Cursed Victoria (A story of Vicbourne).

Chapter 1: A gun and a lost little girl.

A horrible tragedy destroyed the life of Lord William, and since then he lives in hell, tempted by a frightful escape. But his chance encounter with a girl whose life is also marked by a tragic sign, could change the fate of both.

A gun in his hand... the simple remedy for his problems, the ultimate solution to his pain.

A pistol in his hand, a Beretta / Wilson Combat 92G, with the ammunition magazine full. On the table, a bottle of whiskey almost empty, and a glass at his side. At another point on the table, an open computer and on his screen images of a child... several photographs of a child on the beach, in the park, at home, sharing family moments with his father.

Tears running down the man's cheeks, a reflection of deep pain, which whiskey can not numb. His reddened eyes rested on his son's images, and a new fit of pain hurt him like a stab in the chest. He can not contain the pain, he is exhausted from being strong, tired of appearing serenity and courage. It's been a couple of years, but it seems it was a few hours ago that his boy left, that they snatched him...

He raises the gun again, as he has done so many times before. He always says to himself that this time is the definitive one, that he would take the cannon to his temple and pull the trigger... but never is the moment. A force greater than his pain keeps him tied to the world, but what force? Fear? Duty? Masochism? Self-punishment? Because I was sure it was not hope...

Hope had died in his life... and love, tenderness, joy, even pleasure. There remained only hate, resentment, bitterness, disappointment, and above all pain, a deep sorrow. Because when his boy descended to the grave, he had descended into hell and since then he lived there.

Just a little will, just an effort... the metallic cannon in his temple, a simple movement of his finger, and a bullet would end the pain, would cast the curtain on that dark and sad play in which his life had become. Come on William, just an effort...

His hand raises the weapon, the cannon rubs his temple, but his hand shakes and then he sees the face of his son, in one of the few images where he seems to sketch a smile, and knows that once again he will not be able to do it. He puts the gun on the table and starts crying desperately, almost hysterically. He picks up the bottle and throws it to the floor, breaking it to pieces, and then covers his face with his hands, while his mourning crying is heard in the living room.

After a few moments, the face is discovered and in a corner he believes he sees his son standing, but he knows that it is a hallucination, an image projected by his mind blunt by liquor and pain. In any case, he extends his arm, as if he wanted to reach with his hand that mirage of his mind. And in tears he speaks to the image that nests in his mind...

"Son!... What do you want from me?... Why can not I go to you?... I do not know what to do with my life!... I do not know how to live, but I can not find the courage to die!... Son... Give me a sign to know what to do! " William said, realizing that he was alone with his pain, as always... and again covered his face with his hands, crying non-stop.

The next day, a girl was walking through a park in London, holding a little girl by the hand. The girl was very young, fresh out of adolescence. She was short, just 5 '2 feet tall, and rather thin, but with a beautiful body, a nice silhouette. The girl had white skin, straight hair and more or less long, dark brown, a sweet little girl's face and beautiful blue eyes. The girl wore a flannel, a floaty three-quarter length skirt and wore flip-flops. It was clearly a summery, very informal appearance.

The little girl was very much like the girl, and it was obvious that they were sisters. The younger sister was seven years old, and she was very thin, and she wore a short flowery dress, and she wore flat sandals.

The little girl seemed cheerful with her gestures and her laughter. But the older sister looked sad. When they reached a park bench, the girls sat down.

"Kate, we need to talk," said the older sister, who by the look on her face seemed to be suffering.

"Did I do something wrong, Victoria? " asked the little girl.

"No, sweetheart, of course not," Victoria said, stroking the little girl's hair. "It's just... you know that Mama is still very ill..."

"Mama's going to die! " cried Kate, and she was about to start crying.

"No, is not that!... Mama is still very sick, but her has not gotten worse, her stays the same. But precisely because of that, she can not leave the hospital yet... and we do not know how much longer she will be there. And that's the problem, Kate... it's been months that she was admitted to the hospital, and so far we have done well alone. But... but the authorities think that I can not be responsible for you alone. Do you remember the Safeguarding's social worker who visited us the other day? Well, her report was not entirely favorable. They think that I am too young to take care of you myself... " said Victoria sad and somewhat distressed.

"But that is ridiculous!... You are my sister and you take good care of me! " cried Kate angrily.

"I know, sweetheart..." Victoria replied, feeling the emotion begin to emerge in her. "But they do not think alike, they think your well-being is in danger... they also know that our economic situation is very bad. My salary as a waitress is not enough for our needs, and Mama's savings are already exhausted... They know that I owe money from the rent and that they can throw us into the street, and that for working so many hours I can not take good care of you. They say that your school performance has decreased, and they do not care, what it is for all we have had to suffer us... The point is that they want to take away me your custody, they consider that I am not an appropriate guardian," added in the voice broken by the emotion and doing an effort not to cry.

