A blasts of sparkling ribbons flew over Rosa's head the moment she stepped into their house along with Scarlet. Scarlet was behind holding her luggage while Rosa carried Scarlet's big teddy bear.
Rosa's mother and sister were the ones standing at the door with the confetti. The screamed joyfully as the two ladies went inside.
''Congratulations darlings. Mom is so proud of you''. Gloria George said.
''Big sis, congratulations. Second big sis, congratulations. You two are the stars of our family'. Kylie said.
Rosa and Scarlet saw the dining table filled with a cake and drinks and the hall designed beautifully with their names hanging along with their pictures. It was a beautiful sight.
''Mom, when did you prepare all this?'' Rosa said.
''You don't know how mom turned me into a maid just to get this ready. Big sis, you should be grateful that you have me. What will you and mom do without me? Mom is so clueless about planning a congratulatory party. This, is all thanks to my artistic self''. Kylie boasted.
When she returned from school she found her mother trying to prepare for a party but her mother really lacked artistic appeal so she had to step in and did everything from ordering the cake to designing the hall.
''Good girl. I should really thank you'' Rosa said.
''Well, you don't really have to but, if you insist I can't say no to your kind gestures''. Kylie said shamelessly making the three women to look at her. she was the most shameless among the three of the mother and daughters pair.
''Remind me to give you a thank you gift tomorrow morning, K''. Scarlet said.
''Aye, second big sis. You don't have to do that but, since you said it I will gladly accept it'. Kylie said again making them to laugh.
''Aye, where did I get a daughter like you from? She is so shameless''. Gloria George said. ''Scarlet, you two should send the things to the room and come out. Let' celebrate your success''.
''Yes, aunt''.
Rosa helped Scarlet to send the luggage and others inside Rosa's room. Rosa's room was the biggest among all the rooms in the apartment. It had a huge bed and a big shelf at a corner containing all her law and other school books.
When they first moved in, her mother offered that room to her because she wanted Rosa to feel comfortable and be able to concentrate on her school. It was exactly 15 years ago since they moved in. It was during the time Rosa was receiving treatment for depression. Her 15th birthday when she got involved in an accident. It was a school bus accident which killed all passengers except Rosa. This was a heavy blow to her as Rosa felt she was the cause of the accident. She was depressed and wanted to take her own life.
That time was a really tough and trying times for the family of three that had no man, no husband or father to lean on but themselves. Gloria George proved she was the best thing to happen to Rosa at that time. They weren't even a real family. She wasn't even Rosa's birth mother yet she chose to fight along with Rosa. Rosa had never heard from her father or mother's side of the family since her father's death. They accused and cast her away saying she was a jinx in the family.
There was even one time, her father's sister, Rosa's aunt advised Gloria George to send Rosa away if she wanted to be freed from any bad luck or events but Gloria George refused. That was when she embraced Rosa with all her scars and they became a family.
Rosa and Scarlet returned to the hall and they started the merry making. The two girls blew the cake and cut it before they shared it and ate together. The drank the drinks which was alcohol but Kylie took a bottle of soda since she was still a minor.
Kylie wasn't happy and kept frowning anytime she sipped her soda. She found it unfair that everyone at the table drank alcohol but her. She even told them that when she reached 18 years she was going to take the fridge into her room and fill it with alcohol making them laugh.
Gloria George looked at the happy faces of the girls and felt satisfied. She had never regretted ever moving out with Rosa. To her, Rosa was just an innocent kid who found herself getting the shorter end of the deal. She fell in love with the girl the first time she met her. She looked so cute even when she was angry. She was also shy and preferred to stay away from Gloria during their first meeting.
She was just 5 years old then yet the people around her made her to believe she was a person with a dark halo hovering around her.
Gloria George felt having Rosa and Kylie share the same father was the wisest decision she ever made. Her husband left her with the best gift and she cherished and loved them so much. Watching how happy and playful the girls were Gloria wiped the tear that threatened to fall down and joined them in their joy.
...…
When something was bound to happen, time and place was very important. When one looks at the occurrences of the world, one would think a lot of things were coincidental. Coincidences. Everything under the sun had happened already. When the course of time was running, it didn't matter whether one was prepared or not.
Evil was one thing that didn't often followed coincidences. The evildoer only thought to do evil and tie innocent people to it. Evil happened in the dark. Why? Because in the dark, people's real intentions were masked by the darkness. It covered up everything that people did yet didn't want others to know.
Two different people which may seem to have nothing in common would usually end up having a lot more in contact when looked at closely. That was one reason why people feared to know the truth. Truth exposed everything and laid it bear. Skin deep and nothing left to hide.
Having an obnoxious feeling about something meant that it had the likelihood of happening because our gut feeling is always 95% right.
A building not far from the Ann's' housed the man in the black hoodie. He was a mysterious figure that revered in seeing pain in others. It was almost like he derived pleasure in knowing that even the smartest and intelligent of all couldn't catch him.
It had been a while since he did something big. Life was getting boring for him hence he decided to pick a target. He opened a door leading to a basement in the house. Inside the basement, pictures of a woman and a man who had nothing in common could be seen hanging. He had taken his time to take the best pictures of these two. They were his masterpiece. The people he intended to play with this time.
If the two people were to see their pictures right now, they would have probably fainted from shock. The manner in which the pictures were taken, the places and time could send a creeping feeling to anyone.
The mysterious man whose face was covered with a mask and by the hoodie removed the man's picture and went out of the basement with it.
He entered the secret room where he laid the bodies of his victims. He picked the last victim's backpack and unzipped it. He poured out its contents and sat on the table to examine them. There were pictures of the recent fan meeting that was held that morning. The girl was among the group of girls that screamed the actor's name. There was also a signed photo of the victim and the actor and a pen that belonged to him. It was a limited edition pen which was one of the only five in the world. It was the pen the actor used to sign on the photos that were in the victim's bag.
The mysterious man gave an eerie laugh before standing up. He walked to the fifth bed. The girl was still alive thought tied against the bed. When the girl saw him, she freighted in fear and started weeping. She went for a fan meeting and signing event and was about to go home when one of her friends suggested they went for drinks. They were high schoolers and weren't allowed to drink alcohol yet they rebellion as youths were stronger making them want to do exactly what they were not supposed to. After giving a fake ID to the shop owner, they bought the beer and ran to an alley to drink. After their drinks the bid each other farewell and went towards their various homes. She didn't know how she got here but she could feel that her life was going to be squeezed out of her and she was right.
The masked man went to the sink and removed a kitchen knife and turned when the girl's phone started ringing. He went and picked it up and the caller was name 'Mom' on the screen. The man smirked and opened the phone, removing the battery from it before putting it away. At this moment the girl was so frightened and started shaking as the man walked closer to her.