❤ Prologue┆ Never Let a Stranger Inside

                

Before you begin reading, please know that this prologue makes references to rape. If you are not comfortable with this topic, know that you have been warned.

             
                Come on. It’s time to get up.

                She pulled herself deeper under the covers.

                You can’t stay asleep. That would be admitting your defeat, and you know it as well as I do!

                She pulled a pillow over her head.

                You can’t let him win. You have to face today. You’ve done it for nine years; you can do it again.

                Finally, she pulled the covers off of her and sat up. The amount of sunlight pouring into her room was almost blinding. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The first thing her eyes fell on was the ridiculous cat calendar her grandmother had given her. She knew, without even looking at it, what day it was. She didn’t have to make out the small script to know why this day was significant. She just knew. She had known for the past nine years.

                This year would be harder though. Scarier, one might say. This year was more significant than any of the years before. He would come back. She could feel it in her bones. What for? She didn’t know. If it were her choice, not only would she keep him away from her forever, she would banish him back to the deepest pit of Hell from which he came. She didn’t have that kind of power though, only the Nameless God and his strongest angels did.

                The things she would do to have one of those angels by her side in the coming year.

                “You’re never going to find one of those angels if you stay in bed all year . . .” she told herself. Slowly, she rose from the bed and made her way over to her dresser. The clothes inside were her everyday outfits. Nothing special. She contemplated wearing something special. Perhaps a dress? Maybe something that’s easy to run in . . .

                She shook her head and pulled out the outfit she wore on that day: a long, red shirt and a pair of black pants. There would be no running from him. She could run a thousand miles and he would still find her. Why her? What was so special about her? For nine years, she had asked herself those two questions as she dressed herself for the day to come.

                For nine years, she had searched for the answer she would never find.

                After she was dressed, she quietly made her way downstairs. She was careful not to make much noise. The other person in her household had a big day coming up, and he needed as much rest as he could get. Once her feet met the floor, she looked around the room. She counted the windows and counted the doors. After her numbers were compiled, she checked the locks and then relocked them just in case. She checked the front door three times.

                When she was certain everything was secure, she sat down on the couch. She looked at the bookcase beside the couch and took a deep breath. It’s now or never . . . She pulled a book from beneath the bookcase. Beneath the bookcase was a worn, leather bound book that was closed with a lock. The key to the lock was in a vase on a shelf resting on a shelf in the bookcase. In this vase were several other keys, but she didn’t have to look hard. The image of this particular key was burned in her mind.

                She fumbled with the lock and key. Her hands were shaking, but she swallowed hard and finally opened it. Another deep breath. She flipped to the page she was looking for quickly. A few envelopes slipped out of the book whenever she reached the page she was looking for. She watched as they sailed to the floor. An almost overwhelming feeling to take all nine envelopes and burn them came over her. She couldn’t do that though. They were her only way of possibly figuring things out one day.

                After she gathered the envelopes that fell to the floor, she put them back into the group of envelopes and set them aside. Now it was time to do what she dreaded most. It was time to read the story of what happened nine years ago.

              March 20th

Dear diary,

Today I arrived. After many days of sailing, I’m finally on Ennis Island. Needless to say, after I was done with the paperwork at city hall, I was ready to go anywhere and everywhere. There was just so much to do! Some many places to explore . . . 

But of course, I had to go find my house first.

Well, there was a bit of a problem . . .

        

                You see, diary, one does not simply leave city hall without getting a map or directions. I, being the silly girl I am, did just that. Needless to say, I ended up lost and at the wrong house. I think I did this maybe . . . five times? Hmm . . . We’ll just go with five. 

                I don’t know why I didn’t call grandmother, Rose, or Violet when I was near a payphone. I guess I was just too excited to care! I was already on an adventure and I had only just arrived.

                I noticed a group of people down at the beach. “This will be the perfect chance to find out where I’m supposed to be going and meet some locals!” I whispered fiercely. Slowly and quietly, I made my way down the beach. I stepped behind a tree and observed the group.