"But it's only until Mama comes back! " Kate said, wanting to cry.

"They do not see it like that," Victoria replied.

"They're taking me to an orphanage! " cried Kate, startled to tears.

"No!... But they want someone else in the family to take care of you... They want you to go and live with Aunt Marie..." Victoria said with tears in her eyes.

"No!... With Aunt Marie no!... She is very bad and does not love us! " cried the little girl crying bitterly.

"No sweetie!... She is not bad, she is just very strict and a bit embittered. And she does not hate you, it's for me who does not have affection or patience," Victoria replied trying to calm her, but without much conviction.

"You lie!... You and Mama hate her because she's always been very mean to us! And Uncle John is very cruel! I do not want to live with them! " Kate cried, almost hysterical.

"Honey, I do not want you to live with them either! But I can not help it," said Victoria, crying and pouting, as if she were a child.

"You can not let them take me!... Please Victoria! " Kate screamed in despair.

"I can not do anything, Kate! I can not! " cried Victoria, too, desperate.

"Liar!... You do not love me! You want to stay alone to have fun with your friends! " Kate protested, full of pain and rage, still crying.

"That's not fair, Kate! You know that I love you and that I have tried to be like Mama to you! " Victoria cried in pain.

"Liar, I do not love you! " cried Kate, and suddenly she stood up and ran across the lawn field behind the bench.

"Kate, where are you going?... Came back! " Victoria shouted and tried to get up to run after her, but she slipped with her flip-flops and fell to her knees, getting a little hurt... but she stood up and tried to run after her.

But the little girl ran very fast, not knowing very well where she was going, with her eyes full of tears and very upset, and in a short time she realized that she was lost. While her sister was desperately looking for her in the park, increasingly distressed...

Nearby, William walked through the park distracted and sad, his mind engulfed in the dark thoughts of the night before. The place only increased his pain because there he carried his son sometimes, and it was from this desire to invoke his presence that he was walking there. He thought he was seeing the image of his son again, when a young lady running with difficulty came up screaming...

"Kate!... Kate!" Victoria screamed in panic, crying hysterically, almost in shock.

William saw her and had a strange feeling, a feeling he had not felt since his son's death... the desire to protect someone. After a moment of hesitation and reticence, he approached her...

"Miss, are you all right?... Looking for someone?" William asked with concern and a tone of voice that tried to be reassuring.

With her eyes filled with tears, Victoria turned to see the unknown man, and when their eyes met, they both felt a sudden emotion... both felt a little disturbed, as if an electric current had affected them both for a few seconds. But then the pain and worry returned Victoria to reality.

"She's my little sister!... I've lost my little sister! " Victoria answered very anguished, without ceasing to mourn.

"I understand, but you must calm down a bit if you want to find her... How old is your sister?" William asked, trying to be reasonable and reassuring at the same time.

"She's seven, we call her Kate," Victoria said, pouting like a little girl.

"How did you lose it? " asked William.

"We were arguing, and she was very angry, and she ran away... I tried to go after her, but I fell, and when I could run I had lost sight of her," she replied.

"Okay, maybe she did not go very far... I'm going to accompany you to find her, and in the meantime I'm going to call the emergency number, to let the police know... If we do see some of the police patrolling the park, we'll tell them too... In the meantime, keep calling her aloud, but try not to sound hysterical, because if she listens to you she may think that you are still angry with her and hide instead of leaving... Let's walk, I'll call for emergencies and then I'll pass the call to you when they ask me for a physical description of the girl," William said, pulling the cell phone out of a pocket of his pants.

"Thank you very much, sir!... Thank you very much! " Victoria exclaimed, touching his arm with her hand, and both felt their skin prickling.

"Calm down, you'll see how we found her... my name is William, what's your name? " William said.

"Victoria... my name is Victoria," she replied.

"Well, let's go Victoria," he said as he held the phone to his ear, and she began to walk with him walking beside her, Victoria calling out loudly to Kate and William calling the emergency number.

After a moment of desperate search, William received a call from the police informing him that the girl had been found by the police and telling him that part of the park they should come to pick her up.

When they arrived Kate was accompanied by a couple of cops, a man and a woman. Victoria ran to her and Kate also ran into her sister's arms, and both girls hugged. Victoria kissed her on the cheek and asked her several times if she was okay, and then her anger showed up.

