Immortal Diaries: Voltaire Legacy (English)

Welcome to Torin. That was the first thing that I saw the moment the car entered an unknowingly creepy town on the corner of England. Hell, I didn’t even know how we got here. I was asleep the whole ride. I guess I was too tired from the trip and also from crying. I swallowed hard as I felt my throat drying up and my eyes tearing up again. I didn't even know I could still cry after everything that I had cried for the past few days. "Shai…" I froze, hearing that voice. I blinked multiple times and bit my lip hard. I took a deep breath. "Shanaiah. My name is Shanaiah," I said coldly. I saw her parted her lips in shock but she immediately recovered and just smiled at me. She cleared her throat and nodded. “Okay…well… I just thought that I could call you that since that’s what he calls you, right?” she asked. I looked away and shrugged. “He’s my father…you’re not.” I didn’t know why that came out of my mouth, but really, I couldn’t do anything about it. And what would she do with me, huh? Would she scold me? Hurt me? As if I’m not hurt when she abandoned me when I was a kid and now she’s back like nothing happened. Tsk. I couldn’t even imagine how she could face me like nothing happened, like she didn’t abandon me for years. My mother, yes, unfortunately she is, left me the moment I got out of her. It seemed like she wanted to get rid of me that fast that she didn’t even want to see me. She just left. My father raised me without her. And although a lot of people are criticising my father for being a scammer and that is the reason why I am having a hard time now, I still love him. When he was still alive, he never failed to make me feel how much he loved me. He was always there. He never left me. He did his best to make me a princess. Unlike this woman beside me now…who abandoned me like I didn't mean anything to her. I almost scoffed. I was just looking outside because I couldn't find it in me to even look at her. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I didn't want to let her see that I was weak nor that I was crying. I clenched my fists and continued staring at the outside. My forehead creased as I saw that all we were going through were trees. Where the hell are we? I took a deep breath and got my phone. My eyes narrowed when I saw that there was no signal there. What the?! I gasped and even if I didn’t want to, I turned to my mother beside me. Tsk. That cringed. She immediately smiled at me as if nothing was wrong. I kept my poker face. “Where the hell are we? Why don’t I have a reception?” I asked. I swear, my chest felt like it was about to burst already. Damn it. This is a nightmare! I gritted my teeth and I saw that she was taken aback. She swallowed hard before she tried smiling again. She then looked at the man on the shotgun seat. We have a driver here while her partner is in the front seat. Yes, she has a new partner. I actually didn’t care about that, I mean, that’s her f*****g life, so what the hell? Tsk. That’s her choice. It’s her who I have a problem with… “Uhhh, I’m sure—” “Where the hell are we? Where are you taking me?” I cut her off. I was trying so hard not to sound a b***h here, but I didn't know how long I could continue to pretend that everything was alright. "Torin, Shanaiah…we're going to Torin, my hometown…" "Welcome to Torin, Shanaiah," I wasn't able to say anything when I heard her partner say that. I swallowed hard and blinked multiple times. I bit my lip and looked up at her. “What? Hometown? And where exactly in the world is this, huh?” I gasped as I looked outside again. Oh f**k. Is she kidding me?! This looks like a freaking ghost town! All I could see were trees and that old freaking arc that says Welcome to Torin. Hell, I’ve never even heard of this place before! What the hell is going on?! I looked back at her again and she was still smiling at me like everything was just fine. “Bring me back,” I said to her coldly. Her smile faded. She immediately looked away from me. I even saw her taking a deep breath as if she was controlling herself. “I said, take me back. I don’t want to be here. Bring me back to LA,” I said again, this time with more conviction, but still she didn’t budge. Instead, I felt the SUV stop. I immediately looked outside and my eyes widened upon seeing a lot of people surrounding the car. What the f**k?! “What the hell—” “Let’s go, Shanaiah,” she cut me off, smiling and ignoring my sentiments. I was about to say something again when the door beside me opened. My