The Bewitching - Book 1

Chapter 8 - What Evil Is Revealed?

The sun was beginning to set over the ocean as the evening arrived. From atop the loftiest perch in Los Angeles, with the surrounding buildings starting to light up, it was a beautiful sight. The ocean in the distance reflected the various colors of the sun as it lowered itself and bounced off of the buildings.  It was in stark contrast to the feeling being exuded in the penthouse that overlooked the whole city.

The suite was particularly large, more so than many elegant homes that even the most wealthy might be accustomed to. Vast windows revolved almost complete around the suite itself as they reached from the floor to the heightened ceiling. On one end was a kitchen with its islands and wine racks, with a view of the city and mountains in the distances. Separating the kitchen from the rest of the suite was a sunken sitting area. Every now and then a wall jutted out from the circular enclosure in order to separate out rooms, some with more privacy than others.

Not far from the kitchen was a set of large sliding doors leading out to what appeared to be a a modest patio that encircled almost half the suite. Elegant lights were laid out evenly around the area. Those who refused to venture out to the patio might have found it oddly normal, other than the lighting, compared to the elegance exhibited within the suite. Those who did choose to step out onto the outside patio to enjoy the air and views would have been surprised at what they found.

Unseen from inside the suite, and only noticeable from the patio itself, was a grandeur set of stairs that widened as they made their way down to the story below. What was found at the bottom was as elegant, if not more so, than the suite itself.

The pool that stretched across the lower roof was at the very least olympic sized with what seemed to be a large, shortened U-shaped guest house surrounding the far end. More lights lined each side of the pool along with several rock formations. It gave it a somewhat tropical look, along with the tables and umbrellas. Several of the rocks jutted slightly into the pool area itself, forming small waterfalls that appeared to hide hot tubs within each. Even more fascinating was that the guest house appeared slightly raised, with the pool running beneath it and seemingly appearing to fall off into the city below.

Many would have found contentment in this kind of wealth, and the power and influence which came with it. But for some it wasn’t enough. There were those who found this wealth, enough for many lifetimes, to not be enough. And it wasn’t just wealth they felt they lacked, but power that extended over everything and everyone. No, for some there would be no happiness until everyone around them was either decimated or a slave.

That was the attitude of the one who now sat within this suite overlooking all of Los Angeles and its surrounding area. Tucked away on the far side of the suite, almost completely opposite the kitchen, was an open office like setting with a large desk. The windows behind it gave way to the magnificent view of the ocean and the city below.

He half-stood, half-sat on the edge of his desk gazing out towards the city. He was older, with small signs of grey showing near his temples, giving him a distinguished and affluent look. In many ways he looked like the movie stars from times past. It wasn’t hard to see that his demeanor would have easily allowed him to blend in with that type of old Hollywood crowd. Yet, for all his glamour there was something not quite right with the energy he exuded. Although, it would have taken someone looking past all the glitz and glamour and actually seeing “him” to notice.

From the scowl on his face as he ran his hand along his chin, it wasn’t hard to tell that he wasn’t pleased at the moment. There was a knock on the sliding doors that echoed throughout the large suite. Without turning to look, the man waved his hand and the doors slid open with a sickening creaking sound from their massive weight. There was no movement at the door, and no one stood outside. It was as if he had opened them through the movement of his hand alone, and to a knock that came from a visitor that didn’t exist.