The Murderer In My Shadow

Chapter One: The Mansion

The smell of lavender outside the open window of her room made Amberlene hesitant to get up on her bed. She's too lazy to wake up as early as four in the morning. But, it's time for her morning exercise.

Every day, she woke up as early as four o'clock, so she can jog alone. She knows the time of her butlers and chambermaids wake-up call. And she always ensures that she wake up before them. It's actually her policy not any one of them to wake up earlier than four in the morning.

For 20 years of her life in the mansion, changes were made. She strictly emphasized to her parents the need to organize herself. And it will start on her breakfast time alone from her chambermaids and butlers. She needs to spent at least an hour or two in the morning away from her servants.

Wearing all black clothes from her tops down to her pajama and running shoes, as well as hoodie and face mask, she set out of her room. She was bare foot when sneaking outside to avoid any noise. Like her favorite movie James Bond, she silently tiptoed holding her running shoes to get out.

From the second floor of her mansion, she hurriedly went down and off she went into the entrance of the house. Before opening it, she looked back and saw no one was following her. After coming out and closing the door, she immediately wore her shoes and started jogging.

Even though she has all the authority to all the house rules of the mansion, she also needs to be careful. She's afraid that one of her servants may take advantage of her possessions. Anyone can be a suspect, and she will interrogate them if certain things like jewelries or expensive gadgets may lose without her knowing.

Of course, her body is not an exception to that so-called advantage. Who will like her? She's an ugly Cinderella living in a mansion that no one would dare touch her, once they saw her moon shape scars on her face. No one will indeed love her for her monster face.

It is her own free will that no one must see her face. Not even one butler or chambermaid are allowed to raise their head to look at her. Termination of contract is the severe punishment, no exceptions. That is her law in the mansion.

It was past thirty minutes in the hour of four in the morning when she reached the back of the mansion, where a lot of flowers were blooming every day every time she stopped by and smell it. The morning sunshine is ready to greet her at five o'clock.

The back of the mansion is a restricted area and only she can enter there. Whoever stepped into her so-called Amberlene's secret garden, will be punished to death. So far, no one from her servants have ever trespass her quiet place.

After running in circles in the center of the garden, the sound of alarm on her smart watch ended her routine. She jogged again back into the mansion because it's about time for her chambermaids to wake up.

She was on her way back to the entrance of her home when she saw a shadow hastily following her. The moment she stops, the shadow just disappear. Amberlene shook her head and headed straight into the main entrance, removing her shoes, and silently running inside towards her chamber.

WHILE Amberlene is having a shower inside her room, the shadow she saw earlier following her appeared, hiding in the shades of the tree, giggling on what appears to be an encounter with the owner of the mansion.

The time is not yet to arrive, Amberlene. Sooner or later, you'll get to know me. It's better for me to be hiding alone than expose myself to you. I know your every day routine and I will follow you every morning in your secret garden.

The shadow silently laugh on his words, thinking of the many days needed to be with her before the time of exposure. Following her daily exercise will get her attention, or worst ended being a stalker.

THIRTY minutes have passed the hour of six and all twenty chambermaids and butlers are waiting outside her room. What she only needed to do is to take a shower, wore a bathrobe, and call each of her chambermaids to hand in over her dress including her favorite tops, brassiere, and lingerie. After each one of them dressed her, the next batch of butlers were to enter and fixed her bed.

The third batch will then switch over and prepare her breakfast. Her breakfast must be specifics like fried rice with onions, bacon and ham, American sized Virginia hotdog and Jasmin tea to avoid indigestion. The last batch will clean her table and finished everything. The same habit must be performed during her lunch, snacks, and dinner. They must not forget her schedules, or else expulsion will be immediately imposed.

The chambermaids and butlers followed her instruction and thank God that no one was demoted from their job. No one dared to look at her face to face. Not any one of them mingled about her. For the past two and a half years, the same chambermaids and butlers were assigned to her. Amberlene trusted each one of them, and she's confident that no one will break their promises.

But, one of her chambermaids needed to go back home because her mother is sick and no one's going to take care of her.

“Young mistress, I am so sorry for asking you this, but I need your permission to let me go home because my mother is sick and no one is there to help her,” she knelt down outside her chamber while listening into the door.

“You can leave and I will also give you extra money for your mother's medication. I pray for her faster recovery,” Amberlene, as the owner of the mansion agreed to let her go back home and also send extra money for her chambermaid's mother's check-up and medicines.

The servant thanked her and told her that as early as three in the morning, she will leave the mansion. Happiness and excitement were formed in the maid's expression and hurriedly went back to her quarters and started packing.

The next day, about three in the morning, the servant leave the mansion walking towards the main gate. She's halfway through the door when someone knocked her at the back and carried her into the darkest area of the mansion.