I started with my clothes, luckily most things were easy to put away because I folded them before I packed them, but others were more difficult, such as most of my shirts. I had to go on a hunt to find more hangers, and wall hooks for all my accessories. Then I moved to decor, I already had my bed made from the first night here. I unrolled my plush red rug next to the fireplace across the room and put a decorative clock on the mantle, along with a cool candle lantern that was a good mix between old fashioned and modern, and then hung my red curtains over the windows on either side of my bed, they only barely covered the large windows when fully closed, so I tied them open (they look better that way to be honest). Then I hung my large mirror just above my bookshelf, and together they vaguely resembled a vanity. Then I filled the bookshelf with my books, arranged alphabetically. Then placed my all-time favorite works on the top shelf, held in place by my bookends that look like men are pushing them together. Satisfied, I realized that I took way to long on setting up the bookshelf, and rushed to finish the rest of my room. By the time I had finished completely I made a face at the emptiness of the room, I’d be getting more furniture soon, but the lack of furniture made the large room appear impossibly bigger. I took a deep breath and left the room, before I got picky and started moving things around again. When I went back downstairs and into the living room I saw Mom, Dad, and Sophie.

“How’d you get finished already?” I asked as I dropped myself onto the couch beside her, she gestured for me to lean in with a hand cupped on the side of her mouth.

“Shhh… dad helped me!” She whispered. “And I already picked my room, too!” I gasped, feigning surprise.

“You sneaky little girl!” I exclaimed and began tickling her till she wailed and kicked out. I laughed with her as I ceased my attack and leaned back. That’s when Alice came barreling in, and she investigated the small child who was still recovering from her infectious laughter.

“You’ve finished organizing your room?” My mother asked, smiling.

“Yes, I just have empty boxes to get rid of. I don’t like how empty it is in there, too much space.” I explained, petting Alice. Mom nodded in acknowledgement.

“You’ll get used to it. Especially after we get you kids some more things to fill the space. That’ll have to wait a bit though” Dad reminded. Then Paisley finally joined us.

“Oh darn, I took too long didn’t I?” She faked annoyance.

“Of course not, there’s no time limit here.” Mom reassured her, unaware of our unspoken contest.

“I was the fastest!” Sophie raised her hands in accomplishment. “I already picked my room, we’ve been waiting for you here ever since.”

“Oh yea? Lets see it then.”

“No! It’s secret until I get to finish it!” She protested.

“Oh come on! I can help you! We can work on it when mom and dad aren’t home.” Paisley tried.

“Hmm… Okay, but no boys allowed until then!” Sophie decided.

“Whaaat? I can’t believe this.” I leaned back dramatically with my arm over my face. “You two are rude, despicable even!”

“I have been cast out in my own home already?! What a cruel family!” Dad flopped over onto his side, feigning death. I rolled my eyes at his over the top display and stood.

“Are we good to explore now then?” I asked as I stretched.

“Yes you’re good to explore now.” my mom assented. Paisley and I left the room.

“Where are you gonna look, Paisley?”

“Third floor, wanna come with? We can look together.”

“Yea, alright. Can we look downstairs first?” I asked, Paisley thought for a moment.

“Yea okay. Lets go.”

The basement was illuminated much less extravagantly than the rest of the house, the further in you went the more the simpler the lights became until they were string lights hanging just above our heads, and they were still pretty, somehow. We passed several doors and hallways before we got to this point. Turns out the part of the basement that wasn’t renovated yet was more of a labyrinth, and we became afraid of getting lost so we turned to go back upstairs. As we did so, a thud rang out down the hall behind us.

“Did you hear that?” I asked, as we walked slower.

“Yea… It’s an old house… an animal probably got in somewhere or something…” She sounded unsure.

“That’s not good, we’ll have to find someone who can check that out…” I went along with the theory. Until another thud sounded out, and we both simultaneously began running. We got to a cross roads, Paisley began to move down the hallway to the right when I grabbed her arm.

