Chapter Three: Into Complete Darkness
(edited version)

There was a faint smell of freshly-baked bread mixed with cinnamon as Tania and Darrin entered the manor's kitchen. Kylee was alone inside, washing dishes by the copper sink.

She turned and smiled when she saw Tania. "Hi…" Her hazel-coloured eyes travelled to the tall, handsome man standing protectively beside her friend. "Who…?" she said quietly, trailing off and shooting Tania a quizzical look.

"Darrin," the man piped up.

Tania rolled her eyes. "She was not talking to you," she said irritably.

He ignored her, his gaze remaining fixed on her best friend. "And you are…?" he asked, in a sickeningly charming way (according to Tania).

Kylee smiled indifferently, as if unaffected by it. "Kylee."

"Unfortunately, he's my bodyguard," Tania said bitterly. "I think my parents have gone insane. They think that something is going to happen to me, now that I'm sixteen."

Kylee's eyes widened upon remembering that it was her best friend's birthday. "Oh," she said guiltily, "happy birthday! I'm so sorry I forgot!"

Tania smiled and shrugged. "That's all right. Don't worry about it."

"Let me get your present." Kylee left the kitchen hastily, not giving Tania a chance to reply.

Tania shrugged, sat down on a wooden stool, and drummed her fingers absent-mindedly on the counter. She would have tried to start a conversation with Darrin…but she didn't want to.

"I didn't get you a present," Darrin piped up.

She shrugged. "I don't need a present."

He smirked. "I wasn't going to get you one anyway."

"Shut up," she said half-heartedly.

And by some miracle, he obeyed her. A heavy silence followed, but Tania didn't notice, for she was still thinking about what happened by Emerlin Forest. Needless to say, she was still disturbed about it.

To whom did those voices belong? How did they know my name? Who is Adelle Lovrin?

And why is Darrin staring at me?

Even though she was inattentive, she could still notice Darrin from the corner of her eye, and yes, he was staring pensively at her. Annoyed by his rudeness, she turned and was about to snap at him, but Kylee suddenly entered the kitchen.

"I'm back!" her friend announced with a breathless voice. She was carrying an extremely small bundle. "Here you go, Tania."

Tania, amused at the size, grinned as she accepted the gift. "Thank you."

"Open it!" Kylee said excitedly.

Tania nodded, then unwrapped the bundle. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened in surprise.

It was a necklace: a black leather cord with a dark blue stone pendant. The stone was what captured Tania's attention. There was something odd about it that she couldn't place her finger on. As she looked more closely at it, she saw that it had lazy swirls of a lighter blue.

"Wow," she said softly.

"Is that fairy made?" Darrin asked curiously.

Kylee nodded. "It is, which explains the odd glow it has. And, in case you're wondering, Tania, I got it from Bernadette, my mother's best friend. She sold it to me at a very good price, since I'm her best friend's daughter or whatnot," she said with a shrug.

Tania was almost speechless. "Thank y-you," she said quietly.

Kylee chuckled. "You're welcome."

"You didn't have to, you know."

"I know, but I wanted to. Sixteen is an important age. I had to get you something special."

"Anything would have been special."

Kylee laughed. "Damn, then I should have just gotten you dung."

Laughter erupted in the room, erasing any hint of slight awkwardness. Kylee grinned contagiously and gave Tania a hug.

"Happy birthday," she repeated. "You know, I—"

"Kylee, did you hang those clothes like I told you to?" interrupted a sharp voice.

All three turned simultaneously. A beautiful woman in her thirties stood in the doorway. She looked like an older version of Kylee, with her wavy black hair, tanned skin, and slender figure. The only difference was that she had green eyes, instead of hazel, and that she didn't have the friendly nature that Kylee emitted.

"Hello, Mother," Kylee said nervously. "I was just giving Tania her present."

"Really?" The mother turned and gave Tania a smile that did not reach her eyes. Tania stiffened, Kylee shifted awkwardly, while Darrin watched, curiosity evident in his face.

Sandra, for that was the name she went by, turned back to her daughter. "Kylee, I need you to do it now," she said firmly.

Kylee nodded. "Yes, Mother," she said. She turned to Tania and smiled apologetically. "I'll see you later, all right?"

Tania could only nod in reply.

The moment Kylee and her mother were gone, leaving behind a ringing silence in the kitchen, Darrin turned to his charge. He was frowning.

