1 Prologue
December 1930,
Westhill
Vanessa tucked in a few stray strands of her blonde hair behind her ear nervously. The cold night air was not doing her anxiety any good. Her marine Blue skirt danced with the wind that so graciously picked it up. Standing on her balcony and drenched in moonlight, one could say she almost looked ethereal. She waved a hand at her father, who was about to board his carriage, ready to go trade in the neighbouring town's market. It would be a good week before he returned to this town, but Vanessa was used to this routine. Having lost her mother at a young age, she had to learn to be independent and mature faster than any of the girls her age. Even at the mere age of sixteen, Vanessa seemed more mature than most of the girls in the town.
She saw her father's carriage disappear from her sight, and worry filled her heart. Every time he left her behind, there was a part of her that worried about his safety. Usually, Vanessa didn't mind having to be alone at the house while her father was away but being alone in the new town somehow unnerved her. Her emerald eyes looked at the dark clouds that now invaded the moonlight. Drowned in uncomfortable darkness, she inhaled deeply. The only relief she felt was the scent of snow. It reminded her of the good times in her life when she would curl up with her mother and listen to her as she read to her, a cup of hot cocoa in hand. A chill wind brushed past her arms, sending ripples of goosebumps on her skin.
A few seconds later, Vanessa closed the door of the balcony and yawned, stretching her tired arms. She had one less mouth to cook for the next day, but that didn't cancel out the number of chores she had on her list. Moving to the vinyl player, she picked out a classical record from her shelf, "Rondo K. 617", She whispered as a smile graced her lips. All the stress in her body flushed, and she felt at peace again. Humming along to a melody she knew, like the back of her hand, Vanessa pushed the door to her bathroom open. A warm bath was all she needed to prepare for bed - Tomorrow would be a new day for her as it was her first time alone in this house and town. Perhaps, she'd head down to the coffee shop with her friends and spend some time with them after her work at the hospital. In that process, maybe she might finally get the courage to ask her co-worker out on a date. Vanessa chuckled to herself as she opened the taps and watched as the water rushed in to fill the white tub.
While the tub was being filled, she walked out the door in search of candles, scented ones to set her mood. Making candles was one of her specialities. This particular batch was infused with lavender - one of her favourite scents. It reminded her of her mother, one of the very little things she remembered about her. She turned left in the wooden corridor and headed down the mahogany staircase, brushing her fingers along the polished rail. The wooden finish to this house was her favourite. The lights above her head flickered restlessly, seeing a nervous jab into her recently calmed spirits. Paranoia began to settle in. Vanessa suddenly began to feel as if someone was watching her. Cautiously she quickly looked over her shoulder to ensure that no one was there and sighed in relief when she confirmed the fact. Chiding her childish fears, she proceeded towards the kitchen and flipped the lights on.
Suddenly, the lights flickered rapidly and turned off, drowning the house in complete darkness. Save for a light in the sitting room from the furnace. Holding her breath in pure anxiousness, Vanessa started to look for the flashlight, usually hidden in one of the drawers in the kitchen. Just as she was looking, the door in their kitchen that led to the private garden burst open, a surge of cold wind barging into the house. Latching the door shut, she leaned against the door, shivering. With shaking hands, she managed to find the flashlight and turned it on. Then, quickly checked the adjacent draws for the candle. Once she found it, she picked up the matchbox from the counter and made her way to the living room.
She stopped at the furnace for a couple of minutes to warm herself, all the while unable to shake off the feeling that someone was watching her from close quarters. Vanessa took a deep breath, mentally reassuring herself that everything was fine and that she was home alone. That was when she heard the sound of the doors banging. With a hand over her palpitating heart and another guiding the flashlight in the direction of the sound, she followed the sound. It was at this moment, that she regretted living in a house as big as this. It intimidated her in ways the houses she lived in before didn't, and that scared her.
