She could hear voices around her, laughter and happiness. People running around, enjoying themselves, nothing to worry about and not a care in the world. But she couldn't be happy, she couldn't laugh and most of all, she couldn't run around being carefree. She had many problems, many cares in the world. Alyssa Hamilton, a fourteen year old girl with shoulder-length ginger hair, the brightest of blue eyes, and a deep green blazer with her boarding school's symbol on it, had been sent to boarding school when she was nine years old. In front of her was a scrap of paper with neat handwriting on it bearing the words:
Dearest Alyssa.
How have you been?
I think of you every day. It seems such a long time since you started your life at boarding school. It was after your beloved Grandfather went missing while travelling three years ago, that I sent you away to boarding school and told you not to come back for at least six years, without giving you any explanation. It must have been very painful for you, and I'm sorry. But it was for your own protection. Now, your fifteenth birthday approaches, and I fear your life may be in danger more than ever before. Please, go into hiding until your fifteenth birthday had passed, I know that this will make no sense to you, but please! Do as I say and hide as quickly as you can!
Your loving mother.
Nancy.
Tears began to spring out of her eyes as she finished the letter from her mother, Nancy Hamilton.
"Mum…" She whispered. But before she could figure out what her mother had requested a sudden call snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Alyssa! Alyssa Hamilton?" It was the school's assistant head teacher. "Alyssa Hamilton, you're wanted on the telephone. It's your mother."
Alyssa leapt up and bolted towards the hall. She grabbed the phone that was handing down from the stand and frantically called for her mother.
"Mum hello! Mother? Mum, are you there? Answer me! What's wrong?" Alyssa frantic calls received no answers.
"Mum, answer me!" Her voice echoed over the hall. No answer was heard.
Desperate for answers, Alyssa wasted no time in charging home to find out what was going on.
She ran in the newly pouring rain into her one-house-neighborhood. She recognized her house in an instant, the way it overlooked the forest ahead, the mere presence of it being there; rendering the world powerless. She was home.
Breathing heavily, Alyssa burst through the door to her home. A marvelous sight found her eyes. It was exactly how she remembered it. The elegant magenta carpet and the fresh smell of delicious food. Her staircase leading to more of the lodge's wonders, even the door to her grandfather's room was welcoming. It was wonderful.
"Mum?" Alyssa gingerly stepped forward and ran onto the staircase. Staring round, she half-expected her mother to walk through the door. "Mum I'm back!"
She made to walk up to her room, her heart swelling with some sort of, fear? But didn't get very far as a creak to her left made her heart miss a beat. Somehow, the dining room door had opened by itself. How odd. Timidly, Alyssa tip-toed towards the door, trying her hardest not to panic, surely it was just a lodger having problems with the door? Alyssa peered round the door and instantly relaxed It was just a frail looking elderly man. Even-so, Alyssa had to make sure. She had no idea who the man was, he could be anyone. Readying herself for any form of attack, she crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.
"Um… Excuse me..?" Alyssa asked. The elderly man, in a deep brown coat and a matching bowler hat was sitting down, facing the window of the house, as though he was watching the sunset. He held a walking stick in his left hand as well as lighter brown gloves on each hand; like snake skin.
"…are you one of the lodgers?" Alyssa held her breath. This man; he seemed somewhat familiar.
"Yes I am!" His voice was deep and conversational, but also somewhat kindly.
"Oh!" Alyssa let her breath out, so this man was simply a lodger.
"Well then, I'm Alyssa, Nancy's daughter." Alyssa held out her hand, but quickly withdrew it, just managing to pass the motion as a stretch of her arm. She hesitated before asking her next question, quite a risky business after the phone call she received.
"Do you know where my Mother is?"
"Oh? Your mother has gone out! That was early yesterday morning,"
Alyssa was shocked. But Nancy had just phoned her!
"She mentioned that she wouldn't be coming back for some time, she was wrong," The man paused, stood up and raised a finger. "She won't be coming back at all!" Alyssa's eyes widened and questions danced around her head. Each more terrifying to think of than the last. Who was this man, what did he mean about her mother? Was this some sort of a joke? As Alyssa tried to think of answers to these absurd questions, the 'dark man' continued speaking as he turned to face her.
