"Let's explore the house," Cathy suggested.

"You know," Sam said as she refilled her cup at the punch bowl, "Eric and I were at the library yesterday, and we came across some old aerial photos of the campus. Would you guys believe this house has been here for over a hundred years? It actually predates the school."

"I thought it sounded pretty creaky," Jo said. "You know, it's actually kind of useful. I've gotten an idea where all the little squeaks in the floor are, and it helps me keep my bearings."

"I've got an idea," Cathy said. "Let's take a moment to look around the place. There's a basement door that was locked when I got here, and from the outside it looks like there's an attic as well."

"There's also a room behind the kitchen that I couldn't open," Jo said.

Since it seemed like a good idea all around, the girls got up en masse and made their way to the door behind the stairs that led down into the basement. Jo lingered behind a moment.

"Is something wrong?" Suki asked.

"Just waiting for a clear path so I don't stumble into anyone," Jo replied. "Here, could I take your arm? Makes it easier."

Suki offered her elbow, and Jo wrapped her slim hand around it. "Thanks," she said. "Wow, you have really soft skin. I'll have to borrow your conditioning cream sometime."

"My grandmother's own formula," Suki said with pride.

"Ancient Japanese Secret, huh?" Allison chided.

"Anyone got the key to this padlock?" Erica asked as the girls congregated around the heavy oak door to the basement.

"Allow me," Anita replied, pulling a hairpin out of her long, dark tresses. She went to work on the lock, sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth.

"So, what else did you find out about this place?" Cathy asked.

"Well, it's got a lot of history," Sam said. "It was built by a woman named Leslie Dykesbeck back in the 1870s, and she operated it as a hotel-slash-apartment house for women. That's what the public saw, anyway - there were rumours that she was actually operating a brothel."

"You'd think someone would have noticed that there were a lot of male visitors," Allison pointed out.

Suki leaned in close to Jo. "What is a 'brothel'?" she whispered.

"It's, um... I'll explain later."

"Actually, that's the main argument against it being a sex house," Sam continued, not having heard Suki - or seeing her jaw drop open when her question was unexpectedly answered. "Dykesbeck had a strict policy that no men were allowed, even as visitors. Anyway, the tradition continued through subsequent owners of the place, until World War II when the city was bombed and the house next door was destroyed by a V-2. It was empty until the war ended, and then a woman named Melia De Monay bought it and opened it up again, once again taking in only female boarders. Then, five years ago, it was bought by the current landlord - or should I say, landlady. And so, we carry on the tradition."

"Got it!" Anita announced as the lock popped off. She pulled the door open proudly, and one by one the girls descended the stairs.