MEETING THE WOMAN WITH RED HAIR

11 years earlier, Late Spring, 09:42 PM

Servant's Residence, Summer Villa of the Spencer's >

A teenager boy typed the last paragraph of an assignment on the laptop. Finally finished, he closed the laptop and picked up his phone. A new voice message icon appeared on the screen. He clicked to give it a listen.

"Hey Alex, how are you? Jenny here. Again. Um…are you okay alone? Since I entered college, we haven't really talked. Are your studies going ok? Are the other seniors at the high school treating you well? I mean…you know…I am fine. The other students here are nice and all. It's just a bit…unfamiliar at campus. I'm not complaining, and I am doing okay; I just…wanted to ask if you're okay? Are you a bit lonely? I miss being together. But I am sure you're doing well. You always are. Don't overdo it with the exercise. And do call me if there's anything you need or you just wanna talk….Okay…well…err…love you. And miss you…and well…I guess I should hang up. Lots to do. Loads….yeah…well, okay. Bye! Love you!"

He erased the message with a sigh. Why was his older sister so easily frightened? They had been living together until she recently entered college in early spring. Since then, she was leaving messages daily. At first even hourly. She wasn't adjusting well. He typed a quick reply.

'I'm fine, don't worry. The studies are going great and the others are nice. Take care of yourself, sis.'

His hand hovered over the send button. It's not like she expected a reply. It was more of a venting channel for her. But oh well. Sent.

A little lie never hurt nobody. The studies were fine, so much was true, but regarding the other high schoolers…well, he didn't know anybody personally. So perhaps they were nice, maybe they weren't. Who was he to know? But she didn't have to know about this. It wasn't a problem for him. Being here alone. An owl started to hoot outside. He walked down the hallway, picked up the worn-out sport shoes and left the empty house to go for a run in the forest.

The cold air outside burned his lungs but left a nice, cool touch across his skin. The summer residence villa stretched out next to the servants' quarters across the hill, with a driveway leading down to the gate. And just outside, the forest began. It was a perfect place, hilly, uneven sneaky paths, and lots of wildlife. He loved going there. There he felt free. Even though he was alone. How could he feel lonely with all this life around him? He took another cold breath in, filling up his lungs, and smiled. The world was quiet and nice.

11 years earlier, Late Spring, 11:37 PM

Servant's Residence, Summer Villa of the Spenders >

When he returned towards the driveway, his steps slowed. Then he came to a complete stop, and his eyebrows furrowed. There was a car in the driveway, parked just before the main entrance.

Slowly, he approached the villa. The Spencers didn't come here. Their main residence was much closer to the city and had everything one could ever want for. This summer villa was empty most of the time, except for when someone would come to clean from time to time. And Spencer himself would on a rare occasion drop by. So far, he had done so twice, but always with notice and only very briefly to get organizational matters sorted out. School for him. And college for Jenny. Done.

But this was clearly his car. The expensive Maybach gleamed back at the world and stood perfectly still in place. The heavy wooden entrance to the mansion leaned in its door frame but wasn't fully closed. Alexander pushed it open and stepped inside. The main foyer was empty. To his left was the diner room and behind it the kitchen. To his right, a grand living room. But everything was dark, only the outside moonlight threw highlights on the silhouettes. It was close to black. But there was a soft yellow glow coming from upstairs. He could make out faint sounds.

Almost in a trance, Alex took one step after the other up the stairs to follow the sounds. He didn't make any noise, each step carefully placed on the rolled-out carpet along the marble staircase. The light was coming from the slit in a door frame, leading to one of the many bedrooms. Without a sound, he creeped closer. Who was this? A thief? Without breathing, he leaned so close to the door that he could see through the slit and see a thin slice of the inside view. His jaw dropped. And as soon as the realization hammered through his thoughts, he pulled back. A deep blush rushed all the way from his flaming cheeks to his burning ears. In a mix of haste and care, he stumbled back down the stairs towards the kitchen and immediately splashed cold tab water on his face. He needed to get a grip. His hands grasped around the kitchen desktop and he stared himself in the mirror.

What had he just seen? Even though it had been only very fleeting, the images were burned into his mind vividly. Clothes thrown on the floor, the sheets in a mess, and then the woman on top…he had only seen her from behind, with velvet hair pouring down her back, and then a thin silk robe covering her back still. But then she had moved her hips. The pleased grown of a man underneath, a younger one. Perhaps a relative of Spencers'. But who cared about him? It was the woman he couldn't tear his eyes off. The small movement was enough to let her silk robe slip down her shoulder and reveal part of her bare back. Her skin. And on it some sort of tattoo snaking around her shoulders. The moment she let out a rhythmic breath, her head turned to one side and the next, her eyes met his. That's when finally it had hit him. Hard. And he had escaped. But still…the images lingered. He swallowed. She wasn't one of the high school girls. That…that was a woman. Her skin…her…His hand flung out to shove an empty glass under the tab and quickly gulp down half of its content. He needed to calm down. Maybe meditation would help. His heart was beating dangerously quickly. He forced his eyes to close and take a few deep, slow breaths. He could overcome this. He was stronger than the typical teen. He needed to. But his heartbeat seemed to have other plans, hammering in his ear drums so loudly he might go deaf. At least it appeared as if his breathing was settling down. Finally. Just when –

"I'm sorry, but could you give me some as well?"