The Crimson Tales:

the Crimson Red Orphans

(updated 05.12.08)

by:

BJ & JB

Part 1

Octave

Chapter .01

the Orphans

Sitting in the back of the old black dented cadillac sat four little girls. All of them the age of eleven. They all sat shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh finding it hard to breathe in that dusty car. The one on the vert left (next to the dirty window) was a very pale girl with dull green eyes, her name was Vikky (short for Viktoria.) She seemed very nervous for her hands trembled as she tried to focus on reading her extremely large book, which seemed nearly impossible to do as her long thin red hair kept swaying, always getting in the ways of the words.

Next to Vikky was the most average looking of the bunch. She wasn't to tall or to thin, just right, the girl was Indigo. We guess her name is Indigo because her long full black hair looked almost blue! Indigo sat next to trembling Vikky sitting very still, and just looked straight forward.

Sit on the right of Indigo was a very tiny girl who had black shoulder length hair and wore a pair of round black glasses. Her glasses looked extra large on her tiny face, this little girls name is Winnie (short for Winnipole.) On top of Winnie's very small lap rested a small kitten, his name was Olive. Olive was very tiny tabby cat and petite like Winnie, and could even possibly fit in a hand on a average sized eleven year old!

And sitting all the way on the right was a girl was looked like a skinny giant sitting next to Winnie. This girl is Margo. Margo was extremely tall for her age (5' 4") and skinny girl with dark tan skin and green eyes. Her curly and frizzy shoulder length brown hair looked impossible to tame, so all Margo could do was put a dirty purple ribbon in her hair and tie it into to a floppy bow.

The car made its way down the abandoned bumpy road. And as the car went over each bump Winnie made a little squeaky "Oof!" and then Olive would open his sleepy eyes and then would close them again.

"Not to worry little ones!" Mr. Edgar Bo said. Mr. Bo was a very plump man who always wore a crimson red suit and top hat, he was the head of the Crimson Orphanage, where the four eleven year olds went to. "We are almost there. Now when Mr. Hazardous opens up the door to his mansion what do you do?"

"We curtsy and smile," the girls said together.

"Good now," Mr. Bo smiled. "Now Octavius Hazardous will be watching after you for now on. He is a very highly respected man, now be nice and don't forget to wash behind your ears! Viktoria put that book away! It is rude to read while adults are talking! And Winnie what is that thing on your lap! (Winnie quickly tucked Olive in her sweater pocket.) Please Indigo try and smile when Mr. Hazardous opens the door! AND FOR GODS SAKE MARGO! TRY AND FIX THAT HAIR OF YOURS!!"

The cadillac pulled into a gloomy driveway and Mr. Bo got out of the drivers seat. After adjusting his bow he pulled open the back door and Vikky almost fell out. One by one each girl got out of the tiny back seat and fixed there tattered clothes. Margo tried to flick a stain off her purple dress, and looked down at her black converse. Winnie patted down on her sweater pocket making sure Olive was still hidden.

After Mr. Bo lead the girls to the front door of the shabby looking mansion, he quickly buzzed the door bell and rushed down to the car and drove off. He left Vikky, Indigo, Winnie, and Margo standing alone in the cold.

The red front door slowly creaked opened as Vikky quickly took cover behind Margo. Soon standing in the doorway was a tall and lean man, who towered over them.

"Hello my dears," he smiled a greedy smile showing a row of crooked yellowing teeth. This was the man they'd be staying with for the rest of there lives.

Chapter .02

Octave

"My name is Octavius Hazardous IV," his appearance was terrifying. He had piercing blue eyes that where hidden under thick dark bushy eye brows. "But you shall call me Octave or dad."
Vikky, Indigo, Winnie, and Margo took note of his dark greying hair that was slicked back which made his high check bones look sharp! His lips were as thin a knifes edge and his nose was hooked reminding Margo of the black crow she had seen on her way here.

"Now form a straight line you four!" he ordered as he clapped his hands twice as they all stood in the front room. The girls did as they were told. Octave walked over to the trembling Vikky and towered over her like a skyscraper. He looked down at her and smiled. "My dear... (he took a yellow post it note out of the pocket inside of his grey suit, and looked at it and tucked it away again.) Viktoria! Is that it, Viktoria, with a k in it? So I shall I call you? Viktoria with a k?"
"Ickem!" Winnie blurted out. Octave looked over at her.

"What on earth was that?" he asked.

"Ickem, that's one of the phrases I made up," Winnie explained, stuffing her hands in her sweater pocket stroking Olive. "It means, I don't think so."

"Why the devil are you telling me I don't think so?" Octave said, as he mimicked Winnie's squeaky little voice.

"Because Viktoria, perfers to be called Vikki," Winnie said unabashed.

"And how do you know that, may I ask?"

"Cause Indigo made me a device that gave me triple hearing and I over heard Vikki talking about it," Winnie explained. Octave waved her away like a fly and turned back to Vikki.

"So Vikki, do you know why I am taking you guys in?"

Vikki didn't answer.

"Well I am taking you four in because I am to look after the precious fortune each of your parent left behind," Octave went on. "Now I am to take care of that fortune until you guys are of the age sixteen. That is five long years from now."
"Now for you Miss Indigo," Octave said. "Is that what you prefer to be called? Say it now before Winnie comes out with another unnecessary outburst."

