Bound by Lies & Fate

Chapter 5: Eden

I wrote this chapter while listening to Dan and Shay - Obsessed and Speechless. I always find that songs help me get into the zone, if you like me to let you know more about my song suggestions during the chapters then I am happy to let you know more :) Mandi xxx

I am not one to judge until proven guilty, but he seems so up himself (this Ashton) that he would rather argue than negotiate. I have met my fair share of lawyers who are like this every time I face them in court. Usually, I would just show them I was boss and win the case, but I get the feeling that I won't win with him and that he would command me more than for me argue it.  I hear Harper ring in my ear "They are usually the best ones – don't talk much, but know how to fuck" . I laugh at my thoughts and shoot her a quick text to let her know how I am. Every time I keep thinking about him, my body is telling me that I wouldn't mind taking that grumpy package for a ride and being commanded to do all the nasty things that my mind is thinking of. 

Stay focused: my mom's house.

As I get into my car and make my way over to Ravens Road from my Apples Maps destination, I start to see all the things that mom mentioned – I'm in a forest with no house for miles. I assumed that my mom would be wrong since she hasn't seen this place in a while, but when I look at the zoning and the land size, this land is over 100 acres and goes into the National Forest. There would have been some controversy over my mom getting this land and knowing that Phoenix Corp wants it does make sense to find the owner and then ask them for it – the owner now being me. Why would Mom keep it for so long? Why not sell it and she could have lived in a fancy place and been comfortable for the rest of her life?

As my GPS gets me to Ravens Road, there is a sign at the end of the street: NO TRESPASSING, WILD ANIMALS ROAM THESE PARTS. Great! Here I am investigating my own place, and I could die on the way up there. I look at the sky talking to mom "Seriously" I say to her. I open my bag to see what I have in there and come up with nothing, but some breath mints and some tampons. Great I am going to mint them to death, let's hope the animals are allergic to mint. I did read that once in a magazine about unknown but common allergies.  Okay, new plan I will just drive up and stay in the car.

As I turn into Ravens Road, the rough dirt road starts to travel further into the forest. The road starts to even out to rocks and then a smooth road that looks like it has recently been laid. Beyond the road, I see a house: a beautiful, well-preserved cottage painted in a light cream color. The door is bright red (Mom's favorite color). My expectations of the house were to find something worn down, something like a house of horrors, but this house is not like that. It is perfect and beautiful. I don't think I could take the look of shock off my face. The house garden is well preserved, too, with the perfect number of flowers and trees as if it has been landscaped. I decide that if I do get eaten, I want to at least view the cottage up close. It's my mom's dying wish. I hear her words come into my mind "Put your big girl pants on". I get out of the car, walk up the steps, and I get this feeling of guilt. I am walking into someone's home. Maybe my mom gave it to someone before she left, maybe my mom gave it to Ashton. Well, it doesn't matter anyway. This is my house now, and though I am grateful for someone taking care of it, it is mine. I slowly walk up the steps, knock on the door a few times waiting for someone to come to door and no one comes. I grab the door handle – its open. I walk in slowly still trying to remain on alert for something to attack. "Hello" I call out. The place smells like freshly baked cookies and pine. I grab my necklace asking for it to give me strength.

The place doesn't have photos; it doesn't have a feeling of livability. It's more like a holiday home with the right amount of furniture to sit down on and art on the walls. As I walk into the living room, I feel that tingle up my spine again and then sense a presence behind me. As I go and turn around to punch whoever is standing behind me, a large hand grabs my fist for a block – it's him, Ashton. "Do you normally break and enter someone's house? Or are you a stalker?"