Chapter 2:the day after

Her motionless body lay sideways on the soft surface. The room was shrouded in cold darkness, because the heavy curtains in the room did not let in any rays of sunshine, they kept them away. Her long, brown hair mostly covered her pale face, but no one recognized the steadily growing tears. She wept silently in solitude. On the expensive, white robe was the blood of an unknown whose life she had ended on an order last night.
She pulled her legs closer to her body, crouched on the mattress. Rigid with the thought of killing someone, she was unable to find peace. It seemed to her to be an unreal world in which she was trapped, there was no exit in this world that could save her from the madness. Hana opened her eyelids a little more and pushed her arm a little so that the palm of her hand faced her face. The fingertips trembled incessantly, but it was much more the fear of what that hand was capable of that worried her. In the moment, shortly before the murder, she felt no remorse, no hesitation to do it. In a kind of bloodlust, she was obsessed with getting the job done. A voice had taken over her insides for a short time, driving her to a bloodbath. What monster had she become?
She hadn't closed her eyes that night, which is why she felt infinitely tired. However, she did not dare to sleep. She was afraid of seeing the pictures of the assignment over and over again, even in her dreams, which were supposed to bring her peace and quiet. With every further blink of an eye, the tiredness gained more and more power, even if Hana struggled so hard. Her vision grew blurred with each passing second, as if darkness were coming for her.
Then a brief moment of weakness followed, so that sleep caught up with her. When she opened her eyes again, she no longer trusted her mind. There was a crowd in front of her, salty air puffed her face. With a wide and incredulous look she tried to move, but shackles her arms to it. The ground on which she stood barefoot was hard and uneven, causing her pain. She tried to speak, wanted to ask where she was, but her voice failed. No sound escaped her dry throat. She was tied to a hard object behind her. There were numerous people at her feet, all of them staring with hateful eyes at her fragile form.
She was a little startled when she recognized a familiar face among all the strangers. It was Shiro, who was standing a few meters in front of her in an ancient robe. Next to him is a young woman. She wore a shimmering gold chain around her neck, but the symbol the pendant represented was a rose. Seeking help, she looked at her master, who, however, looked at her with a cold look.Hana closed her eyes again, wishing it would end. She didn't know where she was or what was happening, but it felt so close to reality that it couldn't be a normal illusion or prank in her imagination, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself.
When the eyelids wandered up again, the noise of the crowd had ceased and darkness surrounded them again. She was back in her room. Without hesitation, she propped her upper body with one arm and sat up. Stunned, she stared into space, trying to realize what had happened. The most logical explanation to herself was that it had to be a dream. A pretty real dream. The brown-haired woman shook her head vigorously to get a clear mind again. She really wanted to throw these thoughts out. Still, she got the picture of the pendant - the golden rose - from her memories. She had never seen it before, yet it felt so familiar. She raised both arms to look at them. Besides the signs she had received since the contract, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The contract. She had also seen Shiro in this apparent 'dream'. Inwardly, she wondered if there was a connection with him and the scene that had just happened realistically.
She was torn from her educated mind again when her cell phone made humming noises. She leaned to one side so she could reach the wooden bedside table and looked at the flashing screen. Reluctantly, she reached for the object that was still trying to get her attention. With mixed feelings, she pressed the release button and placed the phone against her ear. "Yes?" She asked in a hoarse voice. Hana got up from her bed and moved a few steps through the small room that was her bedroom. As she did so, she removed the bloodstained clothing while listening to the cold voice. Her body tightened with every second that she had this conversation. It was Shiro who gave her new information about new jobs, thus new people whose life had to be ended. He also demanded her presence for a fine evening party - she should be by his side. She should act as a bodyguard and female companion at the same time. Before the young woman had the opportunity to give her consent, the connection was cut.
