Secluded

Chapter 1

The prey

"So, are you ready? New house, new university... I mean it is a big step and you can barely take care of your plants," my best friend, Jenny, asked with obvious concern dripping from her voice. "And that's why you have to visit a lot, to take care of my plants," I joked. Hearing her sigh through the phone call, I continued: "However, I will be okay. I will get to learn more about my family history, and I get to find out more about me!"

As far as family went, I practically only have her. My mother was a drug addict who had no clue who my father was and had absolutely no contact with her parents, making me one of the many children who had to enter the foster system. Nonetheless, I still have her: Jenny. I met her in my first year of university. I had just started my history bachelor, while she went for a bachelor in fashion. We were roommates, and we instantly clicked, well- kind of. Jenny, with her fierce red hair, her flawless looks and extroverted personality introduced herself to me by pulling my hair with quite the force.

"You cunt, how dare you show up in my room?!" a voice screamed. Before I could react, the person who the voice belonged to pulled my hair. Hard. "Ouch, this is my room too, cunt!" I yelled back, turning around. As soon as I turned around, the person in front of me squinted her eyes. "Oh. Oops, I thought you were someone else. I kind of forgot my glasses somewhere," the girl explained to me. "I'm Jenny," she stuck out her hand and with much confusion, I shook it. "You see, my boyfriend cheated on me with this girl who has always went after what I had, and ugh- it is a long story. I'm sorry though. If it helps, your hair is really soft!" I shook my head as I turned around again and finished unpacking. "If it helps, I haven't had my hair pulled in quite some time, so I guess I forgive you," I joked. A moment of silence passed before the two of us broke down in laughter.

After that, Jenny and I only grew closer. We laughed, cried, celebrated, loved and healed together. I'm pretty sure that woman is my soulmate in friend form. We had just turned eighteen when we became roommates at the University of Cambridge in England. Now, we are both twenty-two, and she just freshly started as a fashion designer while I am about to move to the other side of England to go live in a mansion that supposedly from my mother her parents were. I have never met them, but apparently, they somehow knew about my existence and decided to leave me with their property and money. A little weird, but I don't question it too much knowing they probably didn't want to leave their money with a person who would spend it all on drugs.

With moving to the other side of England also came two more things: starting my master's degree at a different university and living alone. Jenny her job and life were all the way back in Cambridge, and I couldn't ask of her to leave everything behind to join me. I know she would do it in a heartbeat, but there are things I need to do for me, and this is one of them.

"Anyways, I have just arrived, I'll call you later!" I said through the phone. We then bid our goodbyes and I hung up the phone. I was right now standing in front of the mansion that was left for me and calling it huge was an understatement. It was huge huge. So there I stood in front of my car, admiring my new house. The walls and pillars were made of a grey stone, and the roof was built out of dark brown wooden tiles. It was two stories high and surrounded by a deep and mysterious forest. "God, I think I just fell in love," I mumbled underneath my breath as I admired the mansion.

I looked around to take everything in. The house itself laid pretty much abandoned from everything, except for the neighboring house that stood proudly next to it. The neighboring house was just as magnificent as this one. I took a mental note to introduce myself later to the owner or owners of that house.

I started walking down the gravel road that led up to the main entrance of my new home. I put the key in, opened the door and was immediately met with a long, winder staircase. I flickered on the lights and the entrance lit up. It was going to be a task to keep this house proper and clean, I thought to myself. I then started moving all the boxes I had brought with me from my car to the house and set everything down. The actual unpacking would be a task for tomorrow.

I closed the door again, locking it, and started to inspect every room. Was this the place my mom grew up in? And who exactly were my grandparents? So many questions that were left unanswered. I had always wanted to make it my mission to find out about my past, my identity- but now that I was so close to unlocking all of it, I felt anxious.

As I was getting lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard a knocking on the door. The sun was already setting and the trees I could see from the windows were looking a little more intimidating than they did before- when it was lighter outside. How long had I been zoning out for? One glance back at the outside world, I noticed it had started raining too. A warm September day would be nothing without a little rain, indeed.

I walked towards the door, slowly unlocking it. I opened the heavy wooden door, and in front of me stood a 6'2" man. He had short black hair that fell perfectly over his eyes. Despite that, I could still see the deep hazel color of the man his eyes, and I was practically melting in his eyes. He stared back at me with something I couldn't quite figure out, but God did it have me in a chokehold. "Hello there, my name is Henry," the man spoke with a deep and husky, slight hoarse voice. "I saw some movement in the area and since no one ever comes here, I figured you were my new neighbour," Henry explained. I started blushing like a teenager who had just gotten her first crush. Damn, I need to get a grip.

"Yeah, that's me," I said with a small chuckle, being a little flustered. My voice came out raspier than normal, which probably immediately gave away my attraction to the man. "My name is Heart. It is a pleasure to meet you, Henry," his name left my lips in a natural, responsive way, and I swear a sparkle of excitement could be seen in his eyes. "It indeed is a pleasure," I took a gulp and tried to calm myself and my hormones down. My neighbour was just trying to introduce himself and I, of course, had to be nervous about it. I couldn't help but let my eyes fall down to the black tight shirt he was wearing, the black tight shirt that lustfully embraced his big muscles.  

"Well, welcome to the neighbourhood, where I'm practically your only neighbour. If you ever need something, I just live next door," Henry said with a little smirk plastered on his face, almost looking playful. "Since it is already getting a little late, I'll leave you to it. Moving can be exhausting after all," he continued. Henry was about to bid his goodbye when something took over me and stopped him. "Why don't you come in for a second? I can make some tea?"

Fuck, why did I do that.