Elena strolled gracefully from stall to stall with a basket in her hand , picking fruits and exchanging pleasantries with the market women. She made sure that her scarf was covering half of her face for fear of being discovered by someone she knows.
"No one will come to this tiny village" She assured herself.
She had taken the long route to the market instead of going through the lonely short cut behind Villa Rosa. She didn't feel good about that particular road since it's mostly made up of bushes and big trees. It reminded her of the faceless man from her dreams.
She tried to eavesdrop on the discussions of the locals as usual. It was something that she enjoyed doing since she was not bold enough to ask them questions directly. Acting too curious would give her away as desperate for information and in no time she would become their topic of discussion.
Life in the small town always feels better than the one she lived in the villa. She looked from the clear skies to the colorful birds and the cheerful locals. Once again she wished she could live amongst them instead of being locked up in that ugly villa.
"Life's worth living again" she thought.
She felt like a palace maiden in her long dress , head scarf and raffia sandals.
"Good day miss" an almost toothless old man smiled at her.
"Eric" she smiled back as she sat on the empty chair in his vegetable stall.
She watched him pick out her favorite veggies, he did it with so much passion and concentration.
"Do you really live in the Villa down the hill?" Eric asked out of the blues.
She remembered his reaction the first time she had told him that she lived in Villa Rosa.
He looked at her eagerly like he was about to spill the bean.
"Yes Eric , I live there" she forced a smile.
"Oh.." his eyes flashed as he went back to picking veggies.
"Do you want to tell me something Eric?" Elena whispered, hoping she would get some useful information out of him.
He laughed softly "No miss, it's just that I did not know anyone else lived there other than that cold blooded bastard".
Their gaze met and she knew that he regretted saying that or maybe not because there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Well I'm sorry miss…..you see…" he stuttered.
He must be talking about her neighbor . The one that makes funny sounds almost every morning.
She felt suddenly relieved that she had not been hallucinating but at the same time cold shivers ran down her spine. Could he be a psychopath? Maybe she should talk to the police about it.
"Miss?" Eric nudged her out of her thoughts. "I should not have said that."
"It's fine Eric" she waved him off "I do not even know who this person you're talking about is."
He looked like he had so many questions to ask her but he just smiled revealing brown , broken and incomplete set of teeth.
She thanked him and picked up her basket after folding extra dollar notes in his palm. She considered that as tip for taking out time to pick out the best fruits and vegetables for her.
She walked back to the Villa quietly as Eric words replayed in her head.
Who is he ? The cold blooded bastard ? She decided that she would not involve the police but deal with him on her own.
She came to a halt as she heard rapid footsteps behind her. It felt like her ears were playing tricks on her but she jumped when she realized the foot steps were getting closer.
She turned in time to see a tall muscular man following her.
The houses that were on each sides of the road that leads to the villa were almost deserted, it didn't seem like if she screamed she would get help.
Her heart beat against her chest as she doubled her steps.
He didn't stop following her even as she hurriedly entered the "safe" fence of the villa.
She stopped in her track to face the intruder "what do you want?"
He stared at her with blood shot eyes "don't get me angry."
"Why are you following me?" She demanded angrily.
"I should be asking why you are trespassing" he eyed her wearily.
Trespassing? She almost burst out laughing.
"I've lived here for almost a year and no one has ever accused me of trespassing" she let out a small laugh.
"I still put it to you that you have trespassed, this land belongs to my family" he fired.
She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out . It dawned on her that she was meeting her neighbor for the first time and in the most unpleasant way.
He is the cold blooded bastard ? She thought. How could that be ? Cold blooded bastards do not have blue eyes and black shiny hair.
"Well I've been living here for quite a while, under protection as well, with permission." She scoffed "you better not hurt me."
He moved closer to her "let me warn you as well , ask about Dante, don't cross my path, run when you see me , run from this place, run princess". This place eats pretty things like you up".
Cold shivers ran down her spine as she made a dash towards her room and shut the door.
She suddenly felt grateful for the small gate that separated her from her crazy neighbor.
"Eric was right after all" she whispered shakily "he's a monster."
His eyes were warm when he looked at her , it held something that was not rage or hatred. She could swear that what she caught in the eyes were admiration and that sacred her the most.
A part of her wanted to call for help so bad but the rebellious part of her wants to watch how things unfold. Maybe this was her opportunity to know more about this deserted villa. She has never questioned why the police man brought her here but from the moment she encountered Dante , she could no longer get the question out of her head.
"Why was she brought here of all places?"