“We have to go left!” I urged.

“I’m pretty sure we went right, to get here?”

“We did! We are going backwards so its reversed, we have to go left!” I quickly explained.

“Right, right! You’re right let’s just-” Another Thud, and I held her arm tighter and pulled her along to the left. I almost didn’t recognize where we were, until the lights started getting normal again, and then we found the stairs and raced up them and nearly tumbled over each other to get through the large doors at the top. After essentially falling through, we laid on the floor to catch our breath. I closed my eyes as the adrenaline began to subside, until I felt something warm and slimy pass over my face. My eyes shot open and I pushed at Alice, who had come to make sure we were okay.

“No Alice! Stop it I’m fine!” I flailed as the large dog attacked my face with puppy kisses. Paisley laughed at my dilemma a few feet away as I managed to pull myself to my feet. Once I managed to find my breath yet again I laughed as well. The entire scenario was suddenly hilarious. A couple of teenagers scared out of their minds from some sounds in the dark basement of their new house. It sounded like an overused story trope. We laughed a while longer together until we heard mom calling from the kitchen for lunch. We still smiled as we approached the kitchen. Where we found mom at the counter, using a butter knife to spread mayo on a piece of bread. She had her glasses on, and her brown hair pushed back with a green headband. On the island were a few plates with sandwiches, and potato chips. Sophie was already munching on her triangle at the end chair, looking too small for the island.

“You two find your rooms?” Mom asked when she noticed us.

“No, but we’re getting there.” Paisley said vaguely. I nodded in agreement. Mom smiled.

“Alright. Why don’t you two have a seat and have some lunch, you can get back to it after.” she waved at the sandwiches on the counter. After all that running, food sounded great; the two of us took a seat and went for it. We made some small talk while we ate, neither of us mentioned what happened in the basement. After lunch we still didn’t immediately go explore, instead we spent some time in the garden with Sophie-Rose and Alice. It wasn’t until later we finally made our way upstairs.

The atmosphere was easy as we made our way up to the third floor. Paisley and I didn’t say much except to comment on a room here and there. The two of us are close to the point where conversation is rarely necessary if we want to enjoy each other’s company, usually content with comfortable silence. I tugged on her sleeve to bring her attention to a small stairway tucked into the corner of a hallway far towards the back of the house. We slowly walked to it, a little uneasy after exploring last time. The stairway was narrow, and would only allow one person at a time. I observed the view outside the large windows as she started going up the stairs. The sky was a beautiful mix of orange, gold, and pink- a stark contrast against the dark silhouette of the forest around the castle. I could have stared at the sight for longer but my attention was drawn by my sister’s voice urging me to follow, so up the stairs I went. The room at the top was comfortable, but dirty. Hardwood floors and windows were caked with dust, there was a second level in the room closer to the ceiling, accessible by a metal spiral staircase. If the room had been clean and furnished, this could be an incredibly relaxing and elegant space. I could already think of several ideas for what this place could end up being and I knew just how I could make it happen… but then I saw the look on my sisters face. Eyes filled with wonder, I could practically see all the thoughts and ideas swirling around her head as she spun in a slow circle, taking in her surroundings. I knew I couldn’t take this from her. After convincing myself that this space suits her personality much more than mine and that I can find something else later, I finally spoke.

“You should claim this place.” Her head jerked at the sound of my voice.

“Wait, are you sure? You found it first.”

“Yea I’m sure, you stepped foot in here first. And ‘sides, this place would really suit you if you got it all cleaned up.” I insisted. Before I could say more Paisley was skipping back to hug me. I smiled and gave her a pat on the back, glad that she was so happy about this place.

“Let’s go find mom and dad so they can give you the okay to keep this place.” I reminded her as she pulled away, and she nodded vigorously.

“Lets!” She said before skipping off to the stairs. I decided as I stood there for a moment longer that I’d look for my own space tomorrow morning. Satisfied, I followed Paisley.