The Ruthless Game

Sleeping beauty forced her eyes open as she stared into the blank space of her room. Elena hated to think of this place as her room or her home. The air choked her as usual although it feels a bit bearable this time around or maybe she was already getting used to living in the deserted building. 

Tears stung her eyes as her mind wandered aimlessly back home in NYC, she missed her weekly shopping, the solo dates that she would never skip for anything in the world. She wonders what would have become of her designer bags and shoes. 

Here in this god forsaken village, it is the same routine every day. She might eventually die from boredom, she would be grateful if death comes sooner. Life is already unbearable, why continue?

Sometimes she would feel like there are strange pair of eyes watching her from time to time.

The round walls of her room spin as she managed to moved from one end of the bed to the other end.

It was still dark and she was sweating profusely .

"Just let me die...." She whispered.

She let out a shaky sigh , she just had another disturbing dream about the faceless man from the court room . He would threaten to stab her with a knife if she testifies. 

The villa that had been her home for about a year was quiet in an unusual manner , there was no strange whispers from the woods not very far from her bedroom window.

She looked around suspiciously realizing how much she does not like it here. She is aware but at the passing of each day, her hatred for the villa and its environs increased. 

The extremely high ceiling made it look worse, she would stare into the ceiling patiently expecting the faceless man to fall off. Why would he appear only in her dreams.

"Such a coward" she hissed.

What she felt was not loneliness but something deeper , something stranger that she was yet to figure out. A will to die ? Yes! but it was something more. 

Memories of the previous year flooded her thoughts and she could almost see herself in the court room again. The court room where she had testified against her father without a second thought.

She could remember the shock written all over her parent's face.

"Why?" Her mother mouthed as she stared at her in disbelief.

Elena stared blankly into her mother's eyes not daring to blink.

"Why?" He mother asked again , this time louder.

Tears rolled down Elena's cheeks but her eyes held no emotions whatsoever.

People in the court room looked at her like she was a crazy person, she knew at that instance that she was going to be the talk of town. She was going to be labeled the betrayal daughter. She knew that her mother would never forgive her even though she had done the right thing.

Testifying against her criminal father was definitely not on her to do list. It was the hardest thing to do but she knew she did what she was meant to do , what someone else should have done earlier.

Life in New York was close to being perfect until things started falling apart between herself and her family. She wanted no part in their horrible lifestyle, she would not classify herself as a totally good person but her family criminal records was bad for her career. 

Being disowned did not come as a surprise to her as she was ready to face the consequences of her actions no matter what it was going to be.

She had woken up to a loud noise one fateful Saturday , shakily she ran down the stairs of the mansion she lived in with her parents and found her mother crying uncontrollably, glass cups shattered on the floor. She looked from her elder sister to her mother and the hatred in their eyes scared her so much that she hurried out of the house. It was a week after she testified against her father and it had been like hell living with her mother in the mansion. She tired not to think of the unspeakable crimes that her family had committed and she wondered why her mother was not behind bars as well.

She had driven to the police and instantly agreed to go into exile for protection. She did not feel safe around her family anymore. Several hours later she was driven to the Sicilian villa by the same police man that had arrested her father.

The bold ink on the extremely high wall had 'VILLA ROSA' inscribed on it.

It took her several hours to process everything that had happened, it felt like she was in a dream that might not end soon.

At 26 years old , younger Lilian would have thought she was married and had her own kids and a great career but instead she was on the run for her dear life, hiding away from her own family. Forced to leave behind what seemed like a promising life and future. Things decided to fall apart when her acting career started climbing to its peak. 

A hoarse cough jolted her out of her thoughts forcing her back to the round walls of the dark villa. It was dawn already and her neighbor seemed to be up and about as usual. A neighbor that she was yet to cross path with , she has only heard him make sounds. Sometimes she would take a stroll alongside the high fence of the villa, only to go back to her room disappointed because there was no sign of him.

She was beginning to think that she might be hallucinating. No sane person would live here, it was just her and the demons.

Rays of the morning light flickered through the tiny window and the early morning breeze managed to find its way in through the half opened window making her shiver.

She looked around her room and rolled her eyes dramatically as she dug her nails into the old piece of mattress that served as her bed tearing the bed open like she always does whenever she feels frustrated.

She wondered if anyone would bother to live in a deserted place such as this, she carries with her the curiosity of knowing the story behind the villa as it seemed cursed. She could not quite figure it out but she always feels strange.

"Some day I will find out" she whispered to no one in particular.

She tucked herself deeper in the thick blanket as she tried to get more sleep. She would go into the small town later in the day to shop for fruits and vegetables. Whenever she's in town, she always tried to gather information about the villa she lives in, the locals though very few are known for their spicy gossips and the rumors that they find pleasure in spreading. For over a year, she had somehow managed to stay out of drama.

She considered her life in the villa miserable, no jobs , no hobbies , just demons, nightmares and a 'ghost' neighbor.

Although she never lacked anything essential , she feels unfulfilled.