Chapter 5 - The Crimson Dress*

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Jack's Point Of View

Aisha was on the ground with the diary, and her oil lamp.
I placed the candle down on her bedside table and slid down to her, wrapping my arms around her small frail figure.
Tears were rolling down her face as her entire body was shaking in my embrace.

"Aisha, what's wrong?" I asked.

"J-Ja-ack.
Sh-she wa-was h-here!
Th-the n-noteb-book.
Th-there's more wr-writing i-in it!" Aisha's voice trembled.

The notebook opened on its own to a page, and what was written left me in goosebumps.

Alina

"Aisha, flip the page.
See if there's anything else." I whispered.
There was nothing else in the diary.

"Who the hell is Alina?" I asked.

"I don't know." Aisha sighed.

"Does your family have a family registry book?" I asked.

"I am not sure. If we do, it will be in the library downstairs." Aisha replied.

"Okay, I'll relight your oil lamp, you grab the notebook and let's go check." I stated.

I carefully lit the oil lamp and took Aisha's hand.
I opened the door and we walked out.
"Where is the library?" I asked.

"It's downstairs." Aisha replied.

"Aisha, do not let go of my hand. We need to be quiet." I whispered.

We made our way down the dark hallway and to the stairs as I led the way.
"Be careful, Aisha." I held her hand tighter.
Aisha switched to lead the way as we walked into the library.
Fortunately, the library wasn't extremely huge.

"The book should be somewhere near the front. I've seen it before, the cover is Black and Red and it says "Savelli"." Aisha whispered.
We looked for what seemed like an eternity, but it was only twenty minutes with no luck of finding anything useful.

"Let's check the shelf by the fireplace. That is usually where my dad hangs around in the library." Aisha sighed.
Fortunately enough, on the shelf by the fireplace was the family registry book.
"Aisha, I got it. Let's go." I smiled.

We quickly, but quietly made our way out of the library and back to Aisha's room and I opened the door.
I walked to her desk and took the chair that sat in front of it.
"I'm taking this chair.
I'll place it against the door knob so nobody can get in." I stated.

"Okay." Aisha replied.

I angled the chair under the knob.

Now no one can get inside.

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All while on the other side of the mansion, another secret was on the rise.

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Bill sat in his office at his desk with a switchblade in his hand, while James Estridsen stood beside him.
Bill's eyes stayed glued on the White and Red Dress that was placed on a mannequin, protected inside of a glass case on the opposite side of the room.

"Estridsen, you know, sometimes at night, I see her standing in front of me.
In that crimson red dress.

That dress wasn't always red.

That dress used to be a beautiful snow white, but, unfortunately now,
it's blood stained.

'If she would have just stayed out of the way, and minded her own business, maybe she would still be here.'" Bill repeated.

"See, now you're getting it-" James placed his hand on Bill's shoulder.

"I kept repeating that to myself, and I still can't make myself believe it.
If I ever tell Aisha the truth, she will kill both me and you, Estridsen.
Now that would just be lovely, now wouldn't it?!" Bill laughed psychotically  as he turned toward James.

Bill looked at James with bloodshot eyes.
He looked crazy, like a maniac that could kill anyone at any given second.

"Y'know Estridsen, I could have killed you after you made me kill my wife...
And I should have done it."
Bill said as he stood from his chair.

"Now Bill, let's not say something that we might regret later..."
With every step that Bill took towards James, James took a step back.

"You know, Estridsen, that's a nice 'white dress' shirt you got on.
How about we make it red too?
We can also place it in a case and put it beside my wife's dress.
How about it?
You see, it's a win-win situation for the both of us." Bill taunted.

"B-Bill, how do you f-figure that it's a win-win situation for the both o-of us?" Estridsen stuttered.

"Well, you see, James.
It's actually quite simple when you think about it.
You, artistically speaking, can live your fantasies of being beside my wife,
and I can get my revenge by killing you." Said Bill.

"But, you would go to jail.
It'd be doubled against you since you killed your wife too.
My men testify on that." James claimed.

Bill tilted his head slightly at James, his face distorted as he let out a psychotic laugh.

"Oh, I won't go to jail, James.
I'll be killed before I even go to jail.
Aisha will kill me first.
I plan to let her do so because I want her to.
I'll tell her everything about how it was all your plan.
It was all your plan to drive my wife crazy.
It was all your plan for me to kill my wife.
It is all your plan for me to go to prison.
It is all your plan for you to take everything from me, everything from my wife, and everything from my daughter and the 'child'.
I might seem stupid James, but I saw through everything one night after you made me kill Ashley." Bill taunted menacingly.

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