The mornings in Greystone were always damp and chilly, like sighs seeping from the depths of the earth. Alison stood in front of her sister's tombstone, her fingertips lightly touching the cold stone. The wind blew from the distant hills, rustling the dead leaves as if whispering something. Her eyes fell through the mist to the gray stone manor in the distance, the mansion belonging to the Jacksons, silent as a sleeping beast, stifling in the morning light.
"I will find the truth," she whispered, her voice blown away by the wind and lost in the endless gray.
The funeral was over, and the townspeople left in twos and threes, murmuring and occasionally casting a few sympathetic glances. Alison knew that behind these glances were more suspicions and rumors. Greystone was a place where everyone wore a mask and every secret was carefully wrapped in silence.
She turned away from the graveyard and walked with heavy feet along the stone streets of the town. The streets of Greystone were narrow and winding, the buildings on both sides were old and gloomy, as if every stone told a secret from the past. Her destination was the town's café, where she and Sarah had last met.
The doorbell of the café rang and Alison pushed her way in to the familiar aroma of coffee. There were only a few customers in the store, and in the corner sat a familiar figure - Ethan. He raised his head, met her gaze, and nodded slightly. Alison hesitated for a moment, but finally walked over to the seat across from him and sat down.
"It's been a long time, Allison," Ethan's voice was low and soft, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
"It's been a long time," she responded, a hint of fatigue in her voice.
Ethan looked at her with mixed emotions in his eyes. He knew why Allison had come back, and he knew the anger and pain she felt. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to begin. Silence spread between the two of them, the only sound being the clinking of coffee cups.
"I'm sorry about Sarah," Ethan finally said, his voice full of genuine apology.
Alison's knuckles whitened as she gripped the coffee cup in her hand. "What do you know, Ethan? Do you know why she died?"
Ethan avoided her gaze and looked down at his cup of coffee. "I don't know, Allison. But I'm sure it wasn't a simple accident."
Allison sneered, sarcasm in her voice. "An accident? There are never accidents in Greystone, only truths that are covered up."
Ethan looked up, a hint of pleading in his eyes. "Come on, Allison. There's more going on here than you realize. You shouldn't be involved."
"I'm already involved," she said coldly, rising to her feet. "And I won't stop until I find the truth."
She turned and left the café, leaving Ethan sitting there alone, his eyes following her back, his heart filled with a sense of powerlessness. He knew that Alison's revenge had begun, and that it would change the fate of them all.
Walking out of the café, Allison took a deep breath and tried to calm her heart. Her eyes fell once again on the gray stone mansion in the distance, which stood out in the morning light. She knew it held the answers she wanted and the dangers she couldn't anticipate.
"Just wait, Jackson," she whispered, a cold determination in her voice. "I'll find you, and I'll find the truth."
The wind blew again, taking away her words, but not the hatred in her heart. The fog of Greystone is still thick, and Allison's quest for vengeance has only just begun.