A tap came from the other side of the door. I called out for them to come in, and Avery entered with a young woman who looked to be around eighteen. She was holding a lantern.
Petite. Pretty as a speckled pup.
Her curly golden hair stopped just above her shoulders, framing her chubby face. Large green eyes stared with curiosity.
"Josette, this is Vanessa. She'll assist you with whatever you need," Avery said.
I gave a small nod, and he left.
"Hi," Vanessa greeted with a bright grin.
"Hi," I replied curtly.
"I brought your bags in earlier." She moved across the room and placed the lantern on the center table. "Shall I prepare a warm bath for you?"
"Sure," I said with a nod.
Vanessa walked toward a small passage at the end of the living room. I followed her into the corridor and through a door on the left.
She flipped on the lights, revealing a neat bedroom. A lamp sat on the nightstand next to the large bed, which had a dull blue headboard.
On the south side of the room, there was a vanity. I glanced at and quickly turned away. "Get rid of the mirrors," I said abruptly.
Vanessa blinked, surprised. She asked, "Why? Don't you know a mirror is a pretty girl's best friend?"
"Just get rid of them. All of them. In the house."
"Okay." She hurried to grab some sheets and began covering the mirrors. "I'll spread these for now and have them removed in the morning."
Once she finished in the bedroom, she moved to the bathroom and did the same.
With a sigh, I rested on the bed, waiting.
The sound of running water soon reached my ears, then it stopped, but I could still hear the dripping.
Vanessa exited the bathroom. "Your bath is ready," she said.
"Thank you."
The warm, soapy water soothed my tense body as I slid into the bathtub. A plate of rose petals rested on the edge nearby, their fragrance seemed to erupt from the steam as well.
I climbed out and grabbed a towel from the rack.
In the wardrobe, my clothes were neatly hung, alongside some unfamiliar but elegant ones. After I got dressed, I returned to the living room. Vanessa, who had been lounging on the couch, rose to her feet as soon as she heard me. She gestured toward the dining table by the window on the left side of the room. "Here's your dinner."
A bottle of water stood beside a steaming bowl of stew. The loud growl of my stomach made my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Vanessa smiled. "Would you like something else to drink?"
I shook my head and sat down.
The spicy taste of the stewed chicken rested on my tongue as I bit off a large piece.
Silence settled over the room and even outside. The night was so quiet I wondered if it was always this way around here.
"You don't seem like one of them."
"I'm not," I said simply and continued eating.
Vanessa stood up, smoothing the fabric of her purple dress. "Be careful around here, Josette… goodnight."
I paused on my food, watching the door she had just exited through.
Sleep didn't come easily that night. When the dim light of morning crept in, I pushed off the covers and walked to the bedroom window, peering out at the fading darkness.
Beyond the window, the forest and hills rolled into the distance.
Slipping on a coat, I left my room, crossed the living room, and stepped onto the porch. The air was still thick with quiet.
Not a single soul stirred outside. Some windows of the nearby houses were shut tight, some left open with the inside swallowed in darkness.
Descending the steps, I made my way along the paved path toward another section of the settlement. As I crossed a dark passage, a faint glow caught my eye. Across to the left, light flickered from a small gate.
A woman slipped out, shutting the gate behind her with careful stealth. A headscarf draped over the edge of her face as if she were trying to obscure her features. She reached up and hung her lantern on a metal rod near the gate, glancing around before proceeding.
I followed at a measured distance, hiding in the shadows. But then she stopped. I barely had time to hide before she threw a look over her shoulder. I ducked behind a cluster of flower arrangements. I felt her eyes scan the environment for a short moment, then I heard light receding footsteps
As I started to follow, a hand grabbed onto my shoulder.
I spun around, and Vanessa flinched. "What are you doing outside at this time?" she breathed.
"I couldn't sleep," I said with an unsteady breath. I glanced back toward where the woman had been. But the yard was empty.
"Everything okay?" Vanessa asked.
"Yeah." I nodded, though I wasn't sure.
She stretched her neck to see what had caught my attention, then relaxed when she saw nothing.
"Would you like to come over for tea?"
"Now?" I asked.
She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I mean, if it's no inconvenience, of course."
I took one last look at the empty yard. Whoever that woman was, she wasn't my problem. "Let's go," I said. I could use some hot tea myself.
