I Am Her - ONC 2024

Chapter 3 - The Introduction

In no time, Angela was at Marissa's house. It was marvellous to look at, that sprawling Gothic manor surrounded by tall, imposing iron gates and pine trees. Among the luminous uncut grass, many roses grew, all of them red as blood, except a few that were white as snow. The old crimson walls and ebony windows and roof were at first diminished by the engulfing fog and rain, but after Angela spaced out for a few minutes, the sun appeared out of nowhere, giving new life to the decaying estate. 

In the distance, footsteps could be heard echoing against the narrow cobblestone road. It was more than a bit odd, Angela thought, how serene and uninhabited this place was for a village. To her, it was more of a ghost town, really. Maybe it belonged to actual ghosts. It made sense after thinking about it for a while. 

There was an aura of eerieness all around the place, and if she were a ghost, she too would cling to dark, deep woods and lovely, lonely houses like those surrounding the manor in rows. In some ways, she too felt haunted, both related and unrelated to the place. The memory of Cristina was a ghost in her haunted house of a mind. She was bound to her, and now she was Cristina, and she looked at the distance as the Sun began to fade suddenly. Observing the beauty of nature was much easier than being left alone with her thoughts, which overwhelmed her with all their noise. 

Suddenly, she snapped out of her trance when she heard a particularly loud gasp right beside her. She was stunned by a woman her age squealing as she wept tears of joy, trapping her in an embrace that threatened to crush her bones. She couldn't see the woman in question at first, but everything made sense almost immediately, and after that revelation, along with the force that suffocated her lungs, she'd almost forgotten how to breathe. 

"My dearest Cristina," the woman spoke at last, her voice strangled by her tears. "I'm so happy to have met you after all this time."

"That's amazing! I'm happy to see you as well!" Angela chirped, and to the oblivious woman, it appeared to be genuine joy.

For a while, the street was suffocated by silence, and Angela took the time to study the woman. She seemed quite sweet with her wide baby blue eyes and intoxicating raspberry smile, her neat oval face framed by smooth black curls. Her tall, gentle neck was adorned by a thin string of rubies that perfectly matched her knee-high red dress with puffy sleeves and red ballet shoes. She didn't look like the daughter of the cold, domineering Mayor. Even the life in her eyes contrasted the death in his. Maybe she was adopted, or maybe she took after her (presumably dead) mother, or maybe there was something beneath the Mayor's antagonistic surface that-

"Have you met my father?" she asked excitedly, causing Angela to groan internally.

Speaking of the wolf...

"Yes, I have," Angela responded in a nonchalant tone, or at least she thought she did. "He seemed a bit weird to me. His way of greeting newcomers is unusual, to say the least. Have you noticed anything odd about his behaviour, or are there some cultural differences I have yet to grasp?"

The daughter laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, his behaviour is a little specific, but I suppose you'll get used to it soon."

"Okay," Angela said, shrugging limply. "So, what's your name?"

"He neglected to tell you?" said his daughter, raising an eyebrow. "My name is Marissa Jenkins, and I'm honoured to have you as my future wife."

"Thank you," Angela said with a smile that pained her to form, "though I can't imagine why you would be so honoured."

"No need to be so modest, Cristina. I haven't known you before, but from the looks of it, I'm sure that you're a wonderful person."

Yes, Cristina really was, Angela thought as the pang of reminiscence struck her heart again. But how am I going to satisfy a magical old-money family's demands?