Devil Says 'H!'

Chapter 40

Skylar slowly turned the lock on the door, and pushed it inside. The door creaked softly, and she peeped in. She was hesitant to go inside, as she was worried about how she would feel about her decision later. But, not wanting to linger on the pressing matter anymore, Skylar pushed the door open and she stepped inside.

Skylar paused on the door step and she drank in the smell of the room. She felt her father's presence around her and she bit her lips, as her emotions started to well up once more. Slowly, she went towards her father's empty bed and she sat cross legged on it. Skylar pressed her knuckles to her mouth and tried to stifle her tears, but it was not helping her at all. She scanned around the room, and saw that it had always been the same as she had remembered from quite a young age. The whitewashed room was too neat and except for the large bed in the middle of the room, there was a tall almira and a short table. Skylar looked around. Everywhere she turned, there were photos of her with and without her father. The photos were from her first age till the latest, and Skylar saw her eyes blur as she stared more at the images.

Not being able to hold herself back anymore, Skylar gave in to her emotions and she released herself. Her hands fell to the sides and she held the mattress as a support as she sobbed, her head nodding on her chest. Skylar did not know how she would be able to get over the constant nagging pain on her chest. Even though however well Ed debated with her and let her know that she was not the reason behind her father's death, from a corner of her mind, she kept on getting signals which said that it had been her dagger, and it was because of her, that her father had come to the mansion in the first place. Skylar hiccuped.

Her eyes fell on a photo that was on the side of the bed, and she took it into her hands. She pulled her sleeves across her cheeks and she pushed her glasses up along her nose. She took a deep breath as she stared at the photo. It had been taken a long time ago and she remembered the day when they had taken it. The father and the daughter had gone to the lake on a fine sunny morning and there had been a very happy couple on the lake except for the two of them. When they had seen how enjoyable Skylar was with her father, they had been so happy because as the girl from the couple had said, her father had died when she was just three years old. And as she had missed a father figure in her life, she had never known how having a father would be like. The girl had been so happy and promising Skylar that it would be one of the most memorable days in her life, she had asked to take a photo of the two of them. She had also given a copy of it to Skylar and later, after she had got back home, she had framed it, so that the memory remained intact.

Skylar chuckled. At that moment, she realized that the girl had been right. She knew that growing up without a father was too hard and even at that moment she had not been able to relate to the girl, at this time when Skylar was in her father's room after she had lost him, made her understand what the girl might have gone through. Skylar put the frame beside her, and she leaned back on the railing and pulled her knees closer towards her. She hid her face on her knees and she shook silently. Her tears were almost dried up as she had been unable to find more tears within her, but the void that was in her heart, remained the same. She almost felt as though her father was beside her and Skylar wondered why it had to be her father. She knew the reason for the devil to take her father's life, but she was not able to reason with her own self as to why she had to do that. From the bottom of her heart, Skylar knew that Aurelia had wanted to weaken Skylar, and Henry had been a willing victim to her prey. She had just taken vengeance on Skylar because of her impulsive decision. But what she had not known was that if Skylar had seen her take her father's soul with her, she would take Aurelia's soul with her as well. Soul for soul... life for life... Skylar knew that in this life of fight for survival all was fair.

Skylar bit her trembling lips. She was not able to take the pain out of her chest, and she felt her father very close to her. She almost felt her father's hand gently stroke her head but when she had hurriedly looked up, there was no one to be found. As though she was a sailor who had been stranded on a lone island, with no one for support, and who was waiting to be taken out of the island, expecting a ship or a boat to the other world, Skylar was also waiting for her father to come back to her and to move on with her life. She knew that she was completely lost without him, and as she had been too dependent on him for everything, it was very hard for her not to be so. She had no one to look after her now. She was not able to lean onto someone whenever she needed to. She was lost without her father. Lost in an island like the sailor. For the sailor, the ship might come... but for Skylar...