Chapter 1   - April

April sighed as she walked up the cold steps towards her once home. She hadn't called it home since her mother passed away. Her father asked her to return today for a family dinner. She could only do as he asked. She entered and the butler an elderly man called Mr Evans bowed and smiled at her.

"No one is home yet."

She smiled back this elderly butler had always been kind to her.

"That's okay I'll just visit my mother's room them okay Tom."

The butler bowed with a smile and she walked up the stairs. While she was here she had wanted to get one of her mother's pictures so she had snuck upstairs. It was her mother's room but she hadn't been allowed to go into it. Her stepmother had over time taken everything that should have been hers left behind by her mother. But she had always said when she was married she would return everything to her.

When she had reached her mother's room and stood inside it was like time stood still and her mother was alive again she smiled and lightly touched her mother's armoire. Her father had kept the room exactly how she had left it eight year's ago, apart from her jewellery they had been put in the safe. But April noticed her stepmother and stepsister had started to wear her mother's jewellery recently. When she asked her father he had scolded her not to be greedy.

She was once loved and happy in this house. She had her mother and father who doted on her every whim and loved her unconditionally.

When she turned twelve and her mother passed away suddenly, her world collapsed and her dreams shattered.

As she was still young she could say nothing as her father brought in a stepmother and stepsister into the house. She thought her father was forgetting her mother and she grew resentful and had initially acted out, but that leads to punishments and being scolded so over time she learned to be submissive.

The stepmother and step-sister were kind. Little by little she didn't notice as they took her bedroom which was the best in the house. Then her stepmother took her mothers art and when she asked about it, her father would shout at her so she gave up and just did as they asked.

She even cooked and cleaned the house, while the butler and maid only watched. Her father never noticed how tired she was or how thin she got. His business started to boom and he was busy and the stepmother slowly took over everything that should be hers.

Thinking of the past her mother had indeed died in this room. She had a sudden heart attack and died that same night. Now she was older she questioned her mother's death.

When she came into the room earlier she felt something was off but she wasn't sure what. As she stood there reminiscing something sharp and heavy hit her head.

"Aggh".

The impact flung her to the floor and she reached up and felt the sticky wet liquid on her head that had to be blood. Then darkness clouded her vision as she passed out.

As she started to wake her head was throbbing and her vision blurry.

The smell of smoke and the taste of the ash hits her throat it overpowers her lungs and fills them. She chokes out her cries for help but she knows no one will come to save her.

Cough cough cough

"He.. lp. Me... ple...ease."

She went to get up but she felt her wrists and ankles were bound. Fear tipped her, she didn't want to die so she pulled on her bound wrists. The friction burnt and she felt her skin break blood easing down her fingers.

A burning sensation fills her mouth and throat, making her cough.

"He.. lp. Me... ple...ease."

Cough Cough Cough

Her hands and ankles were bound so right, it was impossible to free herself. She can feel the pain and burning sensation on her wrists as she tries to free them from the ropes. She gave up and tried to get out of the room first. She knows the layout of this room, it was her mother's bedroom that she had shared with her father, so she used the memory of the layout to find the door.

The room is heavy with grey and black smoke so she crawled under it as she slowly reaches the door.

Cough Cough Cough

Her lungs are burning with the smoke and ash. She sat up leaning her weight on the door and with both hands tries the door handle.

"Aghhh." She let out a cry of frustration.

The door was locked from the outside. She pounded the door with her fists.

"Fire... cough, cough. Help... please."

Bang Bang Bang

"Sister is that you? Don't try and free yourself now just die like a good little puppet you are. Mother said this is how you should die and I should watch just as she watched your mother die. Unfortunately, your death will be pretty swift... I would have preferred something more... violent."

Cough Cough Cough

"Lucy?" Why was she saying this? Hadn't she always given in to their demands?

Pungent smoke shot up in an angry jet. The gleams and flashes of the light from the flames burnt her mother's armoire with her pictures of their time together. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the flames rise with a golden heat.

Bang Bang Bang

"Don't go dying before the flames hit you. I'd love to stay and hear you scream as your flesh melts but I have a wedding to attend. Yes, you do know the groom... he was your childhood sweetheart James I'm to be Mrs Stewart. Don't you want to congratulate me?"

Cough Cough Cough

"Why?"

"Because now I have your inheritance, your man plus all your artwork and designs. I no longer need to pretend to like you. Just be a good sister and die a horrible, painful and slow death."

Cough Cough Cough

Bang Bang Bang

She started to hit the door with her fists. Hoping that someone, anyone would hear her and rescue her.

"Pl... ease."

Cough Cough

April fell to the floor as her lungs were chocked with the heavy smoke. She saw the flames lick the walls and inch towards her.

"If I could be so lucky please God grant me a second chance at this life I won't be so foolish again."

The flames had reached her and engulfed her in fire and blood. Her blood-curdling screams filled the mansion.