All throughout the way, I felt jolting waves of fears drenching my body. Occasional glances from people was depressing me all the way more. My face, a sojourn for tears was surely a piece of attraction for them.

Certainly, this road shall fetch me to my home far late, but I prefer it over eeriness. Almighty might be submerged in my prayers, for I had sent countless of them.

At a time or two, I tipped over plain roads when my knees wobbled up.
The utter state of confusion pertained, and I felt helpless, dejected and what not! I hold the letter tightly in my left hand and the amount of force I am applying while holding it would have surely crumpled it. I had no courage to open it when Rosaline handed me this. Even now, call it paranoia or just an delusion, I feel being watched.

       After an hour or so of walking, when I reach home, the mere sight of it made relief wash over me. I knocked impatiently until mother opens it.
 
     The way she gasped looking at me was an evidence enough of my messed form.

" Diana! "
   
     She exclaimed while I threw myself at her ,hugging her tight in the process.

            " Honey, you're sweating profusely and Good Lord! Your body is burning. "

I could hear my mother's panic voice , yet I didn't want to answer anything. I was too occupied by choking on a sob. She ushered me inside. With a difficulty, I walk till my room and the moment I saw the bed, I fell on it with a thud. I saw mother hastily walking in with cold water and a piece of cloth.

    She had tears in her eyes and wanted to console her, but how could I when I was incapable of even moving my chapped lips even a bit. She was mouthing something, maybe asking questions but to me, they were just faint whispers.

I watched her with my dull eyes, rigoursly wetting the cloth and placing it on my head.

    I wondered, would it work as my fever was not a gift of weather rather of fear, which had consumed my soul like a black, thick fog. The horrifying images of dead Mary wasn't leaving my vision nor was that of the nightmare. Both of them were colliding together, creating a conundrum in my head. After a great amount of effort, I finally succumbed to sleep.

    The eternity seemed to fade away when my eyelids shot open and seeing candles lit up in my room accompanied by eerieness was proof enough that night was royally ruling around. I removed the quilt from my body and a pungent odour of my own sweat hit me hard. Seems like I'm sweating like a pig, literally. But strangely, these momentarily distractions felt soothing to me. I wasn't feeling as hot as before which was a relief still, the immense heaviness in my head compelled me to go back to sleep, but I couldn't and wouldn't as there was something very important for me to attend.

" Sweetie, you awake? "

Ah! So mother was still by my side. I smiled weakly at her which she didn't buy.

" Will you tell me what happened? Since morning, you're behaving strangely. Should I call your father? He's out tonight to guard field. "

Her voice was overflowing with heaviness, and her hazel orbs were glassy. She seemed to cry on drop of a hat. I chose to be partial honest, it wasn't like I had any other way.

" Don't bother father. Morning was nothing, but an aftermath of a nightmare. And now, well, I a little girl, Mary of our institution died early this morning. "

Her reaction was usual - gasping and crying. It took a lot of assurance from my side to ask her to leave me alone. I couldn't help but think of the letter handed to me by Rosaline. Maybe, it was a secret casket of something.

I was close to Mary, but not enough for her to write a letter addressing me, lest she knew, something was going to happen to her and that too, because of me. The very thought churned a sick feeling in my heart, but infront of mother, I tried to put up the brave face.

  It was harder than I thought to convince mother to go and have rest in her room. Being an only child does have It's own set of consequences.

Reluctantly, she did leave me alone, passing that unsure look from outside the room. Finally, I bolted my wooden door from inside and eyed the chair where my black trench coat was dumped. The mere fact that a letter was there which could turn my life upside down was overwhelming. I was as clueless as night and to add to it, a creepy fear was crawling on and pinching my skin.

  Nonetheless, I went near it and hastily looked for the letter's envelope. My heartbeats paddled highly when I tore apart the cream coloured covering to fetch the letter.
My blood turned cold when I saw edges of the letter smothered with dried brownish blood. Was it of Mary?

My fingers didn't have the strength or maybe, courage to hold the weightless thing anymore, making it fall down on the ground.

Tears sprang out of my eyes when I crouched down to read two lines crafted out of black ink -

' Chose wisely who you love as
your pious love fuels deadly desire.'

I had to palm my mouth forcefully in order to muffle my hiccups and scream stuck in my throat. I let my eyes shut and sat down on the ground,  crying. I wanted to vent it out all through my tears, even if I had to cry till morning.

It must be only five minutes amidst my intense crying, but suddenly wetness near my feet finger chilled my spine. Through my tear pooled eyes, I saw thick, metallic, red liquid wetting my feet and the real horror came when I saw letter's corner being stain free as if there was no blood on them.