Author's Note: Yeah, first "Secret Window" fanfic! Be nice, please. ;;; Anyway, I'd like to basically acknowledge my bestest cousin and friend for taking the time out to read this and giving my TONS of ideas that would have probably taken me MONTHS to come up with, so thank you sooo much and love you!!
This is a really quick character description of my main character just in case it's too confusing when I write it: Aya Brea from "Parasite Eve" with black hair and dark blue eyes. (Note that it's the first one, not the second PE) Yep, that's it, lol. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I didn't write "Secret Window" and I don't have any kind of possession over Johnny Depp as much as I wish I did… but Stella Burnside is completely mine.
Intrigue
"Secret Window" fic
Chapter One
Stella Burnside
Stella ran her milky white hand through her medium-length black hair. She played around with her long bangs for a moment, trying to remember if she had forgotten anything. The dull and worn cardboard boxes were organized by their little yellow labels against the empty walls of Stella's year-old apartment. Ever since her last relative, Amy, had passed away, she felt that New York City had nothing left for her. Stella had aided the investigation of her deceased cousin who had mysteriously been murdered, but none of the townspeople would speak up. There was a secret that they were hiding, and Stella had to get to the bottom of it. Before she could announce her plan of a deeper investigation, the case was closed and was never to be touched again for a reason that Stella would never know.
Once the case was closed, Stella decided to resign from her position as chief investigator and reside at a lake-side cabin at Tashmore Lake, where Amy had allegedly been murdered. Even though Stella knew of this, she liked the town very much and the area. It was quiet, peaceful and somewhere she wouldn't be bothered by past memories and most of all work. She took up a writing contract with a publishing company and decided to waste the rest of her years as a writer and perhaps write detective stories based on her experience as an investigator. It was only a rough idea to other people, but to Stella it seemed fool-proof and solid enough for her to follow up on.
"Everything ready?" her five-year long partner, Ben, asked stepping through the opened front door.
Looking around at the bare peach colored walls, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."
Ben nodded and helped her with the larger boxes before going for the smaller ones. Moving seemed to be the best idea to Stella, but she still felt an awkward emptiness inside of her as she packed each box away into the trunk of her Toyota Avalon. Just like to every other person who had experienced moving, it felt like she was leaving a piece of herself behind. She had only lived in that apartment for a year since she had lived with Amy until she married Mort Rainey, the acclaimed writer. She moved out of Amy's house and bought an apartment that she decorated and painted herself. It was like her cherished child… but now it was empty and abandoned. It was ready to be bought by a similar affectionate owner or an illegal drug dealer who would smear sludge and dirt across its perfectly painted walls. Either way, Stella wouldn't know the future of her cherished home, but she still closed the door on the beloved home.
"Are you sure about this, Stella?" Ben asked as he opened the door to the driver's seat for her.
"Yeah, I'm really sure about this," Stella assured and sat in the driver's seat.
"Take care of yourself… and be sure to visit often," Ben said as he closed the door for her.
"Don't worry, I will," Stella assured once again and started up the engine.
"Bye Stella." Ben stepped away from the car.
Stella smiled sadly, waved to Ben, and said solemnly, "See you around, Ben."
She pulled out of the parking lot of the apartment building, and sped off into the distance. The wind blew in fiercely from the opened window and tossed Stella's hair around messily. She could see Ben's tall figure becoming smaller and smaller in her rear view mirror as she continued toward her destination.
The car sped through highways and countryside as dark grey storm clouds gathered in the sky. Heavy rain drops beat against Stella's wind shield and soaked the tips of her hair. She rolled her window up and continued on driving in silence. She listened to the rain dropping heavily against her car and it seemed as if they were beating against her from the inside as well. The emptiness inside of her was slipping away slowly as she shut out the memories she had back there and how they were shattered so easily.
You'll be fine, Stella assured herself as the familiar forest scenery of Tashmore Lake came into view.
As she came closer to the lake, she could imagine the investigation that had taken place clearly in her mind like it had just happened yesterday. She could see another house close to her own. Stella had bought the lake-side cabin from her great aunt who had no use for it since a stroke had rendered her legs useless. No one had ever told her she'd have a neighbor, the idea was soon swept away as she pulled up to the cabin. The rain was beating down hard and she had so much to lug in and out. She decided to leave the unpacking to tomorrow and grabbed her purse to make a run for it into the cabin. The rain still did a good job of soaking her through despite how fast she ran. She looked around the dark cabin and was very pleased with what she had spent her money on.
The cabin was very handsome and convenient for Stella. It was a good size with two floors. The first floor had a roomy living room already set with comfortable furniture and fireplace. The kitchen was a good size with a cute table set of cherry wood meant for two people. The cabinets were also made of cherry wood and had glass faces that revealed all the glassware and dishes already there for her. There was a bathroom hidden behind the staircase in the living room that was small and meant for use of guests. Upstairs, there was a large bedroom with a queen-sized bed and baby blue sheets set on it. A polished wood mirror table was set against the wall between two windows. A cute flower vase sat on top of it with a single yellow flower inside. A dresser stood against the wall next to the door with a picture frame on top of it with a generic picture of the lake at night. Down the hall, there was a spacious bathroom with a stand-up shower and bathtub in one. The mirror opened up with two large shelves inside for toiletries and other necessities. The bathroom had a small window that gave the neighbor a perfect view. Stella frowned at that idea and thought of getting thicker curtains for the window.
