Chapter 3：Truth

As soon as the sunlight beamed through the windows, Tina woke up feeling the heat on her room. She groggily went downstairs with half opened eyes. "Hey mom what's for breakfast?" Tina asked as she walked down the stairs but no one answered. "Mom? Dad?" Tina asked feeling her heart beat increase, still no response. She looked at the dining room and found out that her food was already prepared, she went closer and saw a note made by her mom. Sweetie, sorry we have to leave you alone for your father was called urgently by his boss. I accompanied him today but we don't know if we will arrive there late so just cook your food for lunch and dinner, remember to clean the remaining areas of the house---love Mom. Tina sighed and ate her breakfast, afterwards she took a shower and washed the dishes. She was preparing to leave the house to meet Charles but was stopped when she met the blonde girl outside their gate, staring at her. Tina gasped and held herself to avoid letting the blonde girl know she was shaking in fear, the girl continued staring at her and this time gave her a smile which creep Tina out.

Tina took a deep breath and tried to speak in a stern voice, "H-hello." She gave a weak smile and the blonde girl replied with her smile still plastered on her face, "Hi...Can I come inside?"

"Uh...sure, but may I k-know why are you here? I saw you before too" A lot of times actually that I may have imagined some of them, Tina thought to herself.

The blonde girl entered the gate and walked slowly staring at Tina, "I lived...nearby."

"Really? That's great, what is your name? I am Tina by the way, we just moved here" Tina replied with a smile as she felt relieved.

"Just call me...Sue," the blonde girl said.

There was silence after that and Tina walked inside the house while Sue followed behind her. The two sat on the living room and Tina went to the kitchen to get some cookies. "So uh, where are your parents Sue?" Tina asked as she opened the cabinets for the bottle of cookies.

"Gone," was the only reply of Sue as she sat looking at the fireplace.

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you orphaned?" Tina asked as she place the plate of cookies on the table and sat beside Sue.

Sue replied in a voice barely audible, "no...they...just left."

"Oh, so they went on a vacation and left you? But they will return right? That's great, if you have free time why not help me out clean this house?" Tina replied.

Sue smiled mischievously but Tina couldn't see it since she was facing the fireplace, "Sure."

"Great! Why don't you eat this cookies...I will return, I just need to meet someone first then come back and please tie your hair or something, its covering your eyes" Tina replied and Sue nodded as she took one cookie and ate it in a slow manner. "Well, umm...goodbye for now ok?" Tina added and walked out of the house as she took the bike she borrowed yesterday and left.

"Goodbye...Tina, let's play when you come back" Sue murmured and smiled creepily as her blue eyes turned red.

When Tina arrived to town, she immediately went to the library. She found Charles reading a book and she smiled upon seeing him. "Looks like I came at the wrong time," she said as she sat in front of Charles.

The black haired boy smiled and closed the book he was reading, "not really...so ready to know more about what I told you yesterday?"

Tina nodded and Charles could see the anticipation in her eyes, he smiled at her and stood. "Well then, let's leave and talk at the park" he suggested and Tina followed behind him.

As they sat on one of the benches, Tina looked around and found that no one was walking around the park. It was only them, she looked at Charles with a raised brow. "Uh...is it just me or there are no one here right now aside from us? Did you rent the whole park?" she teased.

"Sadly I don't have the money, and right now the people are all busy with their work to even stroll here so that is the reason why I choose this place" Charles replied. "Anyway, let us continue from where we left off...here" he added and took a bunch of pictures he hid on his jacket.

Tina took them out and looked at them, "is this the Lee family?" she asked then glanced at Charles waiting for a response.

Charles nodded, Tina stopped on one picture and looked at it with familiarity. Charles noticed her and took a glance at the picture she was looking at, "that is their only daughter Stacy Lee. She was the same age as us when they took that picture."

"She's very beautiful..." was the only sentence that came from Tina's mouth. Somehow she felt like she had seen her and suddenly Sue's image flashed on her mind, she knew this girl's name was different from Sue who she just met a while ago.

"Beautiful indeed, she's a blonde beauty with blue eyes and everyone at town calls her princess for she is like one" Charles explained as he stared at the sky.

Tina can't help but feel strange, she knew it may just be a coincidence but the blonde girl she just met and this Stacy girl on the picture looks exactly the same. "Anyway what happened to the Lee family?" she asked brushing off the thoughts she had.

"Well it was a tragic one," Charles said and Tina looked at him with curiousity. "Like I said before, the family were known as kind and powerful due to Mr Lee's business and his wife always accompanies him on trips...The information I heard from my father was that during the couples' business trip to another country, they left their daughter Stacy alone on that house. I don't know what happened to her during that night but it was apparently Halloween and at that time, our town is celebrating that event. Anyway, news just came to the whole town the next day when the couple returned and found that their only child was missing, the very next day...my father read on the newspaper that the couple was found dead on the mansion. Their bodies were found on separate locations and it was very gruesome for the media to even post their dead bodies" Charles explained.

Tina asked, "so what you are saying was that Mr and Mrs Lee killed themselves after founding out that their daughter went missing?"

Charles titled his head as if agreeing but at the same time disagreeing, "that was what the news told us all but...the truth to what happened was never known. Afterall, there was no witness."

