The Secrets Buried With Us | COMPLETE

Flashback 3| Blaire

THE HUDSON RESIDENCE WAS located on a steep hill on the far side of Newport City. A black iron fence surrounded the mansion, only making the building seem gloomier, and isolated from the rest of the city.

To some, this didn't appear to be the most ideal place to live in as it was far away from everything and the tall fence made it seem more like a jail than a house. Perhaps this is exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Hudson were thinking of when they bought the house years before their daughter Blaire was born.

Not only did the fence keep out unwanted guests, but it also kept dark secrets from escaping. Blaire Hudson was an only child and remained that way for 17 years of her life. Having no siblings, one would assume she would gain her parents' undivided attention and that she would be spoiled silly, but things didn't happen like that for Blaire.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Hudson rarely left the house, they always left their daughter alone to roam the grand halls of the mansion. She read every dusty book on the library shelves and knew them all by heart. She memorized every nook and cranny of the mansion, and she played all the games she could play all by herself. Blaire outgrew this and became bored very quickly.

She was a timid girl, not one to speak up very much. She didn't have many friends, and she never invited the ones she had over to her house. She was aware of what students thought about her, that she was too diffident and quiet for her own good. Most students presumed that it was just her nature, and left it at that. What they didn't know was Blaire's secret, one she had been struggling to keep inside for many years.

When Blaire was seven years old, she had a little Calico cat named Juniper. Juniper was a sweet creature with big beautiful eyes. She loved nuzzling her soft furry face against Blaire's, making a gentle purring sound that made Blaire giggle. Blaire loved Juniper. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel so alone in the mansion.

A cat was as close as she would get to having a sibling, but Blaire didn't mind. Several months passed after Juniper moved into the Hudson Mansion, and they grew more and more inseparable every day. One day when Blaire and Juniper were playing in the garden, Blaire's mother and father came out to meet them.

They both looked so sickeningly pale and you could faintly see the outline of their veins. Mrs. Hudson kneeled down next to her daughter, ruffling her very blond hair in a way that was unfamiliar to Blaire.
She held her confusion back. Mr. Hudson had something behind his back, but he didn't seem like he was trying to hide it from her.

Intrigued, Blaire prodded her father's arm with her small finger.

"What's that?" she asked, curiosity taking over her mind. Mr. and Mrs. Hudson looked at each other and gave each other a look that Blaire was too young to understand. Mrs. Hudson gave Blaire a tight-lipped smile, petting Juniper affectionately.

"I'm glad you asked Blaire. You see, your father's got a very special machine that can perform the neatest tricks. Would you like to see it?" Blaire nodded her head up and down frantically. She was impatient to see what the big surprise was. Mr. Hudson removed his hands from behind his back, revealing a bizarre-looking object.

It was long and matte black, with a handle and long tube-like piece coming out of the end. Blaire had never seen anything like it before and she was impressed by the way her father held it so naturally. Even Juniper's head cocked up with surprise.

"What does this machine do?" Blaire asked her father, who placed the so-called machine in his daughter's hand. It felt strangely big but powerful in her tiny hands.

"Let me show you," he had said, before demonstrating the correct way to hold it. It took a while for Blaire to get the hang of it, but after some practice, she was able to do it. Next, Mr. Hudson showed Blaire how to use the special machine.