11-04-2004, 07:40 PM
It almost sounded like thunder. The resounding "Booms" that were coming from the opposite side of the door. With one swift kick, the sound of a door casing splintering filled the eeriely silent hallway.
Pulling herself out of the kick, Victoria straightened her shoulders and looked into the abandoned room. It was very much the same as it had been the last time she had been here. Although the memories of that visit had almost been wiped from her mind by Professor Xavier.
"You sure you want to do this?" Peter's voice echoed from behind her. He watched her closely. She was dressed almost entirely in black, save for the small dash of red on the front of her top.
"I'm positive." came a very flat answer. She hadn't bothered turning to look at him, she was too busy looking over the years of disuse that had fallen upon Essex Manor.
Stepping into the foyer, her footsteps resounded through the empty house.
"I didn't ask you to come along." she glanced over her shoulder at her best friend, who stood in the doorway.
"Yeah, but I wasn't going to let you come alone. You've been almost obssessed with coming here since I told you I found this place." his worried whisper followed her up the grand staircase.
She looked at the pictures hanging along the stairs. Paintings of long dead members of the Essex family...one of Madelyn...and one of...
"Victoria Essex." she whispered as she stood there staring into the happy blue eyes of the woman in the portrait. It was obvious from her attire this was a very old portrait. Wiping the dust from it, Victoria looked at the date etched along the bottom.
"It's her..." she smiled only slightly at the woman that Sinister had chosen to name her after. She felt some sort of odd kinship with her. Both of their lives had been manipulated by him, and Victoria wasn't about to stand around and let him do it anymore.
"I'll find my answers here Peter." she smiled down at him and put her finger to her lips to silence any reply.
"But from here on in, we go in silent mode. I don't want to scare off anyone if they are here. Now, I'm going upstairs...you see what you can find down here."
Peter watched her walk off and shook his head silently. He had never really gotten used to Tory's telepathy. Since she had returned from her interdimensional travels, she was a stronger person than the one Peter had known for so long. She had gone from a frightened little girl to a determined young woman seeking the truth.
When he was sure she was out of his line of sight, Peter climbed along the walls as to not to disturb the footprints in the dust on the floor. If she was determined to find Sinister, he'd help her. Even if he did think it was a foolish crusade.
He moved in silence, listening to her mental comments as she rummaged through drawers and desks on the floors above. He moved to the basement, hoping to find whatever it was she was looking for.
Victoria stood in the doorway of what could have only been at one time a study. Books lined the shelves, covered in what looked to be a century of dust and disuse.
Her dark eyes followed them along the wall. She knew Sinister well enough to know he wouldn't leave his secrets just laying about for anyone to find. Moving into the room, she began to look behind paintings for a safe or a hide away. When that yielded nothing, she moved to the books on the shelves and one by one, began scanning the contents of the bookshelves.
"Come on." she whispered almost pleadingly as her fingers ran along the spine of each book. Physics, Science, Botany...but one book stood out as she stopped mid search.
"Frankenstein." she muttered and smiled to herself as she pulled the book from the shelf. As the book gave way, so did the bookcase to reveal a secret door behind it.
"Never let it be said you aren't predictable." she smirked as she called to Peter.
"I've found something...get up here, you won't believe this!"
Pulling herself out of the kick, Victoria straightened her shoulders and looked into the abandoned room. It was very much the same as it had been the last time she had been here. Although the memories of that visit had almost been wiped from her mind by Professor Xavier.
"You sure you want to do this?" Peter's voice echoed from behind her. He watched her closely. She was dressed almost entirely in black, save for the small dash of red on the front of her top.
"I'm positive." came a very flat answer. She hadn't bothered turning to look at him, she was too busy looking over the years of disuse that had fallen upon Essex Manor.
Stepping into the foyer, her footsteps resounded through the empty house.
"I didn't ask you to come along." she glanced over her shoulder at her best friend, who stood in the doorway.
"Yeah, but I wasn't going to let you come alone. You've been almost obssessed with coming here since I told you I found this place." his worried whisper followed her up the grand staircase.
She looked at the pictures hanging along the stairs. Paintings of long dead members of the Essex family...one of Madelyn...and one of...
"Victoria Essex." she whispered as she stood there staring into the happy blue eyes of the woman in the portrait. It was obvious from her attire this was a very old portrait. Wiping the dust from it, Victoria looked at the date etched along the bottom.
"It's her..." she smiled only slightly at the woman that Sinister had chosen to name her after. She felt some sort of odd kinship with her. Both of their lives had been manipulated by him, and Victoria wasn't about to stand around and let him do it anymore.
"I'll find my answers here Peter." she smiled down at him and put her finger to her lips to silence any reply.
"But from here on in, we go in silent mode. I don't want to scare off anyone if they are here. Now, I'm going upstairs...you see what you can find down here."
Peter watched her walk off and shook his head silently. He had never really gotten used to Tory's telepathy. Since she had returned from her interdimensional travels, she was a stronger person than the one Peter had known for so long. She had gone from a frightened little girl to a determined young woman seeking the truth.
When he was sure she was out of his line of sight, Peter climbed along the walls as to not to disturb the footprints in the dust on the floor. If she was determined to find Sinister, he'd help her. Even if he did think it was a foolish crusade.
He moved in silence, listening to her mental comments as she rummaged through drawers and desks on the floors above. He moved to the basement, hoping to find whatever it was she was looking for.
Victoria stood in the doorway of what could have only been at one time a study. Books lined the shelves, covered in what looked to be a century of dust and disuse.
Her dark eyes followed them along the wall. She knew Sinister well enough to know he wouldn't leave his secrets just laying about for anyone to find. Moving into the room, she began to look behind paintings for a safe or a hide away. When that yielded nothing, she moved to the books on the shelves and one by one, began scanning the contents of the bookshelves.
"Come on." she whispered almost pleadingly as her fingers ran along the spine of each book. Physics, Science, Botany...but one book stood out as she stopped mid search.
"Frankenstein." she muttered and smiled to herself as she pulled the book from the shelf. As the book gave way, so did the bookcase to reveal a secret door behind it.
"Never let it be said you aren't predictable." she smirked as she called to Peter.
"I've found something...get up here, you won't believe this!"
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