There was something haunting about the night's gentle breeze. It rattled trees and fences, and made spooky hissing noises every once in a while. If he listened really closely, he could almost hear his name being whispered! A shiver ran down his spine at the thought, but Luke tried his best to ignore it. He couldn't be scared, he told himself repeatedly. It would only worry the others, and they had enough on their plate. Although, to be honest, he didn't really know what the fuss was all about. He couldn't understand why it mattered who stayed in someone else's home the longest. Was it really important to prove yourself to others?

Luke shook his head, pushing his thoughts away. None of that mattered anyway. Aidyn had seemed determined to see the challenge through, and Luke wanted to support her as best as he can. It didn't matter what the reason was; he didn't want to let Aidyn and the others down. If he had to be brave, for his sake as well as everyone else's, then so be it.

Of course, that was easier said than done. 

Luke held his yellow flashlight with both hands, grip tightening the nearer they got to the creepy mansion. It took all of his energy to ignore the shadows dancing around his peripheral vision—[i]why[/i] does nighttime make everything creepy?! He hummed softly to himself to soothe his frayed nerves, but it didn't help much. The only thing that gave him some solace was the narrow beam of light radiating from his flashlight. He concentrated on how it broke through the darkness, and although he still had to muster all of his courage to even move one step, he found that he wasn't as jittery as before.

Once they were in the mansion, Luke wasn't sure whether to be relieved or be even more terrified. Upon stepping foot in the decrepit building, a strange sense of foreboding had washed over him, and it felt like something was trying to stop him from going further. He chalked it up to his skittishness, though; he was definitely just being a scaredy cat.

Still, the whole place looked exactly like the haunted mansion from that movie he watched, right down to the old-fashioned furniture. Luke drifted toward the brightest part of the room—which was by the television, where Aidyn had set down her lantern—automatically. Unlike the others, he didn't feel particularly compelled to explore. In fact, he really wouldn't mind if they just stayed in the living room all night. Watching the others curiously move about the room made him smile, though. At least they looked like they were having fun.

"Are you cold, Nixie?" he asked, after the younger girl had asked about a weird icy feeling. He knew that her skin was always unnaturally cold, but that didn't mean she didn't get cold once in a while, right? "I can lend you my jacket, if you waa--"

Luke's heart practically leapt out of his chest when a crow popped out of nowhere and flew out the window, only to return moments later to perch on something… or was that someone?... by the door. His eyes trailed after the dark bird, and as he looked down to avoid staring at its creepy red eyes, he had to do a double take. 

"D-Devon… ?" he asked uncertainly, making sure that it was indeed their friend standing by there.