"Never do that again!... Never!... Do you understand? " Victoria exclaimed angrily as she crouched down and she held her sister by the arms.

"Victoria," said William, as he laid a hand on Victoria's shoulder, as a warning when he saw the cops's eyes on the girls, and Victoria understood at the sight of them, so she let go of her sister.

"I'm sorry, Vicky!... I promise I will not do it again! " replied the little girl sincerely repentant and ashamed.

"Miss Victoria Walker... right?" asked the policewoman.

"Yes, it's my name," Victoria said.

"How did you lose your sister? " asked the police officer.

"Well, she got angry and ran," Victoria said cautiously.

"And why did she get angry?" asked the policewoman.

"She..." Victoria said a little nervously, at the prospect that it would hurt them in the Safeguarding inquiries.

"I just got mad because Victoria does not want to buy me a doll I want! I've been asking for that doll for months, and she says she has no money, we need the money to pay the rent," Kate lied, thinking she avoided problems to her sister and her, and making that William smile.

"That's not right, young lady, your sister only does the best for you," said the man from the pair of cops.

"I'm sorry, sir," said the little girl.

"Is that true, Miss Victoria?" asked the policewoman.

"Yes, ma'am," Victoria replied.

"There is nothing else? " asked the police officer.

"No, it was just my sister's dislike," Victoria said.

"And your parents? " asked the man from the pair of cops.

"Our father died and our mother has been in the hospital for months," Victoria said.

William saw the girl and felt compassion for her, and decided to help her a little.

"Agents, if you will allow me, I think it was all a mischief of the little girl who went wrong," said William.

"And you…? " asked the policewoman.

"I am William Maybourne," replied William.

The two cops exchanged a meaningful look, which did not go unnoticed for Victoria, to which the name also sounded familiar.

"Lord William Maybourne? I already said myself that your face seemed familiar to me, sir," said the police woman. "So you know Miss Victoria?"

"Yes, for some time... I can give you good references of her," William replied.

The police woman turned to see her partner, who shrugged.

"Well, Miss Victoria can go, and next time be more careful with her sister, she ran lucky today, but she may have fallen into the hands of some criminal... Lord William, good day," said the agent.

"Good morning, officers," said William.

The cops left, and Victoria turned to see William.

"Thank you, sir!... Lord William?" Victoria said excitedly.

"William... only William. You're welcome, miss... And you're well, Miss Kate? " said William, first addressing Victoria, and then Kate.

"Yes, thank you, sir," Kate said with a smile.

"Do you realize what you did, Kate? We're going to be late to visit Mama at the hospital! And... alas! " Victoria said, but when she moved her legs she felt some pain, and with her hand she pulled her skirt a little to see that she had a scrape on one knee and then checked that she also had the other knee hurt.

"You're injured Victoria, you've hurt your knees... I'll take you both to where they have to go," William said kindly.

"No, Mr. William. We can not abuse your generosity, and you have done so much for us," Victoria replied sheepishly.

"It's no trouble, Victoria. I have free time today to spare. I can carry them to you in my car, and you are not in a position to go by bus or subway. Especially if you're late to visit your mother," William insisted politely.

" He's right, Victoria. The Lord is right," said Kate indiscreetly.

"Kate! Well, all right, Mr. William-thank you very much," Victoria replied with sincere gratitude.

William, Victoria and Kate walked to the edge of the park, slowly because Victoria's knees hurt a little. William telephoned and when they arrived at one of the exits of the park, where a large and luxurious, dark-colored limousine was waiting for them, and a middle-aged man of a strong build, a little fat perhaps, with white skin and silvery hair. Victoria and Kate gaped at the sight of the limo.

"What a cool car! " Kate exclaimed excitedly.

"Hello, Joe," William said.

"Hello, Lord William," the man replied.

"Victoria and Kate, Joseph... Joe, Victoria and Kate," said William making the introductions.

After the warmest greetings, Joe opened the back door of the limo for them to go up. Kate went up first, and then Victoria started to come up and William gave his hand to help her, considering her injured knees.

"Thank you! " Victoria said blushing.

Then William got into and Joe closed the door, and quickly got behind the wheel. On the way to the hospital Kate talked a lot with William, who responded with kindness and interest, while Victoria was also trying to be nice, but she was a bit shy. Upon arriving at the hospital, William accompanied them and Victoria did not resist. To repay him, Victoria invited him a coffee in the hospital cafeteria. Victoria, Kate, and William sat at the table, chatting about what had happened in the park and how beautiful William's limousine was for Kate. At one point, Victoria received a call on her cell phone and apologized to go to answer the call and got up from the table.

