Edenbridge

Chapter One

Kell stood in the window, her brows furrowed and a bored expression covering her face. She brought her cigarette to her lips, exhaling through her nostrils and scoffing to herself as she sat down on the windowsill.

A young woman was slowly approaching the door to Edenbridge, something clutched tightly to her chest as she adjusted her shirt about her body. She had left her car ever so timidly, closing the door as quietly as she could behind her before stepping foot onto the cobblestone path that led to the gate.

Kell had heard the gates squeak, sitting up from the thick leather armchair she had been sitting in and turning her head towards the window. She'd cocked her head to the side as she watched the stranger pushed her way through the way gate and jump out of her skin as it slammed behind her.

As the young woman groped at the front door, running her hands over the large stone bricks, Kell stiffened as the door to her room opened ajar, a thin beam of bright light thrown against the far-right wall. She didn't move once, keeping her eyes on the intruder and blowing out a cloud of smoke that fogged up the cracked glass in front of her.

"We have a guest."

Ivy crooned from behind Kell. Not her, not now, Kell thought to herself.

Giving a simple shrug in response, Kell crossed one arm over her chest and balanced her cigarette between two fingers. She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head back as the woman managed to slide open one of the bottom windows and climb inside.

"It appears we do."

Kell groaned back, keeping her head tilted back as she brought her cigarette to her lips again. She took a deep drag, releasing another cloud of smoke into the air as she sighed. A small smile made its way across Kell's face, staining her almost porcelain skin as something down the many flights of stairs smashed and a little yelp followed it.

"The residents will look to you to fix this before old Corpse Bride herself gets wind of it."

Ivy grunted. Kell turned her head to look towards Ivy, narrowing her eyes and taking a final pull on her cigarette. She flicked the butt of it at Ivy as she blew the smoke out of her nose, lifting both hands and shrugging.

"What do they expect me to do?"

Kell asked, exasperated. Ivy shrugged, shaking her head slightly and clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. She was almost hugging the door, one hand wrapped around the doorknob and half of her body outside of Kell's room.

"They expect you to fix this."

Ivy repeated.

The maid shot Kell a firm glare before backing out of the room and walking back down the hallway. Kell listened to the footsteps with her eyes closed and head lowered. She put her hands on her hips and focused on the sounds she could hear on the ground floor of the building, drawing in a deep breath as she strode over to her door and threw it open.

The only light in the room was the mighty chandelier that hung in the centre of the roof. Only a few of the candles were lit, some of them shaking in the light breeze that had managed to seep its way through the cracks in the bricks. Most of the doors were shut, some of them open only slightly and revealing some of the horrid stained carpets that had been lain on the floor.

Kell took a step forwards and wrapped her hands around the bannisters, looking down the different floors at the main entrance hall. The marble floor glittered very dimly as muddy and bloody footprints appeared as Kell focused more on them.

Kell pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, sniffing in heavily and pouting. Well, I'll be damned, Kell mused. Her eyes instantly focused on the woman that had managed to creep inside, her lips turning into a smile as she watched the stranger run her fingertips over an ornate vase in the lobby.