Chapter 1: A Life Unconventional

Alyssa waited until after her classes were over for the day before reading her mother's letter. This had become a habit over the last three years; the letters were usually brief and didn't mention anything of real importance. Her mother often wrote about how things were at home, about the handful of lodgers staying there and providing her with her source of income, as well as offering a little companionship. Occasionally she mentioned that Alyssa's grandfather, missing these past three years, still hadn't returned.

But this time was different. This letter contained a sad message about how Alyssa had been sent away to boarding school, and her mother apologized repeatedly for what she had done. Alyssa read through the rest of the letter quickly, hoping that this time there was some scrap of explanation as to why she had been sent away for six years, but there wasn't one.

The tone of the letter was frightened and the handwriting looked shaky. Her mother was fearful of a threat that surrounded her daughter, a threat that would become more dangerous than ever as her fifteenth birthday drew near. Again, she didn't say how or why she was in danger, or why returning home was so risky, and she finished the cryptic message with a final plea to stay in hiding until her birthday had passed.

Alyssa set the letter down on the bench she was sitting on and stared off into the distance, her mind filling with images of her mother and home. She just didn't understand it; if she was in so much danger, wouldn't she be safer at home, where her mother could watch over and protect her? And if the danger would pass once she turned fifteen, why did she need to wait at boarding school for another three years? Just who or what was she supposed to be hiding from?

Sighing, Alyssa rested against the back of the bench and watched as the branches of a nearby tree, bare except for the tiny knobs of budding leaves, danced and swayed in the gentle breeze. The countryside surrounding the boarding school was beautiful, especially in springtime. She had many friends among her classmates, but nothing quite filled the void that had been created inside her when she left home. She missed the big old house she was born in, missed the colorful woods that surrounded it and the flower-filled field that was beyond it. But most of all she missed her mother.

"Alyssa," someone called, cutting through the silence of the afternoon.

It was one of her classmates, a dark-haired girl who was a little older than she was. "There's a phone call for you inside," the girl told her. "It's your mother."

The news startled Alyssa. It was odd to receive a phone call when her mother had already sent a letter. It was odd to get a phone call at all; her mother rarely telephoned the school, except during holidays and on Alyssa's birthday. Her mother always sounded sad, and their conversations were usually brief. She always hung up before her daughter could ask any questions.

Why would she be calling today when her birthday was tomorrow?

As she got up from the bench, a burst of wind suddenly took hold of the letter and whisked it away. Alyssa decided not to bother chasing after it and ran back to the school. She quickly mounted the front steps and hurried into the school's foyer, where the phones were. One of the receivers was off the hook and dangling from its shiny cord.

Alyssa seized it and pressed it to her ear, her heart pounding. Maybe her mother decided to call a day early because something had happened, like her grandfather suddenly coming back. Or maybe--Alyssa hoped against hope--her mother had changed her mind and was calling to say she was taking her home.

"Mum?" she said eagerly, her hands tightly clutching the phone. Alyssa waited for the sound of her mother's voice, but the only thing coming from the other end of the line was silence. Frowning, she pressed the receiver harder against her ear and strained to listen.

"Are you there?" Alyssa asked. "Can you hear me?"

Sometimes the connection was lost. But no; she could hear a faint crackle on the line, almost like static, instead of the dull hum that signaled that the line had gone dead. "Is anyone there? Hello?"

Alyssa was starting to feel frightened. Why wouldn't her mother answer?

From the silence came a whisper of a sound, like a rustle of clothing as someone suddenly moved. The faint sound was followed by a dull click.

Alyssa was in shock. Her mother wouldn't just hang up. She stared at the phone for several moments as the feeling that something was wrong began to creep over her. She quickly hung up and ran to her room, where she began hastily packing a small suitcase.

"What are you doing?"

Alyssa glanced up from her work before closing the suitcase and grabbing her backpack. Her roommate, Sarah, was standing in the doorway. "I have to go home," Alyssa replied quickly. She began shoving a few things into the backpack.

Sarah sat down on Alyssa's bed with a frown. "You haven't visited home in three years," she commented, sounding confused by the sudden need.

Alyssa didn't reply. She knew this was going to look funny to everyone since she hadn't left the school since she first arrived, and her mother hadn't come to visit her, either. "Does this have something to do with the phone call?" guessed Sarah.

Alyssa thought about the strange silence and the hang up. She closed the backpack with fresh determination. "I'll be gone for a few days," she said as she slipped her arms into the straps of the backpack. "It's a family emergency."

One of the many things that made Alyssa wonder why her mother never came to visit was the distance—or lack thereof. The trip from the boarding school to home only took a few hours when traveling by train, and the sun was still shining as Alyssa mounted the steps of the grand old house and opened the front door.

Everything looked just as she remembered. The main entryway was colorful and welcoming, the floor beneath her feet was so brightly polished it reflected like a mirror as she stepped off the expensive rug that adorned the threshold.

"Mum? I'm back!"

Still clutching her suitcase, Alyssa slowly scanned the room, her eyes drifting up to the second floor. The mauve carpet on the stairs looked recently cleaned, and the banister shone with fresh polish. The upstairs hall, U-shaped and walled in by the short railing, looked empty.

