Eliza

Eliza was born unto Mr. and Mrs. Angus Rusht, a wealthy family from the hills of West Virginia. Her mother, a very pale and sickly woman, died within hours of Eliza's birth, leaving her father to raise her with the help of a nanny. Eliza's given name was Elizabeth Annalee ( named after her mother Anna Lee and grandmother Elizabeth)...but she refused to use the whole name from the time she was old enough to talk.

It was noted early in Eliza's life that she was not an ordinary child. She would scream and become unruly when out of doors in the warm sun, but it was not until she was around 2 years of age that the doctors agreed. Eliza was allergic to the sun, yes allergic is how they termed it. This hindered her growing process immensely, especially in her psychological developement. She never learned to be social by playing with the other children, the only children she ever saw were relatives who visited ( and that didn't happen often). Her every need was seen to by her father or her nanny Audree until her 13th birthday.

Eliza's 13th birthday was a grand event, a coming-out of sorts, with everyone who was anyone present. That night would change Eliza forever. Eliza was growing impatient wanting to open her presents, so she went looking for her father. She found her father in his office with Audree, and the position they were in was highly inappropriate for this day, Her day. Although Eliza was only 13 years old she understood what this meant and she became enraged. She went after Audree with the letter opener from her fathers desk, chasing her through the entire house in front of all the party guests. Angus politely excused himself to tend to his daughter and bid them all goodnight. Everyone quickly scurried to retrieve their coats and make their way home....all but one man. Well he was barely a man, he had just turned 18 himself, but he felt he needed to stay and help.

He walked through the house trying to find Eliza and her father, but everytime he thought he found them the voices would stop and start in another room. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he found Eliza. She was in her own room, sitting on her bed, holding her teddy bear who was covered in blood. Terrance, the 18 year old who found her, tried to discern what had happened but Eliza would not talk. He phoned the authorities, who arrived almost immediately, and the nightmare began.

It was determined that Eliza, in a fit of rage, had killed not only the nanny but her father also. It was never determined why or even how, the only conclusion that was clear is that Eliza was now alone and the ward of the state...She spent the next 5 years in a mental institution, where Terrance was the only one who visited her. She blossomed into the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and so did his lovefor her. When the day came for her release, he was the one who took her home, to his home in town, for he thought it unwise to return her to the families estate where the horrible night had occurred. It was a modest home but she thought it was beautiful...because it was his home. Yes, Eliza had fallen in love with Terrance, he being the only person she had contact with for 5 years except for Dr.'s and nurses.

Terrance loved Eliza, he had loved her from that moment at her birthday party where she ran into him laughing, shaking her presents. He was going to take care of her...and for 3 years he did...for 3 years they were the happiest couple you ever saw.But...this would not last, Terrance was shot during a bank robbery and died leaving Eliza alone for the first time in her life. Immediately there was a change in her, she became wreckless and moody.She began drinking and spent her nights in the arms of whatever man bought her the last drink at closing time. Some of these men were single, some weren't, and soon she was hated by all the women in town.

One night Eliza had been out drinking and mourning her lost love and her lost father, when another woman she barely knew accosted her. This woman accused her of being cursed...of being a demon...a harlot...a murderer. Eliza was snapped out of her drunken stuper when the bloody image of her father came to her mind....you see, Eliza had no recollection of that night. The Dr.'s and Terrance agreed it would be best not to tell her, to let her go on with life and maybe a happy one. Eliza ran, she ran out of the bar and down the main street of town. She ran all the way to her families estate on the outskirts of town. She didn't know how she knew where the key was...but she found it and went inside. The entire house was dark, everything covered in white sheets, she tore through every room until she found her old bedroom. She threw herself down on the bed and began to cry. She had fallen asleep crying when she heard a soft voice calling to her. She arose and followed the voice...it led her straight to her fathers office, where the memory arose like a demon and lashed at her very soul. Eliza fell to her knees remembering what she saw and in that brief moment she heard his voice. It was her father, she heard him calling to her and answered.
"yes father?" she called.
"Eliza, I forgive you" he answered.
"for what father, what did I do?" she asked.
"remember!" he said and then his voice was silent.
Eliza left her fathers office and proceeded down the hall to the library. She suddenly heard another voice, this one was a woman and she was crying. Eliza opened the door that led to her fathers sitting room and the crying stopped She noticed very quickly how the room was empty, everything had been removed as evidence. Eliza's mind pictured the room as it was that night and she saw herself stabbing at her father, as the woman cried out for her to stop. She saw the blank look in her own eyes as the Eliza of the past turned on the woman, the woman who had raised her, and violently slash at her ripping the flesh from her throat. After her memory was filled with that horror the womans disembodied voice called out to Eliza
"Eliza?" it said.
"Audree?" she replied.
"yes Eliza, it is me, I have waited to tell you I am sorry" the voice replied
"sorry for what?" Eliza asked.
"I am sorry I betrayed you and your trust, forgive me" said the voice.
"I don't know if I can" Eliza replied.
"then I cannot go on to the other side" said the voice.
" is my father on the other side?" asked Eliza.
"yes" said the voice.
" good, and that is why I will never forgive you...he is mine, not yours and I will never let you take him from me again" replied Eliza.

Eliza kept her word too. She slowly replaced everything in the house with new things, dark things...evil things. Masterpiece art was replaced with abstract and obscure paintings that some believed to be demonically inspired. Beautiful lace drapes were replaced with heavy black linen ones. Even Eliza's clothes were black. All of the furniture, which was once bright and stately, was now replaced with cold stark pieces in blacks and grays. She cursed her father, she cursed her mother, she cursed Audree and she cursed the darkness she had to live with her entire life. She cursed everything until the darkness had finally encompassed everything.....even her heart.