Wicked Sins

II. Perception

            It’s all your fault.

             “No it’s not,” she protested, standing up.

            “I’m sorry darling, what did you say?”

            Eloise shook her head to clear off any residual thoughts of Lauren and faked a smile. “Oh nothing, mother.”

            Winifred, her mother nodded. “Oh, by the way, I do have some delightful news.”

            Eloise distractedly squeezed the fabric of her shirt and listened in. “We’re going to have some new neighbors this year. William Bennett just rented his house to a dashing young fellow a few days ago and it looks like he’ll be making some renovations before moving in later this week. Isn’t it wonderful? Perhaps they can help erase that dreadful tragedy three years ago.”

            Eloise froze as she stared at the lone house. So many events had occurred in there that she wasn’t sure if she could picture someone other than Lauren living in that haunted place.

            She shook her head and stood up. “Please excuse me, I need to take a walk.”

              Winifred, too engrossed with her knitting gave another brief nod. “Be back before dinner.”

            Half an hour later Eloise found herself at the entrance doors of the St. Johnson Park mall. After walking through a set of sliding glass doors she quickly headed to Victoria’s Secret and into the fragrance section. Eloise traced an index finger across the brand names and stopped shortly at one in particular.

            “Heavenly,” She murmured, pressing the spray button over her wrist.

            While she caught a whiff the sweet scent, a wave of dizziness briefly overwhelmed her senses. Eloise closed her eyes, gripping the perfume bottle tightly as a particular memory resurfaced from the depths of her thoughts. Suddenly, she found herself reliving the nightmare that had plagued her mind for almost four years.

             “Leave me alone!”

            Those three words, combined with an angry shout awakened young Eloise, who was lying face down beside an outside campfire. She slowly stood up and scratched her head, momentarily forgetting where was.

            Eloise distractedly walked ahead when her foggy mind cleared, making her remember everything.

            During the evening today had been Lauren’s formal Cotillion Ball in celebration of her soon-to-be sixteenth birthday, and right now was her exclusive after party in which she had only invited few other people to. Before passing out beside the fire, Eloise recalled Lauren suggesting a game of ‘I Never’.

            “I hate you!”

            Eloise jumped and skidded toward the direction of the voice, heading straight into the ten acre lot filled with oak trees. After pulling a few branches away from her she faced two blonde sillohuettes.

            Her eyes, still stinging horribly from the campfire smoke, considerably blurred her vision, making her see two disfigured blobs.

            “Lauren?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

            Because she was out of hearing range none of the cloudy forms made any indication they had heard her, too focused in their quarrel. She bit her lip and hesitantly listened in, hiding behind a thick tree trunk.

            “How could you do this to me Lauren?”

            Eloise squinted both eyes and craned her ear closer, not able to recognize the low, raspy voice.

            Lauren snorted half heartedly. “Oh don’t be so melodramatic. It’s not like I had sex with the guy. Well,” she paused, giggling. “Not completely.”

            “What?”

            “Well, I couldn’t just say ‘no’. That wouldn’t be polite,” Lauren mused.

            “God, you are such a slut!”

            “And you are such a nuisance” Lauren countered. “Go away, loser. You’re annoying me.”

            A loud sniffle was heard before the other responded. “Sometimes I just wish you were dead.”

            Eloise gasped at the words as a set of retreating footsteps followed soon after. By the time she rubbed her freshly cleared eyes only Lauren was left standing alone, a self satisfied smirk gracing her lips.

            Eloise briefly stepped away from the trunk when an arm abruptly shot out to grab her waist and before she knew it one single gloved hand shoved a damp white cloth over her nose and lips, a sweet, pungent smell assaulting her nostrils.

            She screamed and fruitlessly kicked, viciously inhaling the fragrance with a cough. The aroma oddly reminded her of Lauren’s favorite perfume, Victoria Secret’s Heavenly.

            “Shh,” a voice cooed, gently laying her beneath the lawn floor.

            Eloise frustratedly felt her limbs slack, black dots of vacancy beginning to obscure her vision. It was almost as if her bodily organs were acting to their own accord, despite her fighting against it to no avail. She distantly heard an ensued argument filled with screams and grunts but couldn’t distinguish who they came from. From her befuddled eyesight Eloise caught a cloudy view of Lauren’s form, struggling with another person dressed completely in black. Suddenly, the blonde was flung backwards, to the floor and her persuer followed suit, holding a gleaming steel object with it's other hand. Eloise's eyes widened as Lauren's attacker made quick vicious blows to her torso and what seemed to be her neck as well. Ear piercing shrieks abruptly and quickly resounded from the walls of the quiet forest, echoing thrice. Eloise tried to speak, yell, or cry but instead groaned quietly, her muscles numbing heavily throughout every crevice of her body.

            With strained effort she turned, sending one last glance at the woods and even with her blurry vision she was able to see.

             Lauren was stiffly lying down with her head snapped at an unnatural angle. Her malevolent blue eyes, which had which used to frighten Eloise, now glared at her lifelessly.

            She was dead.

            Eloise didn’t have time to react. Darkness enveloped around her like a second layer of skin and before it completely consumed her both ears caught a sweet, light voice that sung:

            “Hush little baby don’t say a word, these dirty little secrets won’t ever be heard.”

            Eloise’s eyes widened, recognizing the rhyme. And despite her lack of sensation, the haunting melody chilled her spine to the core.

             Well isn’t this refreshing? British little Elle Harrington actually saw me die. Yet, conveniently enough she never gave that useful information to the police. Now why is that? Better yet, why didn’t my murderer strike her? ‘Kill two birds with one stone’ so to speak? After all, you’ll quickly learn Elle was no innocent white dove.

            Maybe Elle didn’t deserve to die as much as I did.

            Or perhaps, just like in that famous phrase the one who murdered me will save the best for last.