The Puppet Master

Chapter One

Lana sighs, looking out of the window, watching the trees blow by. Her father continuously glancing at her, through the rear view mirror. You see, moving away wasn't the problem, leaving her friends and memories behind. Promising to stay in contact doesn't always work. They would indicate to stay active but forget your entire existence once you leave.

But then, her father, Richard got a job in England, and working as a journalist requires moving around. Lana was one hundred percent sure the trip was going to be short before they have to pack up and relocate again. "It's not as bad as you think, Lana. Look around, you have so many great opportunities out here." Richard beamed from the front seat.

'Leave it up to my father to see the best in things.' Lana kept her thoughts to herself. That's something she always did. Staying quiet to avoid the unnecessary drama, always did the trick.

She sighs again, putting her earphones back on.
Honestly, she couldn't blame her father because of his profession choice. She just hates moving around so much, and then having to start a new school, live in a new house. Her father had been saving money to buy this house over for years. Moving over to England has always been a dream of Richard's.
Lana was somewhat glad for the move. Her parents divorced when she was ten, which was complete hell. With them deciding which parent she stays with, packing every two or three weeks.
Growing tired of jumping from house to house, she plead to stay with her father instead, only getting rare visits from her mother.

Lana spent most of her time in school, taking photographs of random things, a little hobby she inherited from her father. Whereas, her mother took on the Fashion industry.

Placing her eyes on the dark concrete of the driveway, her father pulls up to the house.
It was dark, scary, abandoned, and looked like a ghost resided there.
"Um, Dad, you sure we're at the right place?" She asks, getting out of the car. Looking up at the huge mansion, she could feel the October breeze coming closer.

"Welcome to our new home!" Richard exclaimed, clearly excided. "Pft, more like a castle." Lana muttered quietly. She stared at the house for quite sometime, taking it all in. "Well, go inside. Go discover and take some pictures while you're at it." He handed her a spare key to the house, pushed her forward and made his way to the back of the car to grab his laptop and paper work.

Walking up the steps leading to two, big, black wooden doors. She unlocked it with the key her father handed to her. Unlocking the house, she stepped inside of the 'castle.' "Wow." She could already see herself getting lost just by trying to find the kitchen. And to her calculations, she was right. It took her thirty minutes to find her room. It probably would've taken her about an hour, if the butler wasn't there to help her.

In all of their previous homes they've never had a butler. This one was creepy. His suit sharp and his smile wicked. He stood by her door, waiting for the next command to be thrown at him. "I'll be fine. Would you mind checking on my father?" He nodded swiftly and walked through the dark hallways.

Walking to her bedroom, all of her stuff was already put away. Books stacked, TV set up. She grabbed a set a clothes and started putting her clothes away.

An hour went by and there was a knock on her door. She put her last set of clothing, in her closet and walked towards the door. Opening it, she was met with her butler. He handed her a set of keys and said, "Your father says he's doing great, getting ready to head to bed and you should do the same, once your stuff is cleared." Lana smiled, "Thank you." He nodded swiftly his head, turned around and walked through the dark hallway. She closed the door, set the keys on the dresser, next to the picture of her mother. Bringing the photo to her lips, she kissed her mother's forehead. "Good night mother, I love you."