Back downstairs in the kitchen, there was a door that lead into a sunroom that served as a perfect office and working space for Stella. There would be plenty of light shining getting to the room when the weather cleared up and there was an oak wood desk and chair against the wall with a perfect view of the lake. There was a tall floor lamp that gave off a soft, comfortable light and next to it was a short bookcase that was currently empty. All in all, Stella felt she was going to like this place very much and it would provide a perfect escape for her.
"Thanks Auntie Melanie," Stella said gratefully, as if her great aunt would hear her from miles away.
Stella hung her back up on the rack of pegs next to the front door and rubbed her arms with her hands in attempt to warm up. Crossing the room to the fire place, she turned the heat on and sat down on the comfortable futon couch. All her feelings of emptiness and negativity seemed to be washing away and were being replaced by feelings of renewal and hope. Perhaps this was a perfect place for her… She closed her eyes and let herself drift off in her sudden rush of revival.
Intrigue
Stella woke up and looked at her watch. She had been asleep for an hour and the cabin was completely dark now. Her white tank top was riding up and her jean skirt was in disarray. She sat up and smooth out her clothing before going into the kitchen and turning the light on. She took a tall glass out from the cabinet and took a long gulp of water to relieve her dry mouth.
"Hm, what to do…" Stella said quietly to herself.
The rain had died down, but not enough to safely unpack her belongings. She sighed and stepped into the sunroom. The cabin next door's lights were on and she could see the faint outline of a tall frame moving about behind the closed curtains. She couldn't help but feel curious about her new neighbor, but not enough to go and knock on the stranger's door. She decided she'd take a shower and walked up the stairs sluggishly toward the bathroom.
Hoping her neighbor wouldn't see, she undressed quickly and jumped into the shower as fast as she could. She turned the faucet and let the warm water drip down her perfect figure. She ran her hands through her wet hair and let the water run over her for a long time before shampooing and soaping herself. She wrapped herself immediately the soft yellow bathrobe hanging on the back of the door and stepped out of the bathroom, regardless of the fact that she was still dripping with water.
She stood in the sunroom for a moment when a loud knocking on her door startled her. She jumped a little before composing herself and opening the door. A handsome middle-aged man stood holding a black umbrella. He had blonde hair with some of his natural brown peaking through that was brushed neatly and straight. He had round glasses that framed his gorgeous brown eyes and he had a neatly trimmed mustache on his chin. He wore a sporty navy blue jacket and faded jeans with white sneakers. His skin was lightly tanned and looked smooth to the touch, but Stella avoided seeing for herself. He had a friendly and attractive grin on.
"Hi," he said in his equally attractive voice. "I saw you pulling in this afternoon and that I'd drop by and introduce myself."
Stella's face turned warm for a second at this man's attractiveness and the fact she was soaking wet in just a bathrobe. "Well, you picked quite a great time to come by." She laughed at herself for a second.
Her neighbor looked her up and down and laughed with her. "Yeah, I must've."
"Well, I guess let's not put this introduction to waste. I'm Stella Burnside," Stella said and extended her hand out.
The man reached out and clasped her hand firmly. It was warm against Stella's, yet it made her skin crawl. "Morton Rainey, but you can call me Mort."
Mort, Stella thought. Amy's… ex-husband…
"It's nice to meet you," Stella said, purposely leaving out the information about Amy.
"And you, too," Mort said, releasing his grip on Stella's hand.
"How about you come in?" Stella asked, stepping aside to allow Mort in.
Mort just smiled and stepped inside. Stella closed the door behind him and turned on the light to the living room. Mort looked around curiously as he pulled his umbrella shut and Stella watched him. She felt attracted to this man, but in a strange way. She wasn't sure if it was a physical attraction or a curious kind of attraction. She felt uncomfortable around him yet drawn to him.
"This is a really nice place you have," Mort said and turned to her.
"Thanks. I bought it off of my great aunt since she can't come here anymore because of a stroke she had recently and now she can't walk," Stella explained. "But at least it didn't get sold or anything. I really like it."
"I can see why and sorry about your aunt," Mort said with sympathy.
"Don't be, at least she's still alive," Stella said quickly and changed the subject. "Your name seems really familiar to me, but I can't seem to make the connection…"
"You might have read one of my books, perhaps?" Mort said, trying to help.
"Ah yes, you're a writer," she said knowingly. "My cousin married a writer, but she passed away recently."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, my last relative in New York City. Everyone else lives across the country, and I don't have enough money to make the move there," Stella explained.
"That's… that's really too bad," Mort said with a moment of hesitation.
"Yeah, it is. But what can I do?" Stella asked rhetorically and smiled faintly.
"I understand where you're coming from." Mort had a sympathetic look in his eyes and Stella felt her heart race a little.
"At least somebody does…" Stella said with sigh. Her eyes shifted to the wall clock above the fireplace and saw it was nine o'clock already. "It's late, you should probably go."
Mort looked down at his own watch and looked startled at the time. "Well, it is, isn't it?"
Stella just smiled politely. "It was nice talking with you."
Mort just smiled. "Maybe I'll drop by tomorrow?"
Stella had a bad feeling lurching at the pit of her stomach as if the invitation was dark and dangerous, but she ignored it. Maybe she'd find out about Amy's death through Mort and maybe she'd learn a little more about this mystery man she was so strongly drawn to. "Tomorrow sounds good."
Mort smiled again and left from where he came in. Stella watched his shadowy figure leave and she decided to make herself a cup of tea before she went to bed.
