Chapter 1 - The Party

CARLENE

I was staring at the reflection of myself in the mirror. A woman in the early twenties, wearing a simple black dress with a pair of heels in the same color, was there. She let her shoulder-length bob hairstyles without planning to tie them or put some accessories on. She just liked the view. 

That woman was me. Of course. Who would have been here—in my studio apartment—except me, the owner of this place? Ah, my best friend, Sarah, could be here—she liked a sleepover, although her apartment was more extensive than mine. I had ever asked the reason. And she replied, "Because you stick to your home." 

She was true. I loved my apartment so much. Yeah, I knew. It was a small place, and sometimes I felt crowded here. Maybe, because there was no ample space to move around. As I said, it was a studio type. What should I expect? I could only afford this kind of place. Living in Oxford was not a joke. 

I was checking myself for the last time. I looked a little bit monotonous. Perhaps, a simple bracelet could light up my look. 

I remembered the one that Sarah gave. A minimalist gold bracelet with a snake ornament on it. It was ridiculous that she knew I was afraid of the snake, but she gave such a thing to me. But, unexpectedly, I loved it. The snake ornament wasn't big, so it still looked beautiful and straightforward.

I heard a 'ting' coming from my phone. I glanced over and found out that it was Brian. A short message came from him.

[Sorry] 

I sighed. Reading the text made my disappointment back. Brian should have been accompanied me to the party. 

It was an wedding party. Mr. Todd gave me the invitation and encouraged me to come over. He even said to bring my boyfriend along. 

I did. But, it turned out that Brian canceled our plan. It seemed that his work was more important than his girlfriend's. He had to prepare a quiz for his student. By the way, he is a history teacher. 

I wore the bracelet quickly. I glanced the time while reading his message and realized that I was almost late. Not for the party, but someone who would pick me up. Just because I said I might not show up to the party, Mr. Todd was kind enough by sending his chauffeur over. Then, I couldn't debate him anymore. 

As soon as I reached the lobby, someone approached me then introduced himself as my driver for tonight. I was pretty surprised because he was a young man, not the old one as I had in mind. He was around my age, maybe a couple of years older. And by how he talked to me, I could tell that he was the inflexible and robust type. He was so formal. He even refused to call me by my name instead of Miss Shire. 

Rufus, as he introduced his name, led me to his car. A shiny black BMW parked near my apartment. 

At some point, I felt a little bit discourage watching those views, especially when he opened the door for me. I had never been treated like this before. I meant having someone driving for me and manage to see me as a boss. 

I was not, of course. Who was me to be Rufus' boss? 

Rufus started to drive the car. I didn't know exactly where the party took place, but Mr. Todd once told me that it was out of Oxford. Even when Brian was still available to be my companion, he would send someone over to escort us to the party. It was kind of strange. He was like a man with secrets behind. 

I looked out of the window, watching trees moving as we drove toward the wood. The road slowly became quiet. There were only a few cars we met along this long drive. And I could only see the darkness. 

I crossed my arms. I didn't know why but I felt a bit scared though I sensed a safe feeling near Rufus. It wasn't him. It was just everything that we passed through. Quiet and dark. I hated being in those states. It was like a combo horror for me. And the fact that we were driving into it made my heart beat faster. 

Sometimes I could hear howling wolves. They sounded far away, but I knew they were from the forest. They were like talking to each other, informing the situation, maybe telling about our presence in their territory too. Who knew. 

Twenty-five minutes had passed. Rufus began to slow down and turn the car into a narrow road. I held my breath as we went to a darker area. I almost couldn't see a thing along the route. The tree seemed so high without an ending. 

I was anticipating. What kind of wedding party would take place here? 

After five minutes more of driving, I could see a big house at the end of this path. It was in Victorian style that I would call a mini castle. Sorry, a mini castle in the deep woods. Had the building been here all the time?

Rufus was so quick. While I was still amazed at the house right in front of me, he moved to open the door for me. It might be his manner, like a gentleman who treated a fine lady in the past. 

My eyes wandered around. Surprisingly, there were many cars parked here. And from my point, I saw the house crowded with people. It felt like a different world to the opposite of the quietness here. 

Rufus guided me to enter the house. I was following him in hesitant steps. Some part of me still couldn't believe that I would join the party. The level was so different. They weren't just ordinary people. How they dressed up and how they behaved to each other were telling me that. I was lost. Somehow I knew that I wouldn't fit well at this party. 

My steps were still behind Rufus. I tried to keep calm and to control my breath steadily. Making mistakes was something I must avoid. So, I had to manage my nervousness well, or I might stumble while walking at a slow pace and made myself embarrassed. 

Oh, that was Mr. Todd, standing beside his wife. I gave my smile when we exchanged gazes. Spontaneously, I sped up, walking toward them. It felt like finding oases in a desert. Mr. Todd and his family were the only people I recognized here. And, surely, Rufus. But, I doubted to speak at him. He was so quiet. Indeed, we didn't talk on our ride here. 

I almost ran to approach Mr. Todd when suddenly someone grabbed my hand and forced me to turn around. 

"Finally, I found you." He talked as our gazes met.