1 The Vanswers:

Chapter 1:

   It's been years, the smell of home isn't here and it's nowhere to be found, walking those halls always made me feel the emptiness like it is so hard to taste happiness, I wasn't alone but still lonely…

All I had to do was to pretend everything is alright, "easy, I can do this" and so that's what I thought at first but it was killing me inside I chose to not let it destroy me, I refuse to be that broken girl not even when I'm alone not even when I'm visiting my mother's grave, I made sure to bring with me her favorite roses.

  I was still 16 when my mom said her last few words to me.

 "Be Bolde, Be Brave, Be Strong, promise me you take care of your brothers, may your heart be your leader "

And so I did and now I am who I am because of her, and rather keep it this way, and I plan to keep my promise no matter what.

she died of a strong fever doctor couldn't tell us its main reason, even when it killed me I kept silent or so that's what my father told us to do, "Henry Thomas Vanswer" The Favorite Son of the most powerful family "the Vanswers". he took the family business after my grandfather's dead, his brother " Harold" did not agree to it when he made it very clear that the leadership should belong to him so he left "the wind mansion" and never came back.

As for the other two brothers "Larry" and "Ramon" they showed no sign of conflict, since they never really cared, the only things they show interest in are drinks and ladies...

Even Though Larry was married but still no sense of responsibility had appeared, when father took the lead the first thing he did was dividing this big house, of course, my uncles seemed to like that decision since the two of them can get out of sight and do whatever the hell they want.

Larry takes the east side of" the wind mansion" as my father ordered and only did it because he knows his brother, what he was doing all those years to his wife but he did nothing to stop it or anyone, even when they are living in the other side of the mansion we still hear "Branda" screams, every night he came drunk or stayed the night out with perhaps another woman.

The fact that father didn't stop it or even tried to stop him when he is the only one that can, But instead, he just moved them so he can beat his wife as much as he can, just not in front of his eyes, him not moving an inch makes me hate him, I hate him so much and I rather die than to look him in the eye but only with disgust, I even tried to stop it one time but I got locked up in my room for a month, This place isn't my home, it's my prison. ...

Doing the right thing here can cost you a lot, that's why This house is made of sinners.

Sins and mistakes, it's not just that it's more, it's something bigger.

My name is "Veronica Vanswer" the youngest daughter of the family, our name was well known

as we were the richest in "prelivia" the town I grew up in and the place I discovered my

greatest happiness and my deepest fear.

I was called "Verony the Virgin" I hated that name probably because I was one of the foolish

girls in her twenties that refused to be a bride, even when

my father got sick of rejecting seductive offers but I know one day he will ignore my will and

perhaps force me to be wed with one of those important clients, I wouldn't be surprised if he gave me to one of those old rich men...

that would make sense, he and I are not the typical father and

daughter relationship we have a lot of downs mostly fights and hatred, I've stopped

caring about what that guy has to say since my mother passed away I blame him for everything,

I blame him when he stayed the nights away when we spent every birthday every anniversary, every holiday wishing he might show up, a wish that rarely came true and when It came, it wasn't like anything I expected the only thing he was good at is not caring about us, not caring about his wife.

His lovely

wife the women that Endured him and his crazy brothers, they are all alike, she knew it but still

couldn't let go of him, I want to believe that her staying was just for us, rather not to think about whether she loved him if she did she's crazy..., but only us her children me

and my two brothers James and Alex they were a few years younger, As I can tell my mother

tried to keep them away from their relatives she didn't want her little boys to grow up with those

narrow-minded people but she failed and she knew it.

with Alex, it was easier to love him and to see his resistance to the venswer's blood, he never

wanted to be the center of attention but my father and his companions had been discussing more the

the position he will take considering him being henry's firstborn child and perhaps continuing Our

bloodline legacy, he has our mother's green eyes and her beautiful smile but he took a lot from

his father's manly features, from his pale skin to his golden-brown hair and his strong defined

jawline sometimes when I look at him I see our father, but he is the no-drama type luckily he

took our mother's advice to stay out of this family mess is enough for him to live a good life, but we all

know how much he disliked being a half picture of him and more being a part of him.

