Enslaved to Icarus (The Pariah Book 1)

Chapter 1

She existed in a realm of her own, scared, alone, and inhabiting too much in her own mind.

-Agnes

~~

"L-Lilly, I d-don't...don't think it's a good idea."

The quiver in her voice brought a mischievous smile on her friend's face, and if the grin on her lips was anything to go by, she was definitely not planning on giving in to her pleadings.

Agnes frowned with her fingers curled nervously around her magnificent snowy, white hair, her eyes the color of deep, luminous ocean changing their course between the acclaimed haunted manor and her brave friend.

With her hands in a fist and heart pounding heavily against her ribs, she muttered firmly, "I am not doing this..."

Lily sighed, twisting her body to look at her friend with a pair of sudden sorrowful eyes, a pout taking over her lips making them seem plumper than they already were. Agnes' resolve to deny her cracked the more she returned her gaze with her own fearful one. She could understand her friend's desire to go inside the haunted manor, at least somewhat. It was after all a dream come true from the horror stories she often caught her friend indulge in. Unfortunately, Agnes did not share the interests of her friend, not even remotely. She was a coward, and she did not bother hiding that fact, at least not before someone she knew almost her entire life. But, of course, her agreement to come to a party with her friend did not fare well with her. It was a momentary lapse that led her to nodding her head, bewitched by her puppy-like honey-brown eyes. Not that she did not enjoy parties but where she resided, on the outskirts of Arena, a small town in Greece, surrounded by woods and forests, she preferred sleeping soundly in her room than presenting herself to the horrors that resided in the dark. Her friend, however, couldn't care less.

Several myths surrounded the town of Arena, ancient horrors, that narrate blood-curdling tales, even more so about the haunted manor, a restricted area shrouded within the woods that was under constant surveillance by the government authorities. Reasons: unknown. The case had been that way for generations, red tapes with words "Danger, Keep Out" barring the entire estate.

Despite that, several tourists, influencers, as well as risk takers had taken upon themselves to trespass the estate and return unscathed, except for not-so-great pranks played for seeking fame. At least..., that's what she had heard from the people around her... and Lily. Yet every time, the trespassers were let loose with a warning by the cops. Many of them told the stories of the hidden energy felt using various devices used to detect thermal energy which they concluded to being a habitat for ghosts and other paranormal beings. All of which lacked tangible evidence.

"You know we're just going to go in and out. Besides, it's not like there's really going to be any ghost there!" Lily tried to convince, "Michael probably just said that to creep you out..., but you already know that."

"And what are you doing?!" she hissed, taking a step back from the steps that led to the manor. She could sense the moment Michael had snickered in her direction: something bad was going to happen, and there she was, trying to find a way to escape from Lily's adventures in the wonder manor, of whom she was an unwilling contestant.

"Agnes, please, do this with me," Lily begged with teary eyes, "Please..., I...I'll do your Math assignment!"

Victory danced in her eyes as she waited for her Agnes' response. She knew she got her. Agnes bit her lips, in a quarrel with her mind that warned her against it, before jutting out her lips in a pout, her brows drawing in a frown. The whoosh of air slipped past her lips in a defeated sigh.