"Was their daughter found?" Tina asked with concern.

Charles shook his head, "Anyway...do you need help again at your house?"

Tina smiled and nodded, "Are you gonna help me again?"

"Just until 6 pm ok?" Charles replied and Tina jumped with joy.

"That's great, I met another friend and she is willing to help me out too in cleaning. The task would be finished fast if the three of us teamed up" Tina said.

Charles replied with a raised brow, "a new friend? What's her name?"

"Oh you will like her, she seems shy but I think you two would get close too...Anyway I gotta buy some cookies so meet you later at the house ok? Just go ahead if you are free...Thank you!!" Tina shouted as she dashed off towards the direction of the bakery shop.

"Tina!! What is her name?" Charles shouted but was too late as he shouted for no one. He sat and shrugged, he decided to come back to the library to bid goodbye to his father as he took out the bike he borrowed yesterday to go towards the big ebony mansion. Somehow the house still scares him but he promised Tina to help her out and somehow seeing her smile made Charles blushed.

When Charles arrived at the ebony mansion, the crows were gathered on the rooftop. The wind wasn't blowing as if the air had dried up, he looked around the place but it was the same quiet house they arrived yesterday. Charles shivered suddenly but then left his bike outside as he went inside the house, without knowing that someone was staring at him inside the house. The blonde girl fixed her gaze as the unsuspected Charles entered mansion, she looked at him with a blank expression but she clenched her hands to a fist so strong that her nails dug in and blood flowed out.

"Um...hello? Is anyone here?" Charles called out as he sat on the sofa, weird...I thought Tina said she met a new friend but it seems it is just me here Charles thought to himself as he played with his hands. The silent environment just makes him nervous somehow. As he heard footsteps descending the stairs, Charles turned around and looked at who was it. Upon seeing the person, his face turned pale. "Y-you are--" he wasn't able to finish what he said when he suddenly felt a thin metal slice through something. He looked at the floor to see blood dripping on where he was standing, his clothes were also slowly turning red. He touched his throat and realized that the blood was coming from him, he slowly backed away from the blonde girl and looked in horror when she stepped closer to him holding a knife. She then flashed a mischievous smile at him and murmured, "Die."

As she prepared to slice the knife through the helpless boy, the last thing Charles saw before all went black was a pair of red eyes. Tina...becareful, this girl...is not your friend, Charles thought and lost consciousness.

It was an hour before lunchtime when Tina arrived at her house, she was surprised to see the house was quiet. "Hellooooo" she called out when she brought the bag of bread and cookies she was holding and placed it towards the counter. "Hmmm, I thought Charles was already here but I guess I was wrong" Tina said to herself.

The door opened from the basement and out came Sue, her clothes were dirtied from the dust and there were spots of red as well. Tina looked at her with a questioned look, Sue acted a bit surprised and looked down the floor. "S-sorry...I was only looking at the area we need to clean" Sue said.

Tina smiled, "Is that so? Well it is ok but don't go there ok...mom will be the one cleaning it, for now we should eat lunch. You must have been very hungry so let me cook. Just wait here and um...I am still waiting for someone so if ever he arrived, tell him to wait with you. Nice look by the way, you finally showed your face more and I can see your eyes now."

Sue smiled but looked at Tina, "is he someone special?"

Upon hearing those words, Tina blushed. She turned around and tried to hide her reddened face, "oh please...you're mistaken. Charles is just...a friend of mine, he planned to help me before I met you."

"Is that so...then...I shall sit and wait for him, if he ever come" Sue said with those last words barely audible to herself only.

"Ok, thank you Sue" Tina replied and started preparing their lunch, she was so busy doing so that she didn't notice the bloody hand mark on the knob of the door towards the basement. "By the way Sue, you don't seem to have any clothes that are clean so why don't you go take a bath at my room upstairs and borrow one of my clothes?" Tina added without glancing back.

Sue slowly turned to look at Tina's red hair, her blue eyes then turned red. "Ok...thank you" she said as she smiled and walked upstairs.

Tina remembered she hasn't told Sue where her room was, but upon turning around she found out that Sue was not on the living room anymore. She gave a shrugged and continued cooking, "she can find it by herself I guess."

The two ate their lunch and prepared for cleaning, Tina was busy glancing at the front door from time to time. Sue noticed it and asked, "has he...arrived yet?"

"No...anyway, let us start cleaning or else we're gonna waste time waiting for him. Let us start at the rooms upstairs, from right going to left" Tina instructed and Sue nodded.

"Then...I shall clean the room next to yours, let us clean separately to finish faster" Sue said and went upstairs, Tina looked at her with a questioning expression but she followed anyway. Time goes by and it was already sunset, the two had finished cleaning the rooms upstairs. The things that were left by the previous owners were dragged outside the rooms, Tina suggested taking a bath and eating dinner with her but Sue declined saying Tina's parents must arrived soon. Tina was confused but didn't force Sue for it was getting dark and she doesn't want the girl to be lost on the woods towards her own house. Tina bid goodbye to Sue as the latter waved and walked slowly out the ebony house. Tina on the other hand did what she planned and waited for her parents to arrive, she fell asleep on the sofa as time passed by.

(to be continued...)