The Monroe Manor

Will woke up to the rough descent of the flight. It shook a lot, and he opened his eyes to see his mother and father next to him. Once the flight descended, the three left the flight onto the expansive runway. Once they got onto the runway, they were greeted by a huge line of bodyguards, and others, who formed a sort of entrance to the huge limousine a few meters away. Raphael nodded at a few people, as he went down the path that was laid. Daphne quickly followed, Will in hand. They boarded the car, and soon after, they started moving.

Will looked out the window to look at the grim London sky. It felt as if the sky was crying in grief over something, but he just couldn't figure out why. The buildings on the sides were high, and they felt very familiar to Will, who lived his whole life in New York, a city very much like London, but also very different, Will was about to come to understand.

As they passed the skyline, Will saw nothing but sky in through the windows after half an hour. The angle at which Daphne held him let him see only the sky and the roof of the car. Will couldn't protest, given his inability to speak, so he just continued looking at the plain sky. For a while, the windows were clear of anything, except clouds.

"Where the hell are we going? It seems like the wilderness here, there are no big buildings here.", Will thought to himself.

After a while, the car stopped. Daphne was shivering, and Raphael sighed.

"How long has it been?", he muttered.

The chauffeur next to him replied, "A decade, young master. We have been waiting patiently for this day for a decade."

Raphael shook his head, and got off the car, and Daphne quickly followed. What greeted them was a huge expanse of a mansion. It felt like a palace. But, Will noticed that there was absolutely nothing around them. He noticed that he could not see any big buildings here at all, and that was supposed to be rare in London, or so he heard in his past life.

The three went up the steps that were in front of them, and to the door. Door would be an understatement. This was a gateway. It was glamorous, and felt ancient and noble in its bearing. Above it were the words, engraved clearly and seeming to shine, 'Monroe Manor'. Will's eyes shined along with those words.

"This looks more like royalty than nobility. Looks like I was born in a really rich family, and a powerful one no doubt.", he thought to himself, reiterating thoughts of the past.

All of them entered the gateway, which opened the moment Raphael put his hand on it, without even exerting any force. Will looked at this with shock, because he could hear no movement sounds, and there was clearly no one behind the doors, and no clear mechanism. But, before he could ponder upon this any longer, he felt that he was shaking like crazy. His mother, Daphne, was trembling heavily as she step foot into the manor. Will could see that she was afraid of something.

He wanted to comfort her, but he could not, as he was unable to. Daphne followed Raphael through the hallway, and they came to a huge expanse. There were a few sofas, and a huge portrait of an old, noble looking man at the end. It was facing the hallway, such that anyone who would enter would see that first. Though at the other end, it felt as if the photo was right next to them, and it looked like it moved every so slightly. Will looked at it with fascination, until Daphne turned her back to it, as if she did not want to see it.

Raphael went up to the portrait, and started speaking to it. "Grand father. I am back. I hope you have been well."

To Will's surprise, he heard a voice.

"Raphael, child. How long has it been since you came here? But, why do you keep talking to me as if I am real. I am just a photo. You have to come to reality my child."

Then, all of a sudden, Daphne turned suddenly to the right. Will was greeted by the sight of a huge flight of stairs, and a troupe of people coming down from them. Foremost among them was an old man, who looked very similar to the person in the photo, but every so slightly different.

"Father.", Raphael said, sighing.

"I came back."