Imbroglio

Chapter 1

Their house sat atop Rose Hill, so named for the lavish gardens that contained every color of rose you could possibly imagine and then some. Fountains were shaped like the delicate flower, and the gates were lined with rose bushes standing nearly as tall. The vines grew up the stone walls of the mansion, twisting and turning into intricate and endless ways. She'd admit to no one how much she actually enjoyed the house.

But just as with all fairytales, there was a dark opposite.

Thorn Hill mansion could be seen from Daxton's new bedroom. The gardens surrounding the house lived up to their name. The fountain looked as though it had not been used in decades. The vines twisted and turned but not in the same whimsical way that Rose Hill's did. No these ones looked as though they would reach out and grab you, never letting you escape from their unruly grasp. The grounds, though well kept, were bare. Daxton could fill the chill from across the street.

Daxton turned away from her window when a man with red hair stood in front of a picture window on the top floor. She was not scared of him in the slightest. In fact, she had heard of him before. Mr. Blossom. 'Archnemesis' of her father. She rolled her eyes at the silliness of the idea. No, she turned away because the house across the street was bringing her mood down further than it already was.

She made her way down the spiraling stairs just as her brother was bringing in his last box from the car.

"Would you like to go to the diner with me?" he asked her. "I'm starving."

"I could use some food," Daxton smiled at him.

"Don't eat too much, children. With school starting tomorrow, you both have try-outs to be ready for," Zion Morris's voice boomed from the kitchen.

Daxton rolled her eyes at his response. Only he would be that worried about a hamburger and French fries completely ruining their chances at anything.

"I haven't exactly decided if I'm trying out for anything yet, father. And we all know that Sorin will do just fine at football tomorrow," Daxton smiled tightly.

"Hm, yes, well, you both have been going a little haywire so maybe you should think before you speak," her father said before turning on his heel and heading up the stairs.

'Going a little haywire' consisted of the two children sneaking out to go to a goodbye party thrown for them that their parents had told them not to go to. But everyone knows that strict parents create sneaky kids, so had they really been that surprised?

"Daxton, it's best not to continue with whatever is that you want to say next," Sorin chuckled. "Let me go put this up and then we can go, yea?"

Daxton nodded as her brother bounded up the stairs. She caught sight of her mother out of the corner of her eye. The blonde hair nearly blinding as the kitchen light behind her shone on it.

"I need you to give this to someone."

Daxton stared at the envelope, lip curling up.

"I told you I was done. I don't want to be part of whatever sick and twisted game you're a part of. You promised me that I wouldn't have to do your bidding anymore."

"No, dear," her mother smirked. "I promised you that after this you wouldn't have to do it anymore. After Riverdale, you can go off into your fairytale life and pretend that you were never a part of this. That innocent little you never dealt drugs to some of the largest gangs in the country," she continued. "Until then, you do as I say. There will be a man there, scruffy and older. You tell him that if word gets out, that I will ruin him," Luna growled.