𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝕴𝖓 𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉

Chapter 1

Sirens.

Xavier sighs in a deep slumber when a loud bang rocks his oakwood door. His sleepy mind still drones on it. He shifts in his king sized bed getting comfortable. An exasperated voice calls out his name through the door. His mind recognizes the voice.

   Cerrine.

What is she doing here? His sleepy mind mumbles. Slowly, he rolls out of the bed and walks on the checkerboard floor. He unlocks the door and is greeted by a disheveled Cerrine, her eyes are puffy with dark circles that scream she hasn't slept the other night. Her golden brown locks scatter around her oval face.

"Your dog died or what?" He tries to joke around, chuckling to himself.

"Naysa.." Cerrine's feeble voice trails away.

"What about her?"

"Naysa... Xavier...Naysa..She's dead."

She breaks down, letting her limp body slide down the door and onto the floor. Her sobs, like tremors, rock her defeated figure.

These words hit Xavier with forceful impact. Everything slows down. His heartbeats minimise as the meaning of the words sinks down in his brain.

A blur. A nightmare.

"You- you are lying, right?"
His voice trembles as his emerald eyes search his heartbroken friend's face to find any sign that would say it was all a bloody joke.

But the devastated look on her face said it all.

She was gone. Naysa...

His breathing comes out as ragged and shallow while his eyes zone out all hollow.

He slid next to crying Cerrine, enveloping her petite frame in his arms, rubbing her back to console her.

Or more like console himself..

               ~•~    ~•~     ~•~    ~•~

He has to do it.

Naysa's house was just a block away. It hadn't been there forever.

He remembers, she used to live five blocks away from him and Cerry who lived next to him. The summer they met, the one in the first standard, Naysa had asked her parents to change houses, very much like threw a tantrum  to get this house. He chuckled. She could be very manipulative if she wanted. Naysa.

He knocked the door. Someone, he does not know who he is, opens the door. Everything inside is gloomy, even dull. The burning ache in his heart grows up as his mind recalls Naysa being the exact opposite of all of it. The bubbly, chubby image of hers floats in his eyes as tears brim them.

"Xavie.."

His eyes turn around to find the almost dead figure of Mrs Williams, Naysa's mom. Her eyes are puffy and red from all the crying and her voice sounded tired.

"Amanda.. I'm so sorry for your loss." These words sounded idiot even in his mind. But that's all he could utter without breaking apart.

"Son. I cannot believe she's no more here..." He could sense the dread, the tiredness, the pain in those words as Amanda stood there looking at the ceiling, staring blankly, maybe blinking back tears.

"I can't even. What happened?" He raised his questions.

"She was murdered." A more broad yet dead voice speaks from behind him.

"Wh-"

Mr Williams wore the blank expression. He was good at hiding his emotions. Xavier had never seen him exposing any emotion ever. But it was death! His daughter's death. He ought to cry at some time.

"They're still investigating. We plan the funeral to be held after two days on the Wednesday." Christopher explained in quite a business like tone.

Xavier nods. His minds still hasn't gotten over the word murder.

Why would someone kill Naysa? She was perfect. The happy kid. Topper. Friendly. Everything you would love in a person. Why?

Both the mourning parents move to the living room to attend the people who have come to share their grief.

Xavier finds his feet walking aimlessly unless he finds himself in a room. More precisely Naysa's room.

Everything perfect on assigned places. The cleaning freak. He lands on the bed, slightly crumbling the sheets underneath him. It smells like her, cinnamon and choco.

He stares at the ceiling, letting all the vigorous moments play like a movie in front of him. She is gone. The nagging voice in his head reminds him.

Thinking the Williams would find him creepy laying on their dead daughter's bed, he gets up, takes one last look around everything.

"Shhhhhh she was killed."
At first, he blames his sleep deprived tendencies for the hallucinating voice. But the voice hisses again, this time closer.

"She wanted me out and I fed on her, feasted on her soul. Now it's other's turn. Xavier."

Xavier started to look around, panicking. He runs away from the room, away from the house.

"Xavier!"

He hears Amanda call after her but he's too dazed to stop.

He slids into his car. His hands, trembling, land onto the steering wheel as his head tries to analyze what really happened a while ago.

But there's a single thing on his mind.

Right. Naysa was killed.