who was he ?

Chapter 3

The sight that unfolded in front of Ellie made her freeze then and there. She never thought that there would be a day when she would actually witness such a horrific truth which seemed to shake the core of truthfulness for her. But, then maybe , just maybe , it may not be that dramatic as she though it was at that moment.

The red color laughed in front of her face. That was a truth. It was red. Fresh red blood. But maybe Jake had used the leftover blood as fertilizers. Oh , wait who was she kidding! That could never be possible. Though he loved his flowers , he would never take such an extreme step for even the gardens.

Ellie felt the very familiar feeling of nauseousness wrap around her and felt the depth of blackness surrounding her. Her ears started ringing with the beep-beep sounds and whiteness filled her vision. Her white face turned pale and her lips turned blue. She remembered strong hands grabbing her as the world blackened in front of her eyes. The same vulnerable reception which Adam had earlier filled with warmth , returned.

The hollowness was back bringing with it all the insecurities that she had previously fought.

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'The vast meadows stretched forever. The green grass blotched by the yellow flowers greeted my eyes but all I could see was the little girl dancing in front of me, laughing with no restrictions. The clear sky , a window to her clean soul. The bright Sun danced with his rays flowing in all the directions.

Two pairs of eyes followed me as I picked up the sunflowers and filled my overflowing basket. They would beautify her little tree house. The light breeze gently swayed my long white skirt as the layers brushed over the long grass.

The blue eyed girl ran over towards me with her golden locks jumping over her shoulders. She looked like an image from heaven as she laughed in her sweet merry voice and her baby pink dress complimented her fair skin. An angel. My angel, I sighed.

A single faulty drop of sweat glistened on her clear freckle free face. I pushed it away and wiped away its existence from my angel's face. The tenderness in her arms as she hugged me , never failed to surprise me and in an instant she was out of my hold and giggling as she danced back towards our house. The same ancestral house that I modernized. Her running opaque form started to dissolve in the surroundings and her voice sounded distant. Far away.

Suddenly, she was gone ! Like she was never there in the first place.

It seemed that my figment of imagination lasted for an even shorter hour this time. The contentment was gone.

Dark clouds covered the once bright sky. The green meadows turned brown and dead plants covered the stretched land. Mustard leaves covered the area as I walked towards my proposed home. I walked all alone.

The silence engulfed me in a cocoon but soon, the crying of winds filled my ears. The gentle breeze now turned into the harsh wail of nature. I could not see anything in front of me . My vision was blocked from the dust surrounding everywhere. Dust in my mouth. Dust everywhere. The tiny particles not even leaving my basket of dead flowers alone. I was all alone.

Silence filled my chest, contrary to my environment. The lone wolf walking down an unknown road, lost from everywhere. A defeated lone wolf, lost from the trials of life.

Soon the dry land was covered by the raindrops pouring down from my red eyes. I was hungry and sad with no sense of direction. I had nowhere to go. I belonged nowhere. The howling of the wind stopped but the raging turmoil did not as I now found myself in the middle of huge boulders of sand. The change in scenery made me depressed.

I walked forward as each step seemed heavier than the previous one and sand filled my shoes. The Sun glared at me as if taking its part of the vengeance just as the rest of my life did. With a heavy heart I started to climb one of the non constant , moving boulder to see my surroundings. I had to see where i was and where i had to go. The no pathway made me wonder about everything that I ever did.

Reaching at the top, I saw everything covered by sand. Sand , sand and yellow sand. The Sun, the dry environment and the large stretch made me dizzy and crave for water. My throat was parched and I could feel the soot down my throat. My saliva had dried up. I could feel myself shaking as I screamed and cried for everything.'

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Ellie woke up in her room. The painted ceiling now made her uncomfortable as the clouds and the eyes stared back at her. The medallion above the chandelier with its floral design made her cringe in disgust. So much brightness in her room made her angry. She shut her windows as the Sun dipped down the horizon. She took the glass her bedside table and threw it on the opposite wall. Bits of glasses flew everywhere. The small shiny pieces scattered all over the place. Ellie took one large distorted piece and stared at it. The distorted images flashing back.

"Madame , what happened madame," Cesia said as she came running into the room. Her heaves were a proof of how scared she was.

"Madame"

"Madame"

She screamed again and again but Ellie was in a daze as she turned the glass around in her hands. Cesia ran across the room and snatched the broken piece from her. The spell broke and Ellie blinked back to reality. She was back to the present.

Ellie took two huge breathes and hugged Cesia. She told her to clean up the stains and keep her mouth closed about whatever she saw.

"But, is anyone of you hurt ? Like during the cleaning or preparation, was anyone hurt by mistake or anything?" The answer was a negative and with this she left Ellie with her train of thoughts. And at this moment Ellie wished that she was not alone in this huge house and hoped that Lucy and the children would come back soon.

She ascended the stairs to Alice's room, desperate for some company. But, in the midway she decided to give Adam a call to clear up her head as the black clouds covering her head made her nervous.

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The ladies took their position in the great lobby. They waited for everyone to join them in grave silence. As the storm outside raged on and on, the turbulence inside their brains could be seen on their faces as Lucy and Ellie sat silently, wishing for everything to be okay, which they now knew was not the case.

It was blood.

Now, the single thought of blood in the woods seemed pretty normal , but, not so close to the living grounds. The woods housed a large collection of animals but none of them ever came close to the mansion.

The wild area was very far away from the tamed one.

The kids were barred from leaving the mansion, their mother scared of the unknown danger that might be lurking behind the bushes. Everyone concluded that the mansion was unsafe. All the servants were notified to stay alert and keep their eyes open. Sudden clouds of unsurity hung around the mansion.Not moments later, a few pair of footsteps sounded and a flurry of activities started.

Somebody, hopefully the men, had arrived.

James Whittaker entered through the main door in all his glory with a pipe in hand and a hat covering his bald head. One of the servants rushed to take off his coat and hat as he looked around with a frown covering his chubby face. His round belly complimented his joyful nature. He looked like a real life Santa Claus.

"Peter, James and Danne would join us later. Now tell me ladies, what was so urgent that you had to call me so quickly!" he exclaimed while he made his way towards his wine collection.

Pouring himself a glass of his favorite poison, he sat down at the head chair and waited for the ladies to start their part of the story. But he did not know that he would need more than just one glass to digest what was coming after them.

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