"What is wrong with that woman?" he asked.

Tania shrugged. "She has always been like that, ever since she and Kylee came here five years ago. She doesn't like me."

Darrin snorted. "Well, I can see that. But why?"

She shot him a look. "Well, I'm not sure if I should be telling you this, but…" She paused, then sighed. "All right, I'll tell you. Kylee's direct ancestors used to be part of Ayorthaian nobility. But her great-great-grandmother, Olivia, disgraced the entire family, and because of that, was disowned and stripped down of her title. Hence, the punishment of her offense was brought upon her and her future heirs."

"What could she possibly have done?" Darrin wondered.

Tania shrugged. "I don't know. Neither does Kylee, nor Sandra, nor Sandra's mother. Which makes sense, because would you want to confess it to your daughter and have her look at you in a whole new light?"

He nodded. "That's true."

"I guess Sandra doesn't like me because I remind her of what they could have been. She and Kylee would have been nobles if it hadn't been for Olivia. And the fact that they're being punished for something they didn't do adds more to her anger."

"Then I really admire Kylee," Darrin said, "for she doesn't contain any bitterness in her."

Tania smiled. "Yes, I know. It's not in her nature." She paused thoughtfully, then said in her most threatening voice, "Don't repeat what I just said to anybody, Darrin. I mean it."

He shot her an incredulous look. "Do you really think I would do something like that?"

She shrugged. "I'm just making sure."

"Well, rest assured, my lips are sealed."

"Good."

Tania was sitting on a long and narrow rock that joined with the edge of a cliff. She was many feet off the ground, with a very deep and wide river down below that eventually led to the open sea. Beside the rock was a mild and peaceful waterfall.

With her legs dangling off, her eyes gazed absent-mindedly at the faraway sea as she thought about her life's jigsaw puzzles. She tried to fit them together.

She thought back to all the strange incidents that had occurred to her over the past years. The runaway cart…the levitation of objects…the unexplained explosions of china whenever she lost her temper…

She noticed that as the years went by, the occurrence of these unusual incidents became more and more regular. Why? Why were they starting to happen more often as she grew older?

Then she thought about her parents…an uninvited, nagging thought in her mind was telling her that they weren't really her parents. She just seemed so…different…compared to them. And if they were her parents, they would have tried to solve her peculiarity years ago. Instead, they acted as if it was completely natural and that they had expected it from the very beginning.

"This is boooorriing," Darrin suddenly complained. Yes, he had followed her, and was sitting next to her. Tania had hoped that he would be afraid of the height, but that was not the case. In fact, he rather enjoyed it.

She turned and glared at him. "I'm thinking, all right?" she hissed.

Darrin's eyes widened. "Unbelievable," he muttered as he shook his head.

Tania raised an eyebrow. "Why is that unbelievable?"

"You need a brain first in order to think."

If the two had not been high off the ground, Tania would have shoved him with her most powerful force. But of course, since she was not a murderer, she settled with clenching her fists.

"Will you please act decent for one damn minute?" she cried out in frustration. "I really need time to think!"

Darrin upon seeing the seriousness and frustration in her face, sobered immediately. His smirk vanished, replaced by a questioning look. "Why are you so…preoccupied? What's bothering you?"

Tania was surprised at the worry in his voice. She shook her head. "I can't tell you. It's personal."

Darrin nodded in understanding. Tania thought that he would now leave her alone, but truth be told, he didn't want to. He started conversation. One that Tania didn't welcome.

"You know, I have heard a lot about you," he said quietly.

Tania scoffed. "I do not want to hear about what those people say about me, all right?"

You would think that they would stop gossiping about me after so many years, she thought with bitterness.

Darrin looked like he regretted starting the conversation. "I'm sorry."

Tania nodded curtly.

After realizing that she wasn't going to say anymore, Darrin cleared his throat. "Just so that you know," he said, "I do not think that you are a witch. Those people who say that about you are not worth your time. Forget about them…they do not have lives worth living if all they do is gossip about a good person."

Tania started the moment he said this. Did she just imagine that? Darrin just called her a good person! And even if she had known him for only one day, she could tell that he wasn't the type who occasionally gave compliments.

And for the first time ever, she saw him in a new light.

"Thank you," she said, looking straight at his eyes.

Strange…I never noticed how blue his eyes are, she thought. And he has such a nice smile. He isn't so bad after all.

