Chapter 2 Dark Memories

When I opened my eyes the sun already seemed to be setting over the horizon.

After a warm shower in my huge bathtub and a completely mirrored bathroom, I had put on a pair of pajamas of pants and a blouse and sank into bed armed with a thick thigh. That was all I needed. I slowly stretched out watching how beautiful the evening was from the glassy balcony. I sat up in bed and heard my stomach rumble loudly.

"I huffed, realizing that I was almost starving to death.

I got up in a huff and the floor was extremely cold, so I put on slippers, a thick hoodie and climbed down. I was feeling extremely comfortable and was afraid that I was just dreaming and would soon wake up in the hard bed of the CDJ. I ignored my thoughts and went downstairs in search of the kitchen. Opposite the living room was a huge dining room with a gold-plated chandelier with several candles. It was magnificent and caught my attention. A table seating at least thirty took up the room, and I walked over to see that there was a door on the other side. I headed for it.

It was a kitchen. A huge kitchen. Which would make two of my house.

"What's the need," I grumbled.

"It's just that we hold many dinners for many guests, Madam." A female voice was heard as if carried on the wind, completely chilling me. I turned around a woman was standing in front of me with a smile on her face, I narrowed my eyes.

"Where are you from..." I let the word die in the air, when she sighed coming towards me and already speaking.

"I went to pick some herbs for dinner." She justified. That wasn't really my question, I hadn't heard the footsteps. "I left something prepared for the Miss. Would you like to eat?"

He asked already placing a basket on the counter. A basket. Who still uses a basket? Do you harvest herbs?

"The foods get tastier, the basket is more cultural really. I was raised that way." She replied and I grimaced in surprise and then cursed myself in various ways mentally.

"Sorry, it wasn't a judgment per se, I didn't realize I had spoken." I cracked a fake smile.

She continued putting away the herbs from the basket.

"If you like, you can sit at the table and I will come over and serve you." She said grabbing something from the huge refrigerator.

"Can I sit right here?" I asked staring at the table in the corner of the kitchen. I figured that's where the employees ate.

"Of course, whatever is most comfortable." He replied.

I wanted to ask his name, but settled for just waiting for the plate of vegetable soup that came in less than five minutes. I gasped to stave off the pain as I visualized the dish in front of me. It was my mother's favorite recipe. And at the first bite, I felt a taste of home. For the first time in a year and some days. I took all the soup and decided to wander around the house.

"Valch." I whispered trying to remember the name of the butler from earlier so he could introduce me to the rooms, I didn't want to be inconvenient and go off walking into places that were none of my business.

"You called me?" I jumped at Valch's voice in my ear, I turned around and he was there, standing by, both hands interlocked in front of his body.

"Damn... Go scare the dog!" I mumbled closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

"Didn't you call me?" he asked with his always charismatic expression on his face. Which made me afraid.

"Yes, yes. I did." I nodded with a dismissive gesture.

"Then I'm here." He smiled. Teeth impeccably white.

"Okay. Could you show me around?" I asked.

"Your request is my command." He said nodding.

Then he began a short tour of the right staircase wing.

In the sequence of five doors were guest rooms, mine being the third, the sixth door was my aunt's room, and the seventh door he didn't say what it was. He just returned as if it didn't exist. I didn't ask either, even though I felt curiosity like a little devil nudging me to enter the forbidden.

The left staircase led to the meeting room, gym - YES, AN ACADEMY -, and a HUGE library. I was fascinated by that room with rows and rows of books, containing tables and chairs for study.

"Wow..." I whispered.

"This house was once full, and here was the family's favorite environment." Valch said thoughtfully.

"It's a beautiful place." I replied still observing everything around me.

"Velch... Can you tell me when my aunt will be back?" I asked curiously.

"In a few days, Ma'am. But don't worry, I will take care of you until then." He replied.

I just nodded and he continued standing there explaining everything to me while I walked from shelf to shelf. When I finally got tired, I decided to go down again.

"Before the trip, your aunt left everything prepared for you. She told me that I could accompany you on outings, asked me to introduce you to the town and the school where Madam will study."

"Could you not call me Madam?" I asked interrupting him. "It's just that it doesn't make much sense."

"What do you wish me to call you, Ma'am?" He asked as if ignoring my comment. I snorted.

"You, that's fine." I replied.

"Would you like to have dinner?" He asked.

"Ahhhh" I smiled. "I already ate. But thank you. I'm going back to my room and get some more rest."

"I'll be available, if you need me, just call me." He said nodding.

I smiled. Literally, apparently. I went to my room still digesting everything that was happening in my life. I hadn't stopped to think about my family for a year, I had simply erased everything from my memory, because everything took me to one place, one night. But now, now it hurt, because I was there, in an unknown house, of an aunt that I didn't even know existed, where everything reminded me of my father, and consequently of the woman I wanted so much to forget. My mother.

∞

"Mama..." I shouted. "Mom, where are you? I'm home." I wondered at the fact that my mother was not answering. I followed her up the stairs opening her bedroom door, nothing. I went downstairs to the kitchen, nothing. "Mom." I called again. A bloody hand on the wall caught my eye, my heart beating harder, out of rhythm, I continued on to the door to my room. She was there. Lying on the floor, completely bloodied, but with her body in my lap, was me. Crying. I visualized myself, crying out, screaming...

"No" I screamed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry..."

She was smiling at me as if she had already forgiven me before I even asked.

"I love you, my Ann, I love you. It's okay, I already knew." She said and that broke my heart in two.

Her hands loosened in mine, her body softened, and her eyes lost their sparkle. I screamed louder for someone to listen. I cried out to all the gods on earth, to that mother moon she spoke of. But nothing happened. Only a car arrived seconds later.

I left my desperate body on the bedroom, watching the policemen patrolling the house and commenting among themselves about what had happened.

"Do you think she killed her own mother?" One of them asked.

"That's what it looks like." One of the policewomen replied still thoughtful about the fact.