1. A new place to start over

ARIA

I stood before the grand mansion, a place I had called home for most of my life. Despite the surrounding darkness of the forest, the house seemed to emit its own light.

"Aria, it's time to go!" My mother called out from the car, the sound of the slamming door indicating that this was the last time I would see this house.

With a deep sigh and a heavy heart, I turned away from the mansion and walked towards the car with my hands buried in my hoodie pockets.

"Goodbye, Twilight Grove," I whispered to myself.

──────

"Who's the kid?" A customer at my mother's flower shop asked. Since our move to Willow Stone, people had been curious about my name.

My mother had opened her own shop so that we could work together and not be separated.

"Stanley, stop pestering Pandora for her daughter's sake," a man interrupted, placing a rough grip on Stanley's shoulders and making him squirm playfully. The man's words made my mother laugh as she arranged the flowers they had purchased for their wives.

Both men thanked my mother and left the shop with a nod and a smile. Of course, they knew my name. It was written in large letters above the shop. They just liked to tease us since we were the new kids in town.

Aria's Pandora's Box

"Mom, the tulips and asters are dying again," I called out, my gaze fixed on the flower bucket outside the shop. The flowers were nearly as dry as the autumn leaves scattered on the ground.

My mother emerged from the shop, a frown on her face. "Just throw them away. The tulips and asters only bloomed three days ago. Hopefully, that's enough to replace the dead ones."

Without argument, I bent down to reach for the first bucket of dying tulips. We had both suspected that the weather was to blame, but I had a feeling it was something more sinister. Perhaps someone was sabotaging our flowers to keep us from selling.

As I lifted the bucket, the strong stench of decaying petals filled my nose and made me sneeze uncontrollably.

"Bless you," a voice whispered from behind me. I quickly turned around, but there was no one there. A shiver ran down my spine as I felt a set of eyes watching me from somewhere on the street.

"Aria, get inside!" My mother's voice shattered my thoughts. I slowly put down the flowers and headed back into the shop, scanning the street corners for any sign of the source of the voice.

"Why? I was just getting rid of the dead flowers," I said, confused.

"You don't have to do that. I'll take care of it," she replied, adjusting her seat to look at something behind me. I turned to see what she was looking at, but there was nothing there.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking back at her.

She snapped out of her trance. "Oh, yes. Just stay inside. I'll close up the shop." She stood up quickly and was out the door before I could ask any questions.

I shrugged at my mother's behavior and decided to spray the remaining flowers with floral preservatives to keep them fresh.

As I worked, I noticed that my mother was still lifting buckets to the back of the shop. I approached the door and twisted the knob, but my mother's head suddenly popped up on the other side of the glass.

"Do not try me, Aria." She warns while pointing the finger at me.

"I want to help!" I yelled, frustration boiling within me.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" came the gruff reply.

I sighed and turned away from the door, taking a seat behind the counter. My hand reached for the drawer, searching for the one item that had always provided solace – my diary. I flipped through its pages, reading my old rants and studying the photos and dried flowers that acted as bookmarks.

A smile tugged at my lips as I read the first entry I had written five years ago.

"My writing sucks."

"Agree."

The voice echoed in my ear, causing me to jolt upright. I looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but I was alone in the flower shop.

"Mom?" I called out, my voice quivering with fear. I could feel the chill of the unknown creeping into my bones once again.

There was no response.

"Mate!"

The piercing scream sent a jolt of pain through my head. I was on high alert, fear coursing through my veins. The voice seemed to come from all around me, but I couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

"S-Shut up!" I yelled, clutching at my head as the pain intensified.

"He is here─Mate!"

I could feel my head getting lighter as the pain faded, my breathing slowly returning to normal.

"Are you okay?" The voice asked, its tone laced with concern. I knew it was the same voice that had been messing with me, but I refused to acknowledge it.

I opened my eyes, only to see a stranger standing before me.

"Yes? This is a self-serve shop. You can pick out your own flowers," I whispered, still trying to regain my composure.

A faint, airy laugh filled the quiet shop, sending shivers down my spine.

"I am not interested in flowers. But this rose would be lovely," the stranger said, twirling a white rose between his fingers. The way he played with the stem, filled with thorns, made me uncomfortable. Yet, he didn't flinch as the thorns pricked his skin – there was not even a drop of blood.

I took the rose from him, but I couldn't bring myself to look at his face.

"He's not pleased."

The voice echoed in my ear once again, but I ignored it.

"That will be $4," I said, my voice shaking as I felt the stranger's eyes on me.

Suddenly, he was gone. I looked up, but all I could see was a dark shadow flashing in the corner aisle of the store. The sound of footsteps made my heart race, fear gripping me.

"Mom?" I called out, but the shadow didn't respond. Instead, it grew taller, looming over me as a low growl rumbled from its throat.

It's happening again, I thought to myself. The monsters are here. I'm so scared, mom. Narcissa, where are you?

And then, everything went black.

"We died, Aria."