I gave him a look of disgust at his hurtful response, but Caster quickly intervened: "We're going to sell something of ours... relics from our predecessors. Its geographical location no longer allowed us to keep it. Over time, it became difficult, so we decided to get rid of it."
"And what is this relic?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
The luxurious limousine stopped in front of an imposing building overlooking the sea. It was an upscale "resort" that combined a fine dining restaurant with cafés overlooking the waves. From the first glance, it was clear that this place was designed for the elite of society. The wealthy sat sipping their drinks in elegance befitting their status, their clothes exuding ancient wealth and a confidence that wasn't limited to money alone.
I silently followed the brothers' footsteps until we sat around a marble table touching the water's edge. Waiting for us was a middle-aged man with bronzed skin and perfectly matched blue clothes. His eyes hinted at a sharp intelligence and perhaps filthy wealth. On the table beside him lay a black folder and an iPhone with a picture of his wife and son on the screen.
I sat next to Custer after greeting the man with a cursory handshake, as the brothers had done before me.
---
At first, the conversation was polite, during which they exchanged the usual greetings and congratulations, carefully checking each other's news, without directly broaching the subject of the sale. What worried me, however, was that the man's gaze flicked toward me from time to time, as if trying to decipher my code. I hoped the brothers would notice this, but they were too engrossed in their own roles.
"Honestly, you're the first person we'll try to sell this land to..." Stacker said suddenly, interrupting my train of thought.
I came out of my reverie and realized they were talking about land. Well, at least it was becoming clearer.
"The four people before me... weren't they all unsuccessful attempts?" the man said with a calm smile, "You seem to be saying I'm the first one the purchase might work with."
I smiled to myself, pleased with his sharp response. His tone and his overconfidence made it clear he was a narcissist who knew how to play his cards right.
"We're glad the attempt worked with you... with a man like you." Caster tried to lighten the mood with honeyed words.
But the man interrupted him coldly, "I didn't say it would work... I said 'might' work. And it's best if you give me clear information about this island. Through my extensive research, I learned that no one has set foot there in two years, even by its owners."
He didn't look like an ordinary buyer, but rather like someone with secrets trying to provoke them by revealing their cards. Even his eyes said, "I know more than you think."
Caster responded with feigned confidence, "Wrong... It seems you got your information from the internet? The last newspaper that mentioned the island was four years ago, so what you read must be outdated."
He added, "Now we've checked it out and everything on it is still valid."
But the glances exchanged between him and Stacker were tense, revealing that they had never actually set foot on the island.
"Even the collapsed right side of the land is still valid?" the man said with deadly confidence.
"Excuse me?"
"I thought you guys checked it out recently?" the man replied in a euphoric tone.
I liked the way he cornered them with his words, but I decided to intervene.
I cleared my throat and said in a calm tone, "He didn't say he just checked it out... Maybe there was a glitch recently? Anyway, if there is, it's off the price of the offer."
The man raised his eyebrows at me, while the brothers looked surprised by my intervention.
"Oh, so that's what you're saying, young lady?... Supposing what you're saying is true, why would you—"
I interrupted him with a sudden question: "Why do you want to buy this land?"
"I want to give it to someone dear to me... to my wife."
His answer was a shock. Caster's face turned pale, and he quickly drank his coffee, while Stacker stared out to sea as if searching for a way out. Even I... I felt a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place, while the full picture was still missing.
Then the man added, observing the brothers' confusion, his eyes constantly anticipating their reactions:
"Well, I hope this island isn't a curse with calamities behind it. From what I gather from its topography, it lies in an area swept by strong winds, surrounded on all sides by black rocks, as if nature itself rejects outsiders. The water currents around it are fickle, and fog only leaves it a few days a year."
"Does this mean you've accepted our offer?" Stacker asked, trying to regain control of the situation.
The man shook his head slowly, sipping his black coffee.
"I haven't decided yet."
I chimed in again. "Your in-depth research, your compilation of all this information, your intense interest in the terrain, and your personal questions... all of this will be a waste if your real goal isn't to buy."
The man smiled as if he realized I'd understood his plan. Even the brothers' tense silence encouraged me to continue confronting him.
"Information, miss, is part of my daily routine. I don't make anything my own before I've thoroughly investigated its intricacies. Studying the terrain is a must for any buyer interested in investing, and I lose nothing whether I accept or reject it. After all, my wife prefers a diamond ring to a deserted piece of land."
I smiled at him and said, "Developing the island for a tourism project will generate profits that double the value of all the diamond rings combined, sir."
