All she could see was darkness.
Clammy hands covered her eyes as she waited.

"Okay babe you can open them now!"

The hands were removed and Katya opened her eyes. She found herself admiring a quaint small square house painted yellow with a green door. It was beside a forest and the sea was only a couple of hundred yards away.

"It's perfect!" Katya clapped her hands together and smiled.

Jacob put his arms around her shoulders and laughed.
This was the sixth house that they'd been to view in the last month. Jacob wanted to move away from the hustle and bustle of Stockholm to a smaller city called Kalmar. Katya had agreed because she had a job offer at a pre school there and couldn't wait to leave her old job behind. All Jacob needed to do now was find himself a new job.

"I'll see if we can move in tomorrow. You can have a look round if you want whilst I make the call."

"Sure." Katya made her way towards the house and she felt so at home here already.

As she circled the property's exterior she saw a small garden with flowers and even an apple tree. She then wound her way round to the path which led towards the sea and took in the view in front of her. She spotted a small boat house to her right and saw that several small islands were scattered around in the distance.

This truly is perfect.

Starting a new life here excited Katya. Jacob had proposed to her five months ago and she was ecstatic. They had got together when she was twenty two which was four years ago and she knew that this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

As she walked along the pebbles towards a cluster of trees she noticed another house. How did she not see this before? From the distance she was standing at she couldn't see much so she took a few steps forward.

"Katya! Make sure you've packed the last of your things because we're moving in tomorrow!" She stopped and turned to see her fiance running over.

"But I haven't even seen the inside?"

"You can look at it online tonight. I promise you're gonna love it!" He took her by the hands and kissed her.

She knew she could trust him so she kissed him back before he lead her to the car.

Once they got back to their apartment they ordered take out. Katya was glad to see the back of the place that she called home for the past three years. It was a nice apartment but that was the downfall. It cost a lot to live there. The sounds of traffic and people outside annoyed her and made her crave for the peace and quiet she knew she would get at their new home.

They watched a movie and she got ready for bed. As she undressed she stood in front of the floor length mirror and looked at herself. Many scars lined her body. From her arms to her thighs. She even had some on her back and stomach which weren't self inflicted. She hated them. They were constant reminders of her past which she wished she could permanently forget.

A pair of hands reached around and grabbed onto her petite waist. She jumped with shock as Jacob whispered into her ear.

"Sorry baby I didn't mean to scare you."

She looked back at her reflection and Jacobs face disappeared into her white hair. Her mother once told her that she was blessed to have been born with snow like hair. It enhanced her ocean blue eyes. In contrast Jacobs were chestnut brown and his jet black hair hung loose. She wanted him to continue growing it but to her dismay he paid a visit to the hair salon when it reached his shoulders.

Katya turned around and looked at him. He embraced her and pulled her close. She held onto his muscular shoulders and breathed in his scent. He picked her up as she giggled and carried her to the bed. The soft faux fur bed cover felt luxurious against her bare skin.

Jacob took off her underwear and admired her body. He kissed the scar which lead from her back to her midriff. She used to wince when he did that but now she embraced it. Before she knew it he was naked too and they were making love.

Several hours later they lay in each others arms panting with sweat.

"We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. You better get some sleep."
He kissed her forehead and blew out one of the four candles they had lit.

"No please keep them alight."

"Oh of course, I'm sorry."

She got under the covers and was glad she wasn't concealed by the dark. Ever since she was a little girl she had been afraid of it. She always had to have some sort of light on at night. The electricity bill had risen way out of their price zone a while ago so they turned to using candles instead. The darkness scared Katya more than anything else in the world.

Thank you for reading the first part of my fourth story!
I will probably post two parts each week instead of only one like I was planning on doing.
I'd really appreciate it if you could vote for each chapter!
Feel free to leave comments too :)

Front cover designed by inksorcery- Narcisse Navarre