Ashen Silk

Part 1

The muffled screams were heard by no one. There were no witnesses. There was no rescue party. She struggled a few minutes more but soon gave in and passed out. Still silence followed.

When she raised her head, he stood a few feet away, observing her. Slowly moving away, she watched him with beady eyes. He shuffled about for a moment, straightening his clothes.

He looked back up, and ran a hand over his collar, smoothing it down, eyes gleaming with triumph.

Too affected to move, he gazed at her, probingly. The dress she wore, given to her as a gift a month ago, was torn beyond fixing. Her makeup had mixed with her tears and the velvet red lipstick now seemed to mar her mouth. He kept staring and their quiet battle of words continued. He suddenly broke the silence, surprising her. With long strides, he slowly walked over, raised his hand and gently wiped her lipstick, the red smear clear on his hand.

"Forget this, love. It was nothing personal. I've dealt with your type before."

He was telling her to forget today, move on, erase the memories of what had just transpired. But nothing could hide the woman's tears, nor her tattered clothes. He turned around and steadily walked away. With each step, her pain, her presence, and the death of a woman's soul was his yesterday. His murder. 

The body was right where he left it, covered now in a cloud of dust. Expensive heels attached to shapely calves was all she could see now. A cloud of velvet hid her face. She daren't approach.

She remembered how charming he had been, all quick jokes and white teeth. She remembered his drawl, a southern one as he asked her how she was liking town.

"Well enough," she had grunted and pulled her cellphone.

"Well, I'l have you know, you're in the music capital of America, darling." Smiling, he rattled on for a few minutes before he noticed she wasn't listening.

"Got a name, doll?"

"Lily," she replied easily, disinterest clear in her voice.

"Beautiful name, fits you perfectly." He seemed harmless enough, she thought to herself as she walked away. Why hadn't she been more friendly? 

Lily stood on the side of the alley weeping. Tears of rage and helplessness overwhelmed her. Nothing could erase this nightmare, she knew. As she looked around her fleeting cell, every single detail stood out: the girl's body, the leaves and twigs on the ground, the fanta can left to rust, her cell phone still where he chucked it, and a button.

A button. She stare at it awhile and moved closer. She realized that it belonged to him. It was the same bronze one that she had torn off his shirt. As she gazed at it, she thought, maybe he will pay for his actions. Maybe this is how I make that happen. Lily could feel that perhaps there was hope. Just a ray, just a speck on the horizon, but all the same, a small, delicate victory.

She quietly located her purse, placed the button inside and zipped it shut. 

Hey readers.

This is my first book and I'm so excited about it. It took a while to perfect it, but I'm confident you'll fall in love with Ashen Silk just like I did. I'm constantly making changes, so don't be surprised to see something new. If you read this chapter and took a peek, do let me know what you think of it. I'd love to hear your viewpoints!

Crystlempire