The Blood Pearl

CHAPTER-1It was a chilly night. I had to pull my hood on to my ears tighter to prevent the cool air from entering my ears. My shoes were making a funny sound on the sidewalk. Winter is coming, I thought, feeling like a Stark of the Winterfell. It was still November and the chill already settled in the air. Usually, winter is the time of the year which makes me think of home back in India. I would have been sitting on the couch in my parents' home, warm and watching TV. I'll be there for the summer break . I assured myself and increased my pace. I was an undergrad student studying engineering at Harvard University. It had been two years since I had come to the USA and winter was always my least favorite time of the year. I have to go check on my car tomorrow. I thought, picturing my car sitting in the mechanic's garage. Having to take the bus was annoying the hell out of me. It was a good five minutes walk from the bus stop to my apartment I shared with Mitchell Smith, my roommate for two years. She was a dreamy, literary student from Boulder. We were not exactly the thickest of the friends, but we got along just fine. As I rounded the corner, our brick apartment came into view. It was a decent apartment on the third floor with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. I tried living in dorms for a month and concluded that I could use some privacy when my former roommate's boyfriend barged in while I was changing into my nightclothes. So when I found the flyer of Mitchell wanting a roommate, I immediately contacted her and after a week I moved into this apartment. The rent is a little higher but it was a decent neighborhood and I could come back from college to a peaceful apartment. I opened the gate and entered the lobby. It's already 8 pm which was late for my usual schedule. I usually come back to the flat at 6 pm if I don't have any plans with my one and only friend Jane from university. But today my book club at the university had a meeting and I was late. I took the elevator to the third floor. Normally I would have taken the staircase because that was the only form of exercise I do. But today I was too exhausted to do so. I didn't know why but a feeling of uneasiness settled on me as soon as the elevator came to a stop on the third floor. There was this weird feeling in my stomach like something bad had happened. The hallway was dark except for dim light and empty like it was midnight instead of eight' O'clock. The silence was so thick in the air. I scolded myself for being paranoid. The reason for my paranoia was my first introduction to the United States was through Hollywood horror movies and whenever I caught myself walking alone in dark, empty hallways I felt like I was in a horror movie. The elevator dinged. I almost jumped out of my skin at the sudden sound. I turned back to find Mrs. Lewis coming out of the elevator with her German Shepherd on a leash by her side. She was an old woman of sixty-five who lived across our apartment. She sometimes reminds of old Rose from Titanic. She has the exact mop of white hair though her skin is not as wrinkly. Her husband died five years ago and she is living alone. My mother instilled in me to always respect old people. So, I introduced myself to her as soon as I moved into the apartment. I kept the old lady company sometimes when I was free. She kind of reminded me of my grandmother who died when I was thirteen. "Mrs. Lewis." I smiled at her. Her dog Tom looks like a tough boy but he is the most friendly dog you will ever see. "Hello, darling." Mrs. Lewis smiled at me fishing out keys from her wallet, "How's it going?" "Ah. The usual college stuff." I answered patting Tom on the head. "It's high time you find yourself a boyfriend, girl. I don't know a single college girl in the whole of Massachusetts who returns home before midnight on a Friday night." She winked at me. "I told you my parents are strict," I said walking with her to our flats which were at the end of the hallway. That was half-true and the other half was I simply didn't find that special guy anywhere. "Is your roommate home?" Mrs. Lewis asked. There was not much affection in her voice when she mentioned Mitchell. I didn't know why but she never seemed to like Mitchell much. "I don't think so. She usually comes home late." I shrugged. Mitchell had a boyfriend Kevin, a handsome African-American boy who was also from the university. He is as reserved and formal as Mitchell herself. He came to the apartment a handful of times in the last two years and we usually acknowledge each other with a smile and a nod. They usually hang out outside. "Good for her." Mrs. Lewis muttered. We arrived at our doors. "Good night, Mrs. Lewis," I said and took the keys out of my jeans pocket. "Good night, Naina." She said and went into her apartment. I unlocked the door and entered. The apartment was dark. I was right. Mitchell wasn't back yet. "Mrs. Lewis was right. I'm the only girl who spends Friday night at home." I sighed audibly and felt on the wall to find the light switch. I switched on the light. When I think back to that moment, I can divide my life before switching on that light and after switching on that light. Because when I switched on the light, I found Mitchell's lifeless body sprawled on the living room floor in a pool of blood.