eyes widened. My mother’s partner was already standing there and waiting for me to get out of the car. When I looked back, she was already out of the car, too. My chest went heavy as I looked at her unbelievably. They’re cornering me! What the hell! “Welcome to Torin, Miss Shanaiah!” I was pulled back to reality when I heard that small voice. I looked down and there I saw a kid handing me a red rose. Behind her were three more kids and they were all holding the same rose. I licked my lips. I blinked multiple times as I stared at them. A few meters away from the lined-up kids were adults who were also looking at us and waiting for me to get out of the car. f**k. What have I gotten myself into? I didn’t want to act like a b***h so I had no choice but to slowly get out of the car. I looked down at the kid and got the flowers from her. I cleared my throat and licked my lips. “Thanks…”I uttered. She smiled even more before running to the back, giving way to the other children to give me the flowers. I took a deep breath and got each one of them. When they were done, they went back to the adults. I took a deep breath again before I faced my mother. Tsk. I honestly couldn’t look at her for a long time because she was acting like everything was just fine. Damn it. I couldn’t believe this! I couldn’t believe her! I almost flinched when she held my arm like we were close or something. I took another deep breath and I swear I wanted to roll my eyes already if not just for the people who were looking at us. I licked my lips and looked down. I could feel them looking at me. It was a bit creepy to be honest. “Everyone, my daughter, Shanaiah…” my mother introduced me like she was such a proud mom to me. I wanted to scoff and rolled my eyes at her. Tsk. She’s making me cringe. I bit my lip and clenched my fists just so I could relax. “Shanaiah…” she called to me. I had no choice but to look up. “Welcome to Torin, Shanaiah,” they almost said in chorus. I looked at each one of them and they seemed fine. I mean, they were all wearing smiles and I couldn’t help but be guilty if I bitched out. So, I took another deep breath before giving them a tight smile. “Hi…everyone…thanks for the welcome…” I managed to say. They all smiled at me from ear to ear. My mother then smiled at me, too. “We are all family here, Shanaiah. All of them are our family,” she said as she caressed my back. I just looked at her and shook my head a little. An awkward silence engulfed us. It was my mother’s partner who cleared his throat. “Anyway, let’s go? Let’s show Shanaiah the beauty of our home, Henrietta,” he said. He and my mother then looked at each other before they both nodded. The crowd then excitedly murmured. I couldn’t understand what they were saying but I could tell that they were very excited about whatever tour this would be. I almost held my breath when my mother held my hand and urged me to go with them. I swallowed hard again as we slowly walked inside that town. I even looked back and saw the car just parked just after the said arc of welcome. I looked around again as I took another deep breath. I bit my lip hard. As we were walking, I slowly saw houses on the side of the streets. They were normal houses. Though they looked outdated…they were no match for those in LA and in the city. My mother was talking to me about something and introducing me to passersby, but I wasn’t able to follow what she was saying because I was too engulfed in my surroundings. It was giving me countryside vibes… Everything around the house was all green. And the houses there were almost made of wood… “Madame Hetta!” I was brought back to reality when I heard that voice. “Emitt,” my mother said. My eyes then went to the guy who she had just called. Our eyes met. I couldn’t explain why but the moment our eyes met, he immediately smiled at me and approached me. “And who is this beautiful lad?” he said, not taking his eyes off me. I couldn’t help but look at him from head to toe. He’s hot. He’s about 6 feet in height and he could actually pass a model audition in Hollywood. His biceps speak a lot and I was damn sure that behind that white dress shirt that he was wearing were his 8 pack abs. I wanted to bite my lip, but I felt like that was not a good idea. He might notice that I was checking him out, so I kept my face blank. He was nearing me. I could clearly see his gorgeous face, perfectly shaped jaw and his almond eyes… Wait, what the hell? “She’s Shanaiah, Emit,” my mother said. I took another deep breath and just