"It's just Indigo," Indigo voice was dark and almost robotic, and never did she look up at Octave as she spoke to him.

"Mmmhmm," Octave took this information in. "Simple and not picky. I like that, those are two characteristics you need to survive this place if you want to stay with me."

He moved onto Winnie and had to bend over so he could see her tiny face.

"And why is it that such a tiny little girl like you could have a such a big head," Octave asked referring to her previous and daring outburst, his breath was stale. Winnie squeaked.
"Now your full name is Winnipole I see," Octave nodded. "Peculiar. An extremely peculiar name. But you just like to be addressed as Winnie, I am correct. Am I?"

"Ocky, that means you got it! That's what I like to be called," Winnie squeaked some more. Octave shock his head in disbelief and stroked his goatee.
"And you must be Margo," he clapped his hands together. Margo looked up at him with wondering eyes. "Hmmm, green eyes and brown skin... interesting. Never have I seen a combination like that before."

"I find it nice to be different," Margo whispered. "But I wasn't much different from my twin brother Kla--"
Margo's voice trailed off and Octave patted her bushy hair. Her eyes filled with tears and one splattered on the dusty wood floor. Octave wiped a tear that was rolling down her cheek.
"Ah! That's right. You have a twin brother Klaus back at the orphanage. That's to bad. I hated to separate you two, but five would be quite to many."

Margo clenched her fist with hatred, as Octave clapped twice.

"Now off you go!" Octave said. "I have your suitcase up in your bedroom along with some things for the four of you to play with. Your bedroom is upstairs and the bedroom all the way at the back of the hall. Do not come out until I tell you too."

Chapter .03

the Bedroom

"I hope there are books," Vikki frowned as she looked around the dusty bedroom. Winnie, who closed the bedroom door behind her, took tiny Olive out of her pocket. Olive crawled around on the chipped up wood floor looking around his new home.

"This place is so dirty!" Margo coughed as a dust cloud surrounded her. Indigo ran the tip of her finger along an old wooden desk, collecting dust. She examined the dust on her finger and flicked it off.
"No kidding," Indigo muttered as she whipped out a measuring tape and started to examine the bed room.

The bedroom was a master bed room. It had four walls (each of which Indigo labeled as North, South, East and West) and a high ceiling. The walls where painted an ugly pink, sort of like a brownish color, like a prown as Winnie explains it (pink and brown mixed together). The orphans guessed that Octave attempted to paint it pink to make the girls feel at home. Well, he didn't do such a good job.

There where was three doors in the room. One on the South wall, which lead to the hallway. One on the West wall, which lead to a bathroom with a toilet, sink, mirror, and shower. And one on the North wall, which lead to the outside, but this door was bolted shut. Indigo claims that if someone were to walk out of the North door then they'd just fall out. The orphans found this strange. Why was there a door on the North wall when there was nothing it lead to except the outside (mind you the room was two stories up.)

There where four beds all lined up against the wall. Two on the West wall and two on the East wall. Also on the East wall was one school desk with a cubby under it and a bookshelf that was only five feet high. The bookshelf had five textbooks (for science, math, english, world history, and even health), some non-fiction books, novels, poetry, drawing pads and other books. On top of the bookshelf was four cubbies each labeled Viktoria Vikki, Indigo, Winnie, and Margo.
The cubby labeled Indigo had a toolbox in it, Vikki's had some new books, Winnie's had a few dictionaries (french, english, and spanish) and a Gibberish for Dummies book, and Margo's had color pencils, pastels, pencils, paper and a few ribbons in it. Winnie squeaked in delight.

"Perfect!" Indigo exclaimed. "A tool box. I'm going to need this."
Indigo then continued on examining the room. On the North wall was a window that was next to the Door That Leads To Nowhere. It was the only window in the room, and was bolted shut just like the door on the North wall. And under the door was a pile of light bulbs. Indigo then looked up at the cieling to see that it was completely bare except for three lights dangling from it.

"Hmmm," Indigo thought.

"Don't worry," Margo said as she sat down at the small coffee table that was placed in the center of the room. "We'll fix this place up. You'll see..."

Chapter .04

Floor Boards

Margo and Vikki where the first ones to wake up the next morning. It was early and the August sun still hadn't come up. Two wide awake orphans huddled in an empty corner of the dark room.

"I don't like it here," Vikki whispered. Margo nodded in agreement.

"I just want Klaus," Margo whispered back.

"Well atleast we have a place we can call home," Vikki shrugged.

"Yeah but Octave seems a little spooky," Margo pointed out, and then gestured to the door on the South wall. "Look, he's got us locked in here."

"Oh my!"

"Yes, that's the same thing I thought. Do you think he's going to hurt us?"

"No."

"Well I bet you he's after something."

"What could that be?"

"I don't know."

"Hmmm."

"Maybe it could be that fortune each of our parents left behind. That could be it you know. I mean, I know we've only known him for less than twenty-four hours, and had only spoken to him once, but something about him sets off a red flag. Like the way how he talked about that fortune, the way he said it. I don't know, it's just strange."

"But then how did he get a mansion like this? If he can afford s--"

Margo and Vikki gasped and suddenly put a hand over each others mouths. They crouched in the darkness, trying to hold their breaths as they heard foot steps walking towards the door.

