Chapter One - Part Four

Mrs. Trentley proceeded to give me a short, yet thorough tour of the rest of the manor. I counted eight bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, two dining rooms, and three other sitting rooms. I lost track of the number of closets there were, and the garage was more of a show room really, with its six, glossy, sports cars parked in two neat little rows across.

And then there was the backyard – the last stop on our journey of wonder. Mrs. Trentley threw open heavy, glass doors to reveal a dark, wooden verandah. She took a seat on the comfortable, timber porch swing that rested next to the backdoor, as I stepped outside of the house, to stare in astonishment at the yard. It didn't stretch on forever of course, but to me, it felt almost as endless as the horizon. Within its green borders were held the pool, a small pool house, and a large, white gazebo with roses and vines wrapped throughout its trellises. Several bird baths, and a few small, stone fountains trickled water quietly from where they were sprinkled across the lawn, and I silently thanked my mother for not including any of those creepy little lawn gnomes to go with them.

If it hadn't been for the black gate that encircled the massive yard, the property's edges would have blended quite seamlessly with the dark forest beyond. I looked up to the moon now, which was beginning to grow fat and heavy in its lunar cycle – admiring its beauty, as always. And bathing in its glow, I stood tall and inhaled the night.

This was what I had missed all of these years. And now, suddenly, this new world was all mine. And although I had been nervous before, that anxiety was gone now. Because even though I had never seen anything quite like Harbor Village, or its inhabitants, something else told me that I wouldn't have any trouble fitting in here.

And right then, in that moment, there were no more thoughts spared for my former life. There were only thoughts of what I could do there, in that town. And suddenly, the possibilities seemed boundless, infinite, never-ending – which only made it that much more unreal, delightful, and terrifying.

And just the perfect setting for what would be my vengeance.

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