November twenty-second was like any other Tuesday for the world, but in Valenchester, it was only the beginning of the Arcana Killer's terror.
***
Ethan Covington, billion-heir and media-sweetheart is dead with a death card in his pocket - a small g...
Once upon a time in the years long gone by, but never forgotten...
ＪＵＮＥ ２２， ２０１２
FROM ACROSS MY SISTER'S CASKET, I stare at the faces of her murderers.
They are approaching us, the last ones to arrive at the cemetery, clad in black linens and expensive scents—Ethan Covington, Thomas Irvine, Archie Gardner and Paul Zhou, the four reasons behind her death.
Ethan is the ringleader, the mastermind of his friend-circle. His accentuated puffy eyes make the world look at him in pity. He just lost the girl he loved.
"Janet Holloway, the love of Ethan Covington's life, commits suicide by jumping off Sacredmore High's rooftop."
"Janet Holloway, Ethan Covington's mysterious girlfriend takes her own life in the early hours of June seventeenth."
"Janet Holloway, the woman who had Ethan Covington wrapped around her finger, dies of suicide due to unknown reasons."
Those were the headlines on the day she died. Every article describing her death had more Ethan than Janet typed on it. Every news station mourned more for Ethan's loss than they did for hers. They reduced my sister to nothing more than just a woman in Ethan Covington's life, one of the many that come and go as they please.
However, they fail to recognize the monster that is in front of them—the very Ethan Covington they worship. To the world, he is the victim enduring the pain after what his girlfriend did to him. She is the culprit, the real perpetrator. To me, he is no better than the Devil himself.
"Mr. and Mrs. Holloway," he says, taking turns in holding my parents' hands, "I'm so sorry for what happened." His voice trembles as he speaks. He doesn't break character even when the cameras aren't rolling.
Mom and dad are unable to utter a word as they suppress their tears. They're pale and weak after having lost a part of their souls.
"Jeremy..." Ethan turns his sapphire gaze to me, his eyes softening when they meet mine. He takes my hands in his, squeezing them in reassurance. "I'm so sorry, I really am."
I fight off the urge to yell out the truth behind his lies and instead, deliver a cold, stern nod. To the world, he's still the good guy, and I need him to bask in their trust a little more, before he ultimately goes down in flames.
Soon, it is time for me to deliver my eulogy. I didn't write one, knowing I wouldn't want some curated words written down on a piece of paper to be my last address to my sister.
"Janet," I say into the microphone, "I... I'm sorry." I suck in a sharp breath following those words. "I'm sorry for turning a blind eye to everything that had been troubling you, just because I was more focused on fitting in with the people at school. I didn't listen to what had been bothering you just because of some stupid attention. I'm sorry for not being there for you... I'm sorry." I hang my head, sniffing and blinking the tears away. From the corner of my eye, I watch mom leaning her head on dad's shoulder, not looking in my direction. Dad too was unfazed, his mind elsewhere as I resume my speech.
"I remember the times you would share your bag of gummy bears with me, and how you always divided our shares such that I would get the bigger portion. I remember how you cheered me on from the bleachers even after I had fallen down during a marathon in middle school, and how you yelled the loudest in the crowd when I finished the race at last place. I remember when we got our scholarship letters for Sacredmore, and how happy you were that we would get to go to this elite high school. You had a universe full of dreams in your eyes. You were the happiest I had ever seen. If only I'd known how big of a nightmare this would've become, I would've tried to stop it from happening."
I feel the guilt trickle into me, drowning me from within. The faces around me were ones I barely know, and who barely knew my sister. In the crowd of strangers, I lock my eyes with the one who is no stranger to me.
Ethan.
Something clicks inside me—the spark before a forest fire, the high tide before a tsunami rolls in. In the blue of his eyes, there's malice. Evil, in its purest form glints in them, shining victoriously without a hint of guilt.
Something burns within me...a rage. A vengeful rage.
"Wherever you are now," I continue, my eyes fixed on Ethan, "I hope you're happy; happier than you were here. We love you, Janet."
With that, I step aside, glancing one last time at her closed casket. If there is a corner in this world that knows peace and happiness, Janet deserved to be there.
It is a shame we thought Valenchester would be that corner.
Moments later, Janet's casket is being lowered into the grave. Mom is huddling close to dad, holding my right hand as she sobs her heart out. Dad is calmer, but even the mask of composure can't hide the fact that he's equally hurt.
Once the casket-lowering device stops whirring, the three of us take turns in picking up a handful of soil and throwing it into the grave.
Mom goes first, followed by dad, both shaking as they see off their daughter for the final time.
I'm the last one to go, and with the handful of soil, I toss in one of the things Janet loved when she was alive—a tarot card, the Chariot to be specific.
I take a step back and as I dust my hands off, I look up at the four faces just across from me, the four people who have no idea what is about to happen to them.
The Chariot means control and determination, putting plans into action and succeeding in your motives. It is the vow I make to Janet, that I won't rest until I take away from them what they took from her.
Life.
The four faces are etched into my memory. Their world will turn upside-down after I see them again in three months. I will make sure of it.
They are unbothered and indifferent to the blood they have just split. They see the ashes now, feeling content that it's all over. Unbeknownst to them, the flames haven't died down yet. They will, only when the world witnesses the true monsters hiding behind the glitter and glamor, when it paints itself the color of vengeance.
Crimson.
***
AUTHOR'S NOTE
What are your thoughts on the Prologue? Let us know in the comments section down below!
I'm so happy to be finally sharing this book with you and just by the massive response I've seen on my socials about it, I knew I HAD to write an inticing Prologue. Comparing this chapter with the drafts I have from four years ago, I'm not lying when I say there's a hell and heaven difference between the two and that makes me so freaking happy!
This book follows dual timelines. Personally, I'm a big fan of dual timelines and have used this style of writing in another one of my works, so I'm just as excited to write the forthcoming chapters as you must be to read them!
So, buckle up and settle in for a VERY bumpy ride. And take a stuffed toy. There may be jumpscares along the way ;)
-Adrianna
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