"It's Octave!" Vikki barely whispered, but Margo pressed her index finger to her lips.

"He's right outside the door," Margo mouthed. The bedroom door slowly opened, but just enough a for a softball to fit through. Margo and Vikky pressed their back against the cold prown wall as a long bony hand slid through the tiny opening in door. The hand then placed a card on the a night stand. That wasn't there yesterday, thought Margo. The hand quickly slid back through the openning in the crack in the door and the door slammed shut.

Margo then got up to feet very quietly.

"What are you doing!" Vikki hissed. Margo just shook her head and crept to the door on her tip-toes.

"Wha--"

"Shhh!!!"

Margo and Vikki pounced on Indigo's bed and quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"You gotta keep quiet!" Margo snapped.

"Yeah! Octave may hear you!" Vikki whispered.

"He's down the hall!"

"And we're trying to figure up what he's up to!"

"What the heck are you guys talking about?" Indigo asked in a quiet voice. Margo and Vikki then explained to Indigo their suspicions about Octave and how they suspect he's after something. They then told her about their parents fortune Octave may be trying to get a hold of and about the bony hand they saw.

"Octave left a note on the night-stand next to the door," Margo finished explaining. "Then he slammed the door shut but I didn't hear him lock it, so I decided to take this chance to snoop around. You know, to just look around."

Indigo took this all in for a moment and looked over at Winnie's bed. Winnie tiny face was hidden under her brown covers. Olive was resting on an extremely tiny lump in the bed that Indigo guessed was Winnie's body.

"Well we better leave Winnie behind if we're going to snoop around," said Indigo. "she's to small and it would be difficult for her to catch up."

"You're right," Vikki agreed. "and I should stay behind to tell Winnie where you guys are when she wakes up!"

"No, no," Margo and Indigo shook their heads. "You're coming with us!"

Indigo then took a tiny piece of paper and and pencil and wrote...

Winnie,

Be right back. Vikki, Margo, and I are exploring the mansion. Do NOT come and find us. If Octave comes tell him we are all in the bathroom or something like that,

--Indigo

"In the restroom!?" Vikki hissed. "You think Octave is going to believe that?"

"Any other excuses," Indigo snapped and put a hand on her hip. Vikki bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head no. Margo thought it was best to stay out of this one.

"Wow! This is gonna be like an adventure!" Margo whispered trying to change the subject. "Like Indiana Jones or Huckleberry!"

"What ever," Indigo pushed pass Margo and Vikki and made her way to the door. "Are you guys coming or what?"

Margo and Vikki followed Indigo to the South door. Indigo opened the door just a crack, just like the hand did. Then she cautiously poked her head out into the musty smelling hallway and looked around. She looked left and then right. When she was sure everything was clear she tip-toed out into the hallway and signaled to Margo and Vikki that everything was OK. Margo followed suit after Indigo as they crept down the long narrow hallway, they passed many doors, bookshelfs, and even statues of Octavius Hazardous himself! Vikki on the other hand wobbled behind, her face looking extremely pale and her expression was shaken. She silently feared that her trembling would get them in trouble, but Margo and Indigo didn't seem to notice at all.

When the girls finally reached the end of the hallway they stopped. The whole house was dark and all the lights were off, and all they saw was that there were three ways to go. Left of them was another long hall with portraits every, even on the ceiling. The three could barely see just one door all the way at the end of it. On their right was another hallway, with more doors and statues. And in front of them was a staircase that lead down stairs.

"I say we go left," Margo said, who wanted to look at all the paintings.

"I say we go right," Indigo suggested. "There are more rooms on that side."

"No way! One of those rooms could be Octave's," Margo said hoarsely.

"I saw we go back!" Vikki pleaded.

"OK, since we all can't decide I say we go downstairs," Indigo insisted. Margo nodded.

The stairs were creaky, and each time the floor would creak, they'd look around to make sure that no one was around. Eek, eeek, eeeeeek. That was all they heard as they made their way downstairs. When they reached the front room the creaking got worse. But finally when they reached one of the mansions kitchens, the creaking stopped. There was another door in the kitchen, but this door was a short door, about four feet high.

"Strange," Margo whispered. "I wonder what this doors for. I can't imagine why some would want a door this small, except for Winnie ofcoarse."

Indigo silently giggled at Margo's joke and all Vikki could do was let out a small cough.

"I say we open it," Margo reached for the handle and turned it. It was locked.

"Damn!" she silently swore to herself. "Won't open."

"It's just a little door," Indigo said flatly, showing no interest. "I doubt there's anything special in it."

"I don't know," Margo said. "Seems pretty weird to me."

"You're weird to me," Indigo rolled her eyes. "This house bites. I thought we'd find something cool, but all we found out was the Octave has a lousy little door and that his floors creak. C'mon let's get outta-- Oof!"

Vikki tripped on a loose floor board and had grabbed onto Indigo, who toppled over with a loud thud.

"Vikki!" Indigo and Margo snapped. "Wud'ja do that fo--"

A creaking from the stairs came. Scared Vikki had disappeared out of sight. Indigo and Margo looked around in confusing, wondering where Vikki went.