Vanessa's apartment, which was a few houses away from mine, was like mine, only smaller. She shrugged off her coat and tossed it onto the couch. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll get us some tea." She disappeared down the corridor, leaving me alone for nearly half an hour before returning with a grin and two glistening white cups.
I took one, cradling the warmth between my hands.
She sank into the chair beside me, blowing gently on her tea before taking a sip. I took a careful sip as well. I could feel the taste of lemon and tapioca pearls.
Vanessa set her cup down and adjusted in her seat, watching me as if expecting me to speak first.
I cleared my throat. "So, how'd you end up here?"
"My mom was one of them. She joined the day she birthed me."
"You were born here?"
She nodded.
"What about your father?"
Vanessa's expression dulled. "My mom doesn't speak much of him. She says he wanted her to get rid of me. Said he didn't want a baby with an outcast. When she refused, he disappeared. No one's heard from him since."
"Is your mom still here?"
"She left a year ago to search for my father after Hazel told her his life was in danger." She exhaled a quiet laugh, though there was no humor in it. "She's still in love, you know."
"Who's Hazel?"
"The community witch."
I frowned. "Witch?"
Vanessa nodded. "Voodoo stuff and all. She's psychic, too. A psychic witch."
I let the silence stretch between us for a moment, but the slurping sound as I sipped my tea filled the room. My mind raced. My eyes, calculating.
"You told me to be cautious," I said at last. "What did you mean by that?"
Vanessa stared past me, her eyes unfocused. Then, slowly, she turned her gaze to mine. "Do not let your guard down around anyone here," she murmured. "Especially the ones who don't walk under the sun."
When I left Vanessa, the sun was just beginning to rise. We had talked for an hour or two about the mystery she believed this place held.
The thought of my journal breezed through my mind.
I bent over by the nightstand, but all the drawers were empty. I rushed to the wardrobe and rummaged through the clothes, but there was no sign of the book. I pulled out a black bag I had kept beneath the wardrobe and searched through it, but it was only filled with cash.
My eyes landed on the brown envelope of money someone had dropped off while I was in the cabin. I took it out and emptied the cash into the bag.
A small folded piece of paper slipped out alongside it. I unfolded it.
'Find me before it's too late' was all they wrote on it.
This was the first time a message had been left inside the envelope. But there was no sign of who had written it or where to find them, except for the triquetra symbol drawn at the bottom. How was I supposed to find them?
As I stepped outside, a few people scattered around, going about their day. From how naturally they moved, it seemed like a well-rehearsed routine.
A man stood by the small garden, trimming the leaves. Three women swept the ground with broomsticks. They were so absorbed in their tasks that they didn't even notice me walking past them. Others moved around with sacks and buckets.
Then I spotted Vanessa dragging a heavy sack behind her. I walked over and greeted her.
She turned around and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God. My hands were about to give out. Could you help?"
I nodded and grabbed the other end of the sack.
We walked toward the western section of the settlement, stopping by the pond at the edge. Vanessa set the sack down, reached inside, and began scattering feed over the nets in the water. The sudden turbulence made me flinch.
She waited a moment before scooping another bowlful and tossing it in again. A big smile spread across her face as she worked.
"Hey, Van?" I called.
"Yeah?" She looked up at me.
I wasn't sure why I had shortened her name. That was something friends did. "Did you, by any chance, see my journal? It's a brown hardcover."
"No. It was all just clothes and…" She suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening like she had just remembered something important. "…that bag of cash. Where'd you get that kind of money? You must be rich or something."
"I don't know," I admitted. "I've never really worked for anything. It's just been this way."
"Born with a silver spoon, huh? I get it." She nodded.
A sudden, sharp but brief scream rang from the shack a few meters away to our left. Vanessa and I exchanged glances before hurrying toward the direction of the noise.
As we got closer, we heard faint gurgling sounds mixed with low growls and grunts.
I pushed the door open and froze in place. A chill raced down my spine, leaving my limbs numb.
A lady stood in the arms of a young man who looked to be around twenty-five or six. Blood trailed down her smooth back. Both of them were completely naked. Her head was tilted to the side, her hair falling over, while his lips clamped onto her neck, his head shaking slightly.
Then he lifted his face.
Blood dripped down his mouth, coating around his jaw. His sunken eyes, once white, had turned a light red, with thin black veins crawling down from his lower eyelids.
He snarled, showing off his fangs.