Chapter 1 The Hell Ring
Chattanooga, Tennessee
March 20, 2014
"Mommy...!"
I screamed hysterically when I saw my mother's body lying stiffly on the hospital bed. My eyes widened as if I couldn't believe what was happening to me.
My mother said goodbye to go meet someone. Even though I kept having a bad feeling all night, I never thought that the bad feeling that was haunting me would lead me to this terrible sadness.
My grandfather stood behind me, holding my shoulders while comforting me who continued to sob over my mother's lifeless body. I lost my father three years ago and now I also have to lose my mother.
"Mommy don't leave me! I don't want to be alone, don't leave me...!"
"Layla, calm down! I'm still here, don't be afraid. I won't leave you!"
Grandpa hugged me, letting me cry in his arms. Grandpa only pretended to be tough even though to be honest he also needed to be strengthened. He lost his only daughter and now, he has to raise his orphaned granddaughter alone.
After my mother's funeral, I was still sobbing in the silence of my room. I lost my will to live and I don't know how to get through my life without my mother. Grandpa, who was also still grieving, came into the room with a box in his hand.
"Layla, I have a gift for you!" Grandpa said while showing the small box he was carrying.
I sat on the bed in the black dress that I was still wearing. Grandpa sitting next to me gave the box into his hands. I was still confused and looked at my grandfather who was smiling gently. Now he is the only family left and I don't know what will happen to me if grandpa leaves me too.
"Grandpa what is this? Is this also the last gift for me like the one mommy gave me before leaving?" I felt angry, scared, worried. My mother gave me a doll on my birthday and the day after, she died in a single accident.
"This is not a farewell gift, but this is a gift I once gave your mother too. Because your mother is no longer around, I gave it to you."
I looked at the box in my hand and with a little hesitation opened the box. I saw a necklace with a circular ring in the middle. I don't understand why the necklace and ring are combined into one.
"Necklace?"
"It was a ring, but because I was afraid it would get lost so I made it into a necklace."
"I've never seen mom wear this."
"Your mother wears it on her finger, but I put a necklace on it so you can keep it well."
I frowned, in my eyes, this thing wasn't interesting enough. Just a silver necklace with a silver ring too, absolutely no jewels or decorations whatsoever.
"I don't like it, I prefer necklaces with jewels in it, Grandpa!" I said innocently.
"Hahaha...okay, if you want rings and necklaces with new gems, I'll give them to you when you're older."
"When I'm 17 years old?"
"How do you think that 17 years old is mature?"
"Jake said someone would be considered an adult when they were 17 years old. He would try drinking alcohol and smoking after his 17th birthday."
"That boy said that? It's best not to hang around with him too much. You'll be a naughty child if you're friends with him."
"But Jake is very nice, he's my best friend. Jake said he would propose to me when I was 20."
"Proposing to you? Does he mean he will marry you when you are 20 years old?"
"I don't know, but he said so. Jake is 12 now, he said boys grow up fast."
"Layla, it's best not to go near that boy again. Do you understand?"
"Why it can not?"
"Because of-"
"Layla...!"
Someone shouted my name from the terrace. Grandpa and I know this sound very well. In contrast to grandfather who immediately put on an unhappy face, I actually smiled broadly when I heard this voice.
"Jake? That's Jake!" I said as I ran towards the door of the house to meet Jacob.
"Layla, wait a minute! I haven't finished talking yet! What about the ring?"
"I don't like it, the ring is ugly. Just for you, Grandpa!"
Grandfather was silent and discouraged because his granddaughter preferred to meet the boy rather than receive a gift from him. Grandpa sighed while holding the pendant with the ring.
"Girls nowadays really prefer to play with boys rather than with their own grandfathers. This ring does look ancient, it's natural that it is almost 200 years old."
Meanwhile, I opened the door of the house in a hurry to meet Jacob who was standing waiting for me at the door. But when I saw Jacob, I felt confused because he didn't come alone. But with a man with dark brown hair and dark brown, almost black eyes.
The man was tall with pure white skin and an expressionless face that seemed cold. He wore a black tuxedo and his charming appearance made me stunned.
"Layla, how are you? Are you still crying? I came here to take you to the park." Jacob said. But I didn't pay attention to his words and my eyes continued to focus on the man with the beautiful face.
"Are you Layla Arden? The seventh generation of the Arden family?" The man asked. I was amazed trying to understand the strange situation I was experiencing.
Jacob looked at me confused as if he couldn't see the man in the black tuxedo standing nearby.
"I-I I-"
"Layla, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Jacob asked, feeling strange about my condition, who suddenly fell silent with sparkling eyes.
From inside the house, there was the rare sound of feet rushing to quickly arrive at the terrace of the house. Grandfather appeared with a panicked face and just like me, my grandfather's eyes widened in shock when he saw the figure of a young man standing a few steps in front of him.
"Lucifer?" Grandpa said when he saw the figure of the young man.
"Hmm...James, right? Long time no see James? How are you? I heard that Fiona died yesterday. What a shame, huh?"
"W-what did you want to come here?" Grandpa asked frantically. He immediately pulled Jacob's and my hands closer to him, showing that this young man who came to visit his house was a dangerous man.
"Grandpa, what happened?" I asked. Grandpa hugged me tightly, making me even more confused about what was really happening.
"Layla, what's wrong with your grandpa?" Jacob whispered. He was the only person who couldn't see the man's form here.
"I don't know. But earlier he called that man Lucifer."
"Which man? I don't see anyone!"
"Didn't you see him? He was right in front of us, Jake!"
"What? In front of us? Are you lying?" Jacob shuddered because he was sure I wasn't joking considering that my grandfather also showed the same reaction.
"I don't lie!"
"What did you want to come here for? I don't have anything you want?" Grandpa said with a pale face as if the man in front of him was a terrible figure.
"You know what you want, right? Give me that ring, James! I've waited almost 200 years for that."
"I can't leave it to you!"
"Is that so? So, you still want to play with me?" He said while glancing at me who was hiding behind my grandfather's back.
"Go! Whatever happens I won't give you that ring!"
"So, the little girl is the next heir? Hmm...very interesting. Alright James, I'll wait until she's old enough to play with me. I hope she's not as weak as you and Fiona."
"Don't get close to Layla...!" Grandpa shouted. Hearing the man's threats made Grandpa even more afraid.
The man got up and looked back for a moment to give a cold smile. Grandpa shuddered in horror, he knew who he was dealing with right now and that made him almost unable to move. The man walked away, while grandfather remained silent.
"Grandpa, what's wrong? Why are you silent? Grandpa...!"
