2

Elara sank into her chair in her working space. By now, she is sure that everyone must have heard. Still, she pretended to work. Time passed and finally, everyone started leaving for home. One by one, Elara watched them till she was the only one left. Her boss had left earlier than the rest of them. She sank further into her thoughts, remembering what the boss had called her work again and again in her head. Trash. His words rang like a bell and each time, her heart sank further. It brought back the memories of the time where she had boldly seen the words ‘Rejected’ in the mails she had sent.

She stared at the short mail she had typed, ready to be sent and she read all over again.

"Hi Dr. Solen Pierce. My name is Elara Vance. I have seen your designs and how creative you are in developing your games. Actually, I have written a script for a game and I would like you to review it. It would be a pleasure to hear back from you."

There was an attachment after the message and the pointer of the mouse was in between 'Send' and 'Cancel'. She placed her head on the table and sighed.

She then thought, 'Either he accepts it or not, she still had to give it a try. At least, it was better than doing nothing'.

She lifted her head and in one heartbeat, she clicked 'Send'. It was after five seconds that she realized she was holding her breath. She released immediately and shut down the system. Her eyes moved out of the window and she saw that the light outside was dull.

"Shit!" She cursed under her breath and snatched her phone from the table where she saw the time was 6:45. She quickly gathered her things and before she would leave finally, she glanced at her desk and then at the whole office.

She shut the door and left immediately. Clutching the strap of her handbag, she hurried and boarded a cab. Once she got down, she walked in the street near her home and thought of how to cheer herself up if she brought the news to the table that she had lost her job. Being the one they depend on and look up to, she knew she had to assure them that everything will be fine and that she would start looking for a job elsewhere. If only Dr. Solen Pierce can see the potential in her work and employ her...

Her phone vibrated in her hand and she saw that it was an Email notification. Her heart stopped for a split second and she stopped immediately. A response to the mail she had sent earlier. She didn't expect the reply to be so fast. Normally, she had expected that it would take days, or even weeks. Guess Dr. Pierce likes to get everything tidied. Her palms turned sweaty all of a sudden as she clicked on the message and she shut her eyes, muttering prayers that it would be a good response. Then, she slowly opened them back and...

"Dear Ms. Elara Vance. We regret to inform you that your manuscript didn't pass the review. We noticed that you have knowledge about these things, but it's just not what we are looking for. Maybe try again some other time. We hope to hear back from you again."

Elara's heart sank. Even though she had expected something like this, it still saddens her. And what was that 'hope' in the message? Was that an encouragement? Still, what does it matter? The only reality is that she's a failed writer. Like her boss had said, all her works are trash.

As she dragged her feet home, all her mustered courage had plummet into a little threat of hope she was hanging on, at least, just until she gets home and breaks down while her boyfriend and sister comforts her. That alone would be enough for her to pull herself. Just this night, she thought.

She got to the front door of her house and turned the hand, but it didn't open. She concluded in her mind immediately that they were out to get food. Maybe that would give her the little privacy she needed to just cry and let it all out before they come back.

With that thought, she unlocked the door with her key and went inside. The lights were off. That was something unusual. Then all of a sudden, she heard it clearly. At first, she thought it was the wind, but it was definitely something else. A rhythmic, grunting creak from the living room and soft moans that sounded from a female. It was somewhat familiar. She has lived with her sister long enough to know what her moans sounded like. Also, the scent of something unholy filled the air.

No, it couldn't be...

She turned on the lights and her blood turned cold immediately. She moved her feet slowly to the back and the last string she was holding onto snapped within her. There, on the sofa, was a tangle of limbs and discarded clothes littered around. The back of her boyfriend, muscles taut, and her sister's face, eyes closed in ecstasy over his shoulder.

Her sister, Isabella, and her boyfriend, Marcus...! She couldn't believe her eyes.

Bella's eyes fluttered open and went wide immediately while Marcus scrambled off with a mask of guilt over his face.

"Baby, it's not what you—"

Even the very words he wanted to say couldn't leave his lips as he was busy trying to cover himself with some decent clothes. The words died right away when he saw the darkness in her eyes. As if her day couldn't get bad enough.

"Lara," Bella whimpered as she covered her lower face down to her body in shame. "I'm so—"

"Don't!" She said, her voice cold. Her breath shuddered and she backed away immediately. With hurt in her eyes, she said, "Everything I did until now was because of you two. So how could you?" The skin on her forehead crumpled and she felt a mix of rage and pain burning inside of her.

She turned and ran out of the house, the voice of Marcus, her boyfriend, calling after her, but she couldn't care anymore. She couldn't be in that house not even a second more.

Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled into the street, desperate to get anywhere else. She couldn't get over the sound of them grinding against each other in her head. The moans...the image of their limbs tangled together... It was sickening and it made her lose her mind. She wasn't focusing anymore when she suddenly ran into the headlights and the next she knew was a searing pain that tore right through her sides and into her head. It blurred out everything she had been going through since her day started and the last thing she heard before her eyes would close were the sounds of cars horning loudly.

Then...silence.

The next seconds that went by after that felt like she was having a dream. There, in that dream, she was being pulled into a dark hole. Her body kept falling deeper and deeper and there was no one she could call for help and no one to save her.

Then, all of a sudden, she let out a loud gasp and her body jolted upright with her eyes wide in horror. But whatever must have scared her was little compare to the horror she was about to face.