It was her first time going to Paris, so Sharon was excited. She wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, make memories with her family, and take a lot of photos. She'd loved making stories to tell, not materials to show off. She was glad they didn't have class for one month, and she didn't really want to go to school anymore because she felt like a slave to the four corners of the room when there were a lot of things to do and places to explore in the world outside.
Sharon looked outside through the window of the train. In her short time in her grandmother's place, a lot of things had happened, memories to keep, and even had her heart broken for the first time. She breathed deeply, knowing that life wasn't always about happiness; sometimes she had to experience the bad days to appreciate the good days, meet bad people to appreciate the good ones, and treasure them.
In this modern world, Sharon knew that it was rare to find people who were genuine and had a good heart, but she was open to new experiences and meeting new people who could teach her new lessons.
Sharon opened her brown duffel bag and took an old pocketbook that she stole from her grandmother's shelves. She put the pocketbook on her thigh and closed her bag, then she started reading it.
"Fiction is often better than reality. I wish I could live in this world," Sharon sighed.
Suddenly, the train stopped, and everything turned different. She looked outside and saw people acting strangely. Their faces were covered in blood.
"Zombies!" Sharon shouted. She started to panic, not knowing what to do as the zombies had already gotten inside the train. Someone suddenly jumped on her from behind and bit her neck. It was so painful that she woke up from her dream.
"Sharon, are you okay?" Rebecca asked, seeing her daughter suddenly jolt up; her curly blonde hair was spreading around her shoulders. "You have fallen asleep."
"Aren't we there yet?" Sharon asked, wiping her hairs from her face and slightly rubbing her eyes. She had a vivid dream, and she thought it was the end of the world. She thought that perhaps she had been thinking too much. She needs a peaceful place to unwind.
"It's almost there. You can go back to sleep if you want. I'll wake you up when we arrive," Rebecca replied.
Sharon smiled, but she didn't want to go back to sleep and have a nightmare again. The reality might not be the best, but her dreams were the worst. But if the world was truly ending, she only had one request, and that was to be next to the people she loved.
"Mom, can you tell me who Lucille is?" Sharon asked, laying her head on her mother's shoulder while Kwan was looking outside through the window of the airplane, lost deep in thought.
"Did I forget to tell you about her?" Rebecca replied. "She's my personal maid, and we're very close. She knew a lot about me, especially my secrets when I was young. I'd like you to meet her; I'm sure you'll get along well."
"So, that's the reason why you can't let her wedding pass by without attending?" Sharon asked. "Can you describe what she looks like, Mom?"
"She had attended my wedding with your dad, so it's my turn to return the favor she had done to the family," Rebecca replied. "As for her looks, she's beautiful, of course, and also well-mannered and kind. Just wait until you meet her."
Sharon was out of questions. She closed her eyes and listened to her mother's angelic voice as she sang her a song while gently caressing her arm, making her fall asleep to the comfort only a mother could give.
After an hour or two, the plane finally landed on a runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport and unloaded the passengers. Bernadette already booked a hotel near the Eiffel Tower. They rode another train to get there.
They all had tired eyes when they arrived at the hotel. Sharon fell her body on the bed and slightly bounced like a ball. She, her mother, and grandmother shared one room, while her father was alone in the adjacent room.
It was already night, and Sharon couldn't fall asleep, experiencing a new place phenomenon where a part of her brain stayed awake to watch out for any danger. She slowly stood up from her bed and walked towards the window.
Sharon flipped the window and saw the Eiffel Tower glowing in the deep Parisian night; its golden lights shimmered against the velvet sky. She leaned closer, her fingers brushing the cold glass as her heart raced.
Below, the tower's reflection danced upon the still water. It felt surreal, a vision too perfect to be real—its beauty silencing the world outside her thoughts. The city buzzed faintly beneath, but up here, it was just her, the stars, and this glowing masterpiece.
Suddenly, a sharp knock broke the silence. Sharon wondered who it was knocking on the door in the middle of the night. Her mother and grandma were both so deeply asleep that they didn't hear it. Sharon hesitated if she should open it or not, but the knock grew louder, and she didn't want such a trivial thing to disturb other people.
Sharon walked towards the door and turned the knob. The door thudded, and a manly figure was standing in front of her. She couldn't recognize his face because he was wearing a bonnet. Sharon wasn't able to say anything or react as he stabbed her in her stomach.
Sharon felt the excruciating pain coming from her stomach and her blood dripping on the floor, but she wasn't able to make a sound as the man covered her mouth.
"It's time for you to sleep," the man whispered as he slowly lay Sharon down on the floor without making any sounds. Then, he walked slowly towards Bernadette.
The man stabbed Bernadette three times on her chest. The white bedsheet was now stained with blood. The woman wasn't able to see who killed her, but she wished that her daughter would survive.
Slowly, the man walked towards Rebecca. He was about to stab her when he noticed how beautiful she was. The man was tempted by her beauty and stripped her clothes, which awakened her.
Rebecca couldn't believe her eyes, seeing a man holding a knife covered with blood in front of her. The blood dripped on her face.
"Don't move or say anything if you don't want to die," the man said.
Despite the outburst of her emotions, knowing that her mother and daughter were killed by this man in front of her, Rebecca remained silent. She covered her lips to not make any sound as she didn't want to die yet.
"Good girl," the man said as he touched Rebecca's neck with his bloody hands. His hands slowly go down her breasts, awakening and arousing her sexual desires.