"Vikki!" Indigo hissed. The creaking became louder and louder. Soon the dining room (that was next to the kitchen) light had turned on. The rusty handle on the kitchen door shook and then opened wide. Standing in the doorway was short and plump looking silhouette . Indigo's heart was thumping loudly and her ears were ringing. A lump rose in Margo's throat and her palms started to sweat. The figure standing in the door took two steps forward and revealed himself. He was a scruffy looking man wearing blue silk pajamas and had hooks for hands. He had an eye patch over his left eye, and his right eye resembled a little black pebble.

"Ah!" The man said in a raspy voice. "We have wonderers I see. You know what Octave does to wonderers in his home right?"

Margo and Indigo shook there heads and gulped. The man lifted up his hooks and walked towards the two terrified girls. Margo and Indigo trembled and stepped back. The man was barely a few inches away from them now. He then cornered Indigo and Margo into a corner and raised his hooks even higher.

"This shall teach you girl to not snoop around some one else's house!" he growled and his hooks swooped down on Margo and Indigo.

"Ah!" the two shrieked as a hand each grabbed both their legs and pulled them threw the floor boards. Everything went dark again. A match was then lit and Winnie's face glowed in the light of the flame.

"Winnie!" Indigo gasped. "What are you doing here! Where are we! Where's Vikki! And I thought I told you not to come!"

"I came to help you guys explore the mansion!" Winnie explained. "And you're under the mansion. Vikki’s fine,she’s right here (Winnie angled the match toward Vikki, who was standing right next to her.) And I got your note, but I couldn’t resist. So I left the left Olive and the bedroom to go follow you guys but I couldn’t find you. And then I saw this really creepy, short guy walk down the stairs. Then I heard a thud and I figured it was you guys, and right away I figured the man was coming after you. So I crept down stairs behind the man--”

“Wait,” Margo interrupted. “Why didn’t we or he hear you go down the stairs, they creak on every step.”

Winnie rolled her eyes.

“I’m so light remember!” Winnie said as if she were saying duh. “So the wood doesn’t creak when I walk on them. I’m like a mouse! Anyways. When I got downstairs I discovered that some of the floor boards were lose and that if I lifted them up they’d lead to under the mansion. So I followed your voices to under the kitchen. When I got there that’s when I grabbed Vikki’s leg from under the floorboards. It took me a while to calm her down and explain to her that it was me, Winnie, who sucked her under. When I was done explaining, that’s when I sucked you and Margo under. Just in time huh?”

"Yeah,” Indigo said. “What ever…”

Chapter .05

Frozen Fish

"Time to wake up! Wake up my dears!"

No reply.

"WAKE UP!!!"

The four orphans each sprung up and Vikki fell off her bed. Vikki then opened her eyes and saw a pair of white polished shoes.

"Eh hem!"

Vikki then looked up and noticed the white shoes belonged to Octave, she then jumped to feet and stood near her bedpost, like the other three girls.

"I hope you guys read the card I left for you on the night stand early this morning," Octave began. "If not I suggest you read it right away when I leave."

Octave started to pace back and forth.

"Now tonight I am going to host a small get together at this mansion. Since I'll be away all day, no one will be here to prepare for the dinner. Except for you four. So I need you to cook the dinner as well as do a few bit of other tasks. I have left the meal plan and tasks on the card. Now when I get back, I expect everything to be finished and well done. I shall be be home at exactly eight o' clock. Not a second later or before. If everything is not done like how I want it, well... lets hope that we don't have to find out. This dinner is a big deal to me. And also try to fix those raggedy clothes of yours up for tonight."

"Burk?" Winnie asked. "I mean, what's the party for?"

"Well it's for your arriving of coarse!" Octave flashed his row of crooked teeth. This was the first time Margo, Indigo, Vikki or Winnie have ever seen Octave smile a happy smile... and mean it.

SEVEN O' CLOCK! TIME TO GO! TIME TO GO! TIME TO GO!

Octave looked at his old beat up watch.

"I better get going now!" Octave rushed out the door with out saying good bye or farewell. He left the bedroom door wide open, and Indigo walked over and closed it shut. She then picked up the card that was on the night stand and everyone huddled around her.

Octavious Hazardous IV Tasks

• Clean the muck on the dinning room ceiling.
  
• Dust off the china plates and plastic cups and set them out neatly on the dinning room table.
• Polish the walls in the front room (top to bottom.)
• Please find the remote in the upstairs television room.
• Paint the odd numbered statues in the right hall crimson red
• Make origami swans out of napkins for dinner
• Prepare the dinner:

"What dinner did he say to prepare?" Winnie asked. "It doesn't say."

This was possibly the hardest and busiest day of the orphans lives!! All day they went running about the dusty and creaky old mansion trying to complete Octave ridiculous chores! But the girls found running about the creepy old mansion as and opportunity to take notes of where each room was and to completely explore the house. This was much easier to do since no one was home (even the guy with the eye patch was no where to be found) and house wasn't dark since it was day time.

Unfortunately the exploring had to stop when the clock struck eight, they only had twelve hours to finish Octave's tasks. First the girls had to due task number one.Clean the muck on the dinning room ceiling.

"Which dining room?" all the girls asked at once. There were four dinning rooms in the whole mansion. One that was next to the kitchen that Margo, Indigo, and Vikki snooped in last night. This dinning room was the closest to the front and Winnie called this Dinning Room Dawn. Then there was a dinning room upstairs (Dinning Room Up). Another one towards the back of the house (Dinning Room B), and one that was outside (Dinning Room Gloom.)

