CHAPTER 1

15th October 1891

London:

Drip! Drop! Drip -

"How much longer till we get home?" Rhea started moaning. Ugh... I love her, but sometimes she's just ... ugh.

"I'm sure we haven't gotten any closer since two seconds ago!" I smiled warmly. She glared at me with her big cocoa-coloured almond eyes. Today they were haunting me more than ever - I felt vulnerable like prey before being devoured by their predators. She was so gorgeous with her ink-black hair tied back into a low coiffure, and her wheatish skin. The dress she was wearing was dark purple with a high neckline and layered hemline. It had double bell sleeves which added to its charm. She looked like a princess, absolutely bewitching.

When we were little, Rhea's mama was very ill, so Rhea moved into my house in Spain and stayed there for months until her mother was cured. We would always dress up in my mother's dresses! They would look ginormous on our tiny bodies, and Sylvia would scowl us for ruining mama's marvellous gowns. Oh, mama! My mum also fell ill a year ago, but the difference was that Rhea's mother was cured while mine … left.

It just feels so awkward to say that She is dead. Gone. And She will never come back. I miss Her so much sometimes... but I keep it all within me. Rhea says I can trust her and be true to her, but I just don't want to. I just don't want her to know I'm weak. To know I'm scared. To know that every night I cry myself to sleep singing "Oh my darling clementine" as if I were a baby, because She would always sing it to me when I was upset and I refuse to let it go! I refuse to let Her go because I don't want to forget Her! Because I'm afraid that one day I'll get up and I won't remember who She was. I'm afraid that someday I will get up and everything will be fine, because it is not. I am so awfully frightened. All the time. Without Her, I have nothing to live for! And the wind started to howl a melancholic symphony again, as the rain accompanied it passionately ...

THUMP! What the hell was that? I turned around to make certain that Rhea heard the exact, identical thwack, only to find her jerking the handle. I wanted to grab her arm, but it was too late, she was already hopping out of the coach. I moved myself to where Rhea was sitting and glared out of the window - the view was much better from her seat!

"Rhea, where are you going?" I called. "Come back! Pleaase" my stupid voice cracked! Rhea pivoted her head, so she was facing me - her eye shone like crystals in the dark.

"Don't worry, I'll be back! I swear!" she said laying her hand on mine briefly before taking it back. "Don't leave the coach. You don't know this place well enough!"

"And you do!" I snorted. "It's so awfully late! It doesn't matter who knows this place better. You know what, we will go together! Just like John Dickinson said: United we rise, divided we fall - "

"I really wouldn't want to interrupt your little speech!"

" Please!" I looked at her with my puppy-like eyes twinkling in the night"

"No! You stay here!" she pushed me down, to the floor. It hurt. It hurt so awfully much! She was my friend. I didn't even try to keep my tears back. Everything was going terribly wrong! I was going to lose her too - no! Iseult get a grip! You are not going to lose her. You better don't. You are going to save her! I stood up carefully and rubbed my bruised wrist, the pain was slowly going away but it still hurt like hell!

Where was Rhea?

Without thinking- something I seemed to do notoriously, I made my way out of the carriage swiftly.

"Mr Green! Mr-" I stuttered. He was lying there... dead? I wasn't quite sure what happened to him. I walked towards him. He wasn't moving, lying so still, as if Thanatos had put him to sleep. His face was so cold, but I could feel his breath, which was proof. Proof that he wasn't dead. To be honest if not for his quiet, small breath every few seconds, I'm not so sure I would've known he was alive. It was a relief.

"Miss Agreste! Plea-" she grabbed my arm forcefully. She, meaning the tall, weirdly dressed woman. No, she was a girl. 16, maybe 17 years old. The black dress she was wearing emphasized the slenderness of her figure. Her face was covered with gigantic glasses, so dark you could hardly see her eyes and her wonderful white hair. It was platted into an enormous French braid. The dress was made from leather and it covered almost all of her body, her arms, hands, fingers. She was so calm and so brave; I didn't know her at all and yet something within her made me ... trust her.

"No! Who are you? How do you know my name? Rheaaa!" She covered my mouth with her hand.

"Shut up, you idiot!" she whispered. I squeaked like a little girl. What on earth did she say! I bit the hand that was covering my mouth and I can tell you one thing. Leather is disgusting. I don't ever recommend eating leather unless of course, you are in such extreme circumstances like me!

"Let me go - you rascal!" Rascal! Oh my God! Did I just call a potential murderer a rascal! I'm mad! I'm telling you I'm mad!

"You", she pointed at me "are crazy! Now trust me! Come!" she grabbed my hand and this time something within me didn't allow me to oppose.

She ran behind the carriage with me.

"Voyage!" her voice was so calm and yet fierce. It was like crazy waves hitting the sandy shore. Suddenly a circle appeared? Within that circle was a picture? ... of a house filled with enormous trees ... my house! I wasn't even sure what was happening when she grabbed my arm inexorably - her hand was so cold, colder than the Thames during winter nights. I was losing myself in her coldness...

"Wait!" I screamed hysterically. Where was Rhea and what had happened to the coachman? Right now, hundreds of questions were flooding through my head. Hundreds of questions to which I wouldn't get answers, but I needed them. She hurt him - almost killed him! I can't leave her with Rhea and him.

"Let me go!" I broke free from her clutch. Finally! I hate being controlled and that's what she was doing.

"You have to listen to me! I am not the villain. I did not hurt anyone; all I'm trying to do is help you!"

"Then where is Rhea? I won't move an inch without her!" My stubbornness is probably my favourite trait. A ghost of a grin formed on her face, but it soon faded away.

"You will! I said Rhea is safe!" before I could react somehow to what she said, she grasped my hand and threw me into that portal or whatever it was! This was insane! She was insane! As I looked around, I realised I was in a place I knew very well - my home! I spun around only to find that the 'portal' was not there anymore and this crazy girl was also gone. Just like that! Gone like the moon at dawn.

I stood there like a statue - not knowing whether I should go home, wait there or go searching for Rhea. The answer was anything but obvious. It was so dark I'd most probably only get lost instead of finding my best friend. Ayayay! What was I to do! It was raining cats and dogs! The little droplets were touching my bare shoulders - it felt like ice was poured onto me! Refreshing, but cold! Brrr! If I stayed here any longer, I'd get a cold, and then die. I know I'm such an optimistic person!

Too bad, because I wasn't going to move an inch without Miss Bourgeois. The quiet (almost silent) footsteps behind me were synchronizing with the rain - it sounded beautiful but also awfully frighteningly. I turned around quickly giving a tiny gasp. It was ... Rhea?

"Go home!" she commanded.

"How did you ... what? No, I'm not going anywhere. I want to know what just happened. You can't just go hiding like that - worrying me - and then come out of nowhere commanding me! " She started talking at the same time, but her voice was louder almost like ... shouting?

"No, you're just going to go home, I'm going home too. You're going to have tea, some almond pudding and go to sleep. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. Iseult, listen to me. " She was already turning around walking somewhere, probably home. She was not Rhea. Rhea never calls me Iseult. Not even when she's mad. Most importantly she knew I hated pudding. To hell with that - she knew I couldn't eat almonds. I reacted badly to them - my lips would swell and I had a tingling in my throat, shortness of breath. My Rhea wouldn't say that!

I was about to run after her when a familiar voice called me.

It was Nana. I walked home.