Chapter 2

Sunlight from the window pierces her eyes. She opens her eyes and spots her beloved, wearing a black suit and getting ready for another day of work.

He checks his phone after another ding drew his attention. He has his classic frown plastered on his wrinkly face, messages always annoy him, they always have something to do with work. But why is he smiling at this one, why are his lips curved upwards and his eyes glittering? Who sent him that message?

His eyes glance towards the bed, where his gaze meets Emily's. The smile was washed off his face like it was never there, to begin with.

She hides under the large soft sheets, ashamed of her wrinkles and dark circles.

Before she can sneak a peak at him, he was gone. Sounds of the roaring limo fill the house, followed by a loud screech from the tires and then silence.

A heavy sigh escapes her lips, being once again abandoned in this large empty house.

Emily Hensley, a blond 46-year-old. Once a legend of the stage, now a happily married woman with a loving husband and a full-filled life.

Her morning routines start simple. She stays in bed for about 30 minutes, mentally preparing herself for the day to come, wondering if it's all worth the struggle or if it would be wiser to become one with the water and roses.

Of course, it's worth it, love always overcomes all.

She gets off her husband's bed, she picks up his clothes and some misplaced documents, putting everything back in its place

If only it were as easy to get my life together

After she's done with that, she makes breakfast for 2. Placing the second plate at his seat and pretending he's there eating with her

"Do you like your eggs, honey"

No response

Only her voice, echoing through the halls of the empty building.

Then she does the dishes and sweeps the house. Barely any dust on the floor, she sweeps anyways to fill the void in this empty house.

Choirs are done, nothing to do. The silence grows louder, wrapping her around in its horrific void.

She stands up, and every step she takes echoes around the room.

*step step* she approaches the basement door

she lightly pushes the door open *creek*

She walks in

Most people are scared of basements, the strange noises, the overwhelming darkness, the rats, just the overall structure of the tiny room makes many avoid it. That's why many horrific scenes in horror movies take place when that small innocently stupid child takes a trip to the basement

Emily is different, the basement is her safe place. It holds all the memories of her past and what she thought at the time would be her future.

The small room filled with old dusty boxes gives her a break from the empty mansion lacking even the smallest spec of dust. The strange noises and rats give her a break from the dreadful silence of the empty empire. The darkness distracts her from the fact she's all alone in this luxurious prison

She sucks in a deep breath of musty dusty air

She's used to it, it's refreshing.

You would think that  with the amount of time she spends in this place, she would clean it and make it a suitable place for a human to stay.

No, she likes the dusty air flying into her nostrils, she likes the cobwebs and spiders nesting above her head, she likes that this is the type of place Charles would never enter.

She opens a dust-ridden cabinet revealing a pair of pink socks neatly placed inside. She raised the socks to her nose and takes a big whiff.

Ahh, the smell of baby powder.

The socks were still new regardless of being almost as old as their marriage.

How much would these little socks change in this spacious house of echoes? Crying, screaming, running around with muddy feet.

Wow, what a dream.

A dream that would never come true.

She places the socks back in the cabinet, making her way over to the large glass trophy case equally covered in dust but the gold ornaments shined from within.

A time when she had dreamt of nothing more than dance and love.

A flower planted in a dream that can't come true

She glances at the box sitting at the top of the trophy case. She pulls out an old creaking stool from the side, it was covered in dust but had her feet imprinted on it as a result of its constant use.

She places the box on the floor, years of dust following it.

*AUCHO* she sneezed heavily

*aucho aucho aucho" the sound travels across the empty castle. She snoffs and opens the box.

A beautiful white ballet dress, paired with worn-out ballet shoes to match.

Sweet memories flood in like beautiful waves, washing over her leaving her with wet hair and sand in her ears

She puts on the dress and after a few hops and jumps she fits in perfectly. Fixing into this dress is all she has left, she would rather die than lose that.

She puts on the old worn-out shoes, lacing them tightly around her legs. She testes them out, standing on her tippy toes. Placing both feet back down, she raises her left leg, spreading her left arm forward and her left arm back in a penchè

She walks out of the basement, running to the living room in search of the loud blue tooth speaker.

She already has some songs saved in it. She turns the speaker to the highest volume and presses play.

Stepping unto her tippy toes, she begins to dance. It's the same as she remembers, twirling around the wide empty castle, like a joyous prisoner.

Her feet follow the bet, her heart thumbs loudly, and sweat drips from her head down to the floor.

Her mind travels back to her years on stage.

Magnificent

Majestic

Ethereal

Those were the words used to describe her

Now she would be described as

Pitiful

Lonely

A shadow of the person she once was

She dances around the hall and I the narrator feel bad for you because you can't see the Way her body twist and turns, the way she smoothly glides and slides, and the magnetic pull of her every move.

A single tear falls down her cheeks, wetting the floor. Through her every move she is telling a story. The story of the beautiful ballerina turned housewife, trapped not only in this elegant castle but being held in the treacherous clutches of love.

Oh, love.

Oh how bittersweet

Lovely as well as lonely

Builds you up and breaks you down

Blinds your eyes with its mesmerizing light, then lead you through a dark and dangerous path with no return

She's spins

And spins

And spins

And spins

And spins

And spins

Till she finally comes crashing down,

She sobs loudly and the empty empire mocks her, mimicking her in a long distant echo.

*BING BING BING BING*

The large clock strokes 6. Her beloved is coming, he'll be back any minute now.

She takes off her "ballet costume" and runs to the basement and places it neatly in the box

He had asked her multiple times in the past, to erase her past and focus only on her future with him.

But how could she erase what was possibly the best time in her life? Other than getting married to him of course

If he knew she still holds on to her past, he would feel so betrayed and their relationship would somehow worsen.

She takes a shower, no time for a bath.

And it's back to her same old routine.

Lavender scented candles and layers upon layers of makeup hide the ugliness that is her face.

He walks in, on a call. Throwing  his jacket to the floor, she makes food, he doesn't eat and Eric walks into the house looking at Emily with pitiful eyes.

His eyes say "why don't you leave? Why stay and suffer like this?"

She wants to reply "love" but she can barely speak with her mouth, talk less her eyes.

Eric informs Charles about an important meeting at work and as always Charles leaves but not before saying

"Clean yourself up, you look like shit. Oh, and when I come back I better not find you in my bed, don't pull the same shit you did last night"

And just like that, he's gone. The house grows silent and she is trapped in this elegant prison once more.

She takes her routine bath with rose petals and scented candles

Wondering what it would be like to hold her head underwater and feel her soul slowly drift away.