With the sound, a strange scent of jasmines and blood followed. Although pleasant, Vanessa was highly allergic to the smell of these flowers. Pain flared across her forehead as she approached the stairs. She needed the allergy medications, but first, Vanessa would have to investigate the sound and make sure she was safe. Vanessa cautiously stepped on the stairs, pointing the flashlight ahead of her. Another gush of cold wind slapped her face as she reached the corridor. Shivering, she made her way to her room and scanned it, discovering the culprit to be the doors of the balcony that she had forgotten to close. Sighing, she placed the flashlight and candles on her bed. Turning to the balcony door, she tried to close it with her shivering pale hands. That's when she heard it - a faint creaking of the footboard.
At first, Vanessa wasn't sure what she heard. She paused a bit with perked ears, trying to make out the sound. And when she heard nothing, she turned her attention back to the door. For the second time that day, she heard footsteps racing against the staircase. It was then she saw the flickering image of a woman emerging near the room. With pale skin and eyes that looked like beady onyx, the woman's black dress swayed with the wind in whips of black smoke. A scream was trapped in Vanessa's throat.
"You..." That was all she whispered as the woman screamed and lunged at her.
The next thing she knew, Vanessa was falling from her balcony. Pain shot through her back as she hit the ground. Droplets of blood stood out in the white snow that covered the grass, making it look like fragments of stained glass. The wind howled ominously, sending chills down the tree trunks as they stood frozen in the dark night. The blood drops layered under the lights cast by the Christmas decorations. They would have been unnoticed until morning, when they would be coated with a fresh layer of snow, had it not been for the figure on the ground.
Vanessa was lying on the ground like crumpled paper. Her skin matched the snow as her eyes stared at the foot of the lamppost, not blinking even when the snow landed on her lashes. Her blue dress, which once resembled the sky, now started to look like the deep ocean, weighing down on her, completely drenched. One might think of her as a broken and discarded mannequin at first glance. But upon closer observation, her feeble breath-taking form in the fog would be seen. Blood was splattered on her clothes as if it was a piece of modern art.
She swallowed painfully. There wasn't any strength left in her, but wilfully, she reached out. Her trembling hands caught the snow like a curtain as she tugged herself forward. The movement left a trail of red snow under her. The tears in her eyes which were now stained red, were slowly turning to ice. She shuddered. Every breath she took, however small, hurt her. She wanted to scream, but her lack of energy and a broken rib prevented her from doing so. She closed her eyes for not more than three seconds because she knew that if she rested them for a bit longer, she would not wake up again. No matter how heavy her eyes felt and how numb her limbs were, she did her best to stay awake; dragging herself across the frozen park, leaving a bloody trail. That was how desperately, she wanted to live.
Her mind kept replaying the events that led her to her current situation. Her eyes were bleeding, frozen tears. How could she have missed this? She should have been more careful. One part of her was angry at her carelessness, and the other part of her was frightened about her end. It was then, in the silence, that she heard footsteps. Her eyes grew wide, and panic filled her heart. She tried dragging herself forward, a painful grunt escaping her lips. In the corner of her eyes, Vanessa saw her assaulter emerge.
As the footsteps approached closer, her breath shook like a leaf on a stormy day. With trembling lips and hands, she reached forward and dragged her battered body forward. In her mind, she knew that her fate was sealed, but she refused to accept it. She refused to believe it. Her killer now towered over her, exhaling deeply. She whimpered, her eyes scrunching shut. Desperate, please escaped her lips. The woman in black was now looking at her, a sad smile playing on her lips.
"Please..." She sobbed softly, "Please let me go." Her voice was just above a whisper. Deep inside, she prayed for someone to cross her side; someone to save her from her impending doom. She prayed for her father to come back and save her. It was then she heard a rustle as her assaulter perched themselves on their heel, hovering over her.
"Too late...As a matter of speaking, it's really not that personal." Vanessa swallowed, her breath caught in her lungs as her eyes focused on the sharp knife that was raised over her head. Her eyes filled with tears as her killer snickered. The last words Vanessa heard as the knife pierced through her chest were, "On second thought, it is very, very personal." As life ebbed away from her body, her final thoughts lingered on her father, shuffling between sadness, anger and betrayal.