He smiled arrogantly and ignored my words, then turned to Stacker. "I'll think about it, and we'll meet alone next time."
Stacker snapped out of his reverie and quickly shook the man's hand. We all began to adjust our seats, preparing to leave, but before he left, the man turned to me with a look of suspicious admiration.
"We'll see each other again, inevitably... and then your resistance will be of no use." Then he walked away with confident strides.
The brothers stood still, as if their blood had frozen. Their expressions were filled with amazement I'd never seen before. I lightly ran my fingers over their faces, trying to shake them out of their stunned state.
"Earth... is anyone here?"
Stalker quickly pulled out his phone and headed toward the car, saying, "Let's go now."
Caster grabbed my hand and silently pulled me behind him, his steps quick and his words locked in his chest. The atmosphere suddenly felt heavy, carrying secrets I couldn't fathom, but I realized we were in a whirlpool unlike any other.
As we drove back to the palace, the atmosphere was gloomy, shrouded in a heavy silence. Each of us was lost in our own world, staring at our hands as if they held the answers to mysteries we didn't even know. After we arrived, the brothers got out of the car without even a glance in my direction. Even Caster, who I expected to slow down so we could enter together, hurried toward his room. Stacker, however, headed for the garden, perhaps to escape my questions or to escape himself.
The sun was swaying on the horizon, bidding farewell to a day I had never imagined. My first day here, and here I was, immersed in a whirl of mystery. In the morning, we left, and in the middle of the day, I toured the palace, and the rest of it I spent with these two idiots. I didn't even meet my mother to share my impressions of this strange family. In any case, I thank God I haven't witnessed anything terrifying so far. What happened in the first hours is enough to make me think I'm in a horror movie.
I entered my room and the first thing I did was wash away the effects of the day under a hot shower. The bathroom was green, like a slice of heaven amidst this hell, and it whetted my appetite for relaxation. I spent half an hour trying to wash away the memories with the water, then went out and put on my comfortable lounge clothes.
I grabbed my computer, trying to uncover the secrets of this mansion. I wanted to at least know where I lived. But I found only superficial information: a news item about Stacker's birthday, an article about my stepfather's accomplishments, and a family photo from 2024. The photo showed the entire current family: Stacker, Custer, their father, John, and the vain old lady. But what caught my eye was the channel's caption below the photo: "Volunteering for a new family photo in 2025."
I realized they took a family photo every year. I started browsing through the photos from previous years. The surprise that stunned me was that in every photo, there were new family members, always a mother and her daughter. But the strangest thing was the presence of one man, who reappeared in every photo except the last four. He was a man in his thirties, dressed in elegant black, holding a fine cattle prod in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The biggest surprise was that every year, there was a different woman beside him, each one more beautiful than the last.
I couldn't identify him even from the accompanying information. All I knew was that he was always beside his wife, who looked the epitome of elegance and beauty, smiling in a way that was different from everyone else's, hugging her children as if she feared for them.
Disturbing questions swirled through my mind: Are we just decorations for a family whose women change every year? Where have all those women and girls gone? The difference between the photos is only one year!
I couldn't bear these thoughts. The only one who could answer my questions was Custer, or Stacker, or my mother.
Despite the darkness, I had to face it head on.
I put on my coat, applied lip balm, and then sneaked out of the room, praying no one would see me. I knew I was breaking the rules on my first day, but curiosity was getting the better of me. I didn't even know where my mother's room was. I wandered lost in the dark corridors, slinking beside the walls like a shadow.
Suddenly, in a panicked moment, I saw an elderly woman from the housekeeping service standing at the end of the hallway, carrying a tray of medications and a cup of coffee. She stared blankly at me. I trembled, "Excuse me... can you tell me where my mother's room is?"
But she continued to stare at me motionlessly. When I tried to get closer, she took two steps forward, then stopped. She looked me straight in the eye and said, with just one word:
"Run."
She said it in a cold, mechanical tone, then turned and walked away like a controlled puppet, disappearing into the darkness. I felt fear creeping to my feet, my breath ragged. Her words completely disoriented me.
I decided to return to my room. I turned around, trying to control my trembling, but suddenly... I heard a ferocious dog barking. I turned to see a huge brown Cane Corso staring at me with hungry eyes. I knew that breed of dog could tear a human apart in seconds.
I slowly began to back away, but the dog pounced on me with frightening speed. It leaped into the air, and I shuddered with struggle...
Before it could reach me, I felt a strong hand clamp around my mouth and pull me back. It pulled me into a room and quickly closed the door. I stood panting in the darkness, my eyes closed in fear.