Chapter Thirty

I bit my lips nervously, waiting for the door to open. The last time I had been here was saying goodbye to my parents. I swallowed nervously and raised my hand to knock on the door again but I wasn't quick enough as the door opened.

A woman that was much shorter than me stepped out of the door. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her eyes had dark circles underneath them as if she hadn't had a good sleep in a long time.

"Hi!"

Her face broke into a smile as she said those words. It was strange to see my aunt for the first time. It wasn't because I had never met her before but because I hadn't ever known she existed.

"Hi!" We both stare at each other I wonder. We snapped staring at each other when we hear the clearing of a throat.

"Hi, I am Leon and you must be Miss Winslow." Leon's voice is smooth and a smile is plastered on his face."Hi, please call me Sev. Are you Ashley's boyfriend?"

"No," I said at the same time as he said yes. I turned my head sharply to stare at Leon in shock. Even though I know I am his mate, he hasn't officially asked me to be his girlfriend.

"Come inside please," my aunt ushered us both into the house, "you both are lucky that you missed the police. They just don't know when to stop asking questions!"

Her voice rose slightly by the end of her sentence.

"How long have they been here for?" I asked, looking around the house that I grew up in. it was hard to believe that a week ago I was living my dream but here I am standing a week later. I couldn't call this house my home anymore because of the loneliness this house now possesses.

"From the time they found your parents here. The police were looking for evidence that might tell them who murdered your parents."

"Do they have any leads?" I asked even though I knew there would be none because I knew exactly who murdered my parents.

"Yes, they do. They said they have found a suspect with the name of Fred." My eyes widen at the mention of the closest friend I had in Peace league.

"What is his surname?"

I knew that there were was a very slim chance that this Fred wasn't my friend. The dark voice had been threatening everybody that had been close to me but I had never taken him seriously until the death of my parents. The dark voice knew that I would suffer gravely if Fred paid for the dark voice's sins.

"Fraden. Why do you know him?" I felt anger course through my body as I realized that the dark voice was trying to hurt me again. I felt the bad feeling returning again from yesterday, but this time it felt like there was a bomb somewhere here that was just waiting to be ticker off.

"No, I just thought the name was familiar."

"Well alright then. Do you mind if we talk in the forest? I just haven't seen you before. I want to get to know my niece more."

"Of course, I want to know you more too. Let's go from the backdoor."

"Wait!" I abruptly stop and turn to look at what Leon wants.

"I want to come with the both of you. There might be animals in the forest and it will be safer if I come with the both of you."

"I have a black belt in karate, I am quite sure I can take care of both of us. And we won't go too far into the forest. If we need any help we will scream. Is that fine with you?" My aunt's voice held a sudden edge to it, almost as if she was challenging him.

"You are right. Sorry. Both of you go have some quality time together. I will wait here for both of you."

I send Leon a smile gratefully and head out to the forest. Fresh air hits my nose as soon as we are out the house. We both are silent as if waiting for the other to speak up.

"How is university?" My aunt asked me finally.

"It's been good so far. I have made quite a few friends so I am not alone there." Even though everything wasn't going as I thought it would go to university, I don't regret all the friends I had made.

"How did you know about my parents and how did you know my number?" I asked suspiciously.

"Your neighbours heard screams and came to your house to find out what was happening. By the time they came, they were too late. Too much blood had been lost by both your parents. The neighbours tried though, they called the ambulance and police but they couldn't help save their lives. The police then looked at all the files on your parents and saw that your dad had an older sister which is me. They called and told me about the tragic news and they said to tell you as I was a relative. They gave me all your information and then I contacted you."

I stayed silent as I let the tears that had been building in my eyes to fall down. I could taste the saltiness of the tears as they slipped through my partly open mouth. My aunt hugged me tightly to my chest as I replayed the story in my head. I loathed the fact that my close friend had to pay for the crimes of something he hadn't done.

"Shut up! You are so weak, Ashley! This is only the beginning, wait until the end because that is the best part!" I flinched at the sound of the dark voice. I tried to let out a scream but my aunt's hand covered my mouth turning my scream into a muffle.

"Now be a good girl and be quiet. If you don't I am going dig this knife so deep inside of you that you won't even know what is real and what isn't real. I am going to take my hand from your filthy mouth. Remember what I said earlier!"

My vision is slightly blurry from all the crying. I tried to blink my eyes, to tried to get rid of the tears so I could see my aunt who seemed to be the dark voice. My aunt yanked my left arm and pushed me against a tree. My back stung from the force my aunt used. I felt a cool object slowly moving along the end of the neck. I lowered my eyes to confirm that it was a knife.

"This is where I will run this knife along if you don't cooperate. Now I need you to do a few things for me. The first thing is, you blame your friend Fred for the death of your parents. Make up a story about how he was always jealous of how your parents always pampered you. Then-"

"You can't make me do all this. I will not follow your orders!"

"Oh Ashley, why do you always underestimate me?"

Before I could ask her what she meant I felt a sharp pain in my head and I was thrown into an empty field. I looked around but there was nothing there, just the dry ground. I started running in one direction but as I ran visions of my parents popped into my head.

I stopped running hoping this would stop the visions but this only caused it to become worse. Suddenly my aunt appeared in front of me but her face didn't hold the calm and comforting face as before, her face now held hatred and I no longer felt the comfort.

"You are never going to get away from me."

A small wicked smile emerged onto her face, causing a shiver of fear pass down my body. Soon everything became blurry until all I could see was black.

***

I took a deep breath in. I could hear people shouting. I urged my eyes to open and after a few seconds, I opened my eyes to the green sky. I blinked my eyes rapidly trying to get rid of the blurriness that had taken over my vision. I sat up slowly, even though my arms were weak.

I realised that the leaves of the tall trees had covered the sky making it look like it was green. I turned my head to see two figures fighting each other. They both fought with skill and speed. I gasped when I saw Leon's hand around my aunt's throat.

"You are going to regret hurting my mate!"

"You haven't told her to have you?"I am going to make your death so painful you are going to beg me to kill you when I am finished with you."

"When are you going tell her?"

"You won't outsmart me Defesta."

"You aren't going to tell her, are you?"

"Say goodbye to this body Defesta." Without another word, Leon stabbed her with a knife. I let out a loud scream, which soon echoed through the forest.

*_________________________*

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