PROLOGUE

The wind is howling that night-- hushing and whispering indistinct noises, curtains dancing silently at the open window. Alice awoke in a sudden jerk. Her room is hot and dark, and the unwelcome air from the open window is making her shiver. Trying to regain her balance she walks toward where the switch it.

She felt for the switch, wall cold on her fingers, then flick it open.

Click.

She flick it again. Click. Click. Click.

The darkness still remains.

Are we having power shortage? She thought.

Instead of going back to sleep something is tugging her to go downstair. It may be the thirst she is feeling right now or the instinct telling her not to go back at the comfort of her bed. Outside, the corridor is being ruled by complete silence that even her hearbeat is too loud for her to hear. Dug. Dug. Dug. Nervousness is starting to crawl on her system.

She just felt for the walls beside her and when her hands meet the air, she stopped. The next step is the staircase going down.

She trudged down the stair, every footstep heavy, for an unknown reason the darkness and quiteness is scaring her. Continueing her way down Alice almost jump when she heard a loud ringing from downstair. At the foot of the staircase lays a ringing phone illuminating a silhouette of a woman on the ground.

Aria!

She almost run upon seeing her sister sleeping at the foot of the stairs, but her feet slipped.

Alice does not know what happened next she just felt her head bumping solid hard at the marble floor and her body paralized for a moment. She flinched when another pain erupted from her ribs, hearing the phone ringing behind her she tried to move her body.

"Aria..." She called, "Help me, Aria." But the older sister did not even move. The silhoutte behind her lay still and unmoving

"Aria... Ouch!"

After pulling an effort to turn her body the loud ringing and blinding light of cellphone welcomed her.

Yet, it isn't what caught her attention.

She came face to face with her sister's face. Her eyes wide open and mouth hanging open, her body is facing the floor and arms outstretched above her head as if she is trying to reach for something-- an apple. There is a fruit inches away from her hands.

"Aria..." She whispered, her breathing becoming heavy, then the lights went back. Illuminating the whole area.

She was frozen on the spot.

Her sister is wearing a black long dress and blood is gushing out of her severed throat. The scene is too surreal and dramatic, but the fact that Aria is lying stone cold beside her made her chest constrict.

She cannot breathe.

No... Aria...

She can't even feel her broken ribs.

Breathe, Alice... Breathe. Just breathe. She chants as she took the horror in front of her.

Aria...

Alice tried to speak, but failed, she tried again--

Breathe...

-- then an ear-splitting scream came.

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This is a mix of romance, action, mystery and something dark.

Next chapter:

Alice in Ravenlan