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Description
Vivian wasn't anything like people expected.

Born into a family that was part of the local Country Club, she was well looked-after, had doting parents, and got everything she ever wanted. She was a pretty girl with naturally sleek, perfect raven hair, eyes so blue, you would've thought they were made of ice, and skin as pale as porcelain and just as beautiful.

Vivian didn't care about any of it though. She was haunted by her life. She just wanted to leave it. Though she had certain distaste for the way her family lived, she kept it to herself. On some level, her parents knew she hated it all, but they rejected the thought as soon as it creeped up into their minds. They pretended their only daughter would take after them when they passed.

She wouldn't.

Waking up to the sound of a screaming alarm clock, Vivian was ripped away from her sleep. She dragged herself out of her bed and slammed her hand down on the clock until she hit the 'OFF' button. It was Saturday, but she had things to do and people to see. Just like every weekend in her rejected lifestyle.

Vivian put on her usual outfit, red blouse, with black jeans and black Converse with red lacing. Since it was still early in the morning, Vivian went quietly downstairs and went to find breakfast.

She quickly ate and then stared out the window. Something was different, something, but
she didn't know what. She focused as much as she could on something deep in the woods. It was something dark and something she hadn't ever seen before.

Vivian had lived in the same spot for all seventeen years of her life and through all her exploring through the woods and wandering about, she had never seen this.

Some time passed and soon, her parents were also awake and downstairs, after some average small talk, Vivian left the kitchen to go read some in the living room. Unlike the rest of her family, reading was something she enjoyed. Her dad was popular for never reading the book and seeing the movie instead and her mom hadn't picked up a book since she finished college.

She was soon enough torn away from her book by her mom telling her they needed to leave. Vivian had no desire to remove herself from the chair and get in the car, but she did anyway. She had to go to yet another Club meeting about the upcoming events and more things that touched Vivian's distaste.

When she arrived home, Vivian decided to explore what she had seen in the forest. There was something there, she knew there was, but she didn't know what it was.

Vivian never was one to deal with curiosity. Ever since she was little, whenever something made her curious, she had to explore it. 'Curiosity killed the cat' they said. If you were never curious, then how did you learn what things were? How can one not explore their curiosities? Vivian's knack for exploration hadn't ever gotten her in trouble, but was always very careful about what she explored. Although this time, it was different. Whatever was in the woods, Vivian felt it was something that was more than just a curious object, but something potentially dangerous.

Vivian wandered out her house and slowly began to make her way to the forest. With each step, her focus seemed to decrease on everything else except the dark object. She let her body fade into the blackness of the forest and follow her eyes to the dark object.

Below her feet, she felt some get crushed. Looking down, she saw a path of picked rose-heads lying on the ground. A trail of red and white leading her somewhere, and it went in the direction she was going.

Vivian followed the roses, careful to not step on another one. As she continued on the path, the roses got smaller until they were just piles of petals that gradually went down in size and finally she came to a path of bud-less steams of roses, covered in thorns. Vivian kept her eyes on the ground and kept walking forward. She kept walking until the path ended and she was in a clearing.

The grass was brown and dead, the trees were twisted and cruel looking. The stone walkway was cracked and weathered, leading up to the mysterious dark object—a house, an old, broken down Victorian mansion. The paint had been peeled off by years of weathering and the windows were all broken open along with the glass panes on the door.

Vivian walked up to the door of this mansion cautiously. She let her hand float out and grab the rusted doorknob. As soon as her hand exerted pressure on it, the doorknob cracked off and fell to the ground. The old door slowly opened with a loud creak, inviting her curiosity inside.

Taunted by it, Vivian gave in and walked across the threshold. She walked a few feet and what she saw was incredible.

The entire interior looked pristine. The walls were covered in a black-on-white lace pattern with black-painted wood trim. The floors were polished wood and had black throw rugs. There was untouched furniture that matched the wallpaper and the house smelled like fresh pine. Vivian couldn't believe it. From the inside, everything looked perfect. Nothing was broken or damaged. There were no animals inside or broken floorboards, everything looked amazing.

Vivian walked a few more feet and the door slammed shut behind her. She ran to it and went to open it, but the doorknob wouldn't turn. Panic was slowly rising in her. As soon as she lifted her hand from the doorknob, the houses interior began to dissolve and slowly decay to what Vivian had thought it would be.

Panic rising higher, Vivian ran into a room with windows to find that, where the windows were, bricks had covered the spot. She ran to the wall and pounded on the bricks, hoping they would cave in. She slammed her balled fists against the bricks until they began to bleed, the red soiling her perfect porcelain skin.

From above her, a chandelier fell from the ceiling and smashed on the ground pieces of sharp crystal shattering everywhere. Vivian screamed and fell to the ground. She balled herself up and shoved her face into her knees, wishing for it all to go away.

Slowly, Vivian tried to muster up her courage to at least stand up and try to calmly find another way out. When she finally lifted her tear-stained face, everything was gone. The blood on her hands and arms, the broken chandelier, the crystal pieces, all of it. It was like it never happened. Though the house was still in its ruined state and the windows were still bricked over.

Vivian stood up and tried to gather herself. She wiped her face and made sure her hands were really okay. They didn't look like anything had even touched them, nor were they in pain, anymore.

From above her, Vivian heard the echoing laughter of small children. Vivian stepped forward some and went to go look up the staircase. She heard the laughter again, this time from behind her. She turned around and heard the laughter again and running through upstairs halls.

She began to slowly ascend the staircase. As soon as her foot touched the first step, a light upstairs flickered on. Vivian began to walk up the steps. Every few steps she'd hear the laughter again and the running sounds were becoming more distant.

Vivian's blood froze when she reached the top of the staircase and she found the writings on the wall, which were dripping…and fresh.

