The list of sinners

...Celia...

I exhaled my breath, and gave myself a confident look. I looked to my right arm and saw two bells. One of the bells had no name written on it, while the other had the name : Mr.Rodger.

"Maybe this should be owner of the house."
I said.

I extended my pointing finger and rang the bell. There was no turning back now. I kept jumping from  one foot, to the other. My heart raced in my chest. From inside, I heard a door opening, and then I heard some steps towards the door I was facing. Mr.Rodger inserted the key and the door opened, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the house that had been dark for almost the entire day.

"Hello, miss." the man in front of me said.

"Hello, Mr.Rodger, I am..."

"Celia Cardiff, welcome, my dear." he greeted.

"So you haven't forgotten my name?" I asked.

"No, my dear." he said with a smile.

"I'm glad to meet you, Mr.Rodger."

"I'm glad to meet you too, Celia."

The man who opened the door seemed very well-preserved for his age, which was also the same age as my father, not to mention that my father completely let himself go when my mother passed away. He was tall, had like a foot height more than me. He greeted me with a warm smile that eased my nervousness.

"Come, let's not stay by the door, it will get dark very quickly."

With the help of Mr.Rodger, I carried the suitcases inside. I entered and started looking around.

"Do you live here, right?"

"Yes, I live on the first floor, while your room is upstairs."

I struggled to climb the stairs. In addition to the fatigue of the journey, the weight of the suitcases now added to it.

"The suitcases are a bit heavy." I said. "It would be better if you didn't help me carry them up here."

"It's just physical activity." he said. "I would gladly do that. Anyway, it's not like this house has seen many people."

"Isn't that strange?" I tell him. "It's one of the cheapest houses."

"You are right, dear, but many things are not in our hands." he says.

Mr.Rodger took out the keys and started opening the door. His last words didn't sound good. The only thing we didn't have control over was death. I was afraid to ask more, as it could be a personal matter for him, and I didn't want to reopen any wounds that may have taken time to heal.

"Here's your entrance."

The door in front of me opened, and Mr.Rodger invited me inside. It was exactly like the photos I had on my phone. The entrance was complete and well-maintained. A fresh scent tickled my nose.

"It's fantastic."

"Indeed, it's who knows what, but..."

"It's fine with me. It's more than enough."

"I'm glad to hear your approval, Celia."

"Thank you very much, Mr.Rodger." I say gratefully.

"Thank you, too." he says. "Now I'll leave you to settle in."

But I had decided not to end the day without finding out one last thing.

"Mr.Rodger?"

"Yes?"

"C-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You said that we don't have control over certain things...w-what specifically did you mean by that?"

The room filled with a deep sigh from Mr.Rodger. He seemed saddened and reluctant, as if I had touched upon something he didn't want to talk about.

"Maybe it's not the right time, I'm sorry..."

"It's not a problem, Celia. Sooner or later, you'll find out." he says. "Celia, you see, it may seem somewhat sad that right here in this room, a student like you used to live..."

"What is there to be sad about?"

"She managed to complete her first year of studies, but at the end of that academic year..."

"What happened?"

"She was brutally killed."

That's exactly what it was. We don't have control over death, but besides that, many other things, no matter how much we try to protect ourselves or avoid them, what is destined for us will come, even if we are locked in fortified palaces.

"I didn't know..."

"I simply don't want this place to seem terrifying to you, Celia, and for you to live in fear as long as you're here."

"Despite everything, don't worry, Mr.Rodger, I will be fine." I reassure him.

"Okay then."

Mr.Rodger came out of my room and I took the keys off the door and closed myself inside the room. My heart was trembling even though my words expressed something else. To be honest, I didn't want my arrival here to start with bad news. The fact that the girl  was a first-year student made my body shiver.

"It's better to start unpacking your suitcases, Celia, or else the whole night will be spent unpacking."

I decided to clear my mind from everything that didn't concern me, even though my bad trait was that something told to me, I kept thinking about it for longer than a week. I wished something would come up on the way that would give my mind some relief. I approached the window that was next to my bed and yelled as loud as I could :

"Hello, my new life!"

I didn't care if anyone would notice me. I smiled and hurried towards my suitcases. Quickly, I started placing the clothes on the shelf, just as I had packed them. I took out the blanket and spread it on the bed, covering it with a light green sheet I had. I also lined up the shoes next to the door and on the bedside table near the bed, I placed some personal belongings that I had in my own house. I let the backpack fall on the study desk, and from it, I took out an old photo. I took it in my hands and sat on the bed. It was a photo taken a long time ago when my mother was still alive. We were the three of us. With the tips of my fingers, I touched the faces of my parents.

"I miss you so much, mom."

I pressed the photo to my chest. I did this whenever I longed for my mother's embrace. It was the only way to somehow fill the emptiness she left in my life. After a few tears, i smiled lightly. Suddenly, I felt my spirit warming up.

I left the photo on the table and looked around, where everything seemed to be in its place. Now, my room had come to life. The only thing that worried me a little was how university would turn out. Almost my whole life, aside from my parents, I had been alone. No one wanted my company. At least with this new beginning, I wanted, and most of all, I hoped that new opportunities would arise.