Present day Romania 1703, Alana had just moved to a small village in Romania. The small settlement was mostly deserted, for it had developed an unwelcoming reputation for being home to demons and vampires. Some even said the devil himself dwelled on the outskirts of the town. The stories of these monsters were widely spread and the village hardly ever received any visitors. In fact, that was how Alanas father had procured their new home so inexpensively. The previous owner claimed he had been attacked by a vampire and feared the demon would come back to claim his life, so he accepted the first offer he received on the house.
Of course Alana's parents did not believe this crazy man. They'd never believe a story as outlandish as that, even if they had seen it with their own eyes. They were the kind of people that thought if you could not explain something with science, then that something did not really happen. What else would you expect of them though?
They looked the skeptical conservative type. Her father was a tall skinny man in his late 40's. He dressed in only the finest clothing and it was a rare thing for him to be seen without his thick reading glasses and a book. On the other hand, her mother was a tall, thin woman and Alana could not help but to think, she was a little intimidating.
It wasn't that her mother looks were displeasing. Her angular face that was set with two emerald green eyes was quite beautiful, but as beautiful as it was, it was twice as stern. When she did not agree with you, she could throw you a glare that would bring you to your knees. She was then thirty-three years of age. She had a clean cut appearance, a well-spoken voice, and long brown hair though you would have never known it because she kept it pulled back in a very tight bun.
Alanas outlook on the world differed greatly from her parents'. Unlike the two of them, she believed in the supernatural. At the time, Alana was 17. She had foggy blue-green eyes, a tall slim bone structure, and her mother's long chestnut brown hair. Her hair was about the only thing she had inherited from her mother, the rest of her features were completely different.
Alana was her mother's pain. The more Alana tried to relate to her mother, the more it seemed they would never see eye to eye. Her mother thought she was but a silly child; therefore that was the way she treated Alana.
Juliana, that was her mother's name, could not fathom the reason behind why Alana thought the way she did. She thought that Alana was too naive and did not see the way the world worked, and Alana couldn't stand it. She was not a child. In fact she knew more than most people twice her age. This was mostly due to her moving so much and who her parents were. Alana being born a person of privilege, had obtained a well-polished education, that of which considered this to be both a blessing and a curse. Juliana was not too keen on Alana being educated . In her opinion, a woman was not meant to be a scholar. That world was strictly reserved for men, and it was a woman's job to take care of the home.
Alana's father, David was responsible for her education. He knew the world was changing and wanted his daughter to be prepared for what was to come. From the time Alana was able to walk her father filled her schedule with all sorts of academics.
Once she learned to read, her father had kept a book in her hand. She studied in world affairs, different languages, arts, and mathematics. The knowledge broadened here perspective and opened her mind, a little too much in her mother's opinion.
Alana had now moved 18 times. Her nomadic life was due to her father being an ambitious businessman. David never stayed in one place for long and wherever he went he dragged his family with him. This particular move was different. It was permanent this time. Her dad had finally made enough money to satisfy his enterprising spirit and fulfill his hunger to make a mark on the world. In other words, he was retiring.
Alana knew she would like this exotic place. It was by far the most beautiful part of the world she had ever been. All the buildings were made of the same white grey stones and looked like miniature castles. Each house sat on at least seven acres of land and all of them were framed with beautiful purple, yellow, and pink flowers. It was hard for Alana to imagine someone wanting to leave a place as beautiful as this without a very good reason.
There was at the time, only thirty something residents in the entire town, which used to be teaming with all sorts of people. Once upon a time, it's beauty was a remarkably popular tourist attraction, but by the time Alana arrived, the congested streets had long since thinned out, and the small town had all but been abandoned.
I guess then, you can understand why she could not help but wonder what was going on in this strange new place. She wondered if the wide-eyed stringy haired fellow that sold her parents the house had really been telling the truth. Was there some monstrous thing in her new town? What mystery lurked in this place of strange beauty? Her curiosity only intensified as the days passed.
All of her parent's belongings were unpacked within a week. The house she had moved in was no longer a hollow shell, but a thing of pure splendor. The once empty shelves were filled with Knick knacks and books, and the cold hard stone floors were blanketed by the occasional fine rug. The walls were no longer unremarkable but were furnished with magnificent works of art, and the once bare ceiling was now home to a gigantic chandelier. Each piece of crystal that dangled from it looked as though it had once had a home among the stars themselves.
All of that beauty and all of that wonder were still not enough to keep her occupied for long. Alana had already read all the books her father owned, and played with all the Knick-knacks on the shelves. She had already stared at the chandelier and studied all the artwork for hours on end. Before long she had already explored the entire house without overlooking a single detail. Every room, every closet, all the cupboards, and even the fireplace now held no more wonder or mystery for her
Her hands became idle, and you know what they say about idle hands. They truly are the Devil's playground. Every creak of the old house, every thunk of the wall, and every clank of the chandelier told her to go outside into the open air. They told her to explore and find out exactly what mystery her new town held. One day after the disease of boredom had completely consumed her head to toe, Alana finally succumbed to the overpowering desire.
She had no chores and the house was empty. Her parents being the social sophisticated Thor had gone into the main part of town to meet all their new neighbors and check out the social events. Alana had not inherited her parents' need to socialize. This was probably because of how much she had moved. Alana had never had the time to get comfortable around people, making her a little anti social. Sometimes it made her sad that she had not inherited this trait, but at other times, she saw it as a blessing.
Alana was glad she could keep to herself; to tell the truth most of the time her parents just embarrassed her. Her mother spoke to anyone who would listen, including complete strangers, and spread gossip like a plague everywhere she went. Her father was in his own way, just as bad. He had been raised by and entitled crude man and overtime that is what he himself became. He developed a nasty habit of pointing out other people's foibles and hidden intentions. He also often spoke of matters that should not have been mentioned out loud.
Alana was proud of the fact that she did not gossip, and she was glad she was not so crude and forward. She was not glad however, that she had no friends, and she was especially not glad that she did not know how to go about getting any. What Alana regretted the most was having no one to share her thoughts with. She was very lonely.
Deep down, she was resentful toward her parents for forcing her to become grownup by the time she was seven. That was perhaps the reason why it bothered her so much that her parents still treated her as if she were still a child. They had an unfortunate incapacity of recognizing childhood or the complete absence of it. They had been so accustomed to Alana being an adult that they never realized she had never really been a child at all.
Alana finally opened up the enormous creaky oak door and walked outside into the warmth of the summer sun and the freshness of the outside air. All the flowers were in full bloom and were at the peak of their radiance. Pink roses climbed the walls of the house, while yellow and purple wildflowers framed the road and the trees.
Quickly Alana realized there was nothing to explore in her immediate surroundings. She realized there was nothing she could not already see from the doorstep where she stood. Disappointed, she was almost ready to retreat into the confines of her home, but a sudden rustling noise caused her to glance to her right. She never did see what it was exactly that caused the rustling but it had caused her to go ace at the woods surrounding her home to the right side where the trees seemed to stretch on forever.
Even without the grooming of man, the woods were beautiful, thriving with life, and inviting. Who knows if it were just by chance that on that day that boredom had completely consumed her, the noise was made that caused her to make that very rash decision or if it was fate. All I know that if it had not been that day, that time, and that place Alana would have never went into the woods, and I would not be here right now recording this story.