Frei switched her flashlight off and slipped out of the crowd's sight as they seemed to be preoccupied, arguing about various things. Climbing up the stairs as silently as she could, she hurriedly went up the next floor. Stealth was a skill she learned a reporter friend, who was a self proclaimed expert. Desperate to disappear from the detection of the others, she entered the nearest room.
Unlike the entrance of the Arkady mansion, the room had a much thicker layer of dust. Frei placed her flashlight back in her bag and exchanged it with the penlight for it was handier. At one corner of the room, there was a portrait, though the face had been scratched. For sure though, it was a picture of a girl. She remember bits and pieces of the Arkady family history earlier. It was probably the daughter's room.
Looking around a little more, Frei had a dreadful feeling. Bisque dolls decorated part of her room, which gave the feeling of them staring back at you. Even as a little girl, she was never fond of dolls. Looked away and move back, bumping into a small round table. With her fast reflex, she was able to catch the leather bound book that was on top of the table before before it could hit the floor.
Curious, Frei flipped the book open, coughing because of how dusty it was. Due to how old it was, she could barely read the letters written.
"A...elia Ar...ady", she read quietly.
Frei didn't exactly remember the names of the Arkady family members so she didn't spare it any thought. Most of the pages were either blurry or scratched out, much to her disappointment. As she reached the middle, there was a clearer writing. A sentence.
Month: xxxxx Day: xx Year: xxxx
I was raped.
Taken aback, Frei commented, "What a way to start an entry." She had concluded that it was some sort of diary because there were dates on most of the pages. Flipping the next few pages, entries were getting less blurry.
Four months have passed already... I could feel it in my tummy... Excited, nervous....
Nathaniel ... still away at... Mother and father still angry at...
Frei frowned as the entries seemed coded, though in fact it wasn't. It was getting confusing yet at the same time she could connect the dots. Moving forward with this girl's life, she read more.
It was much harder to move around. I am often in my room, reading the story books of my childhood. They reminded me of my brothers, Darius and... Nathaniel. Mother and father bought me a lot of dolls to keep me company if I were feeling alone.
Even though so many months have passed, I always wonder why Nathaniel did that to me...
Frei raised an eyebrow, intrigued, as she flipped through the pages.
I am still bedridden and can hardly move. My child seems to be so eager to get out that my tummy hurts alot. Mother and father is quite worried about me but I'll tell them that I'm alright.
A telegram came for me today. It was from Nathaniel. It had three words in it:
"I lo...ou."
There was a smudge mark on that area that looked like a droplet. Frei presumed that it was a teardrop, just to make it sound a little dramatic. She wondered what the Arkady's daughter really felt. Was she hurt? Ashamed? She flipped the page only to find out that it was the last entry on the leather bound dairy.
After having a little internal argument, Frei decided to bring the book with her. Maybe she could found out a few more things if she were at a brighter place. Her motive for doing this was the same as ever --- she could use it as material for another novel she would be writing. Exiting the room, she closed the door tightly behind her. Apparently, they were still okay.
It didn't took awhile for it to open again, creaking loudly in the process. Frei looked back, nervous if she was being followed.
"Who's there?" she asked, forgetting that she was supposed to be discreet. |