"So it's just you. You are all alone in the world now, little girl! Bwahaha!" Them man's evil laugh sent shivers down Alyssa's spine. She changed her mind about this man; he wasn't kind. He was a monster. To Alyssa's horror, the man strode towards her looking murderous and hooking his walking stick onto his left arm, he grabbed Alyssa's waist with his right arm and held her face with the other. There was a horrific twinkle in his eye.
"My sweet Alyssa!" His voice changed, he spoke in a ferocious voice, pronouncing Alyssa's name tenderly as if it he was her lover. "I've been waitin' so long for this moment!"
"Get off me!" Alyssa wrenched away from the man, prepared to run if he came at her. Surprisingly, he laughed a hollow laugh, and made his way up the Hamilton staircase, and disappeared. Alyssa managed to grasp her breath, and calm herself down. She turned to the staircase and, after carefully checking if the man was anywhere near her room, she made her way up the staircase and hurried to her room. The door to Alyssa's room creaked slightly as she opened it, but she barely noticed. She was still panicking slightly.
Her room remained unchanged since the day she moved away; the television still broken, her wardrobe still locked and not one piece of her furniture moved. Time had respected her belongings.
"Ah, it's good to be back, kind of," Alyssa was doubtful. She collapsed onto her small armchair and began to dwell on the "dark man's" words.
"Never coming back? What could he mean?" Alyssa asked herself. Her mother told her to hide, this was probably why. But she had to find her mum. So the first place to look was obviously Nancy's room. Alyssa leaped out of the chair and wrenched her door open. She set off at a brisk walk towards her mothers' room but stopped. In the hall towards her mum's room, was a fireplace. If her mum had gone out, why was the fire still licking the walls of the fireplace?
"What in the world? Ach! No I can't be sidetracked!" Alyssa told herself and set off again; punishing herself for being distracted. Every second counts.
At last she arrived at the door that led to the hall to her mothers' room, but what was this? A blue symbol, with two snakes entwined and other weird symbols were shown. A Barrier perhaps? Did the "dark man" put it there? Or her mother? But Alyssa knew she had to do whatever it took to find her mother.
"Well here goes…"
Alyssa hesitated, breathing heavily; but she gathered up all her courage, closed her eyes, and grabbed the door handle. In an instant, pain shot up her arm like flesh on burning metal. The sign let out a flash of gold, causing Alyssa to step back from the door; whimpering with pain. But her sight seemed to be fading. She felt herself falling, falling deep into the abyss below.
"No! No! Am I dying?" Alyssa fell to the floor, whispering these words over and over again.
"Alyssa!" Alyssa woke with a start, her mothers voice rang out from above.
"Alyssa darling!" She opened her eyes and saw the same blue sign above her, panic rose in her, but she couldn't feel it. What was happening? Is this what death is like?
Her mothers' voice rang out again, but she seemed to be explaining something.
"Alyssa, listen to me. Inside your heart there is such a thing as a panic meter. It measures your panic, if you are too scared to will enter a state of panic and be unable to control yourself. If an evildoer hits you at anytime, your life will end. Please my darling; do not waste the Lavender Water you find and do not ever touch the sigils that you see. Please heed my words, and I love you," Nancy's voice echoed in Alyssa's head.
Alyssa woke with a start. She got up and stared around, the blue Sigil remained on the door.
"Panic meter? The measure of my own panic? I felt strange when the door hurt me, like panic. So when I get too horrified, I can't hide and I die if something hits me. What was that about Lavender Water? Actually, I need a lie down." Alyssa repeated this as though in a trance. Lavender Water, Sigil, Panic Meter. Eventually, she noted the reasons for the phenomenon, but each reason making less sense than the last time. What nonsense!
She made her way to the room with the fireplace, but stopped. The fire had disappeared!
This time, it was not fear that overtook her; but curiosity.
She peered into the fire grate, and crawled inside, checking behind her cautiously for any sign of danger. After standing up in a hall that was seemingly empty, with only a statue to occupy it; Alyssa padded forward, her fists clenched incase of an attack. But there was something about the stature that caught her attention.
