I Never Wanted to Hurt You

The Meeting

"Blaaaaggggg". Mandy slightly opened her eyes. She heard something big fell down just outside her room. Mandy was still sleepy. She wanted to reach her mobile phone, which she placed on the table before she lay down on the bed. She wanted to check on the time without getting out of the bed, but she couldn't find her phone. Mandy was a bit irritated, but she had no choice but to sit up and look for her it. "I really remembered I placed my phone there", pointing her index finger on the bedside table on the left side of her bed, next to the gold-plated floor lamp. Mandy got out of the bed, switched on the floor lamp and saw her mobile phone laying on the floor. She quickly picked it up and checked on the time. " OMG! It's just eleven o'clock". Mandy also checked her phone for text messages, phone calls or emails. "Nothing", not even Chloe. I wonder where she is right now? Oh, bestie, my bestie, at least text me, are you so busy with life that you couldn't even text your best friend in the whole wide world?", Mandy was really upset now. She walked towards the mini fridge to get some water. "Lucky me, no water. Aahhh, what do we have here? A bottle of fresh cow's milk, which will expire in two days. A bag of milk chocolate bars, two green apples, two oranges, a small plastic container with sliced kiwi inside, and five small bottles of tequila. Who used to sleep here by the way? Milk and fruits and tequilas", Mandy was now smiling a bit. "What a combination". Mandy took the bag of chocolate bars out from the fridge and opened it. She wanted to take a bite from the chocolate bar but she really is thirsty. "I hate milk, and it will be lonely to drink tequila alone", she told herself. She sat on the edge of her bed, thinking whether she'll just take the tequila and drink it instead. Mandy wanted to drink some ice cold water so freaking bad, she stood up, took her phone, put her robe and went outside.

Chloe arrived safely back to the city. She was about to board a plane so she can meet her friend Mandy, but her mother has called her and instructed her to go back home. She said there was a family emergency, and she could not say No! Chloe crossed the street and went to the other side of the road to wait for a taxi. "Where to ma'am?', the driver asked Chloe. "34th street", she said. "Hop in". The taxi driver then sped off.

Mandy was wandering outside. She used her mobile phone as a flashlight, but the light from it seems too low for the darkness inside the mansion. She just wanted to get a glass of water from the kitchen and try to go back to sleep. Mandy saw the staircase. She was about to take a step down when she saw thought she saw something moved to her left. "Rita?", she uttered. Mandy knew that Missy... Miss C aka Mrs Compton was not in the house at that moment. Rita told her she went out for an errand or something, so she knew there will only be the two of them inside the mansion, her and Rita. gardener/ maintenance guy goes home at 6:00 pm and comes back at 5:00 in the morning. "Rita, is that you?", uttered she. No answer. Mandy now noticed the low light towards the west wing. She thought Rita was there cleaning, maybe, and she thought maybe she could ask her for a favor, and that is to get her a glass of water. That way, she would just wait for it inside her room and not go downstairs herself anymore. The hallway in the west wing was a little narrower than the rest. Large paintings adorned both sides of its walls. There were four large rooms in the west wing. One room on the left side. Two rooms on the ride side, and one at the end of the hallway. All of t he room were locked from inside. "Creepy", she thought. The whole mansion felt creepy to her the moment her taxi entered the main gate. Mandy could not explain it but she felt a little weird. She was too spooked. Mandy expected that her best friend's ancestral house would be big, but not as "huge as this one". Mandy was taking her time strolling down the hallway expecting to see Rita, but with no luck. "I guess she's not here", Mandy whispered. She stopped for a moment to look at the large paintings on the wall. Paintings of seas and rivers, of parks and benches, of birds, honeybees and flowers, of trees and grass and sun and moon. Mandy couldn't help but to be drawn closer them all. She was amazed at how the paintings were intricately detailed. When she was a young girl she always dreamed of becoming real-life princess. Being a princess made her so much excited and so much happy then. But one day, she realized that her becoming a princess in real-life will never ever come true no matter how hard she tries, she'll always be just...ordinary. When she has reached her teenage years, she then wanted to become an artist; a painter or a sculptor. Mandy loves the arts so much, her apartment are full of interesting things she bought online or given to her by friends. Mandy even has a small cabinet filled with rocks of all shapes, colors and sizes. Most of them, she had picked by the side of the road. As she was to turn around to leave the west wing, the door at the end of it slowly opened and a bright light escaped from inside the room. Mandy turned around again to see the opened door. She slowly walked towards the now opened room. Mandy was about to reach for the knob when she felt someone grabbed her arm.