Chapter 1: Meeting my new neighbor.

 AVELINE BAKER.

People always noticed my eyes first. Not my face, not my voice, not even my name. Just the eyes; one blue, one grey. They'd curse, throw salt, and set up talismans around their houses to wade off the 'evil spirit' they claim I have. My life has never been normal ever since my parents found out I had heterochromia.

My dad blamed my mom for cheating, my mom blamed my dad for his 'stupid family genes,' while I took the fall for everything. My own father couldn't even look at me: he said I should go meet the d*ck I came out from and call him my father.

Even with all the insults and abuses, the desire to gain my dad's approval as a child never reduced.

Perfect grades, punctuality awards, there was nothing I didn't do to make him look my way. Yet everyone avoided me like a plague.

Like I had chosen to come the way I am. Eventually, I grew out my bangs, hair to hide my eyes and face and just like that, my invisible era went on for the first fourteen years of my existence.

When Mr. Baker eventually died, good riddance, I thought my whole world had crumbled. My mom left the house, became a s*x worker, and died from excessive alcohol and depression.

Strange enough, I wasn't as affected by my mom's death as I was about my dad's even though he was the reason why I lost all self-esteem as a child.

Uncle Matthew's angry voice soon broke me out of my reverie.

Here I am a year later in my uncle's rundown makeshift apartment located in the dregs of Spain with moaning sounds robbing the sunless room of the little sanity left.

Life is good, isn't it?

“You have been granted a succession appointment following the death of Mr. Alphonso Baker who died in service." Attached to this letter is a cheque of three hundred thousand dollars which is to be used for the burial of our beloved staff or any formalities that may arise during the course."

Uncle Matthew read out the message letter three more times before collapsing onto the couch. "These damned people. What an insult!" I picked up the letter with shaky hands. I had no tears left to cry; they were all dried out three days ago when their lifeless bodies were brought to our apartment.

"Let's just take the money uncle. It's not like rejecting it will bring them back anyway." I say squeezing the paper and tossing it into the plastic bin.

My dad had worked with the government for forty-five years and still didn't receive half of the compensation money sent to us. It's ironic just how people can be when it comes to money.

Uncle Matthew got up from the couch and held my cold hand. He wasn't too old for his age neither was he too young.

"Aveline..." he started slowly. I look at his eyes which had traces of green in them just like my dad's. "...you're still too young for all this. Let's move away from here. Far far away...hmm?" he said earnestly stressing each word but my face remained blank.

I felt nothing. No, I couldn't feel anything.

"Uncle Matthew... we're too poor to move to another house." I say bluntly.

"The money they sent is enough for us to move to another country entirely and start afresh. I'm sure that's what your father would've wanted."

Yeah right. The same father who had watched his boss' children burn me with a hot comb.

I sighed, looking at him. Everything was just so tiring.

Uncle Matthew had always been the thoughtful one in the family despite being unmarried at thirty-nine, he was still able to fend for himself. "Your father owed millions in debt while he was still alive and I need this job if I'm ever to pay them back." A shiver crossed my arm. We were in debt? Dad was never the type to borrow even when his life depended on it.

"Where's the job site?" I ask Uncle Matthew instead.

"Italy."

I paused for a while then burst out laughing. That's the first time I'd felt amused in all my life. "So they're trying to send us away huh?" "Ave it's not like that—"

"Then how is it like? What's wrong with stationing you at the same plant father used to work? Are they afraid you'd find out how poor the management system is and charge them to court?"

"And how will I even be able to do that with a two million dollar debt strangling my neck?!" Uncle screamed at me, panting hard. I remain quiet after his outburst. There was no point arguing over the dead anyway.

He sighed exasperatedly. "This is a chance for something new... please, let's not throw it away. I want something better for you... something that won't give you the same end like your father's."

The look in his eyes convinced me enough to go along with the plan: leave Spain for Italy.

"You'll meet new people who won't bully you because of your hair or eye color or background. Don't you want to be free Aveline? To finally be able to breathe?" he looked at me earnestly like my approval will change the fact he'd still run away if I declined.

But why would I? There was nothing left to salvage here in Spain plus Italy doesn't sound so bad. I'd finally have a decent roof on my head and won't have to search the dumpster for leftover mouldy bread.

"All right...but I'm only agreeing to this because I want to be far away from Daeson and her minions at school."

Uncle patted my head and drew me into his arms. "Of course Ave," I feel a tear land on my shoulder. "...you deserve better than this..." Dad always said, "The closer a friend gets, the more steps you take away." I don't trust Uncle Matthew...I don't trust anyone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Piedmont where the local time is 15:55. "

For your safety and the safety of those around you, please remain seated with your seatbelts securely fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the seatbelt sign has been switched off by the captain.