The peaceful moment was short-lived.

"Of course, when I said 'good,' I meantgood on rare—very rare—occasions."

Naturally, the new light vanished. Tania shot him a look of pure venom.

"Just when I decided that you were all right," she replied coldly, "you placed your own self back to being a heartless scoundrel."

"Did I really?" His eyes twinkled, and a sarcastic response followed. "Yes, my lady, my life revolves around what you think of me."

She huffed and stood up. "I'm leaving."

He stood up as well. "As you wish—I'll lead the way. Can't have you tripping on tree roots again, right?"

"That was an accident!"

He snorted. "If you say so," he said, then started to walk away.

Tania watched him leave before speaking up with a haughty voice. "I didn't say I was going to leave that way."

Darrin turned and gave her a look. "Huh…?"

She grinned and saluted him. "Bye," she said cheerfully.

She jumped off the cliff.

The wind whistled in her ear as she plunged down. She spread her arms wide, marvelling at the feeling of freedom.

She dove in the water. She was pleasantly surprised at the river's coolness. It was a hot summer day and the cool water against her skin felt refreshing.

She began to swim towards land. After her fingers brushed against the wet soil, she swam her way up. When she reached the surface, she opened her eyes…and nearly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You creep!" she shouted at Darrin, who was standing before her with a huge smirk on his face.

He laughed. "How idiotic do you think I am? I know how to discover shortcuts and move quickly. It was a nice try, my lady, but you cannot run away from me," he said, holding out his hand to her.

"I wasn't trying to," Tania retorted as she accepted his hand. "I always go down that way in the summer."

Darrin shook his head while he grinned at the same time. "What is it with you and running away from people? First it was sliding down that banister and galloping off with that horse of yours, then—"

"I only run away from you," Tania cut in. "You scare me sometimes."

Darrin frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged as she squeezed water out of her hair. "You gaze at me strangely sometimes, and don't think that I don't notice it, because I certainly do—you arenot that cunning." She saw Darrin redden, and couldn't help but feel a bit of triumph.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. He paused, then said quietly, "It's just that…you look a lot like this friend of mine. We were really close."

"Were really close?" Then she understood. "Oh…I...I am so sorry."

He shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

Tania, not fully aware of her actions, placed a hand on his shoulder. Darrin was startled, but hid it well.

"Don't try to forget her," she said. "The only way she is truly gone is if her memoryhas vanished from those who loved her."

Darrin smiled. "Thank you."

With that, they started off towards the manor quietly.

It was now or never. The question had been in Tania's mind all afternoon, and it was time to ask it. If only she had the courage to!

She took a deep breath, then went for it. "I'm not really your daughter, am I?" she spoke up quietly.

The reaction was incredible. Lady Evelyn's fork clattered loudly on her plate. Sir James stopped chewing.

And the silence was so thick that Tania could imagine herself slicing through it with a knife.

Sir James cleared his throat nervously. "Darrin, please leave us."

Darrin, who was leaning against the wall, nodded. "Yes, my lord." He straightened and stole a look at Tania. She met his eyes, but looked away quickly. Darrin nodded politely and walked out of the dining room.

Tania's eyes followed his every movement. For some reason, she wanted to scream at him, ordering him to stay. Maybe it was because she was not yet ready for her parents' answer.

But she remained as she was: silent and still. When Darrin was out of sight, she cleared her throat nervously and turned to her parents with questioning eyes. She did not fail to notice that they, too, looked nervous.

"Well?" The silence irritated her. She wanted to stand on her chair and scream at the top of her lungs, or do whatever seemed equally outrageous.

But she didn't. She remained on her seat, too tense to move her muscles.

"James…" Lady Evelyn looked at her husband.

"Let's go for a walk," he replied. He stood up, and the mother and daughter followed.

They left the dining room in silence. Their footsteps echoed loudly as they paced down the dark hall.

"It's a beautiful night," Tania's mother claimed as all three strolled side by side. The crescent moon shone brightly in the dark sky. The flowers greeted them almost seductively with their sweet scent, and the leaves rustled softly against the whistling wind.

Tania looked around. She and her parents were alone. Turning bravely to face them, she said shakily, "I know that I'm not your daughter. My...my heart tells me so. There is something that does not fit."

Lady Evelyn sighed heavily. When she spoke, she sounded weary and sad. "We are not going to deny that, Tania. No…we are not your parents."

