In the mist I could see nothing but the sharp outlines of the manor before me. It was the most prominent thing I could see amid the heavy cloud coverage that laid drifting upon the great pines that towered in the sky as well.

There was nothing around to indicate that there would be any sort of town or school nearby. It was desolate, a small location on the map, as the lady had stated. A place unknown to others, unless you knew where to find it. My already reddened hands clung to the metal gate that separated me and the great house. I could feel the condensation on it, from the morning dew that’d collected as dawn struggled to break. That water slipped down my fingers, wetting my cuffs.

I made it there quite quickly. In fact, I’d caught the earliest train and arrived hurriedly. My arrival had been fast, because my curiosity had grown even more when I’d gotten the assignment. Why wouldn’t I? It was a thing most people nowadays were greatly focused on, and now I had the chance to figure out what was happening behind the gates.

It was there, right at my fingertips. And it was cold.

I dropped my hand, to deeply exhale all the nerves that’d bundled up and tangled inside my stomach. Once the fog had cleared, I did manage to catch a small glimpse of the manor, in its full, terrifying beauty.

One had to picture Buckingham palace, and instead think of it as a much bigger version, though slightly different. There were two large towers on either end of the place, as well as an even higher tower in the center that held what looked to be an observatory.

The grounds were just as spacious. Spacious enough to reach the sea cliffs to my far right, not too far, and could easily be spotted with the naked eye. I was told of them by the men who had helped me at the train station. They’d told me of the sights I could witness whilst during my stay. But they had not mentioned the manor, and neither had I. It was, of course, a secret.

My mission was not to be discovered so easily by anyone. I couldn’t let that happen. Not yet, at least. I needed to have my fun.

Straining my eyes to see the half-lit manor, I took in the greatness of it all. I’d never seen a house quite like it. It was gothic, but it was not. It looked homey, and very, very large, while at the same time I wasn’t sure I’d seen anything bigger anywhere else in the whole world.

I was probably struck by its grandeur, and overall mystique. It was unexplainable. One had to see it in person to fully understand the scale. Even now, though I could hardly see it, it was impactful in a way that—the breath I exhaled at the sight of it managed to make me lose my ability to breathe entirely. I had to relax, to regain my focus.

Timid, I clasped onto the metal gate, just yearning for a way to get in. It was very beautiful, but also too much to behold. Along with the long fountain, spraying water into the sky like fine rain, and stretching imposingly down the pathway and onto the road where I was, it certainly did not help my impression that anything else could compare to Westley.

Carefully, I wrapped my fingers around the rails and attempted to let myself inside, to see if it would come loose. It was covered in chains, with only one way through. I needed some sort of key to unlock it.

It was impossible to think that anyone would have such a key on hand, therefore I had to find some other way in. The visiting men must’ve gotten inside somehow.

There had to be someone in the house, otherwise, why would the lady send me there in the first place? I had to try, I had to . . .

Glancing at the manor, my eyes fell to the details of it—to the intricate patterns set into the walls, to the aging silver that coated the exterior and made the manor shine even more in the muted sunrise.

The manor must’ve overshadowed the sun, and with Winter deepening, it was evident that no light would ever fully come through the thick clouds that hung over everything at that moment.

And so, I continued to think of any way I could break in, otherwise the elements would become too harsh for me to stick around.

I was freezing. I’d only brought one jacket, and the rest of my clothes had been stuffed into a small suitcase that was seated right next to my legs. A lone taxi had dropped me off fifteen minutes ago, which meant that no one but Rangel knew of my whereabouts, along with that lady. It was an intriguing task, very thrilling, with the unsettling feeling of loneliness coming upon me.

I had to ignore it, and focus on the Winter cold. Currently, I was near the West shores, so there wouldn’t be any snow. But people seemed to underestimate the power of how freezing the sea winds could be.

It wasn’t a comfortable cold. It was the type of cold that seemed to hold a grudge. It was fierce, it screamed directly into my ears, and it made my body tremble.

I shook where I stood, but I gathered myself. I was getting carried away by the view and the environment. I hadn’t even stepped onto the official grounds . . . I was only at the entrance. It’d take me a good ten minutes to even reach the front door.

Speaking of the door—there was a great clock face staring back at me, ticking on, watching me as I watched it. It was only five in the morning. I’d shown up just when the new time had struck, notifying me of the hour.

“Oh,” A small voice said right behind me. “A new face.”

My head whipped around, to lock eyes with a young man, possibly my age. We were almost the same height too. Not very tall.

Where did he come from? And how? 

He tucked a piece of very light blonde hair behind his ear. It was futile. He had long sharp bangs that could’ve covered his eyes, and an equally sharp bobbed haircut that barely reached the bottom of his ears. “Are you here for the gathering as well?” He asked me. “I am about a week late, so I hope I won’t get scolded by Alexander too much.”

I blinked away the sleepiness I’d felt from the early hour, and put on a fake smile. It was time to begin. “Ah, yes. I am quite late as well—” I stopped to give him a questioning look, to ask for his name without saying anything.

The young man got the gist. “Oh! My name is Charlotte Bell.” He extended his hand out to me. I shook it briefly. He was as cold as I was, but he had on an even thicker white coat. Expensive. “But you can call me Bell.”