"I know I'm a little early," Alyssa went on uncertainly. Her voice sounded loud and strange in the empty room. Her ears strained for some sound of activity inside the house, but there wasn't any. "I know I should be at the school, like your letter said, but I had to..."

Her voice trailed off. She couldn't explain why she had come, other than the sense of dread the strange phone call had given her. Something was wrong, she just didn't know what. And she didn't bother calling out anymore--it was obvious that her mother wasn't here to greet her.

Alyssa felt uneasy inside as she set her suitcase down, not sure whether she should take her mother's absence as a good sign or a bad one. She was hoping the odd phone call was the result of a bad connection after all, and that if she stayed until her mother returned, she would be so happy to see her daughter again the 'exile' would come to an end.

A happy reunion was forming in Alyssa's mind when she heard movement in the nearby dining room. Her heart fluttering excitedly, she hurried to the half-open door and went inside. "Mum?"

Her cheerfulness faded in a hurry; the dining room was empty—except for the stranger standing in front of the window. It was a man, tall and dressed entirely in black. Alyssa had the strange sense that he was like a shadow, a spot of darkness in front of the bright afternoon light shining through the glass.

"I—hope I'm not disturbing you," she said uncertainly.

The strange man turned, but Alyssa couldn't make out his face, lost in the shadow cast by his hat. "Not at all," he declared. "In fact, I'm delighted to see you."

Alyssa absently fiddled with one of the straps of her backpack; something about him made her nervous. "Are you one of my mother's lodgers?" she questioned, at length.

"Why, yes," the man replied brightly. "I am."

His tone made Alyssa frown slightly. She didn't see why being a lodger was anything to be so happy about.

The man was peering closely at her. Alyssa shrank back. "You're looking for your mother, aren't you? I'm afraid she's gone out."

Alyssa let out a disappointed sigh. So she was gone after all. Maybe she would wait until her mother came back, and then...

"She left early this morning," the strange man added.

Alyssa's moment of disappointment was cut off by puzzlement. If she left this morning, then who had made the phone call?

Her silent question was quickly forgotten as the strange man suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her arm. Alyssa recoiled with a frightened yelp, but the man held her fast.

"It's such a delight to see you," he said again, his voice oily and syrupy at the same time. "You don't know how I've missed you."

Alyssa yelped again and tried to shove him away; was he crazy? This was the first time they ever met—she would remember someone as creepy as he was.

Trying to push him was a mistake; he took advantage of the closeness and grabbed her other arm. The shadowed face loomed close, hot breath brushing her cheek. Alyssa jerked back. "Get away!" she cried.

"Why, Alyssa, you don't seem at all happy to see me. Very well; I'll let you be for now, but we'll be together again very soon."

He let go abruptly, making Alyssa stumble back and fall on her rump. The man in the black trench coat laughed as he turned away, his cane clacking against the hard floor as he walked out of the dining room. Alyssa watched through the doorway as he mounted the main staircase and disappeared from sight. She waited until his footsteps faded away before she let out a shaky breath and stood.

Alone again, her heart continued to pound nervously as she moved around the room, hoping the familiarity of her home would help her calm down. The dining room was just as it had always been; neat, clean, and cozy. The long dinner table was bare except for a simple white lace runner, and the chairs were all tucked neatly in place. A fire blazed in the fireplace, chasing away the chill of the afternoon. The old grandfather clock ticked rhythmically away.

Alyssa waited until her nerves had settled down again before she crept to the open door and peeked out. The house seemed even quieter than it did before, but she knew the strange man was still lurking around, probably back in his room in the guest wing of the house.

The encounter had frightened her, but she knew she wasn't going to get any answers to her many questions if she stayed hiding in the dining room. So, after setting her backpack on one of the chairs, she cautiously ventured back into the entryway.

Her eyes were again drawn to the upper level, where both her mother's and her own room were. She hoped to find some clue to what was going on—a note, maybe—in her mother's room, but she hadn't built up the courage to head up there just yet. That man was up there, somewhere, and she really didn't want to bump into him again. She had never tried to—or thought about it before—but she was pretty sure she could defend herself if she had to.

She wasn't anxious to find out just how well that would turn out for her, so Alyssa ducked beneath the staircase and opened the door at the back of the room. The hallway beyond it was even quieter, if that was possible. The white walls were spotless and almost luminous in the soft light. Alyssa leaned her hands on the cabinet standing next to the wall and tilted her head back; the ceiling above her head was all glass, and curved like something in a greenhouse. It was an unusual addition, but Alyssa had always liked this section of the house.

Her eyes wandered until they rested on the door to her right. On impulse she went over and tested the knob, but it was locked. Her mother had locked it right after her grandfather disappeared, saying that he wouldn't like anyone poking around his study while he was away. Alyssa had a feeling it had been locked up ever since.

Sighing, Alyssa turned away from the door and headed back toward the entryway. Her grandfather's disappearance was just one of the many mysteries surrounding her life. If anything, she had hoped coming home would answer some of her questions, but so far she had only encountered more. Just where had her mother gone? And who was that strange man who had attacked her?

One more question crept into Alyssa's mind as she approached the staircase; was coming home a mistake?