Somewhat surprised by this action, she stayed in her position for seconds before she had found the strength to breathe again. She lowered her arm and looked at the screen again. She read the digits of the time - she still had some time before the meeting with her master was due. But then something else caught her eye. Only now did she discover an unread message from her parents. She pressed a button again, revealing the hidden text."Hello dear ... we're worried about you ... something happened.", Hana's low voice read a few pieces of the text message. The fingers of her free hand ran through her long, brown hair, brushing a strand back behind her ear so that the annoying feeling disappeared.
She bit her lower lip and threw the device in her right hand onto the soft blanket. She paid no attention to it, neither wanted nor could. She didn't want her parents involved in something that no one would believe her anyway. It was too dangerous. She lifted her head a little and looked at a framed picture on the wall, which showed her with her family. On the day that fate thrust her into this new life, she wanted to visit her parents, but it never happened. Nor had she answered.
Her feet moved of their own accord, leading the confused figure into the bathroom. She had to long forward not to succumb to madness.

After Hana had showered and was now wearing more comfortable clothes, she was just on the way to the small, adjoining kitchen. She was sure that a hot tea would give her other thoughts, but then she heard strange noises outside the apartment. She crept up to the door of the apartment and put her hand around the cold handle. The other held the small key that was enough to open the lock. When she unlocked the door, she pushed the door handle down and opened the wood between her apartment and the hallway. After a few inches she peeked out. A few men were present, they all carried boxes that were placed in front of the door. The Takanora watched with interest. A rather skinny man was carrying another box that seemed too heavy for him than. He literally struggled the last steps to the second floor, but before his real goal was reached, he threatened to tip over.
Within a second, Hana managed to cross the threshold, to overcome the separating meters and finally to catch the falling box, so that worse could be prevented. She was sure of the astonishment, but she tried to keep her features calm so that the unusual would not gain importance. The stunned worker, who was almost kneeling in front of her, was amazed at the sudden appearance of Hana. She gave him a gentle smile, holding the almost fallen box securely in both hands. "Where does it belong?", Hana asked in a polite voice and turned around on her own axis, but her entire body suddenly winced. She literally clawed at the box, because the person standing just a few centimeters in front of her had startled her.
"I think she's mine." It was a soft male voice that made her look up. She recognized a young man with black hair. His blue-gray eyes radiated an uncanny coldness, yet he wore a gentle, friendly smile.He took the heavy piece from her, pulling the corners of his mouth up a little further. "Thank you, there are valuable items in the box. By the way, I'm Haruto Kouhei, the new neighbor.", He introduced himself at the end. Despite the icy look, his smile was warm and open. It was difficult to classify. As he did so, he shifted the weight of the moving box onto one arm and held out the other, which was now free. He held it out to her as a greeting. Irritated, but pleasantly surprised, she did the same and shook his hand, her lips forming a smile as well, even if it was put on for now. "Hana Takanora.", The woman introduced herself as a courtesy before she let go of his hand.
Her new neighbor looked at her briefly before he turned around and walked to his apartment door. He put the heavy box down and turned back to Hana. "Would you like a cup of tea, my new kitchen has to be inaugurated.", Suggested the charming man, but she met her refusal. Part of her wanted to agree with him, wanted to go about normal life and make new contacts, but her Lord and Master would not allow it. Especially since she was supposed to meet him in a few minutes. "Sorry, maybe another time, but then sure, I promise." It came from her lips before she hurried back to her room with quick steps. She hastily closed the door behind her so as not to feel his gaze on her any more.
Haruto stopped in astonishment. His smile disappeared and his charisma grew increasingly cool. This evil puppet wouldn't make it that easy for him. He had judged the situation to be too simple. He ran his long fingers through his wind-disheveled hair, smiling again, but a grin formed. A cold, murderous grin. He would certainly have more opportunities to initiate the extermination of Shiro Motoyama's maid, because time was on his side. First he had to play the nice neighbor, win their trust, because experience taught him not to underestimate such demon characters. His hand took the place where the largest of his collection of scars was.