"I have a feeling he means Dinning Room Up," Margo pointed out. "Why else would he want us to find the remote in the television room which is upstairs. And he also wants us paint his statues!"

"You and those feelings of yours!" Indigo snapped. "First you have a feeling that Octave is up to something, then you have a feeling that Octave is after our fortune, and now you have a feeling that he means the upstairs dinning room!? Your feelings are completely bizarre! Why would Octave want to have a dinner party upstairs!? And maybe he just wants us to paint the statues and find the television remote because he's to lazy to do so himself! I say it's Dinning Room Dawn!"

"My feelings are not crazy!" Margo defended herself. "My feelings happen to tell the truth! My feeling do not lie!"

"What ever," Indigo says flatly.

"I don't see why we don't just go to the room with muck on the ceiling!" Vikki whispered and then yelled. "AND WILL YOU PLEASE STOP FIGHTING, DAMNIT! WINNIE AND I HAVE TO SUFFER FROM YOUR BICKERING!!!"

Winnie, Indigo and Margo exchanged glances and then looked and Vikki. Margo and Winnie both looked stunned and Indigo's expression was expressionless, except for her one raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," Vikki whispered.

"OK," Indigo started to talk again. "I say we go with Vikki's plan. Margo you check Dinning Room Up, Winnie check Dinning Room Gloom, Vikki check Dinning Room B, and I'll check Dinning Room Dawn. Meet back in the front room."

Five minutes later Indigo, Vikki, Margo, and Winnie met back in the front room.

"There's brown muck in Dinning Room Dawn," Indigo said with a bored looking face. "You are wrong Margo! It wasn't Dinning Room Up! I'm right and you're wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Margo rolled her eyes. "I am right. There's red muck on the ceiling of Dinning Room Up!"

"Wait a minute!" Vikki raisied her hand, as if she were expecting to be called on. "Dinning Room B has green muck on the ceiling!"

"What!" Winnie gasped. "How will we know which dinning room to chose? Well It's definately not going to be Dinning Room Gloom because there isn't a ceiling."

"Dinning Room Up!" Margo coughed.

"Don't make me scalp you," Indigo said simply.

"There will be no scalping," Winnie said, stepping away from Indigo. Now lets just have a vote. All in favor of Dinning Room Up? (Vikki and Margo raised their hands.) All in favor of Dinning Room Dawn? (Winnie and Indigo raise there hands. All the girls sigh.) I know!! Why don't we flip coin."

Winnie reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a quarter.

"Margo heads, Indigo tails," Winnie then tossed the coin into the air and all the girls took a step back letting it fall to the ground. Margo growled as Winnie shrugged and said: "Sorry, tails it is."

"Ha!" Indigo sneered.

So for the next hour and a half the four worked hard to scrape all the muck off of the ceiling in Dinning Room Dawn. It would have taken for ever if Indigo hadn't found an old shovel. Indigo had the tall Margo to use the shovel to reach the ceiling and scrape off the brown goo. Bit cranky Margo eventually got tired from doing all the work herself. So Indigo found three more shovels, ten tall cans of canned yams, and some dirty black ribbon. Indigo tied each can to a piece of ribbon and then tied each of them to Vikki's and Indigo's feet. For Winnie, Indigo used the brown muck and used it as glue to keep three cans stacked on top of each other for Winnie.

Dust off the china plates and plastic cups and set them out neatly on the dinning room table.

The four girls dusted each china plate and plastic and placed them neatly on the dinning room table.

Polish the walls in the front room (top to bottom.)

The wall on the front room had been polished from top to bottom after three hours of scrubbing.

Please find the remote in the upstairs television room.

The remote was found by Winnie. She found this easy since she was able to crawl into tiny spaces.

Paint the odd numbered statues in the right hall crimson red

Margo found this fun, since she loved to paint. But unfortunately the girls weren't able to find crimson paint so instead they found a bright red. Octave shouldn't mind in the slight difference of color.

Make origami swans out of napkins for dinner

This was a piece of cake for Indigo and Margo. Winnie had trouble doing this with her tiny hads, so her napkins came out sloppy, but not as sloppy as Vikki's.

Prepare the dinner:

"Prepare a dinner?" Margo snatched the to-do list from Indigo's hands.

"What kind of dinner?" Indigo asked. "He obviously doesn't want us to make just any dinner. Because it has a colon at the end of the task. See!"

"I have a feeling Octave wants us to make sushi," Margo said, ignoring Indigo's eye roll. "Rainbow roll."

"I say we just look in the refrigerator," Vikki said in a whisper. "The one that's next to Dinning Room Dawn."

"How many kitchens are in the place?" Indigo asked.

"Three," Margo said. " One for each kitchen, except for Dining Room Gloom. That one has a grill instead."

"Did your feeling tell you that?" Indigo said like she cared, this is one of the few times Indigo's voice had a sign of emotion in it.

"Hmph!" Margo folded her arms.

"Utchy (I can't believe you two)! Let's just go to Kitchen Dawn!" Winnie snapped.

"Nothing's in here except--" Indigo attempted to say but her voice trailed off.