As for "James Vanswer" the second son of our hateful father, the evil handsome one he is the

smartest I admit, he has our father's brown eyes but still has our mother's smile with his

breathtaking charisma and his charming personality, the brother who would piss off his sister but

would protect her no matter what, always preferred his uncles' attention but more craves the

power, the name, and the reputation.

being in the same house had me noticing, unlike Alex he was wild, he knows what he wants and takes it no matter what but I always wondered "what would he do to have such a thing…?,

what is the price that he will give..?"

but I kept it to myself, some things are better not spoken.

"Elizabeth sundersan" was the name of my mother she came from a poor family and that's

all I know I never met nor knew them, she never told us about them we knew a little but not much to kill my curiosity. they used to have a small bakery at "The Craliskan Market" which is in "Sayram City" it takes two days to get there and I never made it that far, I've been here my entire life, inside "Prelivia", I've always wanted to see the world, to travel I dreamed about it as a little girl and I still do, and so I love music, I play piano and I sing as well writing songs about love, made the nights less painful I know I will follow those dreams, I will one day but not now I can't leave my brothers, not now...

What a family, a mother with secrets, and the worst father someone can ever have But at least I have Those two brothers thankfully I still see our mother's eyes in Alex and her Smile in James's face, as for me and my amber eyes I still don't know from where I got them and I never saw someone with those eye color before, perhaps that would explain why people give those weird glances when they see me for the first time ...

I headed toward that grave Roses in my hands' snow has been falling for days now, I chose to wear a night blue dress with a darker fabric sliding behind my back and a black coat, a sad dress that suits this sad day, today is the seventh December. the fifth one .....

"Mother it's been a while since I last visited forgive me life gets busy sometimes, I wonder how is the other side..?, is. . . it. . . sunny, God, please let it be lovely.., or is it cold. . .. . .., oh mother it's been five years already and still, it wasn't like I expected, heart and wounds are never been healed, you once said Time supposed to heal us but I never did, I know, you made me promise to be strong and so I did and still, but mother...I miss you and I'm only stepping away from breaking, But I'll try my best I'll protect your loved ones, Anyway I'm crying here like... I don't know but crying is for the weakest and I don't want you to see me like that, better news I'm still seeing that guy "Isaac", that I told you about last year, still meeting under that tree hiding it and sneaking around like we are kids but I get excited every time is see him and he is the only thing that makes me happy, as you know it gets harder, every time we meet he talks about marriage and having kids and I'm not ready and I'll never be ready, my father will never let him get through the front door and he knows it, "lady Vanswer and the farmer's son" tale will never happen, I'm afraid he might kill him, that he will certainly do, I even thought about running away but who am I kidding he will find me, he has men all over "prelivia" And. . .. . .. . ..,"

that's when trees moved, made noises not by wind but by a big black Bird, maybe a raven, No it is too big to be a Raven ..!

I stepped closer until that thing was a few steps away I noticed from his unbalanced moves that he was bleeding.

A few seconds later blood was covering the snow, I hurled to it even tho I hesitated a few times I admit, there was an arrow, crafted with silver and a symbol of what seemed to be like a raven and so I took off my scarf and put it on the injured spot to stop the bleeding, to cover it from cold and dirt too, a few minutes later the poor creature opened his eyes, but they were...

Red, a Deadly Red...

like fear, the color that was pushing me away telling me to run and never look back

mother above, I felt the fear and a shiver down my spine when those wide eyes opened but to my surprise, I held still looking back, neither we moved but I felt something inside those eyes, and then it was my body protesting against my will and refused to step away, like that thing, it was glaring at my soul and reading my thoughts and when I blinked a second it was Gone.

I looked to my right, eyes wide open looked to my left too there was nothing thoughts were running wild inside my head, what was that and then I saw what looked like a dark shadow heading towards the forest, and I...

I Followed...