“I am John—John W. Michael.” I told him. “I’ve come in place of Mr. Riley Ledders, who had other matters to attend to.” I explained shortly, to which the man named Bell listened on, blissfully unaware of my lies. “I hope my presence will not cause much disturbance. I am merely here as a stand-in.”

The man shook his head, reassuring me that I was fine. “That’s alright, John. I’m sure my family will not mind at all.”

Good. I thought. That’s exactly what I’d like.

If this man believed in my lies, then fine. If not, then there’d have to be more work done to the persona that I’d tried to build whilst on the train ride there. There definitely hadn’t been enough time to make a false identity, not with the limited hours I’d gotten. I just had to try.

It seemed to be working so far. I’d gathered a minimal amount of information about Riley Ledders from what his mother had given me, in regards to his line of work, his responsibilities, and his co-workers. I hadn’t needed to be fully aware of his blood relatives—

Well, I hoped it would be indecent to ask about all of that. I was merely supposed to be some sort of fake assistant to the man, someone who had no idea of his personal family relations.

That was what I was aiming to display during my stay. It had to work, otherwise my cover would be compromised.

Bell walked up to the gate, to slide a finger up the metal railings. He studied it like the chains sealing it weren’t there. “Have you tried getting inside, Mr. Michael?”

“Oh, you can just call me by my first name—” I told him, and then said, “Also . . . no. I haven’t attempted to go inside.”

“I guess it would seem improper to enter private grounds.” Bell concluded with a friendly smile at me. “It’s pretty dangerous for you to be alone out here, too.”

I observed the layout. There was lots of forest and mossy greenery, to our left and right. He was correct about it being dangerous. It was bear country, and the temperatures dropped worryingly with the ocean nearby.

Unable to hold back my own thoughts, I asked, “Isn’t it dangerous for you as well?”

That was when he shocked me, so much that I had to take a step back when he brought out a concealed knife from his sleeve, like there was a hidden pocket there. “I’ve got protection.” He said innocently.

The sudden presentation of a weapon made me falter, “O-Oh—”

The knife was small, the length of his forearm, and silver, with a black jewel in the hilt. It glistened in the grey light, and was extra clean and well taken care of. He must not have used it very often.

He sensed my discomfort, and slid it back up his sleeve, “It was a birthday gift from my best friend, Light.” He said, then to clarify for me, “Light Modiano.”

Modiano.

Bell had also said that his family was inside, which indicated he was related to Westley in some way. He could’ve been a cousin, or a direct heir. But if he had been a direct heir, then he would’ve included ‘Westley’ in his name when he introduced himself to me.

And if his best friend was a member of the Modiano family, then . . . I was certain more than ever that I’d come to the right place.

Before Westley Manor existed, Modiano Manor was there first. Though, since both families joined forces long ago for some business agreements, it had changed over the years.

“Interesting.” I said so, more to myself.

Bell tilted his head, “What?”

“Nothing.” I said, “It is a very useful gift, Bell. I envy you for having such protection.”

It was obvious that I should’ve brought some sort of way to protect myself too. I was entering a home where a possible murder victim had dwelled. I was totally vulnerable.

“Well, then. I guess we must go inside.” Bell continued, “I don’t think anyone is coming out to fetch us.”

With the mention of going inside, I nodded eagerly, “Yes.”

He shook the metal gate as I had before, and pursed his lips. The barrier was tall, too tall for a person to climb over without getting hurt. And there were hedges covering the rest of the entrance, stopping onlookers from taking a bigger peek at the grounds. They concealed more metal fencing, to prevent trespassers.

In the blink of an eye, Bell pushed away a bit of that wall of hedgery to reveal a small door, made of wood this time. It was hardly noticeable. I would’ve assumed it was part of the trees that towered over us.

Bringing out his knife again, he plunged the blade into the old lock set into the door, and turned it fiercely until a small clicking sound made me blink in disbelief.

It was open.

Bell put his knife away, once again seeing my shock, and allowed me to go through first. “It’s a trick my cousins and I used to do when we snuck out past our bedtimes.” He said, slightly embarrassed. “Y-You can come in . . . if you want.”

I remained wordless, but then gave a short, “Thank you.”

It was as easy as that.

I’d just needed a man who knew how to use a knife.

Walking a bit too fast past him, I didn’t wait for him to close the door. He was petite, but I couldn’t underestimate him just because of his build. Even as we continued forward, deeper into the grounds of the estate, I kept my distance.

It was fine because he walked slightly ahead of me, as if to silently show me that he knew the way. I was okay with that. I was okay with not talking anymore.

“This fountain usually sprays water in the Summer, when it gets too hot.” He told me, from not too far. “I’m not sure why it’s on now, though.” He finished, perplexed. “Actually the place is very unkempt.”

He wasn’t wrong. From what I could see up close, as we got nearer and nearer to the front door, I noticed how overgrown everything had become. Well, the investigation had lasted for a long time, thus it was inevitable that no one would be able to take care of it.

Maybe they’d let go of the servants whilst this was happening? That could’ve explained why no one had come to collect Bell at the gate.

“But it is beautiful . . .” I said, without thinking. It’d just slipped.

It was nothing like the home I’d left behind, and nothing like the office back in the city. It was like I’d stepped into some dark fairytale.

“It is, isn’t it?” Bell said. He sounded wistful.

I stared at the side of his face, until he turned away from me, to view the distant front door. He was hiding something.

I was about to respond, but I stopped.

I feared there was nothing more to say.