Prologue
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
SELLY ARQUENE
Louisiana – United States
"Look, Selly, those distant lights moving on the mountain are an ancient fire serpent..."
I cling to my teddy bear, gazing fearfully out the window, my eyes wide and unblinking as they focus on the distant lights, moving like a giant row of fireflies.
"They say smoke comes from its mouth, because of the fire inside it when it swallows the unaware or foolish who dare climb the mountain." I turn my face toward Maya, my sister, who lowers her voice and brings her face even closer to mine. "But once a year, the massive serpent slithers down the mountain, dragging with it the souls of curious little girls... AHHHHHHHHH!"
I jump back when Maya screams, raising her arms and waving them in the air, scaring me, making me tremble all over as I turn and run to my bed, hiding under the covers, clutching my teddy bear.
"Don’t tell me you’re scaring your sister again with silly stories, Maya Arquene."
I uncover my face at the sound of my mother’s sweet voice, laughter spilling from her lips.
"It was just a story, Mom," Maya says with a laugh, walking to her bed and lying down while watching me.
"Well, I’ll tell you both a story."
My mother walks calmly across the room, going to the window and closing it. As she turns around, her eyes move from me to my sister.
"If you’re not asleep before Santa Claus arrives, he won’t leave presents under the tree."
I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut—I don’t want to miss my gift.
"Do you think he’ll bring the dress I asked for?" Maya asks eagerly.
"I think you’ll only find out tomorrow morning when you wake up, young lady," Mom says softly, and I open one eye to peek at her.
I see her smiling lovingly at us before she stops beside Maya’s bed, kisses her forehead, and fixes the blanket around her.
"Sleep well, sweetheart." Maya turns to face the wall, wrapping herself in her blanket.
I sigh, hugging my bear tightly, watching Mom walk toward me. Her long white dress makes her look like a fairy, with cascades of curls almost touching her waist, they’re so long.
"And you, my sweet little one..."
Mom sits beside my bed and taps the tip of my nose.
"Don’t be afraid of the mountain. It’s just a train that passes through there, darling, there’s no serpent. The lights are from the train, a magical train that brings joy wherever it goes. And once a year, it returns here to enchant everyone with the beautiful show the circus puts on. Your grandmother used to take me to see the circus, and I loved it. I hope you’ll love it too when I take you..."
She leans down and kisses my forehead. I feel warmth from her soft lips as they gently touch me.
"Goodnight, my girl."
She moves away after caressing my cheek tenderly.
"Tomorrow will be a beautiful Christmas morning—my favorite day of the year—and I can’t wait to see what Santa Claus will leave under the tree for my girls."
"Goodnight, Mommy," I whisper lovingly.
The sound of the doorbell makes her lift her face toward the bedroom door, and her lips tighten.
"Go to sleep, my loves."
Mom stands and walks slowly to the wall, turning off the light before leaving the room and closing the door.
My face sinks into the pillow as I stare at my sister lying with her back to me. I push off the covers, tiptoe to the window, and let my eyes get lost in the lights glowing on the mountain.
"Circus..." I whisper, rocking the bear in my arms. "Magical circus..."
"That man shouldn't be in my house."
Mom's voice, coming from the hallway, makes me turn my head. I look toward the door, noticing through the crack underneath that the light outside is on.
"He's a good man, Margo." Dad's voice is hoarse as he speaks.
"He’s not a good man, Victor."
I walk slowly to the door as I hear Mom’s nervous tone.
"There’s something about him. I can’t explain it, but I feel it—and I can see in his eyes that he’s a bad man. He gives me chills when he looks at me..."
"Oh God, Margo!" Dad chuckles quietly.
"Send him away, Victor," Mom pleads, sounding even more scared. "That man doesn’t have a good heart, I can see it as clearly as crystal water when I look into his eyes. My gut tells me he must go. Get him out of my living room..."
I slowly push the bedroom door open, careful not to make noise. I see Dad and Mom at the end of the hallway, with her holding his arm. Dad leans down and kisses her cheek, lifting his other hand to stroke her hair.
"Alex is practically my brother, Margo. I was raised by his family. I can’t send him away in the middle of the night, especially on Christmas Eve..."
He smiles, stroking her chin.
"But I promise that tomorrow he’ll leave, alright? I’ll tell him he can’t stay with us..."
Dad hugs her, kissing the top of her head. The sound of strong wind outside makes a branch from a dry tree hit the window, and I get startled, quickly closing the bedroom
door and running to my bed, hiding under the blanket with my teddy bear.
"Come on now, Maya..."
