change of heart;

open to all @gdopens· where; gilchrist trails when; after the lecture hall

people leave the hall like sea, and phil follows suit, taken by the waves, waiting to hit the port once and for all. it doesn’t happen, and everyone goes their own way and he’s standing there, in the middle of nowhere. head empty, heart silent; what to think of what just occured?

he’s trying to gather some feelings, some care about all this. he just feels immensely tired at the thought that he must be aware there might be a killer in their midst. must look behind his shoulder. must be cautious where his feet take him. he’s standing outside now, the stature of the manor standing behind him, tall and heavy. looming, even. the white of the marble statues had turn grey after all these years, and phil can’t help to feel the same. motionless for years, become this grey form, a ghost of his own self.

his eyes go to the forest, the path. he doesn’t want to go back to that night, where his own adventure started. where he dug and embarked on a journey that took him far from anything he got used to. phil doesn’t really realize he’s walking towards the path now, attracted to the mystic of that memory. he stops in the middle, smell of pines and mud fulfilling his senses. it’s the first he’s really feeling something since his arrival here, and maybe that’s all he was meant to be. meant to go.

go back and heal the past, so the present can finally breath.

there’s no much time to dwell on that thought before a branch cracks behind him and he jumps out of his skin. “fuck!” he turns suddenly, and for the first time, feels relief in someone standing there. “sorry,” for swearing? for getting lost in his own head? phil is way too accustomed to apologies to know what he really is sorry for. he moves to the side of the path, imagining that the person would wish to continue further, never thinking they’d be here to actually talk to him.

■

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” David announced, hands in front of him to ease whatever startle he’d made in Philip. “I was just... trying to get away from it all and then I saw you walk by. I thought I’d...” Say hi? Say sorry? Perhaps both. Maybe more of the latter. Something or the other, a mix of the things.

“You looked a bit dazed so I thought you might’ve–” It felt wrong, trying to seem helpful all of the sudden when he’d been the one to let communication die out all those years ago when Philip had been trying to reach out to him after Donovan. 

“–Are you okay?” David tried again, a bit more straightforward and simple this time. His mind muddying things, getting jumbled up in all of the... everything happening. It was making everything more complicated than it seemed. Perhaps if he just broke it down to its littlest parts then he’d have an easier time.

Silas held a freshly poured glass of white wine, the brim pressed to his lips as he sat on a sofa in the den. He didn’t feel as shocked as he should, like he was prepared for the news even though he had no idea it was coming. “I’ve seen a few weeping. It’s a bit — I mean, one would guess this is the first loss they’d ever experienced.”  

■

Unlike these weeping few Silas mentioned, David remained rather unchanged after the video. Though, perhaps just lightly surprised. As anyone would be with such an unconventional reveal. Bit ballsy and in true Gilchrist fashion though, David supposed. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel saddened by the loss of Dr. Gilchrist or upset about the way things had apparently taken place, it was that he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel those things anymore. Like he’d exhausted whatever capacity he had to experience those emotions years ago so now he’s just... disappointingly static. Perhaps it was a good thing though, he thought. Now there was a balance in reactions. A stark opposite to those weeping and beside themselves with grief. “For some, it might very well be. I think we should just... give them a bit of space though. Fancy a drink outside? It’s a bit... emotional in here.”

“An astute observation,” he quipped.

Oh, this was… This was Donovan’s brother. Another ghost in the manor, so to speak. He and Donovan had been relatively tight, but they’d drifted after graduation. His death still hit, though. 

“Yeah, man, avoided all that hairspray thankfully. David,” he said, as though he didn’t just remember his name in the very moment he spoke it, “how y’been?”

■

How had David been? A complicated question. Terrible if you wanted it in layman’s terms but other than that, he hadn’t really felt like he existed these past four years. He couldn’t very well say that though, so instead David thought up something appropriate and forgettable to say.

“I’ve been fine.” A lie. But one people told so often that he felt no guilt for using it. It was a filler statement. Just something to move a conversation along but nothing particularly significant. “Just... working.” Barely. “And you know, alive.” If you wanted to call his almost hermit-like lifestyle that.

“Yourself? What have... what have you been up to?”

David had always wondered what became of the people Donovan were friends with. People that he always considered... daring and just... tough to an extent. He wondered if they graduated and went on to live an adventurous life like his brother had, travelling the globe and finding himself in all sorts of unique experiences.