                Apparently it was a group composed of four girls crowding around one man in particular. Two of the girls looked rather odd. One had bright blue hair and one had  bright red hair. The other two were quite normal. There was one girl, well, one lady (she was young, but “girl” hardly fit her ladylike façade) who was standing away from the crowd.

                I approached her slowly, “Excuse me? Can you give me directions to 320 Ennis Avenue?”

                She turned and looked at me. Her eyes . . . they had this glassy, mirror-like look. It was like she was looking into my past, my present, and my future. She didn’t answer me immediately, but she eventually gave me directions. I nodded, thanked her, and began to go on my way. I was a little, just a little, creeped out. She stopped me before I made it past her and looked me in the eyes. “You’re new here . . .” she looked over her shoulder at the man behind us. “I know this is a little weird, but . . . please be careful tonight . . .”

                I looked at her for a long moment before slowly nodding. I guessed that she was just hinting at the fact that the supposedly “mythological” creatures of the Earth come out at night, but deep inside me, I knew she was hinting at something much darker.

                Now that I knew where my house was, I began making my way there. The sad part is that my house was only up a small hill from the very spot I was standing. A little climbing never hurt anyone. Besides, who can argue when their house is right on the beach?

                To get to the hill, though, I had to pass the group. Nothing wrong with that, but I still felt a little . . . timid. As I began to pass by, I looked over the girls while they looked over me. I guess they were uninterested because they didn’t look long. One pair of eyes stayed on mine for a bit longer. His eyes. For a moment, I was completely and utterly captivated, but the spell was broken whenever his scowl turned to a grin and he leaned over to whisper something to the girl with the red hair.

                For whatever reason, I felt a blush rise to my face when she turned to look at me. I quickly scurried up the hill and to my house. I couldn’t shake the feeling that those golden, serpent-like eyes were on me the entire time though.

* * *

March 20th

Dear diary,

             . . . I never expected things to turn out like this. Never. The worst part is, I don’t even know why it happened. All I know is that it did, and I can never tell anyone. I can never find help. If I try . . . he’ll come back. Oh diary, I feel like I’m drowning. I wish I had never set foot on that beach. I wish I had never looked into those eyes. I wish I had never made the decision to move here.

            I suppose I need to start from the beginning . . . I don't want to talk about it, I don't even want to think about it, but I have to tell someone, something. If I don't, I fear I may drown in this grief . . . this . . . remorse.

            After I finally finished unpacking, the sky had turned dark. I hadn’t eaten today, so needless to say, I was hungry. The only food I had was a box of macaroni and cheese.  “Okay, I can manage with this,” I told myself. 

            I was almost finished cooking whenever I heard the doorbell ring. “Coming!” I called. I wish I had never opened my mouth. I finished cooking the mac ‘n’ cheese and then set it aside and went to the door. When I opened it, I was face to face with those eyes again. Those sick, disgusting eyes.

                “Um, I know this is a little out of the blue, but my car broke down. If I could borrow your phone for a minute, that would be great,” he said slowly. His voice was silky and deep. It was far more persuasive than his bullshit excuse. 

                I should have noticed that there was no car near my house, I should have known that his statement was far too brash, and I should have noticed that the smile plastered to his face was a sign of the oncoming onslaught.

                I was caught in his web though. Captivated. Enchanted. Right where he wanted me. I smiled and stepped aside, “Of course.” After he was inside, I closed the door behind him. “The phone is this way,” I said as I began to walk away in the direction of the phone. How stupid could I have been? Stepping away from the door when a complete stranger is inside my house? Idiotic. Ignorant.

                When my back was turned to him, I heard the click of the lock on my front door. I slowly turned around only to be grabbed by my arm and pushed against the wall.

                While his hold wasn't very strong at all, I knew that trying to break away would be foolish. I could feel it. I could feel the magic emanating from his large hands. It didn't feel like good magic. In fact, it felt completely and utterly evil.

                “Nalia Thorne. So glad you could finally make it to Ennis Island. I take it you had a nice trip?” he said, his smile growing wider.

                My heart began pounding and my palms began sweating. “Who are you?” I asked. My voice cracked.

                He laughed, “What does it matter? You’re going to wish you had never seen me after tonight anyway. My name would only make things worse for both of us.”

