It just felt like I was supposed to go up there, it was where the music was coming from, and my wrist still had the string tied, so if the ladder somehow got reeled up and the door snapped shut under me, at least they would know where I was. I could only assume Laurence went to take a more thorough look at each of the rooms, and that's why the doors shut. I could only hope that after finding the music box, the filter over my eyes would disappear and I could search for his string, and then find the others.

Her phone still worked, so of course she turned on the flashlight as soon as she stuck her head in first, whipping it around, a full 360 degrees.

There were old suitcases stacked on top of each other from biggest to smallest on top, the spiders made a condo out of them with their webs. There were some pieces of furniture that seemed too big or too heavy to have been dragged up there, but it wasn't the time to question that. I just had the urge to find the source of the music now, since I had no other choices.

There was a dresser just a couple strides away from the entrance, and if she squinted her eyes, it seemed like there was also a bed.

If this used to be a bedroom, then surely there was a lamp or a light source too. This house couldn't be that old that there would be a member just walking around with a candlelight, I couldn't really figure out any other reason why Laurence wanted us to call Bence and the others over before we could search this place, but the only clue I got from that was that this place was important.

It was never noticed before, but there was a window built all the way at the top of the house, but it was covered by the vines and dust and cobwebs. She found this out just as she found the string to pull to turn on the lights. The frames of the window seen; the glass covered from the outside.

Obviously, the chalky black and white filter over her eyes didn't go away, but she was eventually getting used to it, at least the room was brighter.

There! On the dresser! The source of the music.

She sighed softly as she made her way over in quick steps, leaning down to grab the little music box.

It was one of those old ones, the shape of a can in a way with a little dome that had the little crank that needed to be spun in order for the song to play. It was slowly spinning endlessly without anyone moving it. Of course, aside from a ghost.

Now, blinded by the excitement of finally grabbing the music box and putting her hand over the crank to stop it from playing, it was only then that she noticed the dresser had a mirror, and of course as some human actions or instincts go, when you notice something, you turn your attention to it.

Look up, see the mirror.

Blink, see your reflection.

Blink again, and I saw a lady in a white apron and brown clothes, staring back at me with this ghostly pale complexion, sunken cheeks and swollen eyes, cradling the music box in her hands, her mouth hung open.

She stepped back, clutching the music box to her chest, and willed herself as much as she could, to scream at the top of her lungs.

As quick as lightning, she blinked again, and the reflection was hers.

My throat hurt from the scream, I don't normally make loud noise, but I was happy that I was able to. At that moment, I was more scared of my body not doing anything. I made a theory as to why Laurence chose for us to stay put and wait, his phone must've caught a glimpse of the mirror. Mirrors, of course, a perfect item to make for a creepy element.

The mirror was normal again, well, as normal as she could guess. Stopping the music from playing didn't unveil the black and white filter from her eyes just yet. Her chest rose and fell upon reinspecting it but not daring to move any closer. She turned her attention to the window, blocked and covered on the outside. She moved over to plant her ear to it, there was action going on outside, moving of roots and creaking of dead plants.

Vernon was still happily dealing with the over grove on the outside.

Dove didn't have Vernon's phone number, but she had Annabelle's, and also reminded herself in that moment that she had a phone.

She dropped it on the floor upon seeing the mirror, but thankfully there were no cracks, none on the screen or any for her phone to slip through.

She dialed for Annabelle again, anxiously listening to the waiting tune as she looked around the attic.

Surprisingly, not as terrifying, probably because of the lack of items or because she knew of the past owner who used this room, merely for sleeping, and probably for their own safety as she saw a pole or a wood plank that lay next to the entrance, something that could keep the door shut from the inside should any unwanted visitors try to pull the door open from the outside.

But for now, Dove needed it to stay open.

"Dove! Are you alright?" A voice said from the other end.

"We heard a scream, was it you?" Another voice said.

"I'm okay, has Bence heard from Laurence?"

"Yeah, Laurence called a couple minutes earlier, said he lost you but guessed you were up in the attic?" Joon's voice was heard saying. "He's alright by the way, Bence has been pestering to keep him on the line so they can stay connected. We gave up looking for the stairs after Annabelle noticed the front doors were closed, also, this might not be important but are you seeing in black and white too? Because Bence and I are, except for Annabelle."

"Can you try to call Vernon?!" She frantically said the second she got the chance.

"We did, but he couldn't get the doors open, ended up breaking the handles from the outside so!" Annabelle's voice interjected.

Even though she couldn't see, she could hear Annabelle shrugging her shoulders.

