The Devil's Desire

LUCIANA VARGAS

I can't shake off the strange feeling in my gut. Am I expecting bad news? Yes. Considering what my life has become lately…

It's not every day you realize your life has been a mystery. That everyone around you has been keeping secrets. Secrets that involve a huge part of your entire existence.

My mind is flooded with thoughts of recent revelations as I drive back home. I knew my parents were not saints. What I didn’t expect was for them to be cold-hearted monsters. How could they? And how do they even sleep at night after what they did?

It's a miracle when I get home without causing an accident, considering how occupied my mind has been throughout the drive. However, the environment that greets me is nothing like what I’d expected. I didn't have a clear vision of my expectations, but it wasn’t a semblance of peace.

Paula, my nanny, had called about half an hour ago. She sounded strange.

“Something happened to your mother,” she’d said, stuttering. “You need to get back home as soon as possible.”

Then she hung up immediately. I tried to call back a few seconds later, but it went straight to voicemail. Strange, right?

Why would she tell me that and then go silent? The whole situation makes me uneasy. This looks like a typical day at the Vargas Manor. No signs of any bizarre situation. A few guards walking around with guns–yeah, that’s normal for us. Others, holding their weapons, stand alert at various entrances.

Ignoring all the ordinary activities, I rush into the manor. The inside of the house isn't any different from the outside. Everything is just as typical, which heightens my confusion. The maids are walking around, performing their usual duties.

If something really happened to my mother, there should be whispers going around, right? Yet the world is oddly…quiet.

Perhaps I’m the one who's overthinking? What if mother just fell ill? I know she's the last person I should be worrying about, but I can’t help it. I still find reasons to care, despite the recent discoveries about my parents. Discoveries I haven’t fully processed.

The first place I run to is their bedroom, but I find no one. If she’s not here, then…

Maybe I should find Paula first. It was strange of her to hang up on me.

I search for her in different corners of the house, but she's nowhere to be found. When I ask the other maids, all of them tell me almost the same thing.

“I saw her leave a while ago.”

“I haven't seen her since morning.”

“Paula? I have no idea.”

“We rarely talk.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Urgh..

I can sense something is wrong. I know something is amiss, but I don’t know what exactly. Paula called to tell me about mother, and she's not home. And where's that mother? And why isn’t anyone telling me anything?

My mind is racing with a million thoughts per second.