"Frozen salmon, tuna and shrimp," Margo finished for her with a big smile on her face. "along with rice, avocado and seaweed!"

"I can't believe this," Indigo said plainly. "Rainbow rolls it is, I guess."

Winnie and Margo clapped their hands and Vikki groaned.

"I love sushi!" Margo and Winnie exclaimed.

"I hate it!" Vikki said. But Vikki had no choice but to help her foster sisters prepare Octave's meal.

Chapter .06

Feelings

Indigo, Vikki, Winnie, and Margo all sat on the foot of the stair case as they watched the adults in the front room chat and flirt among each other. The girls had seen adults flirt only a few times. Sometimes when Ms. Bell would come over to donate books to the orphanage, occassionally Mr. Poe would flirt around with her. The girls found this quite awkward and wondered why adults did that.

Octave still hadn't come home, except for the man with hooks for hands. He pretended that he had never seen the orphans, in fact, none of the other guests seemed to even know there were four little girls sitting on the staircase. They were so involved with each other to even take notice.

"This bites," Indigo said flatly. Her skirt that reached reach her ankles, and deep blue T-shirt was free of stains. Earlier that day (after they had finished making rainbow rolls) Indigo had dunked their clothes in hot water that was mixed with soap to wash them.

"Yeah," Margo agreed, there's one thing they have in common. Margo tried to smooth her frizzy hair down earlier today, and tried to make her hair bow look less droopy. But in less then five minutes her hair poofed back and her bow dropped down again. "I know! We don't we pretend that we're the guest of honor tonight! I'll be Margo, princess of Margotopia! And then Winnie will be princess of Toob (In Winnie's language this means I love waffles) Valley! Vikky will be Princess Vikky, princess of Viktoria Land! And Indigo--"

"princess of the Dark Lords," Indigo cut her off. Margo's smiled faded as she slid down onto the next step.

"Ickem!" Winnie slapped Indigo on the back of her head with a tiny hand. "Indigo, stop killing Margo's mood. Don't get mad at her for trying to lighten your spirits. It wouldn't hurt to smile once in a while! Do you even know how?"

"Sure I do," Indigo answered.

"Well, smile right now!" Winnie commanded. Margo and Winnie folded their arms across their chests and held back a smile, Vikki covered her mouth with her palm and her cheeks turned red.

"I don't feel like it."

"Smile!"

"I don't have to!"

"I double dog dare you!" Winnie smirked. Indigo just stared at Margo, Winnie, and Vikki impasssively.

"Indigo can't smile! Indigo can't smile!" she sang. Margo and Vikki joined in.

"FINE"

Indigo's left cheek twitched--

BAM!

The front door burst opened and slammed against the wall.

"My dear friends!" Octave boomed into the front room.

"Octavious!" his odd looking friends all cheered as they lifted wine glasses into the air.

"Thank you for coming, your to kind!" Octave greeted.

"Now were are those orphans of yours!?" a women's voice said. Margo, Indigo, Vikki, and Winnie exchanged glances.

"Um," Winnie squeaked as she stood up on her tip toes. "We're right here."

Everyone's heads turned to face the four.

"Darlings!" Octave gushed as he walked towards the girls with open arms and smushed them all into one bone crushing hug. Margo had a feeling that he was just acting. When Octave finished smothering his newly adopted children, he straightened up and his face went serious.

"These are my lovely new daughters," Octave announced, one arm around Vikki and Margo's shoulders, and the other around Indigo's (Winnie was too short for Octave to reach.) "This is Viktoria. Oops! I mean Vikki. Then this is Margo. The grim looking one is Indigo, don't mind her, she always looks this unhappy. And the little one is Winnie, she's quiet the handfull."

Winnie squeaked.

"Eh! I've seen better," a man grunted.

"Well, don't be to hasty," another man said. The man stepped to the front. Winnie, Vikki, and Margo gasped, Indigo groaned. It was the man with hooked hands. "They're mighty clever."

"What do you mean Dudley?" Octave asked. Dudley shrugged.

"Eh, nothing important," Dudley said, glaring at the four. "I'm just saying I've witnessed some (Dudley paused) things."

Octave waved him away like toxic fumes.

"Not now Dudley!" Octave snapped. "We don't have the time for your nonsense."

"Can we eat already!" someone cried. Octave hesitated for a minute and then clapped twice.

"To the dining room upstairs," he exclaimed. He and the guests pushed passed the orphans and climbed up the stairs. Winnie let out a low squeak. Vikki trembled and the blood drained from Indigo's face. Margo's head started spinning.

"I-I-I told you that we should set up in Dining Room Up!" Margo said hoarsely wagging a shaky finger in Indigo's face. "My feelings never lie!"

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Vikki dropped down to her knee's and shook her head. "We're doomed!"

"Oh shut up," Indigo snapped. "What's he going to do to us? Lynch us?"

"Probably," Vikki sobbed. "Remember what Octave said!"

Indigo shrugged and looked at her blankly.

"He said that if every thing isn't done how he wanted it," Vikki dragged a finger across her throat and choked.

"Oh come on!" Indigo said. "He never even said he'd hurt us exactly!"

"What are we going to do though?" Winnie said. "We set up in Dining Room Dawn! Do you think they are almost there to Dining Room Up yet?"

