117 - The chapter with the Adams family home
Rose
" What kind of place? " I asked suspicious of all her enthusiasm.
" 'A Victorian townhouse, it was built a few years after this one, it's not that well maintained, you'll have to do a few renovations, like replacing some broken windows and peeling wallpaper " she explained " But since the house has been without tenants for a while, I can make the rent for a great value for you.”
" Sounds great," Liam smiled.
I exchanged a not-so-confident glance with Christian. There's some kind of catch in this proposal! But anyway, we decided to follow the realtor to the new address that wasn't too far from there, and when I stopped in front of the house, I knew exactly why she was smiling.
" She's got to be kidding!”
" You didn't expect a place as nice as the last one, did you? It's already clear that we can't afford it," Christian pointed out, getting out of the car to meet the others who were already waiting for us in front of the house.
I followed him, still looking at the big house in front of us, not sure how to react and all my friends seemed stuck in the same situation. The house was made of stone and dark wood and looked empty for some time, the windows were cloudy and dirty and some of the glass was broken.
" This place is perfect for you,” the woman began with a smile on her face.
" Are you sure? " Theo grimaced.
" I'm sorry, but I don't think this place is the right place for us, our house needs to be impactful, amazing and…” Liam started.
" This place has seven bedrooms, four of which are en-suite, a great loft, a dining room, a renovated kitchen, a pool if you have the patience to clean it, an office, a library and it's a thousand dollars under your total budget." She turned towards us.
" The place looks perfect. All it needs is a little soap and maybe a few cans of paint. There's nothing we can't do, right guys? " Liam turned towards us, looking convinced.
" One question, is there any chance we can get the spirits that surely haunt this house to help with the rent? " I asked the realtor, receiving a laugh in response, causing me to turn around, whispering to Christian " why is she laughing? It's a genuine question!”
" Let's see, maybe inside it's more preserved " Christian returned in the same tone.
I begrudgingly followed the group up the steps of the porch while Izzy, the realtor, unlocked the front door with some difficulty.
" This house is amazing inside, you'll see. As your friend said, you just need to clean and paint, after all, it's been empty for a few years and you know how houses look when they're empty " She chattered pushing the door that opened with a creak, making me feel like I was in a real horror movie " The electricity is off, but we can open the windows and you'll be able to see everything you need. You can turn on your cell phone flashlight too.”
Sky, Theo and Christian followed the suggestion, turning on the flashlight, following Izzy inside the property while I took a deep breath, imagining a way to escape from there. Are they really considering renting this place?
" You can see that the whole structure of the property is full of details " Izzy commented, opening the second door, which had the inside glass broken.
We lit a corridor that ended in an old wooden staircase, the corridor had an old grayish wallpaper, showing mixed patterns between rectangles and octagons, the floor was made of a wood that could even look nice if it were polished with a burgundy carpet with flowers that were once white. On the side, a piece of furniture was covered with a dusty sheet.
" The landlord will take care of the energy issue, right? " Sky asked as we followed the woman into the living room.
Izzy went to the window, starting to unlock it to lighten the room. We could see some furniture also covered by sheets. That's when a sharp sound made me jump, letting out a small scream, getting a laugh from Christian and Theo , who were standing side by side and had pressed the keys of an old piano forte.
" You idiots, what's wrong with you? " I slapped each of them on the arm, not stopping them from continuing to laugh at me.
Daylight flooded into the room as soon as the realtor managed to open the window, and I had to admit that despite its shabby appearance, the house would look nice after a good cleaning and some repairs.
" The landlady will be more than happy to take care of the whole energy issue, and like your friend said, nothing a good cleaning won't fix. Look at the chandelier, it's original " she pointed to a beautiful crystal chandelier that hung in the middle of the room " And the carved details on the fireplace.”
We went through all the rooms on the first floor, and I must admit that the kitchen was in great condition and well equipped, Izzy even guaranteed that the owner would send a new stove and refrigerator as soon as the house was rented.
" Look, this house isn't so bad, but why is the price so low? " I asked as we walked up the creaky steps of the main staircase to the second floor.
" Mrs. Clark, the former owner, had an inn here, but she passed away and her only daughter had no interest in coming back to town to run the inn, so she closed it down " Izzy explained " she lives in Los Angeles now.”
" When you say she died, do you mean she died in this house? " Cam's eyes widened, unlocking a new fear in me.
" Don't be silly, Cam. We're not in a movie and…”
"Actually, she had a heart attack in the basement,” Izzy interrupted Theo as they reached the top of the stairs.
" The situation gets better and better, please tell me which room was hers, I don't want to choose the dead woman's room!" I groaned as I reached the second floor. " I groaned as I reached the second floor catching a glimpse of two covered armchairs facing the stairs.”
" Rose, you're overreacting,” Christian nudged me.
" Sorry if I'm not looking forward to moving into the Adams family home!”
We spent the next few minutes getting to know every detail of the place, and despite my expressed reluctance, everyone agreed that it was the perfect place to live for the next few years of our academic life.