He was right, she was distracted. And while a tiny, a minuscule, pretty much nonexistent part of her did feel like talking about what was bothering her, she didn’t have the emotional maturity to do that. At least not yet. “It is,” she concedes before letting out a sigh. “I never thought people would use this as a chance to gloat and bore me to death with their stories and tales of success. Can’t they just post walls of text about them on instagram?” And now she was ranting because she was mad. “It does feel weird. You know, part of me was silly enough to believe that I’d find all of this comforting.” She rolled her eyes, then took a generous sip of her drink. “Stupid, right?”

■

David was relieved the observation was taken well and that the interaction was taking off. He was more than glad to sit and listen now that he’d done his part in speaking up. It was strange getting used to this again... People, talking, socializing. But so far, it wasn’t as dreadful as he thought it up to be in his head. David found it much easier to be on the listening end too, especially when it was about being annoyed with how people were gloating. Not that David was the jealous type but his life hadn’t been the most satisfactory lately, and he didn’t have much to show for it. If he had to talk about success, it would be tales of things that took place almost five years ago when he actually was the picture of what society deemed ‘successful’. Now he just stayed home, would occasionally work a project or two if it was lucky enough to fall into his lap, just enough to survive but in no way thriving. 

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” David finally spoke up again when it came time for him to. “I think this place gave us some of our best years. It isn’t silly in my opinion to think we’d feel that way once again upon returning...” He was mostly speaking for himself. “But um... things do certainly feel different now. In a good way or a bad way, I can’t tell yet.” Only time would tell. David let a beat pass as he took a sip of his drink. A simple Rusty Nail with an orange twist. The last drink Donovan made for him. David could still recall how happy his twin looked behind the counter of his unfinished pub. Don’t think about that, he reminded himself.

“What year did you graduate?” Judging from appearance, David would assume several or more years after him. “I graduated 2011.”

CLOSED: for @davidwilkes​ LOCATION: the swimming pool room

even  with  his  back  toward  her  ,  seraphina  knows  it’s  him  by  the  heavy  slope  of  his  shoulders  ,  the  bow  of  his  neck  .  perhaps  it’s  the  dead  silence  that  has  drawn  him  to  the  water’s  edge  ,  or  maybe  he  has  come  upon  the  indoor  pool  all  on  his  own  ,  with  his  feet  to  carry  him  while  his  mind  remains  far  away  .  whatever  the  case  ,  there’s  an  impulse  to  place  a  hand  comfortingly  along  his  elbow  ——  let  me  walk  this  path  with  you  ,  as  a  friend  would  do  .  and  she  does  ,  approaching  the  lines  of  his  silhouette  illuminated  by  the  pool  lights  .  "  david  ,  "  her  voice  is  quiet  ,  dulled  by  the  somber  air  .  "  i  am  sorry  ,  "  is  all  she  could  manage  ,  these  words  overdue  .  years  overdue  ,  in  fact  ,  and  while  she  has  paid  her  respects  in  her  own  way  ,  it  is  much  ,  much  different  in  person  .

■

It’s been a while since he’s seen her. Far too long in fact. David could still recall days where they’d talk design details over lunches in Seoul and mornings where they would share coffees as he would explain how a project was coming along in Reykjavik. Seraphina was a fine friend. A good friend. A friend he’d sadly lost contact with when Donovan had passed. He’d lost a lot of things when Donovan had passed, perhaps even voluntarily let go of them... but he couldn’t help it.

“Seraphina...” David turned slightly to look at her, tearing his gaze away from his reflection in the pool water. The condolence made an uncomfortable stir in the center of his chest. Sadness, pain, discomfort. He wasn’t sure what it was but like everything he felt these past four years, David pushed it aside. Instead of say anything in return, he merely pressed his lips together in a thin line, eyes wandering for a moment rather awkwardly before it returned to Seraphina’s features and he said, “Been a while.”

@gdopens· 🥃: dissociating 101; by professor herveaux

Isla wasn’t comfortable. She wasn’t comfortable at all. Hearing her peers talk about how wonderful their life was, how fulfilling their careers were was driving her absolutely bonkers. While the cognac she was currently drinking did help, it wasn’t enough to keep her from rolling her eyes every time someone added a new achievement to the pool of ‘shit that pisses Isla off’ remarks she kept hearing.

Isla did not want to be there. As she downed her drink and asked for another glass of hard liquor, she wished everyone would just shut up about their amazing lives and just… God, they were in a secret society for fucks sake, was she really going to be the one to suggest they organize an  örgy to break the ice?

She was so busy with her own thoughts she did not notice someone was actually talking until a few seconds later. “Oh.” A sigh. “What were you saying? Cheap dye job over there keeps talking about the dullest shit I was in the process of falling into a boredom induced coma.”

