It was Saturday and Alyssa was roaming about the big garden space in front of her mansion in Winchestor. Her parents' BMWs were drying in the garden, while Alyssa leaned against her Challenger, texting Fanny the details of her date the previous day.
That was when the first text arrived.
A threat.
"You live well for a girl who has only a few more days to live."
At first, Alyssa thought someone was playing a silly prank. But things started going downhill. Both Liarane and Ander had started behaving oddly. And Alyssa knew she was too. They didn't talk more than necessary, left home early and came home late. Their family was breaking ... and Alyssa could no nothing about that. She had enough troubles of her own.
"Your family is breaking. But each person will break unless you keep quiet."
Some of the text messages conveyed something deeper... something Alyssa couldn't understand.
"Maybe I don't want to do this, maybe I do. You won't live long enough to understand, though."
Some of the messages were even more lunatic and meaningless, as if their sender hadn't even thought properly before typing. He'd just typed whatever words were in his mind.
"I don't know you. I DO NOT know you."
"I feel like you're a good girl, but you can't possibly be, can you? I know you aren't. I KNOW it. Going around breaking hearts. How many have you broken so far? Bad Alyssa, bad genes, bad Alyssa."
"Die. Die."
Alyssa was scared out of her wits. Who was this person? This didn't seem like a mere prank.
One week, two weeks, three weeks went by...
One day, Liarane came home from her drama classes in a mess. She was panting hard and blood covered every inch of her skin that was visible. It was as if she'd bathed in a pool of blood. There were scratches in her face as if someone had clawed at her cheeks. Her hair was stuck to her face with sweat. And sweat trickled down her forehead, past the traces of dried blood.
Ander wasn't at home yet, but Alyssa was. She gasped when she saw Liarane's state and immediately carried her to the sofa. Liarane lay there limply, her eyelashes fluttering as if all energy had been drained from her body and she could not even open her eyes.
She was too pale. Yet, she gripped Alyssa's wrists tightly, like a vice, and strange energy, fear and anger rolled out with her voice as she stressed out, "Not a word to Ander."
Alyssa's heart was beating loudly in her chest. It felt as if all air had been pumped out of her nose and her throat was being chocked.
"But why?" she asked, her voice breaking and her gaze shifting. She couldn't look at Liarane's sad state any longer. She felt like crying. Which monster had done this to her sweet mother? What had happened? And why?
Liarane just shook her head. She couldn't voice her reason. So she persistently whispered. "Please. Just this once. Not a word to him."
And just like the fool that she was, Liarane's pleading voice melted her resolve. That night, her father returned.
Alyssa didn't utter a word.
***
Makeup did hide the scar on the face but it couldn't hide the ones within.
Liarane's attitude changed. Slowly, she became more and more distant. It had been a Saturday. Both Liarane and Ander were out for their own jobs. Alyssa was watching a thriller on the television, when she heard the sound of knocks.
Thinking that her parents might be back, Alyssa opened the door without a thought. But immediately, a soft cloth was pressed to her nostrils and a strange odour filled them.
Everything became dark.