Paige stood in front of a tall huge Victorian building that seemed to have been built for centuries and it had been a long time since the last time they renovated it. It sat at on a knoll above the center of the valley and beside a forest left to grow wild. Shingled in dark grey-brown and gridled around with stone pillared porches.
She walked up the wild fan of stairs and stood in front of a deeply carved front door. She let out a sharp breath and pushed the door open. She couldn't believe she was back here. She lost herself in this place but it's were she find the way back to her.
Paige stepped into the palace like room, like a picture in a book, where everything was rich in colors and looked old and precious.
Paige wasn't shocked to find a crowd, draped and swathed in layers of black clothing. Her aunt had called this morning saying some shit about letting her father rest and coming to say her goodbyes.
She made her way down the hallway, passed by some familiar faces who didn't recognize her. How could they? It's been years since she left this place and to them she is out of the country. She stared at the huge portrait hung on the wall, above a refactory table. It was a degas portrait of her and her happy family together before it all went to hell.
Paige stared at her little sister held in the arms of their mother, bare - shoulder and bathed in a dappled purple light from the blooming wisteria vine that sheltered our front porch. It was a pure summer to look at; mother and child.
"Listen to her, she's already projecting,' Mother gurgled with delight when Nancy howled in her ruffled bassinet. She was born graceful and pretty; she looked like mother from the outset. Her silky blonde hair was somehow like mother's as mine never had never been. Her blue eyes were Fallon and not bell as mine were said to be. I had delicate proclain and not the carved ones she shared with mother. When she began to toddle it was with mother's flat - footed, straight - spinner dancer's gait. Even her tantrums were silvery and theatrical. They made mother laugh, as mine never did, and even father smiled to see them.
But I, a giant of a baby according to mother - a wrecker of pelvis and stomach muscles - her trajectory was broken, and she climbed into no more rarefied air than that of local theatrical production and later acting and dancing lessons. Her career was destroyed. A bitter loss for her, and perhaps worse for the rest of us. It was catastrophic for me. She never ceased blaming me for it.
So our paths were laid down from the beginning, and so we have continued since, in lockstep, four people destined and doomed to bear on our shoulders the living, holy ark of the family. When I think of mother's voice, it is this that I hear her say. "Family comes first, always. Blood is everything".
Paige heard footsteps on the stairs, she glanced over her shoulder and saw a short, Raven haired woman in a black dress with it's short-fitted jacket, scooped neck that served as a nice frame for her diamond necklace. She crossed the distance between them and stood side by side in front of the painting.
"Paige" she called.
"Hannah, you didn't have to deal with me yourself. U don't need a guardian anymore".
"Really?" Her eyes wandered down Paige's body, "you've been decorating", she noted. "Haven't seen you for a long time".
"You've never really seen me". Paige said meaningfully.
"You know when I called this morning, I expected you to be present at the service".
"Why? You buried an empty casket anyway".
" It's been 7 years, Paige," she stood opposite her. "Star city police stopped looking for your dad 2 years ago. Private investigators wouldn't even take our money anymore". She took in a deep breath. "I Know it's difficult to accept, but your father's gone Paige. And you really need to come in and sign those papers".
"Hmm," Paige nodded her head, "so that's why you came".
" No I came for you. Just think what good you could do for the world with your potentials, with your wealth..."
" His wealth," Paige cut her off.
"It's very simple, if you don't sign those papers, then everything your father worked for will be sold off. Not just the company, but Mabel Manor also. Can you imagine how he would feel if you lost the house?" She tucked a strand of hair behind Paige ear. "Paige your father's gone, but you can pick up from where he left off. It's in your blood".
Paige didn't reply her immediately, she went silent for a space of time before saying, " am not that kind of Mabel".
"Why don't you think about it,stop by the company soon". She caressed her face lightly before leaving.
Paige glanced up at her father's smiling face. I mind went back to what he said at mother and Nancy funeral, they got buried together. Even in death she chooses her.
"Life isn't going to stop for us," father said. Except that, it had for him. There was no more of the ' keep your sunny side up and droopy side down dad '.
She lived with a ghost for a year. He sank into the grim depth of depression, he barely talked and rarely eats. He just sits there, starring out the window, lost in thought all through the day.
It hurt to see him like that. The ones merry home - at least for them - became a house a house of horrors because of one childish mistake.
Paige remembered starring at her dad late in the night, her every try to persuade him to bed was for naught and made him say, "it's not your fault little one".
Every single time she hears those words it feels like a dagger is being pushed deeper and deeper into her heart. She wished for him to yell at her, hit her, to vent all his pain on her. She wouldn't mind, she deserved it. But no, he looks at her with those dead, emotionless eyes without fault while he his pain.
They both started staying awake during the night, so she could avoid the nightmares and she didn't pester him to sleep, to avoid hearing those words.
Her mi d went further to when he left. He said he couldn't stay anymore, that the house and the city reminded him of them. He said the memories of his ones happy family was too painful to bear, sometimes the good memories hurt the most. But the error there was that we weren't all happy and they were to busy being terrible to realize. She remembered begging him to stay, as her face flooded with tears.
"Please father, please don't leave. Am sorry, I said am sorry. I'll do anything, please don't leave me father, don't leave me alone". But he left anyway, for seven freaking years. She didn't see or hear from him after that.
Thinking back on it she felt worse. She got her mother and sister killed. She was such a jinx. She caused her father a great loss and in the end he left her. Sometimes she wondered how her life would have turned out if he had stay, would it be any better than this?She turned back and started walking. ' Nothing last forever and nobody loves for free,' she said to herself as she left the building.
Back at Helstrom...
Damon sat with Rhys at the long dinning table. Paige had complained to Damon about the length of the table. Since they were only three people eating at the dinning, why do they need a ridiculously long table, but Damon never rushed his cue. He had planned the menu personally, wanting to set the tone for lavish and business. The wine served was from his California vineyard.
"Laz and his ghoulies wants and audience with you, they probably just want to stirr up trouble again, we should send Paige just in case...."
"And where his Paige? And where's my diamond? The crossbow killer?" His voice began to get louder, "Where The Hell IS PAIGE?!"
The sounds of footsteps casually walking within a calculated pace could be heard when he quite down.
Paige stepped into the room with a box under her armpit. "Alive and accounted for, Damy". She left out an half laugh.
"What's in the box?" Damon pushed the plate of food in front of him away.
"I got you a present", she dropped the box on the table, had a bow attached to it. "Open it". She motivated him.
"Rhys moved closer to the box and stretched out his hand to pull the top off. As the top came off the walls of the box came down. Rhys stared at the item in the box in delight, he nodded his head in concur, "hmm...."