1 : The Beginning

Evelyn :

Don't be such a coward!

I shivered, putting my hands on the big iron gate, looking at the largest mansion I've ever seen in my life, except, of course, what I've seen on the Internet. It wasn't any other luxury or house that invites you to live there, but something scary that keeps you from staying in that place for long, even makes you run away at one glance, because the shadows falling from the moon and the lights of the street lamps did look enough scary. Even more glamorous, thinking that all kinds of creatures are dancing on the walls, creating all kind of shapes.

I'm crazy.

What I was thinking to come alone at midnight to a place where ghosts and anyone else can live there. It was a dangerous place.

Curiosity. The inner voice of my mind whispered as if it were answering questions that I couldn't answer myself. Of course.

I've always been a girl interested in all sorts of mysteries and legends that have been told since ancient times. Tales about dragons, people who can turn into wolves or even other beasts. Legends about vampires and many other magical things. Of course, many believe that all of this is just fiction, fantasies that were once imagined and told from generation to generation. Mortals know it's all bullshit but I know better.

My story started with a day that changed my life forever, then I realized that nothing in this world is happening from nowhere. Nothing is made out of pure fantasy. I felt it on my own skin and let's just say, from that moment on, I realized that I was not the only one who was different.

I knew from childhood that I was different. I was a person who didn't like the big crowd. I was a loner, so to speak, but because of my personality and appearance, many wanted to befriend me, but I couldn't bear it, even if it was hard. See, how can I say this... Well I have ability to defend myself . I'd better call it a curse, but funny or not, I can kill with a touch. Every time I admire and touch a living creature, it dies in front of my eyes.

When I think about it, the tears just roll in my eyes. I'm alone in this world, so I'm always in places where I can't be found. Those places are usually my apartment in Boston, near the center, or in the library with my grandfather, who is the only person who knows my secret. You can always find me with my nose in a book. That's what I am, a book lover.

But going back to the present, I am a bit scared because I came to the ghostly area all alone. To my right is a cemetery near by. That alone makes me almost turn around and get away from this place.

But no. If I came this far, I can't be a coward and panic even more.

This is the place I have heard only in stories.

There was once a grand ballroom in this mansion every year and the activity never stopped. It is said that the man who owns the property lived quite well until the day all that what was there, just stopped. There were no balls, no people, not even activities were noticed. Everything once seemed to fade into the blue air. The beautiful garden plants, once perfectly grown and cared for, were all neglected. Everything overgrown and now everything fresh remained old.

Looking at this place now, I realized that I would not find much if no one lived there anymore, but I wanted to try and see what happened to that place. After calming my nerves down  before I changed my mind, I grasped the gates more firmly with my gloved hands and started climbing up, but by the time I started and was almost halfway up , the plant twists from all sides began to move out of the way, just winding along the metal to my side.

Out of shock and fear, I could only scream and climb higher. I had no way out because the bottom of the gate was already overgrown and I didn't even have time to ask myself what the hell was going on. The safest place was up, because there were no plants there yet.

Having just reached the very top, without breath, I could only watch the other side down. All I had to do was jump, because the windings were all around me, they were beginning to sneak around my feet and I realized they would strangle me to death if I don't get out of the gate sooner, so I let myself up and crossed the railing to just fall forward.

The pain that struck me was the craziest feeling I've ever felt because I felt like I had broken something when I hit the sharp grassy cement. Silencing  the moan of pain that wanted to break out of me, I noticed that the plants were beginning to creep along the ground, right in my direction. I didn't have time to fall into hysteria because I couldn't pass out and let those twists eat me but moving was fucking hard!

As soon as I lifted my leg, a wave of new pain filled me like never before. Biting into my lip, completely tasting the blood, I removed one glove from my hand and moved it with teary eyes towards the plants direction.

"I'm so sorry , I have no choice," whispering, I touched the first twist and closed my eyes so I would not see what I was doing to them like me, a living creature.

As soon as I touched it, I felt the plant immediately twitch as if it had received a power shock and my eyes instantly opened. With open eyes, I saw them start to retreat, all at once, without any scratches at all, as if I had never touched them, but one thing I noticed, even in the dark.

The one closest to me had a black burnt hole right on the tip, but overall it was alive and well. But that didn't stop me from being afraid.

My world turned upside down as I began to hear whispers. Everywhere. To the right, to the left, from the back, in the front, I heard whispering voices in different voices, as if plants were talking to me.

"Can't be. She's the one."

"It's the queen. The Master will be quite happy."

"Welcome back, our Queen. We didn't know it was you."

"We apologize for the attack. We're just protecting the Master's property."

The whisperings continued in my ears, but from that alone I began to turn my head. My eyelids seemed so heavy and I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep, but the words turned into panic from strangers and that made me wake up once more.

"The Master is coming! The Master is coming!"

"He'll be angry if he finds out that we've hurt his queen!"

From those words, I did not understand the meaning at all, but when I felt the presence of someone else, far more dangerous than the plants behind me, as it approached me, it seemed as if all my bravery was frozen.

I was trapped.