"CHILDREN!!! VIKTORIA!!! WINNIE!!! MARGO!!! INDIGO!!! COME! COME! IMMEDIATELY!!!!"

When they reached the top of the stairs they saw Octave standing in the hallway, his face beat red. Never have they seen a man so angry in their lives before.

"I thought I told you to set up in the UPSTAIRS DINING ROOM!!!"

"Well," Winnie stepped forward, but then stepped back again. "You never said what dining room you wanted to dine in, so we voted on Dining Room Dawn."

"Well everyone knows that my favorite dining room is the up stairs one!!" he boomed. Then walked over to the nearest statue and picked it up over his head. The girls jumped back as Octave threw the statue down stairs letting pieces of marble fly everywhere. "And this! (He picked up a red remain of the statue.) This is not crimson red!"

In one quick move he grabbed Winnie by the arm and lifted her into his arms. Winnie struggled to break free of his bony hands, but this was nearly impossible. Octave is a lot stronger than he appeared.

"This, my dears," Octave continued. He took out a pocket knife and the three girls shrieked in horror, a slight frown hovered on Indigo's face. Octave lowered the blade to Winnie's arm as Winnie closed her eyes. When the blade reached Winnie's skin Octave made a long cut up Winnie's arm. He then dropped her to the floor, and there she laid limp and unconscious (from shock) as crimson red blood oozed out the cut on her arm.

"This is what I call crimson," Octave said calmly. He flicked a drop of blood off of his suit sleeve and walked down stairs, his party followed behind him ignoring Winnie's body.

Indigo, Vikki, and Margo waited quietly waited for the rest tp file down stairs.

"Oh Winnie my dear!" Margo rushed down to her side, and pressed down on Winnie's bleeding wound with the hem of her dress. "What an awful thing Octave did to you!"

"Winnie! Winnie!" Vikki sobbed as she dropped to her knees and stroked Winnie's black hair. Soon Winnie's hair was half drenched in Vikki's tears.

"Oh move over!" Indigo slapped Margo's hand away from Winnie's wound. "We had better take her into the bedroom. We're safer in there."

In the bedroom, Indigo had Winnie laid down on the coffee table. Indigo had used some pieces of cloth from the bed sheets and Margo's hair ribbon to wrap around Winnie's cut.

"I told you we should of went with my feelings," Margo sulked. "If you would've, Winnie wouldn't be hurt, and Octave wouldn't be mad at us, and we'd be able to enjoy that sushi we made."

"AAAAAH!!!" Vikki shrieked.

"Ugh," Indigo sighed. "Now what?"

Vikki trembled.

"Go on, what is it?" Margo snapped.

"It's Olive!" Vikki's cracked. "He's missing."

"What do you mean, he's not missing, he should be in Winnie's pocket like always," Margo patted Winnie's sweater pocket and gasped. Olive wasn't there.

"Olive! Olive! OLIVE!!!" Vikki frantically ran around in small circles. Indigo shrugged.

"Eh, I seen worse," Indigo sighed. "Olive missing is nothing compared to Octave striking Winnie. Olive will show up... eventually."

"EVENTUALLY!?" Margo and Vikki screeched in unison. Indigo ignored them and continued working on Winnie's wounds.

"Olive! Olive! OLIVE!!!"

The two orphans searched everywhere for Winnie's tiny tabby cat. The kitten wasn't under the beds, the desk, and he wasn't on the ceiling either (don't worry, Vikki checked.) Margo looked in the cubbies and in the bathroom, he wasn't there.

"Just give up," Indigo said flatly.

"No way!" Margo snapped. "I have a feeling (Indigo rolled her eyes) Olive is in here somewhere. Vikki checked ceiling right?"

"Mmhm," Viktoria nodded.

"Well what about the ceiling in the bathroom?" Margo asked. "Did you check in there."

"That was your job to check the bathroom," Vikki said.

"Yes it was," Margo said. "But it was your job to check all the ceilings, even in the bathroom!"

Vikki blushed as she dragged herself into the bathroom, Margo followed close behind.

"I don't see him," Vikki shrugged. "We're doomed!"

"I know he's in here," Margo said. "I can feel it! Wait! What's on the ceiling! It looks like a--"

"trapped door," Indigo cut Margo off. "Move over!"

Indigo pushed Vikki and Margo aside and started to open the trap door by standing on top of a wooden stool that appeared out of nowhere.

"Where'd that stool come from?"Vikki asked in bewilderment.

"Oh be quiet." Indigo said annoyed. Without another word she pried open the trap door with a crowbar that also appeared out of nowhere.

"Where did that cro--"

"Shut up!" Indigo said curtly cutting Vikki off. Indigo gave one last tug on the trap door.

BAM!

The ceiling door fell on top of Vikki and Margo who were still on the floor.

"Got it," Indigo said plainly as Margo and Vikki groaned. "Margo, I'm going to need a boost. You're tall."

After rubbing her forehead, Margo walked over to Indigo and lifted her through the doorway. When Indigo dissapeared into the darkness Margo helped Vikki up through the trap door, and then Margo helped herself through.

"I told you my feelings never lie!" Margo said as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness.

"Whatever" Indigo said nonchalantly.

Chapter .07

Trapped Door

"Ah, much better," Margo gave a sigh of relief as she turned on the one light the that was dangling from the ceiling.

"Where are we?" Vikki asked trembling.

