The Body at Auercliff by Amy Cross

asks.
    “Pull the door shut,” I tell him.
    “What if we get locked in?”
    “We won't, but we can't let anyone see that we came through. Pull the door shut.”
    Heading over to the stairs, I look up, but all I see is pitch darkness. After a moment, I hear Nathan carefully shutting the door.
    “I don't hear a thing anymore,” I whisper.
    “I'm cold.”
    “Me too.” I pause for a few seconds, before placing a hand on the cold bannister and starting to make my way up the stairs.
    “Becky, no!” Nathan hisses.
    “You don't have to come with me,” I point out.
    “But what happens if something's up there?”
    I turn to him and force a smile. “Then you can have all my stuff when I'm gone.”
    Seeing the fear in his eyes, I can't help feeling as if I have to keep going, if only to scare my little brother senseless. As I make my way up the stairs, however, the air seems to be getting colder and colder, and I'm very aware of myself slowly rising into darkness. By the time I get to the turning, I can't see anything ahead at all, although when I look over my shoulder I can just about make out Nathan's silhouette as he cautiously follows a few paces behind. This part of Auercliff is so different and bare, it's like being in a different house entirely.
    “It's really cold,” he complains.
    “So?”
    I start making my way up the next flight of steps, with one hand held out in case I accidentally reach a door. After a moment, however, I get to the top step and see a window at the far end of a dark, unlit corridor. Stopping for a moment, I realize that this part of the house seems absolutely quiet, almost as if the entire rest of the world has vanished and this is all that's left. Looking at the window, I can see trees outside, swaying in a gentle breeze, but I don't hear the wind. A moment later, however, there's a faint creaking sound as Nathan reaches the top step and pauses just behind me.
    “I don't like it,” he whispers.
    “Welcome to Auercliff,” I reply.
    To be honest, if I was alone, I'd definitely turn around right now and go back downstairs, and come back to explore in the morning. Instead, not wanting to look scared in front of my little brother, I hold my hands out and step forward into the darkness.

Chapter Fourteen
     
    “Did you hear that?”
    “It was me,” I say with a sigh, turning back and seeing Nathan's silhouette just a few steps behind.
    “No,” he continues, “there was definitely a noise!”
    “It was me!” I say again, before pressing my foot against the loose floorboard again. Sure enough, the creaking sound can be heard again, and I press a few more times just to make my point. “See?”
    He sniffs, but he doesn't say anything. It's kind of cool to realize how scared he is right now, and in some weird way his fear is making mine go away. Well, maybe not go away entirely , but I certainly feel a lot less afraid as I turn and make my way toward the next door, which someone long ago left half open. The desire to scare my brother is way stronger than the desire to run back to bed and hide under the covers.
    “If we get caught,” Nathan whispers, “I'm going to tell Mum and Dad this was all your idea.”
    “Whatever.”
    “And I'll tell them you made me come!”
    Sighing, I reach out and carefully push the next door open. The hinges creak, and after a moment I see an empty room with bluish moonlight streaming through the far window.
    “This was probably someone's bedroom once,” I whisper.
    “You don't know that.”
    “But it's a good guess. I mean, there were servants, and they did live in this part of the house.” Stepping forward into the room, I look around and see that there's not much in here at all, other than a black metal wood-burning stove that I guess was once used to keep the place warm, plus a counter and a table by the window. After a moment, I spot some letters carved into the side of the table, and I head over to take a closer look.
    “What is it?” Nathan