Chapter2: Turbulence

The building was enormous, and people were going back and forth. I headed to the reception to ask for directions to where I should go for my appointment. The girl with a soft, pleasant voice pointed me to the door, and I rushed towards it so as not to be late.

I knocked on the indicated door, and a voice told me to enter. I walked in. There sat an elderly man with white hair at the desk, and beside him was a young woman whose face I recognized immediately. Her beautiful red hair and slender neck reminded me of her right away.

—Please come in— the elderly man said with the formal tone typical of his profession. They stood up and extended their hands to greet me. But I couldn't take my eyes off the large blue eyes of the woman. Her victorious smile hinted that she had lost everything.

—My name is Tom McDonald. I am the judge in charge of your case, and she—he said, pointing to the woman— is Miss Smith, the attorney and representative of Mr. Audrey.

She smiled at me, a look that spoke a thousand words, like someone playing a game of which she had complete control.

—Excuse me, Mr. McDonald, but could you explain how someone claims my property without even having the decency to introduce themselves?—I said in a clearly annoyed tone.

—Mr. Audrey prefers discretion— the slender woman replied calmly, only managing to frustrate me more.

—Discretion, you say? And you have the gall to claim a family property without even belonging to it? Excuse me, Mr. McDonald, but I consider this meeting a total lack of respect— I said in an exasperated tone, showing my frustration.

—Would you give us a few minutes, Miss Smith?—the elderly man said. She nodded, gave a cold and cruel smile, stood up from her seat, and left.

—I will explain, Miss Ford. As you know, your family lost everything, and your house was mortgaged.—

—I already know that, sir— I said, upset.

—Please allow me to explain— he said with the calmness of an experienced person. I took a deep breath and listened.

—Your house was claimed by Mr. Audrey, as these lands originally belonged to his lineage. Your family signed an agreement with them stating that if they lost everything, the house would be handed over to this gentleman—

In my mind, chaos erupted, and the whole place spun around me. I knew I could lose my house. But to whom, a stranger, without any chance to reclaim or fight for what was so important to my family?

—Are you alright, Miss?— the elderly man asked, noticing my pale state.

—I'm fine— I lied.

—Could I appeal?— I asked, hoping for a positive response.

—Yes, Miss, you could appeal, but it would be a difficult battle given the agreement in the past and the cost of the process. I believe you are not in a position to afford a professional at that level— he said with complete honesty, and though his words were cruel, I knew they were the truth. He continued, and all I could do was listen and curse my days.

—There is something else, Miss— he said, and my heart raced even more.

—Something else?— I whispered, bringing my right hand to my forehead.

—You must vacate the mansion. You have one week— he extended a paper with the ruling. I took it and read while my hands trembled. I stood up, making a great effort to hold my weakened body, thanked the judge, and left, dragging my heavy feet.

Who was this mysterious Mr. Audrey who had complete rights over my estate?

It was summer, and the heat was almost unbearable, typical of Texas. The heat hit my body, making the impact of the unpleasant news feel even crueler. I got into my car, turned on the air conditioning to cool off, and my body slumped in the seat as if I had just surrendered to the enemy.

Desperation and fear flooded me, as if I were sinking in a deep sea, slowly being covered by the waters. I was on the brink of despair, feeling like the fine line that separated sanity from madness was fading away.

I arrived at my house. The enormous mansion loomed before my eyes, with its large garden neglected due to the lack of a gardener. The large doors that would soon close on me in a week would leave me outside.

The truth was that the mansion was almost deteriorated, lifeless, alone. I had no way to keep such a massive property maintained when I barely had a dime.

But something strange was happening; the lights were dim, almost flickering, as if some external energy weakened the mansion's power. I ran to my room, hurried up the stairs as fast as I could. I threw open the door with such force that it resonated throughout the second floor. I grabbed a dolphin-shaped ornament from the nightstand and hurled it with hatred against the wall. That was just the beginning of the disaster I would create in my room. One after another, I threw objects, releasing my fury on the broken items.

With each item I smashed, I became angrier, letting out desperate screams of rage. Tears ran down my face, ruining my makeup. Everything in my head was piling up—so much pain in such a short time stored inside me, without telling anyone. I let out one last irritated scream, even louder, throwing a large, heavy vase of flowers against the floor. I felt something else shatter, outside. The sound of the glass made me look at my large, broken mirror on the side, dividing my reflection into several pieces; my scream had shattered it...

But something compelled me to approach it. My reflection was entirely different, horrible. My hair fell loosely and wildly over my back. My expression of rage was terrifying, almost causing me fear. Suddenly, my eyes turned black in front of the huge, shattered mirror. Terror gripped me, and I backed away, walking quickly in reverse, unable to take my eyes off the mirror. My image remained there, looking at me without moving. I slammed my back against the wall and slid gently down until I was on the floor. The image in the mirror had vanished.

All I could do was cry. Perhaps my horrible dreams and these strange visions were just an indication of mental problems. Suddenly, I remembered my parents—the loving hugs from my father and the sweet kisses from my mother. My grandmother, so affectionate as always, came to my mind, stroking my hair and comforting me. Perhaps seeing her in my dreams with a terrible figure was merely a way to reflect the pain of her absence. I got up from the floor, crying, unable to contain so much sorrow. I lay down on my bed and covered myself with my large white sheet in an attempt to shelter myself from the outside world.

"I don't know what will happen tomorrow or when I step out of this room; I just know that right now, I don't want to think about anything else."