I stayed still, half hoping I could conjure up images of the past, to see without dreaming here in this room, but it didn’t happen. The chainsaws in the yard and the voices of the excited interns downstairs all traveled into the room, preventing my ears from finding the quiet they needed to truly hear. Suddenly, I could hear Rachel and James talking, and the conversation was amplified as if they were in the room with me. Rachel was excited that Professor Cooper was giving her four weeks of class credit for landing a spot on the Seven Sisters Project. James bemoaned the fact that no such courtesy had been extended to him. According to his professor, it was business as usual. And as a matter of fact, he was expected to deliver a report on his work at the mansion at the end of the semester if he wanted extra credit. I left my leather portfolio on the windowsill and crawled on the floor to the nearby cast-iron grate. It was like listening in on a telephone. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and used it as a flashlight, shining it into the dark vent. Something caught the light and glinted, but I couldn’t reach it with my fingers. I made a mental note to come back with a screwdriver later. It was probably just a screw from the grate, I figured.

I wondered if this phenomenon worked in all the rooms. Rachel and James must be below me… I wandered from room to room, checking for sound from the grates. I heard music playing from the ladies’ parlor, maybe Tori Amos. Chip was talking to someone on the phone in the men’s parlor; it sounded like his mother again. Poor Chip. No wonder he was always leaving the room to talk on the phone. I could hear Mia and Matthews having a heated discussion from the grate in the Blue Room.

“Have some patience. If what you say is true, that she’s dreaming already, then there’s no reason to hurry. Let’s wait and see what happens.” I knew that angry voice; it was Matthews. The next voice was inaudible, but I could tell that he was talking to a woman. “What does that matter?” Matthews sounded aggravated. “Who cares what he thinks? Listen, stick to the plan and stop improvising and scheming. Just do your job and keep your mouth shut. Too many people know about it already.”

“Don’t think….because…I’m not one to…play with me and you’ll be surprised.” I was sure that was Mia’s voice. My heart pounded in my chest. Somehow, some way, I was being betrayed.

“Carrie Jo, what about this?” Rachel K. was standing in the doorway, probably wondering what I was doing lying on the floor. She held up the music box that had played its strange solo the day before. “Looks like we need a key to play it. It wasn’t in the box.”

I got off the floor and dusted myself off. I faked a smile and took the box from her, giving it a cursory glance. “I’m not sure what to do with this stuff. Looks kind of modern. Thanks, Rachel. I’ll figure it out.”