Bloody Raven (3)

    I stopped walking. Facing a door that’s supposed to be my kother’s study. I touched the knob and was surprised because it was unlocked. Weird, I thought. This place was always locked and even I couldn’t enter here. But, I want to just take a look and see what’s inside and so I trespassed.

    The room was neat, filled with a lot of paintings unknown to me. My slippers were roughly stepping on the carpet. I roam my sight around it. There were shelves filled with books, a lot of them actually.

    In just a minute or so, I’ve already reached the center table. It showed signs of being frequently used. There were still unwipe fingerprints of my mother’s. I sat at the swivel chair but my interest was caught by the other side of the table. It was a picture frame. I took it in my hands. This was the time when I saw this certain woman whose name I don’t know. It was actually my first time to see this woman. Gorgeous, sweet and exotic then at left side was a man who’s familiar to me. The shape of his face, eyes and his lips. It was just that he’s a man but if he’s a woman then he would really look a lot like my mother.

    Then, this idea came to my mind. What if this man is my uncle? My mother’s twin brother? But, why did mom never talk about this to me? Yes! This man could be my uncle!

    When I’ve had enough of staring at the picture, I’ve searched for a book at the left panel of shelves and my gaze was fixed by the stack of newspapers beside it. It all seemed so old and dirty. I was about to leave the room when something in my mind said to return and take a look at it.

    The old newspapers smell of dried rain in a hot summer day. I bowed and picked up one.

    “12 killed at massacre in Ravenwing’s Mansion,” I softly blurted out then I flip unto another newspaper.

    “Alex Price, MISSING!” then another

    “Son of the famous Price Industries went missing after the massacre at Ravenwing’s Mansion. No one is known to be alive except for Mr. Chase Schmittz and his daughter, Raven Schmittz…” then I stopped when I saw the man in the picture frame on the fading newspaper. I hastily ran towards the frame and compared the two pictures and it was clearly the same, though the pictures are vague.

    “My uncle was truly treasured by my mother so much. And, this Raven Schmittz was truly lucky to escape death. But, I felt pity for her though.” I sighed at the thought. Why the heck am I so obsessed with these? I don’t even have a slight connection to them.

    Then, my eyes caught a glance of a book which was my favorite book when I was a child. It was entitled “The Emperor’s Clothes”. I pulled it out of the shelf but it was stuck—really stuck to something—then I heard a clicking sound like some gears rolling to activate an automatic mechanism and I was shocked that the other shelf opened and an arch door was there, hiding.

     I quickly took a look at it and there were rays of light down the stairs. The path may be long but I can still see those light coming from outside and I knew then and there that it was a passageway leading to the outer world. The place I wanted to go to.

     Then, a plan hit my mind.

     It seemed that it’s gonna take me forever from rapidly running through these tall grasses and broken twigs and branches. The rain hasn’t stopped either; it continues to fall down in big drops.

     I would never ever regret leaving that cold and rigid home where I’m stuck alone in my room for the whole eighteen years of my life. From now on, I need to be on my own. I’ve got to change who am I. I’ve got to be strong for my own sake. I’m not gonna be the daughter whom she can just easily manipulate then hurt afterwards. I know it was my fault for entering her study without permission, but I was only asking about the pictures and other stuff she had there. what made her angry like that? I was just fortunate that our butler, Ravie, protected and helped me. I also didn’t give any hint about me discovering the secret route to go out of that house.

     Due to my emotions overflowing, I didn’t even notice a thick piece of wood lying on the wet ground and I tripped upon it.

     Then I saw this faint light coming from the bunch of trees at my side.