Tania felt a pang of hurt. She didn't know why, but the words still stung her, even if she had already expected it. "W-why?" she choked. "Why am I here, if I'm not your daughter?"

Now it was Sir James who sighed. He turned to his wife. "Should we tell her, Evelyn?"

"Tell me what?" Tania burst out, angry, tired, and impatient.

Lady Evelyn took a deep breath and said, "Your parents were really good friends of ours, Tania. But, when you were very young, they…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. A soft sob escaped from her quivering lips, and Sir James placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Tania already knew what happened. "They died, didn't they?"

Lady Evelyn voice was barely a whisper. "They were murdered."

Tania froze. "Murdered...?" she echoed.

She was answered by Lady Evelyn's strangled cry. "I'm so sorry, Tania," she wept.

Tania swallowed and shook her head vigorously. "You're not to blame," came a strangled whisper. "You—"

She was suddenly cut off. Two people who came from nowhere struck Sir James and Lady Evelyn violently to the ground. Tania opened her mouth, about to scream, but one of the attackers pointed the blade of his sword straight at her.

"If you let out a single noise, you will watch your parents die," he threatened. His voice was very deep and menacing. Tania clamped her mouth shut and nodded. She took this short time to observe her attackers. They were covered in a black mask that covered their face and hair. They wore black plants, black boots, and a black shirt as well. They looked like trained assassins.

Tania, trembling with fear, turned to look at her parents. They were both on the ground. Her mother was unconscious. Her father was not, but he was weak and could not rise from the ground.

Yet, a voice countered. He cannot rise yet. But he will. He will save us.

Tania turned to the two men. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?" she asked with her quietest voice.

The attacker with the sword pointed his weapon at her and growled, "We do not know how powerful of a witch you are, Tania, but you are a threat to us."

"I am not a witch!" Tania replied angrily.

"Shut up!" the other man snarled. He stood near her parents with a long knife in his hand. "Do not deny it."

Tania shook her head vigorously. I am not a witch! What are these men doing, assuming like that?

What happened next happened so fast. Sir James jumped on the man with the knife. The two wrestled on the ground, while Lady Evelyn still lay motionlessly on the ground with her eyes shut.

"Wrong move," the man with the sword whispered. He walked over to Lady Evelyn and pointed his blade straight at her. "Surrender, Sir James, or the lady of the manor will die," he threatened.

Sir James stopped fighting instantly. His eyes darted from the masked man to his wife's limp form. Tania could on look on in horror, wondering if the assailant actually had the heart to do it.

"You wouldn't," she whispered.

The man's laugh was harsh and cold, which made Tania shudder. "Yes, I assure you I would." He turned to his fellow companion. "You may do the honours."

His companion chuckled. "Thank you."

Tania stilled. What does he mean? What are they going to do now?

Her question was answered when the one with the knife turned to her.

He was ready to kill.

A strangled cry of terror caught painfully in her throat. Not a sound came out…she couldn't scream, nor could she move.

This can't be the end, she thought shakily. It can't be. It's not right. Her eyes flickered towards her father. Wait a minute…was it just her imagination or did she see a spark of triumph in his eyes? No! Surely it was just her imagination…?

The masked man raised his knife in the air. "Die, witch," he whispered.

He jumped forth and pierced Tania straight through her heart.

Tania gasped painfully and crumpled to the ground. The pains she had felt before were absolutely nothing compared to this one. The sharp blade of the knife had ripped right through her flesh. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't scream, couldn't think. The cut was burning her, spreading the intense pain all over her body.

The world was spinning fast. Too fast. Her vision was blurry. All she could see was that knife…now stained with crimson blood.

Her blood.

She felt herself slipping away. Life was leaving her. She was fading...

Then she gave in. To darkness. To death. And the final words that she heard before she went into the deep sleep of the dead were the worst words a daughter could hear before her final breath: "Kill the parents as well."

Darrin sighed. When was he going to be called back? How was she? What did she find out?

There was the loudest and most blood-curdling scream he had ever heard. His reaction was immediate. Feeling cold fear erupt inside him, he jumped on his feet and ran his fastest. He found himself heading towards the manor's garden.

The most horrible sight was waiting for him.

A servant was on her knees, wailing her loudest. Near her were the dead bodies of Lady Evelyn, Sir James, and Lady Tania, each drenched in their own pool of blood.