I wake up to the sound of my mother’s screams, just as my body is pulled from the bed.
"Mom..."
"It’s okay, my love, it’s okay."
She kisses my head, holding me tightly against her.
"Take your sister and get out now\..."
"But, Mom..."
Maya reaches out, grabbing me, while I look at them in confusion, not understanding what’s going on.
The cold wind hits me, and I look around, noticing the garden. When I turn back, I see Mom inside the window while Maya and I are outside.
"Run, Maya! Run..." my mother screams, pointing toward the trees. "I’ll be right behind you..."
Mom grows more frantic, clinging to the window frame, and Maya turns and runs. I notice Mom’s bloodied hands gripping the frame, ready to jump.
"Mom..."
I stretch out my arms, waving them toward her, my body held tightly by my sister, who’s running fast.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING, YOU BITCH..."
The loud voice roars with rage, and I see bloodstained arms wrap around my mother’s waist and pull her back into the room.
"Stay here, do you hear me?!"
Maya hides me behind a bush. Her face is soaked with tears, and her fingers tremble. My heart races, and I cry, staring at my sister, still not understanding. Why didn’t Mom come with us? Why are we running in the middle of the night?
"LET ME GO..."
Mom’s loud screams make both me and Maya turn, looking toward the house, still hidden in the bushes.
"Let me go..."
A man grabs my mother’s hair and drags her across the lawn. Behind him, another man with a cold gaze brings my father, wounded, his face bruised and bleeding. He shoves him against a tree near our room. He raises his arm, holding something strange in his hand, which he points at my father’s head. When it goes off, a horrible sound makes my entire body freeze, and my eyes widen, fixed on my father’s body sliding down the tree and collapsing on the ground, blood pouring from his head.
"VICTORRRR..."
My mother screams, struggling.
"OHHH..."
Maya cries, covering her face.
"Find the two little bitches that ran..."
The cold-eyed man lowers his arm and growls with fury.
Other men rush out of the house, shouting, holding those strange objects in their hands—the same kind that the cold-eyed man used to hurt my dad.
"I curse you, Alex."
My mother spits at the man who hurt my father.
"I curse you and your bloodline for the evil you’ve done out of greed! And I swear you’ll remember me for the rest of your life..."
My mother’s face is violently turned to the side as someone slaps her, and I cry, clutching my pajamas.
"Don’t you dare open your filthy mouth to me, you damned Creole witch..."
He grabs her with hatred, dragging her to the tree near our house.
One of the men throws a rope over a branch before they tie it around my mother’s neck.
"No... No, Mom... MOOOOOM!"
Maya is already on her feet, running out from the bush.
My body freezes—I can’t move.
"NO, NO... MAYA, RUN..."
Mom screams, but another slap hits her face, silencing her.
Maya’s body hits the ground as a man punches her in the face.
"Nooo... nooooooo..."
My mother struggles as her body is lifted while they begin pulling the rope.
"No... please, no..."
She clutches the rope around her neck, her eyes locked on Maya, who is being dragged by her legs by one of the men. They throw something over my mother’s body, soaking her as they hang her. Through my tears, I hear her screams, and also those of my sister, who lies on the ground with her nightgown pulled up. My mother screams louder, and Maya does too, as a man lies down on top of her.
"You’ll see what Victor should’ve done to you instead of putting a ring on your finger, bitch!"
The furious man shouts at my mother.
"You’ll see, before you die, the only thing sluts like you are good for..."
"We’re going to have so much fun, sweetheart..."
The man over my sister says, grabbing her hair.
Maya struggles and screams, lying on the ground. The man’s large body moves back and forth over hers, and he bites her, making me cry even harder as I see the pain on her face. Mom screams in agony, and at the same time, a light ignites, glowing over her body as flames begin to consume her after the cold-eyed man throws a match onto her dress.
I can smell my mother’s burning flesh as she hangs from the tree with a rope around her neck. I hear my sister’s screams as she struggles beneath the man on top of her. I feel everything crushing me, and I cry, terrified, hidden in the bushes. My mother’s gaze, amid the fire consuming her body, locks once on the direction where I am.
"RUUUUUUUUUUUN, SELLY..."
My mother’s final scream is loud, echoing with such pain before she lets go of the rope around her neck.
I stand up at that very moment, turning as fast as I can, tears running down my face as I do what Mom asked.
I hear the screams behind me, the heavy breathing of the men chasing me, but I don’t stop. Then something hits my leg, and I feel a sharp pain, blood running down my ankle, and I fall.
I roll, sliding through the mud and muck, wit
h only darkness as my companion when I stop at the bottom of the slope, near the road.