stared at him. “Hi, young miss.” “Hello…” I said coldly. “Emitt.” He reached out his hand. I just looked at it. It took me a few seconds before I accepted his and was about to shake hands with them, but I was shocked when, instead of shaking hands with me, he got my hand and brought it to his lips. My eyes widened. What a bold move! I scoffed. He smirked even more. “Nice to meet you…” I arched my brow and slowly got my hand from his grasp. “Nice to meet you, too…” “Emitt!” “Hey, Emitt!” I couldn’t help but gaze at the man across from me. “What’s up!” He smirked before giving a fistbump to a young boy who had just passed by. I raised a brow as I looked at him closely. Seriously. This guy has got some fans! My mouth parted a bit as I looked at Emitt in awe. We were having lunch out here in the open field beneath a large tree that was keeping us from the harsh rays of the sun. It looked like we were having a feast because there was a lot of food on the table. And aside from this table that we were sitting on, there were other small tables around for the other people. It really looked like we were having a celebration or something. Hell, I didn’t even know what needed to be celebrated. “Yes?” I was pulled back to reality when I saw him looking at me. I blinked multiple times as I looked at him. I swallowed hard. I felt like my whole body just froze because I felt everyone staring at me already. Oh my gosh, what the hell?! “Are you okay, Shanaiah?” my mother asked, but I immediately looked down. I felt my cheeks heating up. Damn it. I cleared my throat and sat down properly. “Uhh yeah, I’m fine,” I said before stuffing my mouth with food. f**k, what the hell, Shanaiah?! “Oh, I thought you were going to ask me something. You were staring at me,” Emitt said. I immediately looked up at him and there I saw him smirking at me. I raised a brow. “I wasn’t,” I said with my blank face. He smirked even more. “Ohh… really?” I rolled my eyes again and shook my head. What a proud ass. “I wasn’t. Don’t be so full of yourself.” And then I just went back to eating again like nothing happened. I shook my head and took a deep breath. There was an awkward silence. It took a few seconds before my mother cleared her throat. “Alright, let’s resume eating,” I heard her say. I didn’t budge and just continued eating again. I could feel everyone staring at me, but I chose not to listen to them and just continued eating. A few seconds later, they resumed talking about nonsense things again. I shook my head and even threw a bad look at the man in front of me. Emitt was still smirking and he looked like he was so amused with me. Tss. What an ass. He’s just like any other fuckboy in America. Tss. I thought country boys were different. It seems like they’re not, huh? I glared at him again and the brute just smirked even more. Tsk. I rolled my eyes again. Now, I just wish that this lunch would end already. I don’t think I could last any second facing this brute. Tsk. I think that lunch lasted for almost an hour. Yes, we had lunch for almost an hour and the whole time that they were talking about things, I wasn’t myself. I just focused on my food and even though they were trying their best to include me in their conversation, I always dropped myself out as I really didn’t want to be here. I still have to talk to my mother. “Come in, Shanaiah,” my mother urged me, and led me inside her house. I couldn’t help but be in awe of the house. It was huge. Not a mansion, but almost…I think it’s the only modern house in this town. I mean, it looked lonely because among all the houses here, it was the only one with that design. Yet, it also looked superior, something like it was announcing to the world that the people inside that house were the leader…huh, my mother, the leader? Of what? A cult? I couldn’t help but roll my eyes again. I crossed my arms and looked at my mother. She was still smiling at me. How could she even keep smiling at me when it was obvious that I was not liking all of these? “I want to go home,” I said to her. The smile on her face immediately faded. I also felt like her partner just stared at us because of that. They even looked at each other before my mother took a deep breath and approached me. “Shanaiah…you have no one there. You have nothing there…” I gritted my teeth and rolled my eyes. Yeah, right, because the bank took all of our property. Huh. “Hija…” She tried to hold my hands, but I immediately took a step back. Her mouth parted a bit. I saw her swallow hard before she looked down. “Shanaiah, whether you like it or not, I’m the only one you have now. You have nothing in LA. Your father left you with nothing.” “I have trust funds and savings,” I said coldly. “And you think that would be able to feed you? Think again, Shanaiah.” She looked at me seriously. I gave her the same intensity of stare. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. I looked away. I could look for a job and live on my own…but then, I couldn’t deny that she’s right. I wouldn’t last with just my funds and savings because I barely have anything. I mean, I still need to finish my last year in college and if I’m going to live on my own and work…I don’t know if I could handle that. I mean, all my life, my father provided for me, and I’m really not sure if I’d be able to stand on my own this time without my father guiding me. Fuck. I clenched my fists even more. Is this really it? Am I stuck here forever? f**k! I swallowed hard before I slowly looked at my mother. I cleared my throat. “Where’s my room?” I asked. Her face lightened up. “Come on, I’ll show you.” I didn’t say a word and just waited for her to go first before I followed her upstairs. I was quietly observing the place. It was decent and elegant, if I must say, but still what I had back then with my father was more beautiful. He gave me everything. He made me a princess. “I hope you like it. I actually based the design of the room on your previous bedroom.” She smiled at me. I then looked at the room. It was indeed similar to the color scheme of my bedroom in LA. It had a minimalist design. Everything was white with a gold and brown accent. There were minimal things inside it, just like how I preferred it in my room in LA, too. Another thing was a big window on the side. I love big windows. I always wanted to have natural light to come inside my room, so I really requested for a big window back when I was still in LA. I took a deep breath again and savored the cold breeze coming from outside. I licked my lips. A few moments later, I felt my mother approaching me. “Will you be okay here? Do you like it?” She touched my arm, so I couldn’t help but flinch a little. I bit my lip and shook my head. “I’m fine.” I removed her hands and went to my bed already. I immediately slumped myself on the bed and closed my eyes. “Can you leave me alone first? I want to sleep and rest,” I said. She didn’t answer immediately, but in the end, I heard her sigh. “Alright, Shanaiah. Have a good sleep.” I didn’t reply nor open my eyes. I just kept quiet until I finally heard the door closing. I sighed and opened my eyes, only to be greeted by the white ceiling above me. I sighed. I guess this is my life now? f**k. I didn’t even have a choice… I looked at the big window again. The trees outside were refreshing, but I couldn’t help but think about the city view in LA. I have always been a city girl, but now, I don’t know. I shook my head and closed my eyes again, hoping that the moment I woke up, I’d be back to my old life…which was very unlikely to happen. Tsk. **** I slept in. I didn’t even know what time it was already or how long I had slept, but all I could feel at that moment was my stomach grumbling. I groaned and forced myself to get up. When I looked outside, I saw that it was dark already. Wow. I shook my head again before I went out of my room. The house was awfully quiet. I went downstairs. My forehead creased as I looked around the house. It seemed like I was the only one there. Where was my mother then? I wanted to call her, but then I didn’t even know how to address her. I sighed and just went to the kitchen. I let myself feel at home and rummaged through their fridge. After that, I went to the dining table to eat my dinner. I still couldn’t help but be nervous and curious about what was happening. Where are the people here? I shook my head and sighed again. I finished eating, yet my mother and the others were still not around. They say curiosity kills the cat, so I immediately went outside the house. To my surprise, I was greeted by the darkness outside. “What the hell?” “What’s a fine woman doing here outside and all alone?” I immediately frowned upon hearing Emitt’s voice. “What are you doing here?” I asked back. He just laughed and shook his head. “I saw you here, so I was curious.” She shrugged. I took a deep breath. “You should—” “f**k,” Emitt cut me off. I gasped hard and my eyes widened as I stared at a silhouette moving fast and just passed by in front of us. My heart pounded so hard. “Oh my gosh what was that?!