Wine and Wisteria

The sound of running water echoed in the bathroom as Anya welcomed the invigorating feeling of the cool water running down her hand.

She closed the faucet and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Thankfully, the damage on her dress wasn't so bad. She smiled. It was lucky she decided to act quickly.

She had been looking for the perfect opportunity to enter the main mansion and it presented itself to her in the manner she least expected it---from Venice herself. While it was true that Venice was harassing Lizzie, it was Anya who tipped the wine glass deliberately onto herself. She was poised to do it in the first place. All it needed was for Anya to make the final push, a push subtle enough to make it seem like an accident. Then the cherry on top: make everyone think Venice was targeting Lizzie on purpose. That girl needed a taste of her own medicine.

And so, having whisked Lizzie away, Anya left her in Erica's care and stealthily entered the mansion. She quietly walked around, taking care to avoid meeting other people, until she reached the master study. The door was locked, but she wasn't worried. Curtis was not a fan of technology, preferring the old-fashioned lock and key. And while the lock was a sturdy one, Anya knew how to work around it.

Once inside, she quickly chose an unobtrusive spot where she placed a small hidden camera. Then she opened her phone and checked the connection. The feed showed a clear view of the entire room. Next, she moved to the large oak desk, got on her knees, and stuck a small black cube underneath it. Then she got up and left the room, locking the door behind her.

She was about to make her way to the grand staircase to head to the second floor when a man in a black suit spotted her.

"Ma'am, this place is off-limits. Please return to the party." He was obviously a security personnel.

"I'm sorry. I thought this was the way to the bathroom. I needed to clean my dress," Anya said with an innocent smile, showing him the stain on her dress. She swayed a little, hinting that she was feeling a little tipsy.

"It's this way, ma'am."

"Oh, thank you. This place is so big, I easily got lost." Feigning clumsiness, she followed the man to the bathroom, where she finally cleaned her dress.

When Anya got out of the bathroom, she found Vic waiting for her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm okay..." she replied, confused. "Why are you here?"

"Lizzie asked me to look for you. She said you were gone for too long."

She chuckled, then explained how she got lost inside the mansion looking for the bathroom so she can try to remove the wine stain off her dress. Noticing the stain, Vic took off his jacket and placed it around Anya. The two walked out of the building together.

Anya turned around after a few steps to look at the mansion.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Vic remarked. "I remember coming to this place a lot when I was a kid. I used to love it here. Everyone was warm and welcoming."

Anya frowned. "I don't know. Maybe it did back then, but for me, this mansion felt cold and suffocating. I don't think I can stand it." She turned and noticed Vic staring at her. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You look a lot like her, you know."

"Who?"

"Caitlin."

"What?"

"I don't mean the actual features. But the way you move... the expressions you make..."

Anya laughed. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"

Vic shook his head, smiling. "Would you like to come with me? I want to show you something."

She nodded and followed him to the side of the mansion, past the cordon that prevents the guests from loitering into other parts of the garden. They met one guard who, after recognizing Vic, greeted him politely and let them through.

They entered the area filled with tall hedges designed to create a maze. As they stood at the entrance, Vic offered his hand. "You better hold on to me. It's easy to get lost in this maze."

She took his hand and followed his lead. They stepped in, taking numerous turns and walking further inside, until they finally reached the clearing in the middle of the maze. A lone wisteria tree stood in the center, its branches hanging so low that its pink and purple flowers formed a skirt that hid the tree's trunk. He led her past the curtain of flowers and underneath the tree's shade. There she found a gravestone.

"Thought you might want to see it. The place where they laid her to rest," he said in a low voice.

Her hand ran across the cool granite, tracing her fingers on the engraved letters.

CAITLIN ANNE REINHART

"She's not really there, though," Vic said. "They never found her body. Lost at sea. So this marker is just a placeholder so we can grieve."

Anya remained silent, closing her eyes as she allowed the scent of wisteria flowers to invade her senses. A thousand images appeared in her head, memories that were someone else's.

"Did she ever talk to you about me?" she heard him ask a few minutes later.

Anya opened her eyes and saw the sorrowful expression on his face. She didn't want to give him an answer. Instead, she wished she didn't open her eyes and just pretended not to have heard him, at least that way she wouldn't have seen the sadness in his face.

Anya knew what she needed to do. But that didn't make it any easier, and she found herself hesitating.

"Anya? Did Caitlin ever mention me to you?"

In the end, she turned away from him, closing her eyes to muster up the courage to say the biggest lie she had ever said.

"No, she never did."