In my father's office, on what was almost like a headless frame was a wedding dress. The wedding dress was for the most part white at the bottom, but as I wandered my eyes to look higher up to it, it wasn't white. It was red, like a fresh blood red. There was a flower on the left breast of the dress. 

That's where the human heart is located.

The flower was a rose, a half white rose. 

The top of the rose was white, but the bottom, it was wet with dark red blood. 

The blood didn't slide down onto the dress, no, it trickled.

"What in the actual hell?!" I whispered.

"Oh my God.... Is that.... A wedding dress?" Helios asked, his voice shaking.

"That dress.... What if that dress is my mom's?... That's my.... mom's.... That's my mom's wedding dress..." I covered my mouth. I was left in shock with many questions running rapidly through my mind all at one time.

Helios moved over to the desk and went behind it. He pulled open a drawer. 

"I found another key...." 

"Oh that's just lovely." I replied. I know that I was the one that wanted to find out answers but now, I wasn't so sure.

"This dress doesn't settle well with me." Helios sighed, his voice was shallow and tired.

"Well, it doesn't settle well with us either, it's bloody." Jack replied sarcastically.

"That's not what I mean, Jack. 

There is a white eternal rose resting where the heart would be on a person. The flower is in a wilting position but it's not wilting. A wilting flower represents sadness or grief, it's also a symbol of a lack of hope. With the rose being white, it represents the message of swearing your whole life to someone. It also means purity, young love, innocence, eternal loyalty and a new beginning." Helios replied.

"It doesn't matter what it means. What matters is that we need to leave." Jack murmured. 

"But..." I stopped.

Jack slightly grabbed my wrist.

"Aisha.... Don't test me right now. We need to leave this room." Jack growled.

I didn't want to argue with Jack so I just slightly kept my head down and stayed silent. Jack looked over at Helios and scoffed at him. He moved his hand and instead of letting go of my wrist, he just moved it lower and intertwined our fingers with one another. 

Jack gave a final glance at Helios and smirked at him, as if sending a message of dominance or as a show off of what power that he held, whether it be power over me or what power that he held in general.

"Let's go and get this over with." Jack sighed, making it widely known that he was annoyed.

We turned around and Jack opened the door and we walked out as Helios followed our lead, well rather Jack's lead.

"Where to now?" Helios asked.

"Let's go try this new key on the same door." I replied. 

"Okay." Helios replied.

We walked back over to the same doors that we first tried. Helios of course led the way and stopped in front of the door once again. He inserted the key and tried to turn it, but he stopped.

"It's not the right key. That means that this key has to go to that other room." Helios stated. His voice slightly disappointed.

"Alright, let's go to the other door and test it on that one." Jack sighed which clearly showed that he was annoyed.

"Wait.... Don't you guys think it's weird that we haven't seen my father anywhere since we were supposed to go to bed? What if he is in there?" I asked.

"Then we make a run for it." Jack replied.

"Okay." I whispered.

We made our way over to the door and walked past my father's office. We made a turn to the right of the railing. We made yet another stop in front of another door.

"This has to be my dad's room since the other doors are locked and the other room is his office." I whispered.

I wiggled the knob, and just like everything else, it was locked.

"Helios, hand me the other key, please." I stated and Helios handed me the key. I inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it.

Click

"It worked." I sighed in relief. I turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

There were oil lamps that were still running in the room. I walked inside and the room was odd. On the side closest to the door was a mess, but the other side looked completely untouched.

I walked a bit further into the room, the side of the room that was further in the room was untouched. The part of the room closest to the door was a mess. There were papers, male clothing and alcohol bottles on the ground. I walked in between the mess, careful to not step on anything.

There was a vanity, a dresser and an armoire side by side. I walked over to the vanity, there was a perfume bottle that was about 2/3 of the way full. It was a small bottle and the perfume was a light green color.

Floris London Red Rose 1868.

The room felt uncanny.

I took a step over to the dresser and the armoire. I contemplated on if I wanted to open them. I placed my hands onto the knobs of the armoire. I opened it.

On the inside there were women's clothes hanging up. They seemed to be untouched.

"Are they your mom's clothes, Aisha?" Jack asked.