Cabin crew will now prepare the cabin for arrival.

Thank you for flying with us today. We wish you a safe journey and an enjoyable stay in Piedmont."

The journey to our new house dragged on for two hours on the road. By the time we got there, it was already evening and dusk was setting in.

"Uncle...are you sure this is the right place." I say, hurling my luggage out of the taxi and climbing up the stairs leading to the porch. The house was decent; nothing too grand or too small.

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing it's just too...quiet."

"Oh come on now Aveline. Italy is the most beautiful state in the whole world. Wait till morning and you'll see what I'm talking about."

I shrugged my shoulders. Uncle is right...no one can hurt me here. Does this mean I can finally breathe?

We had a simple meal of fruit juice and microwaved pizza which uncle had bought from the airport. Tired, I went upstairs to find a room where I can sleep since it was a weekend. Uncle came into my room some minutes later just as I was about to fall asleep.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously. That wasn't good. "Er...the board just called, Aveline. They need me to sign some documents of consent and custody—" "So you won't be coming home this night?" I ask quietly then stifled a small smile.

"That's alright. I'll be fine all alone."

"I'm sorry, Vee." . Was he hiding something from me? "Er...er...after the meeting I need to go see someone too..." he said, stammering every word. "Will do. Bye." I shrug my shoulders and covered myself with the sheets.

Uncle Matthew had always been weird so I didn't look too much into it.

An hour after he left, my sleep left with him. So I sat up in bed going over the timetable for my new school when a low growl vibrated along the street. That was fast. Didn't he say he needed to see someone too? I jumped down from the bed and hurried to the door.

But when I opened the door, there was no one there only the chilly evening air. What caught my attention the most was the fact that the neighbors who lived on the other side of the street crossed to my side when their houses were literally in front of them.

The loud bang I had heard earlier sounded even louder this time, sending the neighbors scurrying into their houses in fright.

This is so weird...what's going on?

The sound came from the house that faced ours directly. I climbed down the stairs that led to our house, crossed the street and stood in front of the door.

"What are you doing you silly girl?!"

"Get down, that house is cursed!"

One of them even rushed out of his car, grabbed my hand, and started dragging me away. What the heck?

A group of people huddled by the window too started whispering harshly to me, warning me to leave. "But why?" I asked them over and over again. My wrists began to hurt and I felt strained still I ignored them nevertheless because why wouldn't I be able to shut up the dummy disturbing my peace?

"Hello?! Hello!" I scream at the top of my voice. I tried to block out the noise from the neighbors but it's impossible when it only keeps getting louder and louder still!

I knocked continuously even to the point of banging my fists on the door. "Open the door damnit—"

Before I could finish my sentence, the door swung open, and my voice died instantly in my throat. The man who had been tugging my arm probably with the aim of tearing it away ran away like he had just seen Satan. The voices half-shouting at me also vanished in a blur and everywhere became dead silent.

When I turned to face the dummy disturbing the peace, it finally dawned on me why the man ran away. A shirtless boy with tattoos all over his chest, arms, neck and waist opened the door. His damp raven-black hair fell over his sharp sl*t eyes partly hidden beneath the messy curls on his forehead.

He looked like he had just been interrupted from whatever it was that made him sweat that much.

I could feel it: that intimidating, terrifying aura that clung to the worst of the worst.

Sweat still clung to his skin as though he had just stepped out of the shower moments ago, sliding slowly down the hard planes of his chest before disappearing beneath the large joggers secured loosely around his waist.

The light streaming in from behind him provided enough illumination for me to see him. His knuckles were bruised and there were fresh cuts near his collarbone. He also had a cigarette in between his lips and a blood stained shirt hanging from his fingers.

My breath hitched at the sight of blood. Nothing could describe the instant feeling of fear that overshadowed me.

He was huge...bigger than life itself.

I could only stare as he towered over me with an effortless kind of confidence that felt both intimidating and strangely magnetic.

Every part of him looked unfairly perfect, from the sharp line of his jaw to the faint tension in his arms as he rested one hand against the doorframe. His lips were apart a bit because of the cigarette and I noticed a small glint of metal in them.

Piercings?

Mother always brought home men with piercings when father died and every single one of them was charged with either first degree murder or burglary.

His deep voice finally broke through my daze, low and rough enough. I could literally feel his gaze burn a hole in my neck. Then he moved closer and I held my breath completely.

“What?” he asked, looking down at me through narrowed eyes, and suddenly I couldn’t remember a single reason why I had come there in the first place.

Oh good lord I should have listened to the neighbors. This was definitely not what I was expecting.

No wonder the neighbors called their house cursed. This man is as sinful as sin can be.