BETRAYED

Chapter ONE

The bedroom emanated an eerie luminescence as a baby doll head candle cast its haunting glow, creating mesmerizing shadows on the walls. Its face adorned with a chilling smudge of vibrant red nail polish further enhanced its unsettling charm. Amidst this spine-chilling ambiance, Jana Risso stood before her cracked rectangular wall mirror, gazing at her reflexion with a mix of fascination and self-admiration.

The corners of her mouth slid upwards as she delicately ran her fingers through her flowing, midnight black hair. She took pleasure in the ethereal glow of her pale skin against the backdrop of darkness. The allure of the goth girl persona was enhanced by her blood red lipstick and meticulously manicured elongated nails. Intricately inked on her shoulder were lifelike claw marks, which stirred controversy with her devout parents. Fueled by their deep religiosity, they accused Jana of having made a pact with the devil. They were convinced that these marks would forever brand her soul.

The door reverberated with a forceful knock. Jana deliberately chose to ignore the disturbance, not desiring any interruptions. However, her mother's voice pierced through the barrier of the wooden door, "Dad and I are headed to Grandma's place. She sprained her back again. We will be away for a few hours. I need you to keep an eye on your younger brother, Billy, as well as his friend, Toby, who will stay over tonight." Her mother cautiously pressed her ear against the door, only to be greeted by an unsettling silence.

Her fury ignited, causing her to pound on the door once more. "Jana, I know you're in there! I demand that  you descend to the living room and supervise them. It's an order!" A startled gasp escaped her mother's lips upon hearing a guttural, almost beastly sound emanating from within the room. "Seriously, what's the matter with you? You're in charge. Make sure the boys don't get into any trouble."her mother bellowed, hastily rushing down the stairs.

A vortex of anger swirled inside Jana, as she forcefully struck the cracked mirror, causing shards of glass to scatter across the floor. A trickle of blood emerged from her injured hand, which she instinctively licked and savored the oddly sweet taste. Her sleek, midnight hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail. She wore black tights and a white hooded sweatshirt. It was a bad idea to leave blood droplets on floor, as it could lead her parents to suspect an unholy ritual or summoning of a dark entity. She quickly retrieved a bandana from her jeans' back pocket and carefully concealed her wound.

Jana missed her good friend,Ben, who had been absent for quite some time. Did something bad happened to him? I'm going to his place tonight. No one is stopping me. She lowered herself onto her hands and knees and peered beneath the bed, the ideal place to hide her cherished jewelry box, crafted in the shape of a coffin. As she cautiously crawled under the bed, her hair became entangled with old and dusty cobwebs. She found the sensation of tiny spiders gently tickling her face and body strangely pleasurable. A series of sneezes and coughs erupted from her. She snatched her jewelry box and hastily made her way out from under the bed.

Jana sat cross-legged on the floor and opened the jewelry box. She scattered its intriguing contents across the floor, revealing an assortment of peculiar items. Among them were decayed teeth, clumps of hair, a small plastic bag containing white scales of shed skin, a pocketknife, and even black sclera contacts.

Jana rose from her position on the floor and left the scattered mess untouched.  In her closet, she retrieved a collection of worn stuffed toys. With utmost precision, she skillfully positioned them to mimic the form  of a person, ensuring her absence would go unnoticed by her parents. A cautious glance out of her window, revealed a dark night. It was difficult for her to distinguish if her parents' car remained in the driveway. She quietly maneuvered
through the window onto the roof. 

Jana experienced a mild sense of dizziness as she fought to steady her wobbly knees. She recognized the danger that she willingly placed herself in despite her fear of heights. She craned her neck to get a better view of the ground and broke out in a cold sweat. How the hell am I going to make it down without breaking my neck? She muttered anxiously under her breath.