"I believe so." I replied.

I took a step over to the dresser. I opened the first drawer. There was a stack of opened letters, along with a key. I quickly grabbed the key. The letters were neatly stacked on top of one another and lightly tied together by pink ribbon. I contemplated on if I wanted to invade my parents' privacy. I decided to do it anyways as I might find something that could help me understand everything that is happening.

I untied the ribbon and took the first two letters from the top. I decided to open the letter below the first letter first.

The top of it was labeled, "To Bill". I pulled the letter out of the already opened envelope.

Dear Bill, 

I can't wait until we get married but I'm worried. My parents are acting weirdly and I keep having weird visions, that's kind of funny right? One might call me crazy. But anyways, I love you.

- Ashley

Beneath that envelope there was another envelope, it was labeled "To Ashley". 

So I once again, pulled the letter out of the envelope.

My dear Ashley, 

It's okay, we will get through this together. My heart pours out only love and content for you, where my body lacks the seed of love, my heart cries out your name louder than any shooting star or rifle can ever do. Love is a burden I do not wish us to be bound by anymore, and the bosom of my heart yearns for your hand in marriage whereas all the money in the world cannot replace the despair I feel when I am without you. The world feels so shallow and lonely without you by my side and my sole purpose at this time in being, is you. Darling, would you take my hand in marriage and allow me the pleasure of calling you mine?

-Bill

Within that moment, I had jinxed myself as I heard noise coming from outside and a voice yell "Davidson!" 

I felt my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. 

"We need to leave. Get out now! Run to the East Wing immediately!" I whispered. But my heart racing almost as if it was about to jump out of my chest.

"What? Why? Are we just giving up now?" Jack asked.

"No, Jack. My father is back and you know that I'm forbidden from even stepping foot into the West Wing!" I cried.

"Alright. What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Helios whispered and we all took off running. We all made it down the West Wing stairs and darted up the East Wing stairs. Scrambling in each and every direction forward. We got to the top of the stairs and turned the cooridor and we stopped in the hallway. We all huffed as we were out of breath.

I listened as I heard the front door open and close and soon loud footsteps followed.

"Where are the kids, Davidson?" Bill asked. His tone firm.

"They should all be upstairs sleeping in the East Wing, sir. Nina told me that the young miss is in her bedroom, and her two friends are in the guest room beside her room." Davidson replied.

"Two friends? The only friend that she has is Jackson, Davidson. Where did this second friend come from?" Bill asked in an annoyed tone.

"I-I am n-not sure s-sir. I-I believe that the other friend might be Young Master Estridsen's friend." Davidson replied in a shaky tone.

"Tsk... Alright. I am going to my office." Bill replied as he then rubbed his eyes and it was easy to tell that he was clearly annoyed.

"I'm going to go talk to him." I said, finally breaking the silence.

"Are you kidding me, Aisha?! He is already clearly angry and he will be even more angry at you for going into the West Wing!" Jack almost yelled. 

"It doesn't matter, Jack. I need answers or clues. Anything at all and I need to get them from the source, Jack." I sighed.

"How do you know that your dad is the source?" Jack asked.

"Think about it. He is clearly suspicious. He keeps to himself a majority of the time. He randomly comes and goes in and out of this house, and he obviously has something against me." I replied.

"I am going no matter what. Stay here. I don't want you guys going with me." 

I started walking to the staircase. I carefully took the first step down the staircase. My mind was telling me to turn around, to go back to Jack and Helios and to go back to my room, but something else inside of me was being pulled along by something else in the atmosphere around me. I had made my decision. I was going to confront my father, Bill Savelli for the first time in the 13 years of my life. I continued to slowly and ever so carefully make my way down the East Staircase and stopped at the bottom of the staircase. I continued to shuffle my feet across the flooring that connected the West and the East Staircases together.

I made it across and stopped in front of the first step of the West Staircase that led to the West Wing. I tilted my face up and continued to move up up the staircase. My legs felt heavy because I was nervous. Each step that I took up each stair felt almost as if someone tied stones or concrete blocks to my ankles. I kept making my way until I finally made it to the top of the stairs. 