"So your mother has a lot of time in the hospital? " William asked to Kate with consideration and sympathy.

"A long time... several months. She's very sick, and although Victoria says she's not going to die, I know it can happen," she said and started to cry.

"Do not cry, sweetheart. Surely she will be well... And who takes care of you? " William asked with compassion and interest.

"Victoria... we both live alone. Victoria had to drop out of school, and work full time as a waitress, and work long hours. But still the money does not reach... and poor Victoria also has to do the housework, wash, cook, help me in my tasks... That is why she is always tired and many times I see her cry," said the little sad girl.

"I see... she's a very admirable young lady," William said as he looked at her standing talking on the phone and sometimes she turned to see them and smiled.

"And she's very beautiful, too," Kate said.

"No doubt about it," said William truthfully, watching the young woman who, despite her humble appearance (in cheap clothes and flip-flops) looked quite pretty.

"And she does not have a boyfriend," Kate said mischievously and childishly.

"You are a very funny girl! " replied William funny "But why did you fight with her in the park?... Was it really a doll? "

"No... it was because the Safeguarding ladies say Victoria can not keep caring for me, and they want to force me to live with an aunt who is a witch, she's very bad and she treats us very badly, and her husband is worse... I do not want to live with them! " Kate said and started to cry again.

"Easy, sweetheart! You will see that everything will turn out well... I will help you," William promised, not knowing very well why, but willing to comply.

"Really!... Thank you, William! " exclaimed the excited little girl and embraced William in a spontaneous and tender gesture.

William having the little girl in his arms, he remembered his own son... He remembered the feeling of love and tenderness that he felt when he embraced the small body of his son... he felt emotions contradictory, but above all, nostalgia for love warm and beautiful for an innocent creature. And without being able to avoid it, the tears started to run down his cheeks...

Victoria approached and was surprised and was a little moved to see them. William pulled away from the little girl and wiped his tears with the back of one hand.

"Sorry, it's just..." William said, but he broke off without being able to continue.

"Easy, Mr. William, I understand," Victoria said tenderly.

"Your sister... told me what you had to do for her. You're a very admirable young lady, Victoria," William told him truthfully.

"No, I only do what anyone would do for family... When you are responsible for a child who carries your blood and who you love," Victoria replied modestly.

William felt a lot of things stir inside him again.

After a few minutes, Victoria was saying goodbye to William because she and Kate were to go up to see their mother.

"Victoria, I've arranged for Joe stays with the limo to take you home. He will wait for the time that is necessary, I will return in another of my cars," said William very kind, charming.

"No, please... It's not necessary, I do not want to abuse your generosity. I do not want to be profiteer," Victoria replied with much embarrassment.

"I insist!... If you do not accept my offer, I will see it as a snub... And do not worry, I love driving my other cars," William answered.

At that moment there was a loud engine noise and a car, a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, appeared in the hospital parking lot, which stopped at some distance from them, next to the limo. A young man got out of the car and waved at William, who responded with a gesture to wait for him at the side of the car.

"It's... it's your other car! " Victoria said perplexedly.

"Yes," he answered quietly.

"I want to ride in that car! " Kate exclaimed excitedly.

"Kate! " Victoria rebuked her.

"Maybe another day!... See you ladies," said William, waving a charming smile.

"See you later Lord Willi... William," Victoria said uncertainly on what to call him, "Thank you very much, for everything! You are an angel! "

William walked away from them and approached Joe and the man who came down from the Lamborghini.

"Thank you, Alfred. Get on the copilot's seat, Let's go," he said to the young man. "Joe, take them home, please, and... write down the address, I'll need that information," William said.

"Yes, sir," replied Joe, expressionless.

William got behind the wheel of the Lamborghini and he left with a roar the engine. Victoria and Kate stared at each other for a moment, then entered.

That night William was sitting in his favorite armchair, drinking a glass of wine, thoughtful. Then he took the cell phone from the table and dialed a number from the device's memory.

"Hello... yes, good evening to you too," William said in a relaxed, thoughtful tone. "I need a personal security report on Victoria Walker... your address I send it to you in a message to your cell phone... it must be absolutely exhaustive, Life, especially your relationships and your private life... top priority, I need it as soon as possible... thank you."

William took the rest of the glass in one gulp and threw his head back, deep in thought.

Note: I must be crazy to write three stories at the same time. Or simply my insomnia has been combined with other factors to awaken in me an excess of creativity... Anyway, this story came to me mind and I needed to put it in writing, I could not wait to finish the others to do it. But do not worry, I will continue with the other stories and the next one I write will be the update of another of my stories.