Description
Vivian wasn't anything like people expected.

Born into a family that was part of the local Country Club, she was well looked-after, had doting parents, and got everything she ever wanted. She was a pretty girl with naturally sleek, perfect raven hair, eyes so blue, you would've thought they were made of ice, and skin as pale as porcelain and just as beautiful.

Vivian didn't care about any of it though. She was haunted by her life. She just wanted to leave it. Though she had certain distaste for the way her family lived, she kept it to herself. On some level, her parents knew she hated it all, but they rejected the thought as soon as it creeped up into their minds. They pretended their only daughter would take after them when they passed.

She wouldn't.

Waking up to the sound of a screaming alarm clock, Vivian was ripped away from her sleep. She dragged herself out of her bed and slammed her hand down on the clock until she hit the 'OFF' button. It was Saturday, but she had things to do and people to see. Just like every weekend in her rejected lifestyle.

Vivian put on her usual outfit, red blouse, with black jeans and black Converse with red lacing. Since it was still early in the morning, Vivian went quietly downstairs and went to find breakfast.

She quickly ate and then stared out the window. Something was different, something, but
she didn't know what. She focused as much as she could on something deep in the woods. It was something dark and something she hadn't ever seen before.

Vivian had lived in the same spot for all seventeen years of her life and through all her exploring through the woods and wandering about, she had never seen this.

Some time passed and soon, her parents were also awake and downstairs, after some average small talk, Vivian left the kitchen to go read some in the living room. Unlike the rest of her family, reading was something she enjoyed. Her dad was popular for never reading the book and seeing the movie instead and her mom hadn't picked up a book since she finished college.

She was soon enough torn away from her book by her mom telling her they needed to leave. Vivian had no desire to remove herself from the chair and get in the car, but she did anyway. She had to go to yet another Club meeting about the upcoming events and more things that touched Vivian's distaste.

When she arrived home, Vivian decided to explore what she had seen in the forest. There was something there, she knew there was, but she didn't know what it was.

Vivian never was one to deal with curiosity. Ever since she was little, whenever something made her curious, she had to explore it. 'Curiosity killed the cat' they said. If you were never curious, then how did you learn what things were? How can one not explore their curiosities? Vivian's knack for exploration hadn't ever gotten her in trouble, but was always very careful about what she explored. Although this time, it was different. Whatever was in the woods, Vivian felt it was something that was more than just a curious object, but something potentially dangerous.

Vivian wandered out her house and slowly began to make her way to the forest. With each step, her focus seemed to decrease on everything else except the dark object. She let her body fade into the blackness of the forest and follow her eyes to the dark object.

Below her feet, she felt some get crushed. Looking down, she saw a path of picked rose-heads lying on the ground. A trail of red and white leading her somewhere, and it went in the direction she was going.

Vivian followed the roses, careful to not step on another one. As she continued on the path, the roses got smaller until they were just piles of petals that gradually went down in size and finally she came to a path of bud-less steams of roses, covered in thorns. Vivian kept her eyes on the ground and kept walking forward. She kept walking until the path ended and she was in a clearing.

The grass was brown and dead, the trees were twisted and cruel looking. The stone walkway was cracked and weathered, leading up to the mysterious dark object—a house, an old, broken down Victorian mansion. The paint had been peeled off by years of weathering and the windows were all broken open along with the glass panes on the door.

Vivian walked up to the door of this mansion cautiously. She let her hand float out and grab the rusted doorknob. As soon as her hand exerted pressure on it, the doorknob cracked off and fell to the ground. The old door slowly opened with a loud creak, inviting her curiosity inside.

Taunted by it, Vivian gave in and walked across the threshold. She walked a few feet and what she saw was incredible.

The entire interior looked pristine. The walls were covered in a black-on-white lace pattern with black-painted wood trim. The floors were polished wood and had black throw rugs. There was untouched furniture that matched the wallpaper and the house smelled like fresh pine. Vivian couldn't believe it. From the inside, everything looked perfect. Nothing was broken or damaged. There were no animals inside or broken floorboards, everything looked amazing.

Vivian walked a few more feet and the door slammed shut behind her. She ran to it and went to open it, but the doorknob wouldn't turn. Panic was slowly rising in her. As soon as she lifted her hand from the doorknob, the houses interior began to dissolve and slowly decay to what Vivian had thought it would be.

Panic rising higher, Vivian ran into a room with windows to find that, where the windows were, bricks had covered the spot. She ran to the wall and pounded on the bricks, hoping they would cave in. She slammed her balled fists against the bricks until they began to bleed, the red soiling her perfect porcelain skin.

From above her, a chandelier fell from the ceiling and smashed on the ground pieces of sharp crystal shattering everywhere. Vivian screamed and fell to the ground. She balled herself up and shoved her face into her knees, wishing for it all to go away.

Slowly, Vivian tried to muster up her courage to at least stand up and try to calmly find another way out. When she finally lifted her tear-stained face, everything was gone. The blood on her hands and arms, the broken chandelier, the crystal pieces, all of it. It was like it never happened. Though the house was still in its ruined state and the windows were still bricked over.

Vivian stood up and tried to gather herself. She wiped her face and made sure her hands were really okay. They didn't look like anything had even touched them, nor were they in pain, anymore.

From above her, Vivian heard the echoing laughter of small children. Vivian stepped forward some and went to go look up the staircase. She heard the laughter again, this time from behind her. She turned around and heard the laughter again and running through upstairs halls.

She began to slowly ascend the staircase. As soon as her foot touched the first step, a light upstairs flickered on. Vivian began to walk up the steps. Every few steps she'd hear the laughter again and the running sounds were becoming more distant.

Vivian's blood froze when she reached the top of the staircase and she found the writings on the wall, which were dripping…and fresh.