"Young Miss, you know that you can't be up here. Please, quickly leave or the master will be angry!" Davidson whispered. His face was in sheer panic.

"I need to talk to my father, Davidson." I whispered.

"I will let him know so please, go back to your room!" He pushed, his voice became slightly raised with me.

"No, Davidson. This is important. I need to see my father immediately." I replied, but this time I stood firm.

"Your father is very busy. Please go back to your room, miss." He sighed.

"I didn't want to have to do this." I sighed and then I quickly maneuvered my way around him and reached my father's office door. I grasped the doorknob in my hand, turned it and opened the door.

I walked inside of the office, turned around and closed the door and then locked it. I turned back around and I was greeted by my father's confused face. He was sitting at his desk in his chair, a cigar lit in his hand. My eyes wandered back over to the bloody wedding dress to the left. My breathing hitched and a lump formed in my dry throat which caused me to painfully gulp it down.

I averted my gaze back up and my eyes met back with my father's dark brown eyes.

"What are you doing up here and in my office, Aisha Rosaura Althea Savelli?" Wow so he does know my name, almost thought that he didn't even know who I was. He asked in a somehow calm voice. But there was something hidden behind that voice, something almost threatening.

I felt my body start to slightly tremble and I grasped the sides of my nightgown.

"I have some questions and I know that you have the answers to them." I replied, my hands slowly making their way to grasp my gown, I felt my body become unstable, all the confidence or should I say adrenaline slowly started to fade away I was starting to come back to reality of what I was actually doing.

"You know that you aren't supposed to be up here, Aisha." He said calmly once again. There was something about his eyes. It was intimidating. It was a dominant look that would make you feel vulnerable. His eyes leered like ones of a viper. His eyes had that look of where he knew that he was the one in control, but he was just waiting for you to slip up so he could strike and you would never see it coming.

"I know that I am not supposed to be up here. But I have some questions for you." I replied.

He huffed. He then folded his hands together and brought them to his nose.

"This can wait until in the morning, can't it, Aisha?" He asked. His eyes had changed a bit. They were still intimidating and still sent off a dominating but manipulative message. It almost made me take a step back, but I couldn't be brought down. Not now as I have made it too far.

"No, father, no it cannot." I replied firmly.

"Why is my mother's wedding dress bloody? And why is it in your office?" I asked, I felt my throat start to burn after I asked, and I forced down a swallow. My father looked down at his cigar and brought it to his lips, he and held a puff and slowly blew it out.

"That dress.... It's the only thing that reminds me of our pure love." He replied, 

I laughed a little. I felt disgust and anger build up in my body. It made me want to puke.

"Heh. Pure Love, aye? That's very very interesting coming from you." I sneered. 

"Second question; what happened to my mom?" I asked.

"She got sick and that illness killed her." He replied so calmly but yet so confidently.

It made me sick. I knew that he was lying but he was so confident about it. 

He knew that even if you knew that he was lying, you couldn't say anything back. 

It felt like a power struggle within me.

Almost all of my confidence has left my body as someone else's dominance exerted over me. I knew that I had power over myself, but his pride dominated over my own. 

It was almost like a form of manipulation but it just made you manipulate yourself. It made you manipulate your own mind into thinking that you are small and powerless.

Is this some sort of power trip that he also used on my mother?

"You're lying." I whispered as I clinched my dress even harder.

"Hmm?" He replied.

"Did you have fun manipulating my mom, Bill?" I tried to hold back my anger, to keep the pride that I had left in myself, but I felt like I was going to cry.

"What do you mean, Aisha?" Bill asked in a warning tone.

"Don't play stupid with me! Where is my mom?!" I screamed.

"Aisha, we have been through this, she is dead." Bill huffed.

"What happened to her?!" I cried, my throat burned.

"It doesn't matter what happened to her. She is dead." He replied, his tone was dull and cold.

"Then where is her body? Where is she buried? Where is her headstone?" I asked.

"Enough with the questions, Aisha." He warned.

"Since you don't want to answer me with legitimate answers, then riddle me this, Bill. 

Who is Alina?" I asked. 

Within that moment, I heard a sound that sent shivers down my spine, 

the sound of chains crashing.