"Miss Gwendolyn! What are you doing" he let the yell rip out of his mouth.
She froze without turning, then she turned slightly and he flinched as he saw it;
-The utter thrill in her transparent blue eyes-
"Good thing you're here Mase...come help me"
He was stunned at her audacity and horrified at how grotesquely the body had been disfigured.
"Miss Gwendolyn... I'm going to hope this is some nasty dream I'll soon wake up from" he sputtered as he stepped back.
"Please drop the knife, I believe he's dead already you don't have to...-" "-so what are you going to do?!. Report me?" She chuckled maniacally, as she bent backwards to look into his eyes from upside down.
Her white frizzy hair fell about her eyes, how did she manage to look so beautiful and so terrifying at the same time?
"You have a daughter don't you?" She asked in a whisper.
He flinched as he began to break into cold sweat.
"I might get jail time... but your daughter will never see the light of day again, even if it's the last thing I do"
Her voice was cold and menacing but still managed to sound gentle.
Not a comforting type of gentle.
An unsettling one.
He knew she would do it, she was capable.
-The city was just a 2 hour journey away-
Unless he killed her here and now.
BUT...
How would he explain anything?, he had no clear proof. She was the type that would appear innocent even with a bloodied dress and body organs in her hands.
He made one decision.
It was one that would greatly stain the new page he hoped he had opened.
-Her previously immaculate white dress was now heavily stained with red too-
***********************
A WEEK AGO
Mason stretched, yawned, grumbled to himself and sluggishly reached out for the watch discarded on the bedside table.
All the drowsiness escaped as he saw what time it was.
He jerked upright and started dressing quickly.
-The worst type of first impression to give to your potential employers was that of tardiness-
Damn he shouldn't have followed Sabrina home.
Sabrina in question just stared at him from her lying position, her eyes reflected both amusement and- irritation.
"It's the money that's making you go crazy right?"
She suddenly asked, her voice relaxed, her expression plain.
He jumped into his pants;
"Well, yeah?... this is the first decent job I've done in years and the pay can help me guarantee Seyra a better life"
He put on his watch and turned to see her boring holes into him.
-Not good holes -
He sighed with a smile;
"And if you want us to have that dream wedding" he was by her side now; "Then I'll need all those prayers" he pecked her forehead.
She let out a deep breath;
"Charms... not prayers, and how many times have I told you I'm not jealous of your commitment to your daughter" she looked up into his eyes, one a very light shade of blue, and the other seemingly tinted with green in a certain angle.
-He didn't sense any malice in her words; maybe he could trust this mysterious woman he called his girlfriend after all -
"But I've heard news at the bar, and apparently..." She let out a deep breath;
"Hundreds of people have been invited to that house for job screening, and none of them have quite fit the requirements"
He sat on the bed and slipped into his ragged boots that had seen life at it's worst;
"What are you trying to say?"
He didn't return her deep looks.
"It's just...you seem mighty confident, like you've gotten the job or something... it's possible you will be rejected... not to sound cynical but I just want you to remember that.. so it won't crush you too much if it happens"
-Even though her words were prickly and rough around the edges, Mason knew Sabrina cared-
"Don't worry, I am prepared for anything I end up getting... but I can't help feeling that I'm going to get it...I just know "
She observed his optimism with amusement.
"Just don't do anything stupid that'll get yourself hurt if you do get it" her index ran upon the long slash mark running across his face.
-He unconsciously shivered as he refused to remember the day he got that mark-
He kissed her one last time before he proceeded out of the room, but just as he was about to step out she called;
"I heard that terrible killings have been going on in that town...so I'll give you my prayers"
He smiled knowingly and walked out.
It was a two hour drive from the busty, loud Minerva city to the small quiet town of Victern.
Mason had never been a fan of journeys, and he especially hated when he had an appointment at a certain time and such a journey stretched too close to the time of appointment.
He managed to miss the train and had to ask Sabrina to loan him some money to hire a private driver, especially as he couldn't afford to wait a couple of more hours for the next train.
He looked out of the vehicle and observed the gradual change of scenery.
From tarred roads, large, ugly stone-cut buildings and nauseating hustle and bustle, to quiet Meadows, rather small architecture and general solace.
"You coming here for work?" The driver, a middle aged man ventured.
"No actually just an interview" he responded quickly.
The old man looked at him through the rearview mirror;
"Well good for ya, I'll give you some advice young man, don't ever be fooled by the vibe of beauty and peace in this town... it's a farce, this place is covered in blood!" The old man's voice Rose to a somewhat maniacal crescendo that truly frightened Mason even more than his words.
He had been a soldier right from 20, death, blood and killers didn't scare him, he knew about mad people.
But still he wondered;
-How was such a peaceful town home to such a vile murderer?-
The rest of the journey was thankfully silent.
Once Mason dropped, he asked for directions and was literally galloping to the location of his interview.
30 minutes past the originally set time had passed already.
-He would kill himself if it reached an hour-
Thankfully the house wasn't too far from the Townsquare where the old man had dropped him.
He arrived at the venue and his jaw dropped at the house.
-The building seemed so out of place, too grandiose and elegant for a small town like this -
It was a striking limestone manor that balanced modern glass expanses with classical proportions, standing as a silent, sophisticated anchor amidst the town's modest brick storefront, it was clean, cream-colored stone accented by wrought-iron detailing and floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the sky.
Wealthy businessman alright.
Mase glanced upwards at the house, and his sharp eyes caught someone staring down at him from a high window.
He couldn't see quite clearly since the opaque curtains combined with the height of the window blocked his view but somehow he could make out the figure of a lady with very long hair.
Probably a maid or help.
Mason wanted to make a good impression on those he hoped he would work alongside.
And so he put on his most sincere smile and waved.
The lady seemed to flinch.
-Was she weirded out by his act of friendliness?-
He looked down in shame;
-Perhaps he shouldn't have waved after all -
He hesitated a bit, he was very late for this interview and he knew it; what were his chances of getting the job now?
He finally knocked on the door;
-It had reached an hour after the appointed time-
The door flung open and a stiff man, obviously the Butler due to the clothes and countenance, eyed him over;
He sighed heavily as his expression brimmed with disgust;
"You're hired"
Mason was flabbergasted...in a good way.
Just like that? It was almost like someone pulled some strings.
"You can resume anytime before the week ends... you'll receive your drills about how to care for the Miss when you arrive" the Butler added as he gestured for Mason to enter.
-Care for the Miss, wasn't he just going to be a guard?-
Mason could feel himself vibrating with excitement.
How did he get the job so easily, no questions asked?
Anyway, he wasn't going to bother his head wondering.
This was a new page for him and that was all that mattered.