"No, not for the doors, I'm in the attic, there's a window, I'm sure it's to the front side, but it's all blocked, call Vernon and tell him to move all the vines, branches, and whatever mold there is off the house, especially the windows."

"Okay! Okay!" One of them said with urgency.

Some more sounds on the other side, Joon was likely getting his phone out to call Vernon while Annabelle stayed on the phone with Dove.

"Where are you and the detective? Why did you scream?" She asked calmly, not as scared as the other two interns.

"I climbed into the attic to find a music box; I don't know where he is, I lost him in the second-floor hallway. We couldn't find the stairs either. We made some theories about this place, what about you guys?" Dove tried to ask in the midst of breathing carefully, her chest rising and falling in slow rhythms.

She chose to stay in place, waiting for the window to be cleared as her instincts told her to, feeling that the attic was safer than the hallways.

"We've been trying to help Bence search for an item that is closely tied to the spirits here, so he can do his necromancer thing and exorcise them with it, so of course I suggested going to the basement! All we found were a bunch of mannequins and old clothes, and get the funny part, they weren't dusty, like, at all, compared to the other stuff here, so Joon said they were likely moved and used a lot!"

The gears in Dove's head were turning more, and she listened more intently to the girl's words through her overtly lighthearted humorous tone, clearly jus trying to ease the silver haired girl's breathing that was still audibly shaking.

"What kind of clothes?"

"All kinds, some looked like they were for the elderly, others like they were for some big kids, either way, clearly a big family lived here."

"... Are there any clothes that look like they'd belong to a nurse or nanny? At least one from the 1900s?"

"Nope! Haven't found any like that."

Dove shook to her core as she began to carefully walk more about the room, looking at the luggage around her, daring to open one up.

"We explored the rest of the house as best we could, Bence and Joon kept talking about how a veil of black and white filter was over their eyes, but I don't see it, so they let me lead, that's how I convinced them to follow me to the basement later. There was only one bedroom on the first floor that we found, must've been for the elderly person, or couple? The rest of the rooms were just the usual amenities; the living room, all doll-like, made for the kids to play in while Grandma knit by the fireplace, a playroom, some sort of, I think exercise room or at least it seemed like it used to be. Bence said there used to be some equipment here, to practice walking and stuff."

The girl listened and nodded her head even though Annabelle couldn't see it, at the same time laying the music box on her lap as she got the courage to open one of the suitcases, clicking and opening the metal restraints.

Based on what I could see thanks to the limited width of the light above, it looked like everything was packed up, whoever lived here had just finished packing everything up and was about to leave.

As expected, brown clothes and white, ruffled aprons were found inside, clean and smooth from years of protection and isolation inside the suitcase.

"The only other room that wasn't dusty like the dining room was the kitchen, but clearly whoever was in charge of cooking definitely wasn't old."

"I think that helps me confirm another theory." Dove mumbled to herself, just as she caught a glimpse of some light shedding, causing her to look over her shoulder.

Yellow. Not black or white or any shade of grey. Something colorful at last.

It could be seen from both sides, inside and out, the layers of ivy and branches, being moved out of the way of the window. Slowly however, creaking and seeming to shift with the same difficulty one would have at trying to separate one wood plank, nailed to another by the corners.

Vernon stood outside, beginning to sweat as strain was evident on his face, he was pressing his palm to the tree whose branches were the ones reaching up and covered the window, and touching the ivy. It was difficult to extend his "touch" to greenery that far away, or high up.

But it was enough! There was light coming in through the openings made from some of the ivy removed! There was genuine, real light! It was yellow! Golden, and warmth emanating from it, this light felt alive! Not like the black and white at all!

The girl ran towards it, ignoring her conversation on her phone as she whipped her head to look through the uncovered spots on the window, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as the warm rays of the setting sun, from yellow to a burning orange seeped in through the glass, and warmed her face.

She squinted her eyes to adjust to the light.

Blink once. Blurry, another near headache pain.

Blink again. Vision clears and the filter is gone.

I knew I was breathing just fine before, but after the filter left my eyes, it was like I was no longer suffocating. There was color, I was seeing color again!

The yellow and orange light, the brown wood floors, the cream color of the old bed sheets still on the old bed, the brown and pinkish leather of the suitcases stacked on top of each other.

I could also notice more now that I didn't feel so visually hindered before!

The picture frames of the nurse with the family she took care of, found lying on the floor on the farther side of the attic I didn't even think to look at, and the skeleton that lay next to the family picture.

Brown, neutral-colored clothes, and a a white ruffled apron on top of the clothes and bones, the only volume left of the body.