For ﾌ.乇
• you said I had a talent when truly, you had one •

Ria had a little theory; from every angle or other side. From any distance nor foreign place. From any corner, we're all the same but change of perspective makes us see all insane.

Poetry coursed through her veins like water in open lakes. It's the side of her she didn't like to trod. It didn't provoke just thoughts, it resurrected memories and made her see everything upside down. The RAYS called it the blood emotions, when something in the past was chasing you for your blood, a restless emotion, sick of waiting to consume one whole. Its there for one in their darkest and most vulnerable, when the map disappears. It was a metaphorical statement, made by the RAYS so they could add it to their index of life, but to Ria, it reminded her of a lot more. With every living breath, when her eyes would fall on Lucas Underworld, her heart would stop beating, panicking, unsettled. Lucas walked around with blood in his hands and left her to clean his mess. The message was quite clear; never trust Lucas Underworld.

The hanging lanterns seemed to have a secret message they wanted to share too. When she'd tilt her head to a forty five degree angle, she could follow the light rays that may come from the window at the far end. Each glass lantern would refract differently; all their cuts were different and they each seemed to have a side made of mirrors. If one payed close attention, they'd see there were tiny mirrors on the ceiling. The final ray would hit one of the two portraits by the basement door. She felt a strong urge to investigate the new phenomenon, but to her disappointment, the window seemed to be sealed with a grey substance.

"It was a pleasure to be acquainted." Ria uttered awkwardly after Shriamila's strange remarks about the Manor. "Please do excuse me, I would like to view my new... accommodation."

Accommodation? Really, Ria? She mentally face palmed herself before running up the three steps to the door.

The door creaked as she pushed it open. A macabre shadow consumed her. The inside was acutely eerie and the silence was almost disturbing but she liked something about it, but there was also something evil about it too. For a second she thought of Lucas: the last time she saw him smile. They were all together, Ria, Lucas and Claudia, right before she left the two to fall in love. Lucas had called Ria and whispered, "You're evil." Ria smiled at him and left. Maybe she was evil, if it wasn't for her, Claudia wouldn't have fallen for him.

"Ria, stop." She scolded herself. her chest constricted making it hard for her to breath, her body was accustomed to hyperventilate when things seemed to go down. A jolt of pain ran up through her hands, she looked down to see her fists clenched tightly. "You'll never know the murderer sitting next to you." She let go and like every time, she hoped she let go of him too, but it never happened.

"Ria?" Mrs Colton came down from the second staircase in the house. It was wide and majestic, like a giant slide in the middle of the first floor. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Yes, mother, I was just having slight trouble breathing." She displayed her signature smile, each member of the RAYS had one, it was a part of their survival chapter. "Probably asthma." Ria added just in case.

"Wow." Ria finally realised her surroundings. It was all bigger than their old home. It was august, venerable and kingly. Hallow, spacious and distinctive. "Can I get a tour, mother?"

"Of course, sweetheart, follow me!" She took a first turn to her left, Ria fell into her footsteps. "This is the living room." It was furnished with two velvet green sofas and a golden round table. "The people before left some good furniture." Mrs Colton explained.

"Well I do adore the sofas!" Ria said whilst her mother walked into a different room through the doorway at the end of the living room.

"The sofas are so expensive, I checked them up on that app Yeretzi made me download." Ria laughed, typical Yeretzi.

"This is the dining area." Her eyes automatically fell upon the glass panelled window. "It's perfect for a twelve seater!"

"Agreed! Mother. These are French windows, did you know." She turned around to glance at her mother who seemed to be trying to calculate the area of the room. "In France they're known as portes-fenêtres, which means windowed doors or door-sized windows." She glanced back again, her mother seemed to not hear her. "It's the perfect window for a suicide." Ria whispered. she pressed her hand against the cool glass: her breath quickened as she felt shards of glass cut deep into her hands. She pulled back frantically, her hands were covered in blood, it stung like hell.

"Ria?"

"Coming, mother." There was no blood on her hands, it was just another walking nightmare.

It was worse than hell. With each day, they seemed to get more vivid.

"This is the kitchen, Damien will definitely love this." Ria was dazed, half hearing her mother and half drowning. "Look, there's even a wooden pizza oven!"

"Uh huh." She felt sick, she wanted to throw up till she could take everything out of her system, her past. "Uh huh."

Mrs Colton walked out of the kitchen and back to the front door, back to the start.

"It's like a circle, you go in either way and you get to all three places."

Or maybe, you can go in both ways and then only leave through the window of death. A trap.

"Come on, Ria, get it together girl and smile." She disciplined herself in whispers. "It's all in your bloody head."

"What was that, darling?" Mrs Colton asked with a petit smile. Ria shook her head and returned the smile.

"Nothing, mother."

"Well then, time we go up and see the bedrooms!" She clapped her hands like an overly excited child and hurried up the broad stairs. Ria Grasped the wooden railings for support, she was lucky it was wooden or she may have cut her hands again.

Her hands told a tale of cuts that she concealed with a thin layer of synthesized skin.

"This is Damien's..." Her mother's words became distant even though she was catching up.

Her eyes fell upon a doorway just as she reached the last step. She saw her things within the room, instinctively, she was beckoned forward.

The door creaked on it's antique hinges as she pushed it open. As blank as a wiped white board, as white as pure snow, there was nothing in her room put boxes labelled with her name. It came to her sight suddenly, something covered in a white silk cloak. Impulsively, she walked forward and pulled the fabric off. A handful of dust and debris assaulted her lungs as she inhaled in deeply. Coughing out the content, she forced her eyes to open. Imbued with angst and sheer trepidation, she screamed.

On the wall, there was a hexagonal mirror with letters scribbled in dried blood.

Letters... that spelt... RUN.

•—•

I never wanted to torment Ria but then someone made me realise that we are all tormented in a way or another.

thoughts?

PS: It's my birthday today, this chapter is my present to all my readers, your smile is more precious than any gift.