Faint wind brushed against her face as she stared at the glistening water. Specks of light illuminated the dark night and the clearing was eerily quiet making her wonder if she was safe. Juliet kept her gaze on the river, trying to shake off thoughts of the day's terrible events.

Octavio and Kylie were gone, never to be seen again. Juliet blamed herself, thinking it was her fault. She could've stopped Octavio but she miserably failed. She had failed to make her community accept Octavio, to see that he was willing to be a better person. She'd failed to make him see the world as a good place to live in. She'd done nothing. She had not tried to give him a reason to live. Occasionally saying 'hello' to him whenever they met had clearly not been enough. She should have done more.

Juliet stood up to walk along the clearing by the river. She'd taken a few steps when she saw a figure moving towards her, as if it was floating in air. Holding her breath, she fixed her gaze on it as it drew nearer because the faint light from the moon could not allow her to figure it out. She froze on spot when she realized it was a woman wearing a gown with a big red stain on the front. The woman looked like she'd been stabbed and her eyes gouged out. She stumbled towards Juliet, her hands stretched out. Fear gripped Juliet, forcing her to shriek and break into a run, thinking it was one of the spirits that were said to haunt the Fillis river. She had never believed the rumors were true but this was not the time to decide whether they were true or not.

Juliet ran through the bushes, not looking back until she reached a small footpath. She stopped, bent with hands on knees, gasping for breath. Her air-starved lungs ached and burned, as if they'd burst anytime. When her breathing stabilized, she scurried on to the noisy Fillis town and jumped into a taxi which took her to Rocco, where she lived. Either the place was really haunted or someone kept playing a joke on the whole town. If that was the case, then whoever it was- was really sick and twisted.

During the short journey, Juliet thought of the fate of her town. Sexual immorality was soaring as days went by. It was like The Bible prophesies about the end of the world were coming true. People thought only about themselves, not caring about others' feelings. Juliet wanted to weep for her people and for herself. They were losing morals and turning into selfish monsters full of pretence and deception, only caring about their needs. One example was her own father, who acted like the ideal husband and father yet he was exactly the opposite. Sexual networks were growing like in Joan Miller's case and it was dangerous but what could she do? Nothing.

The mystery behind Joan Miller's suicide had been solved, thanks to the papers found in Octavio's bedroom. It turned out that he had played a major role in it. Apparently, Octavio had informed Joan about her husband's extra marital affair with Marilyn, a teacher. She'd sworn to kill both her husband and Marilyn which would have worsened Octavio's situation. People would blame him for causing chaos and poking his nose into their businesses. Octavio had therefore resorted to blackmail, since he knew about Joan's affair with Mr Masterson. Joan was one of the most respected people in the town. She was successful, caring and very hardworking. She was also thought to be the most 'religious' woman in Rocco. Octavio had told her to kill herself or he'd let the cat out of the bag which could have caused a major scandal, embarrassing her. For that reason, she had decided to end her life while the town still had respect for her.

Octavio hated cheating because it had ruined his life. If his father hadn't cheated, he'd have lived a better life. Juliet realized that everything Octavio went through had affected him more than any body knew. He should've been sent to a rehabilitation center, only then would he have lived a normal life.

Juliet stepped out of the taxi and walked home at a snail's pace. She had no energy left after a whole day of sadness and tears. Her mother hugged her when she entered the living room.

"Where have you been, Juliet?" She asked. "I was so worried about you. You should have called us before going off like that."

"Had taken a walk," Juliet said. "You worry too much, mom. Rocco isn't like your dangerous hometown so relax a bit."

"It's not safe for you to be out this late," Her father said, looking over the newspaper he was reading, making sure to avoid eye contact with her. Yeah right, Juliet thought, wondering if he was even feeling guilty for what he'd done to Kylie. This man was like a total stranger to her.

"Okay," Juliet said, marching away from her parents. "I'm going to my room."

"Why don't you eat something first?" Her mother asked. "What would you like, darling?"

"I'll be back," Juliet said. There was no way she could be around her father more than five minutes without blurting out the truth. She would have to confront his father when her mother was not near. That wasn't happening soon because she did not have the strength for a confrontation yet. Patience was important.

Once in her room, she sat on the bed, picked up The Holy Bible from the table and opened a random page. Before she could read, tears started welling up in her eyes. Was God really there? Did he exist or not? Why did he let his children suffer then? Why did he let evil triumph? Tears fell onto the page and she closed the holy book and put it back where it'd been. She didn't feel like reading it anymore.

Juliet felt alone, like she'd never felt before. Was she losing her faith?