach you piano here though. Anytime you would like," she said to him.
He thought about it.
"Ok cool," he said grinning to her. Hopefully, it will be a fun lesson-maybe it will take his mind off football he thought.
He thought he'd leave her to it, though. He got up, something seemed like he should help the others look for the keys. He began walking out the room.
"Wanna help? I think the others are trying to find out where the keys go," he said, arms were above his head, resting on the frame of the door. "Maybe tomorrow we could start lesson one. That's if we don't get out by tomorrow."

Leigh grabbed the two keys, and put the music box back down on the table.
"Leigh Rae, come here, i found something!" she could hear Kyle's voice from across the room. Leigh walked up to him, and he said,
"To the lounge! ONWARD!!"
Kyle and Leigh walked quickly to the small room. Even though the lights were off, Leigh could see Kyle's breakfast on the table.
Leigh flipped the first switch, which was broken, (a habit that Leigh could not get rid of) then flipped the second switch, and all the lights turned on.
"i found a book on that bookcase that i think you should see. It's got important stuff in it", Kyle said. He grabbed a yellow book that was next to his plate of eggs, flipped the pages a bit, then came to a page in the middle of the book.
"It's another one of those history books of the mansion. I found this interesting passage" Kyle said, pointing to the passage with his finger. Leigh took the book and read it aloud.

"The entire family of the Moretza Mansion was supposedly killed in a heist on september 23rd, 1929, when burglars appeared in the house, stealing valuables. Apparently, Robert Moretza awoke to the sound of the burglars walking through the hallways, and before he could talk to them, he was shot in the chest by a firearm one of the thieves was carrying. The family awoke to the sound, and all four family members were killed. The bodies were never found, but a note was left on the front door, explaining the whole situation...."

Leigh closed the book, and looked down at Kyle. "That's interesting. But how does it have to do with getting out of the mansion?"
Leigh asked Kyle. Kyle gave a half smile and said, "well, i thought that MAYBE the reason we are trapped in this mansion is because....maybe the family never moved on.....and maybe they are ghosts trying to get revenge!"
"What?! Kyle, that's crazy!" Leigh exclaimed.

Allison folded her arms, clearly not amused. "There is no such thing as 'ghosts' multiple tests have proved it, and any stories that disprove this is a hoax. And anyway, how could ghosts create rooms with no windows, or have there be only one door?" A thought occurred to her. "Unless there really is doors and windows. And we are just assuming that there isn't." She frowned and puzzled it over for a second, twiddling the two keys between her fingers. "Either way, we really need to figure out what these open. It could be they key to everything!"

Eric walked out of the room, hoping Ari would follow. He had no clue where he was. He just hoped to find the others quick, trapped in a mansion is one thing, trapped alone is another.
Eric could hear voices coming from another room. He walked towards them and could hear their voices through the wall. He earsdropped on them.

"The entire family of the Moretza Mansion was supposedly killed in a heist on september 23rd, 1929, when burglars appeared in the house, stealing valuables. Apparently, Robert Moretza awoke to the sound of the burglars walking through the hallways, and before he could talk to them, he was shot in the chest by a firearm one of the thieves was carrying. The family awoke to the sound, and all four family members were killed. The bodies were never found, but a note was left on the front door, explaining the whole situation...." Eric heard the attractive girl's voice. Well, that was alot to take in. Eric thought that through. It had to be false it didn't make any sense at all.
Then she added, "What?! Kyle, that's crazy!"
Eric had missed the speech between them when he was off in thought. Then the other younger girl had started to aggree with the elder one.
"...It could be they key to everything!"
Eric thought it was time to reveal himself. He materialized and began to talk.
"That ghost stuff sure sounds fake, like it's just made up. Are you sure that's true?" He asked taking a seat on a couch in the room, staring into the eyes of the other faces. "Besides we shouldn't worry about it, she's right we need to find a way out of here first- before we come to an ending about all this. Where's are the keys?"

Allison looked over to find the new jock standing in the doorway, apparently agreeing with her. She really didn't want to associate herself with the new kid, Eric she remembered from overhearing it. Eric was clearly a flirt, and much younger than her, very immature. She wondered how old he was. 15? 16? Either way it was about 3 years younger than her, no wonder he was so juvenile. Either way, she handed one of her keys to him. "Ok, lets start here, in the lounge. Look for anything locked." She nodded to them and started to search. She looked in the bookshelves, hoping to find a dairy of some sort. That would help immensely. Although, she did not find any such thing.

Eric saw that the girl he'd agreed with, had handed him a key.
"Ok, lets start here, in the lounge. Look for anything locked," she said.
Eric locked at the shapes of hole that could go in it. He searched all the objects in the room. He found things locked, but it did not match the key hole. So he kept searching and found a lock.
It was the key to their problems, about what this key unlocks. He shoved it in, almost giving up, and twisted to his left and it opened.
"Wow, guys look at this...." Eric started, it had opened a box. The box had all old movies, games, photographs and money. Like one of those things you chuck in things from the present, and fifty years later open it and find old things compared to from the new technology.
It was cool. Eric searched around the box. And picked up an old photograph.
"Look, it says stuff about the Moretza family I think you guys should take a look at."

Ari walked into the lounge room where Ali, Leigh, Eric, and Kyle were. She saw them all scoundering the room
"What are you guys doing?" Ari asked, being totally out of the loop right now. Some people had keys, some were looking at books, and some were just examineing things. She thought they were trying to find clues but she wasnt sure.

Leigh took a closer look at the photograph. It was the family in the ballroom, dressed up in victorian style outfits. The photograph was obviously very old, and had a ghastly look to it. However, Leigh found it fascinating. The ballroom looked the same. There were still books everywhere, and it had that same glow to it.

Leigh looked at the writing. Apparently, the photo was taken during a house party.
Just then, Leigh noticed something the youngest daughter was holding. It was some sort of big book, and of course, there was a lock on it.

"The daughter's holding a book. maybe a diary?" Leigh said aloud.
"Wait guys, do you think the next lock could be in the ballroom? i mean, the pictures giving us a good clue"
Leigh looked around to see what the other kids had to say, or if they had another opinion.

Eric thought.
"Maybe, like Leigh said, the photo is giving us a sign; a way to get out of here. Can we try to find any books around here, that may help, maybe even the one just like the girl is holding, maybe they left it here, in the mansion. We just have to find it...It could hold all the answers, maybe even some way to tell us how to get out."
Eric looked around, hoping the others would agree.

Ari wasnt listning and was tracing her hand along one of the book shelves. Her fingers stoped on a book that stuckbout a little and was more faded than the other books. She pulled it out and ready the title. "Artemis Fowl: The Eternety Code". She flipped through the pages but there were no lose papers inside. But there was a weird code on the bottom. Ari took the book to her room and put it on the bedside to read and decode later. The book didnt look that intresting, it kinda looked like a tween book, which she usually doesnt read, but she figutlred she needed to read it to figure out the code. She also found a book called "The Westing Game" which looked like almost the same situation that they were in now, but with a few differentences. She would read them both later. She returned to the where the others were and sat on one of the couches.