Those statements put my senses on overdrive. I knew what he was hinting at. I knew that I was caught in his web, beyond the point of escape. 

I knew that if I fought, I would only get more tangled.

I  refused to give up. I had to try! I attempted tearing myself away from him, but it was futile, of course. Still, I had expect some kind of struggle, but my expectation were set way too high. He pulled me back effortlessly and then slammed something against my head. I saw stars. Next, I felt myself falling . . .

                 When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on my bed. I felt my eyes roll around in my head before I finally focused on something. It was him. “Why . . . Why are you doing this?” I whispered.

                He smirked. “Revenge. Power.”

                “How are you going to get either of those out of hurting me?” I choked.

                This time he laughed. It was a proud and boisterous laugh. I had never felt so livid in my entire life. “Oh, you enjoy asking questions, don’t you? If I told you that, everything would be ruined.” He stepped closer to me. I tried rolling away, but he caught me my by waist. “I promise that, in the end, this will benefit us both. Don’t think of this too much as a crime. Think of it as the beginning of a legacy. Our legacy.”

                I tried to scream, but the sound never left my lips. All I felt were his soft hands on my lips. I struggled for a moment, but I quickly gave up. There was no hope.

                In a matter of seconds, I was shrouded in darkness with only myself to blame.

                When I opened my eyes again, he had just finished dressing himself. I looked at my own naked body and cringed. “Why . . .” I whispered.

                He turned back to me. That repulsive grin was still plastered to his face. “All in due time, darling, all in due time. Until then . . .” he stepped close to me again, but this time, I didn’t have the energy to move, “If I hear that you’ve told anyone about tonight, I will come back, but it won’t be for a good reason. Do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut,” a wrinkle in his silky voice surfaced. He smoothed it back out. “I will be sending you letter every year on this date. Whether you keep them or destroy them is your choice. Think of it as my way of keeping in touch. Lastly, in ten years, I will return for you and another little . . . gift that will make its presence known soon. That is all I can say.”

                “Until then,” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss my cheek, “take care of yourself, keep your door locked, and never let a stranger inside. Goodbye for now, my sweet Nalia.”

                Long after he was gone, I finally got up and dressed myself in the cold clothes that lay on the floor. After I was fully clothed, I went back to my bed and curled up into a ball. Slowly, I felt myself begin to cry.

                I don’t understand why bad things happen to good people, diary. I thought if I came to Ennis Island where my family lives, things would get better. No, they only got worse. 

                By the way that . . . that devil was talking, things are only going to get worse and worse. I don’t know what I’m going to do, diary. I can’t tell anyone. I can’t ask for help. I don’t want to know what he’ll do to me if I do . . . I don't know what's going to happen to me if I don't.

                I'll worry about it in the morning . . . The only thing I want to do now is go to sleep and hope that tomorrow will be better.

                Nalia felt a tear roll down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. There was no use crying now. “The past is in the past,” she said quietly. She turned to a blank page and wrote today’s entry. It consisted of how she had been doing the past year, how she felt, and what she thought the coming year was going to be like. It was the same as every March 20^th entry she wrote. Her prediction was different though—she wasn’t sure what this year would bring.

                She heard someone coming up the steps that led down to the basement. She quickly hid the book and the key and acted as though she had simply been relaxing. The door opened to a boy no older than nine. He smiled and sat by her.

                “Good morning, sleepy head,” Nalia said.

                “Good morning, mother,” the boy replied.

                “How is my Raziel doing today?” she asked. He turned to face her, and she couldn’t help but feel a mixture of emotions. He’s growing up to be such a handsome young man, she thought. 

                She often found herself observing him closer on days like this.

                They had a small conversation. Slowly, it died down. Nalia could see that Raziel was still trying to wake up, so she left him alone. Still, she looked at him.

                Raziel had her blue eyes. That was the only thing Raziel and his father did not share. Raziel had their black hair and pale skin, but overall, he looked like his father. 

                The father that would never associate with someone like Nalia.

                The father that never came to Ennis Island. 

                The father that never did exist. 

                But he did exist. He was real. Very real.

                And his name was Asriel Reziek.