She would wake up alone, get dressed with the help of the maids, have breakfast and return to her room until it was time for lunch. Then she would be led to a library where a new book awaited her daily.
When night came she would return and slowly drift off to sleep in utter silence. She would never speak a single word to another person, there was no need to. The only time she said something out loud was when she tried to pronounce a difficult word found within one of the books.
Sometimes when she would sit by the window upon hearing the sounds of laughter and banter between kids, who occasionally walked past.
Days turned into months, months into years, but her routine remained unchanged. All alone in that mansion day in and day out. Until one day she was presented with a cake with the number 9 on it.
It was her birthday. .
She blew out the candle, stared at the cake for a few minutes before leaving for her room. No one came to get her this day and she was left to her devices. She gazed at the snowfall outside her window, unable to even feel what it felt like.
And then came the kids once again, catching her interest.
Her eyes locked onto them until they left her sight. She had made up her mind.
Ceni waited for the nightfall and under the cover of darkness decided to sneak out. The mansion was completely devoid of life. The maids were nowhere to be seen so it made it easier for her to escape.
Hao Xuan could feel her tiny heartbeat thumping like a rabbit. She was overcome with excitement as she squeezed through the metal bars and for the first time in her life and stepping into the outside world.
She ran through layers of snow without ever looking back, giggling and laughing as she did so. Feeling the cold air against her skin for the very first time, stretching her legs for the first time. It was a lot of firsts that day.
She ran into the city streets not dressed for the cold weather but still uncaring. And by some coincidence, she came upon a girl her age. She was one of the kids that used to come by her mansion and Ceni recognized her instantly.
She followed her in secret, watching her chat with her friends while eating candy before finally returning home.
Little Ceni went up to a window and peeked inside. She saw the girl hug her mother, run up to her father and jump on his lap asking to be carried.
She watched the family from the outside, indifferent to her own precarious situation. Her hands had lost all color and she would soon freeze to death if nothing was done. But watching the cheerful atmosphere made her smile brighter than she ever had as she pictured herself in the girl's position, being loved and spoiled by her parents.
She watched until the bells tolled at midnight and they returned to their chambers.
Still smiling like a fool, she moved to the back of the property where an old oak tree rested. She gathered the snow from its roots with her frozen hands and created two snowmen.
Ceni sat in between them, nuzzling herself within their cold embrace. She hugged the stuffed toy tighter and tighter, trying to imagine what being hug by someone else would actually feel like.
And in that very same position she slowly drifted to a dreamless slumber, the fastest she had ever. But barely a few moments later she was woken up by soul-wrenching screams.
Ceni opened her eyes to a roaring flame. She even recognized the screams as the family of the girl she had followed home.
Stupified at what she was witnessing all Ceni could do was watch on, until finally, she noticed a figure standing beside her. It was a woman, otherworldly beautiful. She knelt down and patted Ceni on the head.
"You should know better than to run away from home. Mommy was so worried, my little angel."
Her melodious voice sounded like honey as she said those words without an ounce of affection on her face.
The glass broke from the side and a small body fell out. The skin melted of her bones and but she was still screaming and kicking in pain. It was the little girl.
Tears streaming down her face, Ceni tried to look away but the woman forcefully held her head in place.
"No, you need to see it, dear. This is all your fault. You killed them. Only if you hadn't ran away from home they would still be alive. Only if you had listened to mommy."
She was forced to watch the girl until she took her last breath and finally gave up.
The woman sat down beside Ceni, rubbing the back of her head. Somehow she felt colder than the snowmen as she whispered into her ears.
"You can never get away from me, darling. No one else will ever love you as I do. You will always be alone, always, remember that."
