When he first stepped off the train and arrived at this small town, he realised he hadn't really thought it through so clearly. He had never been to this small remote town in Europe and wondered if they even spoke English. Dismissing that uneasy thought, he continued on.
Before Eleo found himself involved in any of this, he had worked in his father's cafe - a small, insignificant shop that just stayed by the roadside all year. The 20-year-old wasn't sure what he wanted with his life at that point. When he was a kid, he had dreams, of being an astronaut and things like that. He had looked up to his father, even aspired to be like him. His father was a respectable police officer, always working for the townspeople. All that changed years ago, when he broke his leg and had to retire. Now that same man limped around the cafe, and Eleo had helped him, like a good son should.
A few days ago, his co-worker seemed troubled. After much prompting, Eleo finally got him to speak about his relatives. Apparently, his sister's daughter had passed away. The family was still grieving over her, unable to come to terms with the young girl's passing. The most curious thing about this, though, was that the official reports labeled it as a suicide but the family claimed it was murder. Only the police won't acknowledge there was a murder in that small, peaceful town and refused to investigate.
That was what got Eleo interested. Was something being covered up? As he scanned through the documents - a photo of the girl, vague family history and the newsapaper clipping of the incident, he felt his heart pounding. He was excited. For the first time in his mundane life, this was something he wanted to do. To investigate a crime like this, it was thrilling. And driven by that unknown force, he was here.
He approached the mansion that was the family's house, amazed at the size of it. He was also perplexed at the weather. It was somewhat chilly and there was snow drifting down onto the ground. But what season was it? Was it already winter? He had been working in that cafe for so long he had forgotten the time, and with it, the seasons that passed.
Before Eleo entered the building, he noticed a girl sitting alone on a swing outside the house, in some garden. He strolled towards her and as he got closer she seemed weirder. She was wearing a black dress and had long black hair that cascaded past her shoulders. He was puzzled at her appearance, which also consisted of a gas mask strapped to her face. Eleo wasn't sure if it was a good idea to speak to her, but since he was already so close, he might as well.
"Hey, aren't you cold out here?" He began, aware that her clothers didn't provide much protection from the cold weather. He removed his coat and offered it to her like a gentleman.
"It's okay, I'm fine." she replied. Her voice was more melodious than he thought it would be. Awkwardly holding onto his coat, he shrugged and put it back on clumsily.
"Why are you wearing that?" He asked, gesturing at the gas mask.
"Oh this... I have rather serious asthma, so I can't breathe properly outside."
"Oh really... Well take care then," Eleo turned to go.
"Are you going into that house?" She asked suddenly, almost getting up from her seat.
"Yea, why? Is anything wrong?" He turned back towards her.
"...Nothing. Oh what's your name?"
"...Eleo. What about you?"
"I'm Lina."
"Lina." He tried saying her name and it rolled off his tongue perfectly.
"Yea." She nodded. He smiled briefly and turned to leave.