Eclipse of Solaris

chapter 1

"Alessia! Alessia!"
I hear my younger brother, Beau, call from behind me.
"Yes?" I say, looking up from the roses I was pruning.
"Mother wants you! And she says it urgent" he says.
"What about" i mutter in frustration.
Can't I just have one day to myself in this household?
"You know Mother doesn't tell me, she says I'm 'too young" he pouts.
"Fine. You can go now, Beau." I turn and kiss his forehead as he turns to run away with our sister, Blaire.
Beau and Blaire are twins, 8 years old.
I love them both dearly but they get on my nerves so often sometimes Id like to give him to another family even just for a day!
I sigh and I walk up the stairs of our estate and down the hallway. Stopping Infront of Mother and Father's room before knocking on the door.
"Come in." I hear my Mother's stern voice from the other side call.
I do as told and enter the room to see Mother sitting on the balcony that sees over the garden.
"You've called, Mother?" I say, politely.
"The Dyer family is coming over today. Do not embarrass me." She replies, taking a sip of wine that she has placed beside her.
"I would never dream of it, Mother." I say nonchalantly, watching her stand up.
"Well then. You know what I expect from you. You are dismissed, Alessia." She walks out of the room as I hear her heels clack down the hallway.
I'm about to leave before I notice something on the side of my mother's vanity.
A necklace.
But nothing Mother would ever wear.
Something she would never be caught dead in.
So why is it here.
Questions flood my head as I quickly snatch the necklace from it's spot on the vanity and exit the room, hearing my father's footsteps close in the premises.
I retreat down to my bedroom, examining the necklace from it's chain down to the diamond that lay in the middle.
"But Mother would never wear this! I know Mother as Father's never got along but he's never mentioned a mistress!" Im cut off as I hear a swift knock before my door is opened.
I hide the necklace under my pillow as my father walks in.
"Alessia, dear. Have you by chance seen a necklace anywhere around?" He says, glances around every corner in my room.
I shake my head, hoping he leaves soon.

To my disapproval, he sits beside me on the bed.
"You know, Alessia, Its quite late and we have visitors in the morning. Why don't you go to bed" he kisses my forehead before blowing out the candles and exiting the room.
The suns only just set... You could hardly call it late at all, If not noon!
Though, he is correct. We do apparently have visitors in the morning and I'd like to be well-rested once they arrive.
I remove the necklace from underneath my pillow and place in my jewelery box beside my bed before laying down and closing my eyes

...*time skips to middle of the night*

I've tried everything.
Counting sheep, drinking warm milk, singing lullabys though nothing's worked as of lately.
As I'm laying there closing my eyes as tightly as I can, a creak is heard from close by my door as light slowly seeps in.
The light of a candle.
The lighting comes closer as the heavy footsteps grow louder.
Is it a robber?
A thief?

*Tick*

*Tick*

*Tick

I listen in a little closer, those footsteps weren't just anyone's.
They where Father's.
Father was in my room, foraging through my belongings.
I stay silent as he digs through my jewelery box and find the necklace.
"Here you are. How dare she lie to me!  anyway, enough about her. I'm sure Martha will like it, not let me out this in a safe area"
He says as all light falls out of the room as quickly as it had entered and the footsteps creek back down the corridor.
Who is Martha?
Was the only question that remained running through my head.

Sleep did not come easy that night.