"I think we're in a hidden room," Margo said, looking around the large dim room that was possibly the size of a tennis court.

"I read about hidden rooms like these," Vikki said. "People usually use these rooms to hide things in, like treasure... or bodies."

"OK stop it!" Margo shivered. "Now you're starting to scare me."

"Oh c'mon!" Indigo snapped. "I bet you we're just in an attic!"

"Now, now ladies, be polite," a gentle and serene voice said.

"Ahhh!" Vikki almost fainted as the blood rushed away from her cheeks. She was on the verge of falling on top of Indigo, but Indigo pushed her away into Margo's arms.

"Who's that?" Margo asked looking around the faintly lit room while supporting Vikki who was still visibly shaken.

"Oh come on Vikki, don't be such a wuss." Indigo said with an air of scorn. But the expression on her face told different. The three started to look around, all with a nervous air about them.

"My, my Indigo, you sure have changed in 8 years..."The lovely voice said sadly. "You used to be such a happy child at the age of 3." A snicker came from Margo and Vikki. Indigo just gave them a death stare.

"How do you know my name?" Indigo asked (her voice still had no trace of emotion) as her mind furiously tried to figure out who this mysterious person was.

The voice ignored Indigo and continued to say in a loving voice, "Ahh, sweet, yet fragile Vikki, still the same. And Margo, still strong and with those 'feelings too.' Oh Winnie, I see you are still going strong with that amusing made-up language."

"Who are y--wait, Winnie! Where did you come from?!" Vikki and Margo exclaimed in union. Indigo just flickered her eye at Winnie.

"I followed you guys." Winnie said with a smile over her face. "Wapig! (It's simple!)"

"You shouldn't leave that arm so low, raise it above your head." Indigo said in a bland tone. Everybody just stared at Indigo. Winnie's smile faltered.

"Do it, because I really don't feel like amputating that arm later. Let the blood get away from your arm." Indigo said in a forbidding tone. Vikki and Margo looked in astonishment as Winnie rested her arm on top of her head more out of fear, for she did not trust Indigo with amputating her arm, no one did.

"Enough about Winnie now!" Margo snapped. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

The stranger then stepped into the dim light and said, "Why ,my dears, I am the Mistress." She could only be described as a willowy, lovely lady with white, blond hair that swept across her face. There was a gentle feeling in the attic now that the Mistress revealed herself.

"Who... who... who are you?" Vikki stuttered looking as if she might faint again as she looked upon the lovely lady.

"Don't you remember me? I guess you do not." The Mistress said sighed sadly. "I am suppose to be your legal guardian, but that foul man Octavius whisked me away to this dreadful place where the unspeakable things happen here. And then forged illegal documents to illegally become your legal guardian."

"All four of us?" Margo asked in curiousity. Curiousity killed the cat, Indigo thought.

"Yes, I am supposed to be the legal guardian for all four of you." The Mistress said tenderly, she patted little Winnie on the head.

"Oh my goodness! You're chained!"Vikki exclaimed as the noticed heavy metal links that chained to the Mistress's ankles and wrists.

"Yes, these dreadful chains have kept me prisoner here for 8 years," The Mistress said as she rattled the chains. She then frowned. "It is a terrible and unfortunate thing. I haven't had a real meal in months, only the occasional cold meal, if Octavius even remembers I'm up here."
Then why does "The Mistress," as she calls herself look so healthy? Indigo thought to herself and narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"So you've been in this attic all this time!?" Margo gasped. The lady nodded yes.

"Oh what a miserable thing Octave has done to you!" Vikki flung her arms around the Mistress and sobbed.

"Oh not to worry love," the Mistress patted Vikki on the back. "You shouldn't be worrying about me right now. You should be worrying about that tiny cat of yours."

"Olive!" Margo, Vikki, and Winnie gasped in unison.

"Where is he?!" IWinnie asked. The Mistress pointed to the other end of the Attic.

"Olive, my love!" Winnie raced over to the other end of the Attic. When her kitten was in sight, she halted to a stop and quickly scooped up her kitty and sobbed.

"Winnie!" Indigo growled. "Your arm!"

Winnie paid no attention as she cradled a red lump her tiny arms.

"Whatever!" Indigo said. "Your arm isn't my problem anyway!"

Winnie cried, "Look! Look at Olive." Winnie held Olive above her head and Margo and Vikki shrieked. Indigo just turned her eyes critically at Olive.

Olive was drenched in blood. His fur was matted and his eyes were shut.

"Is h-he dead?" Vikki's eyes started to swell with tears all over again. Winnie nodded.

"Gimme that!" Indigo snatched Olive from Winnie's hands as if the cat were nothing but a bean bag. She raised the cat to her eyes and examined it. "It's not dead! It's still alive. I can fix this easily. But I'd rather do it in our bedroom."

"You mean we have to leave the Mistress up here again?" Vikki and Margo asked, giving Indigo puppy dog eyes.

"We'll come back in the morning," Indigo shrugged. The Mistress nodded.

"Yes," the Mistress agreed. "You guys better go."

Indigo was already making her way back through the trapped door. Margo, Winnie, and Vikki all hugged the Mistress goodbye and followed Indigo through the trapped door.

"See you in the morning Mistress!" Margo whispered right before she closed the trapped door behind her.