Chapter Three: Decisions

She felt the slight curve of he stomach, and bit her tongue down hard in order to prevent herself from screaming out in suppressed anger; she knew that it would grow larger and larger, and that would soon lead to questions-- questions that would be quite difficult to answer given the circumstance. Other than her dead cousin and herself, everybody in the whole world thought that she was still a virgin-- what would she do? What could she say when asked why her belly was becoming bloated with child? She wept, bitterly, and wrung her hands in great frustration pertaining to the new life that was growing within her.

Please, God, she thought, Let it die-- don't let it be born-- don't let it live, she pounded upon her stomach with her small, white hands in anger, but she knew that it would do no good-- but, everything-- everything that she had done-- the murder, the burial, the lies to cover her cousin's disappearance up… following the birth of the child, she knew that all of these successful doings would be thwarted, and her crime would be exposed-- she would be hanged for murder, for no one would believe that she had done it practically out of self-defense. Her aunt and uncle belonged to the most powerful community in all of the community, and they would have her tried and convicted without a second thought on the matter-- they had been quite distressed to learn of their son's "running away," and would do drastic things if the truth was exposed. Her life would end in vain because of this vile child born of a union between Satan and Isabelle-- a girl who was no more than a child herself.

It's hopeless-- all of this is completely hopeless, she realized, but there were decisions to be made today; she had to be stronger starting now more than ever before.

She stood up on two shaking legs, and made her way to a heavy trunk that contained all of her worldly possessions, keeping them safe. She opened it, finding the dagger that had ended her cousin's life hidden beneath her knitting things. It was nearing two o'clock in the morning, but as long as she was well hidden by the dark trees of the forest by dawn, she would not have to worry about being discovered; her aunt, uncle, and younger cousin were still sleeping in the other rooms of the cottage, and she knew that they would not give a damn about her disappearance-- they had cared about her vile cousin, although they had actually believed that he had run off with a common slut, for it was a well-known fact that he had enjoyed pleasuring himself with many other women. It wasn't too much of a surprise, and the three of them continued to pray each night that he would return to the cottage with his senses fully restored. But, Isabelle leaving would actually be a relief to them-- they had never cared too much for her, and Isabelle knew that her uncle was already planning on marrying her off to some wealthy older gentleman on the other side of the country in order to make some money off the trade. They despised her presence, and resented her for staying there, although she hadn't had much of a choice.

There wasn't much that she could take with her for her journey into the wood; a few changes of clothes, and all of the money she had saved from doing odd jobs around the town-- there wasn't very much, but she wouldn't be needing very much money for where she was headed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She entered the forest nearly fifteen minutes later, careful to not awaken her sleeping relatives, as they would be extremely angry with her. The forest seemed beautiful to her, even in the night, as she had always loved it. She had slight memories of her parents and sister, but they were sparse, as both her mother and sister had died when she was seven… She remembered her father the most-- she remembered the day vividly when he had left her outside his sister's cottage, telling her to be a good girl, and stay there-- that day, he promised he would eventually come back for her. He never did, and that was nearly eight years ago. She knew that her longing emptiness had been caused partly by the deaths of her sister and mother-- but more prominently by the abandonment by her father. She hated him so much, and yet she still sought his love and guidance, although she knew she would probably never see him again.

Time passed as she continued to walk deeper into the forest-- deeper than she ever had been before. The sun rose, and her face was bathed in warm sunlight. She felt alive and free-- maybe-- just maybe, the birth of the child would provide a new beginning for her. She would love the child, even though its father was a rapist bastard, and she would raise the child, giving it everything she had ever sought in her own childhood these past several years-- a parent's love.

It was nearing five in the afternoon when she at last stopped walking, feeling a wave of sleepiness, and the longing to sit and rest for a bit-- but then, she found it: a small cottage in the middle of the woods. She rushed towards it, and peered inside through the dusty and cracked window; there wasn't much inside. The place had obviously been abandoned years before, as she could plainly see that everything inside was filled with layer upon layer of dust. She approached the door; the cottage was quite beautiful and large-- she wondered why such a place had been abandoned, and opened the door, entering the place, and breathing in the harsh odor of dust and mildew.

She found that the cottage consisted of four rooms; a kitchen, a living-room of sorts, and two bedrooms. There was furniture in each room; including a feathered mattress in the Master Bedroom that she immediately lay upon, and fell fast asleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Isabelle woke, and began cleaning the old cottage from top to bottom, deciding that if she would live here, the place would have to be clean and deprived of filth. She found that outside there was a fresh-water well, a few trees dotted with many red apples, and berry bushes as well. She had plenty to eat, and after a few months, she would go into town to purchase some items for the baby.

She smiled.

Things were going to be different now.

And she was right.