"Hm?" Alyssa stepped towards it, her hand outstretched. But as she stretched to touch the statue, it began to… cry? But that was blood trickling down its surface. Could a statue even cry blood? Could a statue even cry for that matter?
"Oh? A bottle?" Alyssa stooped down and picked up the bottle, and the scrap of paper beside it.
"Mum!" The fragment of paper had unmistakable signature on it, that of Alyssa's mother, Nancy!
Dearest Alyssa,
I wanted nothing more than for you to live peacefully, but if you are reading this now you must have come back to the house.
For your protection, I am giving you some advice as well as instruction on how to use this bottle of holy water.
Holy water uses:
Exorcism
If you are threatened, sprinkle some holy water on your assailant; it will cause them to halt temporarily.
Destroying Sigils
To break the seals that prevent access to certain places, sprinkle holy water on them.
Replenishing Holy Water
Always remember that the holy water you have is not in limitless supply. You can refill your holy water from either:
1. Lion Drinking Fountains
Or
2. Sacred Jars
Sentimental Items and Spirits
A person who has died of unnatural causes has unfinished business in the living world. In order to protect yourself you must work to heal their wounds by restoring their sentimental items.
Lastly…
This is all my fault my fault. But I will do my best to protect you.
Nancy
"Holy water? Sacred bottle? Lion fountain and sacred jars? What is going on?" Alyssa bit her lip. But wait, Alyssa scanned the letter and realized; Holy Water can vanquish Blue Sigils! It all became clear. Sure she disobeyed her mothers' orders, but she will find her mother. She promised she would. Was this all her mother's doing?
Alyssa crawled back out of the fireplace and ran towards the "Blue Sigil door".
"So how do I do this? Um… sprinkle Holy Water…" Alyssa muttered to herself, consulting the letter a few times, until deciding to open the bottle and spray a few drops. The effect was immediate. The Sigil seemed to expand until bursting into pieces, and disappearing.
"Wow…" She whispered. Alyssa wasted no time in grabbing the handle and rushing to her mum's room. But she had to stop yet again. There was a Sigil, not unlike the one in the hallway she destroyed, but transparent? Swallowing hard, Alyssa grabbed the handle, but no pain came. Instead the door rattled violently back and forth sending Alyssa falling back.
"There's someone in there? But are they friend or foe?" Alyssa wondered. But she wasn't too keen on finding out; so instead she trotted to Nancy's room. No Sigil and no pain. Relieved, Alyssa peered into her mothers' room, and let out a breath of relief. Nothing had changed here either. The only thing different is that the wardrobe door was wide open.
"Must have left in a hurry…" Alyssa was worried now; her mother had left quickly. Was she forced?
"Hm, lets have a look around," Alyssa looked around the room, inspecting each and every part of the room.
"Wonder when I'm getting a computer," She muttered to herself taking note of her mother's computer, and her phone. She noticed the photo of her, her Mother and her Grandfather lying down.
"I was so happy then," Alyssa propped the photo in an upright position and sat down on her mothers' bed.
"Mum, I came back home. I know you told me not to, but I couldn't help it! I'm so worried about you. Where are you mum?" Alyssa felt tears coming and quickly dabbed her eyes with Nancy's duvet.
"Hm? What's this?" Alyssa felt a slight bump under her mothers' quilt cover. It appeared to be a book, but marked! Alyssa quickly opened the book in the designated place, but the horror! The "Dark Man's" picture was right there, every detail. Panic rose in her but before she could calm down, strange piano music began to play, haunting music with no conductor nor musician.
"What's that?" Alyssa leapt up and ran to the back of the room. The book fell on the floor.
"Who's playing that?" Alyssa ran around the room, stumbling and tripping, too close to tears for comfort. She opened her mums' cd player, but the music carried on.
"Who's playing that?" Alyssa could see only one way out. The door. But would it honestly help?
She forced it open; but before running out, she turned and screamed, "WHO'S DOING THAT!"
Alyssa stared at her mothers' room one more time, before bounding out into the foggy darkness.