■

“I was just asking if you were okay. You seem a bit... distracted,” David admitted. He was never the type to pry. Lord knows he’d rather suffer in silence. But he was making an attempt at being a bit more social here, and he couldn’t very well deem it a successful attempt if he stayed true to his old habits and kept quiet as a rock. "I take it it’s... strange?” That felt like an appropriate word to use. “Being back?” He could only assume after all. David couldn’t speak for everyone but the Gravediggers Society was an unconventional one; it wouldn’t surprise him if certain members didn’t find the return to the old manor, with its unexpected and vague invitation, exciting.

Characters: Elijah & Open @gdopens· Location: The Den

He’d finished dinner far quicker than most others, as big “family meals” always sent a shiver down his spine. Elijah much preferred the company of a book or podcast in the evening, as he’d spent so much time at the Newseum and during school having to talk to other people and constantly be aware of everyone and everything around him.

No, no he wasn’t paranoid. Elijah was simply spatially conscious, especially when he was in DC, to avoid his mother or any of her staffers. He’d been in Chicago for only a year and his mother hadn’t reached out once, which was a relief, but he still hadn’t quite shaken the habit of worrying about her.

Putting back a yearbook he’d flipped through, he turned his head. “No one’s hair looked good in the ‘80s. I’m sure of it.”

■

It wasn’t long before the presence of so many people got overwhelming for David. He snuck away once he’d finished his meal, hoping for some solace in one of the quieter and less people-filled rooms of the Manor. It surprised him to find that he wasn’t the only one who seemingly needed a break from the rest of the group. It also added to his astonishment him that the person he’d come across was Elijah Noble. David knew him, of course.They graduated the same year, not mention Elijah was the Vice President of the Gravediggers during his time. But knowing who Elijah was back then, David wasn’t particularly keen to speak up. Though before he could slip out of the room to find another one to hide in, the fellow Gravedigger turned and spoke, leaving David frozen in place. Oh shit.

Don’t be an idiot, he told himself, but oddly he heard the words in a voice that wasn’t his own but rather his brother’s. Just say something. If it doesn’t turn out great, this place is big enough to avoid three people for six months. Comforted by the thought of that, David spoke. “Wasn’t the best year for anyone’s hair, I could admit.” It was a start. It wasn’t a terrible start either in his opinion. “Pretty glad I was born on the tail-end of that decade. You were too weren’t you?”

WHERE : The Entryway

WHO : Maggie + Open ( @gdopens· )

It felt different to be back than Maggie thought it would be. Part of her had been hoping that the familiar halls of Ghilchrist Manor would fill her up and overwhelm her senses so she couldn’t think. She had been hoping that all the memories would come flooding back and she could find comfort in them, but instead she felt emptier than before. She had yet to decide if that was a good thing or not.

Dinner was stifling. A room full of people who had become insignificant. The absence of Dr. Ghilchrist made it seem like there was nothing to bring them together but a common curiosity. A common curiosity for a man that seemed more like a ghost than a person. She slipped out of the dining hall to take a moment to breathe, gravitating towards the entryway.

She’d always been so curious about the statues that stood there. She had once had a plan to try and get a bust of herself put on display. It seemed a little silly now, she doubted they did the founders any justice. She heard footsteps and looked over her shoulder. “Happy to be back?” she asked, her tone bordering sarcastic.

■

“Happy seems like quite a strong word to use,” David responded. His words where accompanied by a tired sort of chuckle, almost forced like he was just trying to fill up space. “Not hating it yet, would be my stance on the evening,” he revealed. It felt like a fair judgement. It wasn’t as if they were being treated poorly, having their bags stripped and being lowered into open graves upon arrival. No, they were simply welcomed, ushered into rooms, and were being provided warm food and a generous amount of alcohol while they all mingled and got reacquainted for the evening. Safe, he thought. One could even deem it a good start all things considering.

“How have you been? It’s been... quite a while.” Small talk was never David’s forte. Talking in general has never been his forte. But he was trying. He promised himself he would. “I thought the chicken was rather good,” he offered rather unexpectedly, just to have something a bit more interesting to say. “You know, from... the dinner.” Obviously. But as usual his nerves had him over-explaining. He felt like he was younger once again, gawky and afraid. It wasn’t the first time that evening that he wished Donovan were here, to make things easier... to make them feel light. He was sure it wouldn’t be the last time he felt that way while he was at the Manor either.

DAVID WILKES, age 31, graduated Gilchrist University in 2011 as an ARCHITECTURE major. HE was born in WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND & has been living in LONDON, ENGLAND working as an ARCHITECT. DAVID is known to be CONSIDERATE, UNSELFISH, RELUCTANT & INHIBITED and that might be because HE is an AQUARIUS.