Whispers in the Dark (A Twilight Saga fanfiction)

Chapter 4:Veil of Shadows

In 1575, Victoria was making leaps and bounds in her education despite her father disdain towards her and her views. Any chance of building a relationship with her father Lord Henry Sutherland crumbled the very day she pursued her own dreams. Her relationship with her older half sister Ana continued to grow strong.

Ana at 20 years old was beautiful from her pristine image to her silky fiery red hair and blues, she was a replica image of her mother who still looked every bit of a wife and high lady of society alongside her husband who remains faithful to her.

At 17 years old almost 18 years old in a few more days, Victoria wondered where her mother was and if she ever thought of her at night like she once did when she was much younger. Despite the leap and bounds that Victoria was making, just like her father once told her...people within society didn't hesitate to remind her of her illegitimate status within the Sutherland family and how no matter what she accomplishes she will never be acknowledged.

Then, tragedy struck when Ana disappeared one night. Father and his wife were devastated and used every resource to find her or any information of where she might be, If there's one thing father, his wife and I agree upon is that ana would never disappear without saying anything... especially to her. Victoria was heartbroken and did her own search for her older half sister as she was her biggest supporter and she couldn't accept that she was gone just like that and she wouldn't.

A few more days have passed by and I am now eighteen years old and still searching for Ana. Father and his wife continue to search for Ana, every day looking more and more desperate. Everyone in town has continued to help the Sutherland family find Ana.

I find myself out at night looking for Ana, walking down an empty street hoping to find anything leading me to my half sister Ana. A noise to my left surprised me but didn't discourage me from continuing to look, I went towards the noise coming from the left leading to a small alleyway and immediately regretted it....it was trapped and I was there prey... everything happened so fast, I remember struggling against the hands grabbing me, trying to yank myself free before I felt a sharp stabbing pain coming from my abdomen and another from the right side of my chest and it was then I heard the running and scraping of footsteps fading into the distant as I fell right where I stood, every breath felt like I was breathing in fire and it burned, but my only thought was that I had fail in finding the only person that loved me and supported me regardless of my blood or of what society thought of me and that was my sister ana.

The moon hung low, casting elongated shadows across the cobblestone alley. Victoria lay there, her breath ragged, the pain in her chest a relentless reminder of her failure. The world blurred—her father's disdain, Lady Eleanor's icy words—all fading into insignificance as darkness encroached.

And then, like a specter emerging from the night, the butler appeared. Mr. Thorne, with his thinning gray hair and stooped shoulders, had served the Sutherland family for decades. His loyalty was unwavering, his devotion to Ana unmatched.

He knelt beside Victoria, his trembling hands hovering over her wounds. "Miss Victoria," he whispered, his voice a fragile thread. "What have they done to you?"

Victoria tried to speak, but her throat was parched. She managed a feeble gesture toward the alley's entrance, where the two figures had vanished. Mr. Blackwood—the man who served Lord Sutherland's darker interests—had wielded the knife. But who was the other? The one who had orchestrated this trap?

Mr. Thorne's eyes widened as he took in the blood-soaked fabric of Victoria's gown. "We must get you inside," he said, urgency lacing his words. "The master and Lady Eleanor—they'll—"

"No," Victoria rasped. "Ana."

The butler's gaze flickered. "Miss Ana," he murmured. "She wouldn't disappear willingly. Not without a word."

Victoria nodded, her vision dimming. "Find her," she managed. "Bring her back."

Mr. Thorne's gnarled fingers brushed her forehead. "I swear on my life," he said, his voice trembling, "I'll find Miss Ana. And I'll bring her home."

As consciousness slipped away, Victoria clung to that promise. She had failed once, but she wouldn't fail again. Ana was out there, somewhere in the shadows, waiting for rescue. And Victoria, the illegitimate daughter, the stain on the Sutherland legacy, would become the beacon that guided her sister back.

The butler's footsteps receded, and silence enveloped Victoria. She thought of Ana's laughter, the way she'd play the piano late into the night, the warmth of her embrace. Ana, who had believed in Victoria when no one else did.

And then, as if from a great distance, Victoria heard the softest of whispers—a melody woven into the night air. Ana's voice, faint but unmistakable.

"Victoria," it said. "I'm here."

Victoria surrendered to the darkness, clinging to that fragile promise. She would find Ana. And together, they would defy the legacy that sought to crush them both.