Red Roses And The Mysterious Letter (Series 1)

Chapter 1: A New Home, A New Beginning

Late into the night, Gwen was still awake, busy finishing her homework. Although it was Saturday, she hadn't been able to work on her assignments during the day because she had spent the entire time helping her parents and two younger brothers settle into their new home.

The neighborhood wasn't frightening at all. Their house was located in the city, surrounded by plenty of friendly neighbors. Every afternoon, the streets were lively with people, and several teenagers would often gather outside until around eight o'clock in the evening, when the neighborhood curfew began.

Their new house was quite spacious. It had two floors and three bedrooms—one for her parents, another shared by her two younger brothers, while Gwen finally had a room all to herself.

As the eldest child, Gwen worked incredibly hard in school. She was determined to achieve her dreams and hoped that one day she could repay all the sacrifices her parents had made for their family.

While quietly reading one of her textbooks, she heard a gentle knock on her bedroom door.

It was her mother, Alma, carrying a warm glass of milk.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Alma asked with a smile.

"Looks like you still have a lot of work left."

"I do, Mom," Gwen replied. "I really need to finish everything tonight."

"You could always continue tomorrow. It's already past midnight, and you need some rest too."

"I know, Mom. I'm almost done. I promise I'll go to bed as soon as I finish."

"Alright then. Your father and I are heading to bed now. Don't stay up too late."

"Okay, Mom. Thanks for the milk."

"I'm just going to check on your brothers and make sure they're already asleep."

"Alright. Good night, Mom. Good night to Dad too."

Alma simply laughed before quietly leaving the room.

After finishing all of her homework, Gwen began putting away her books and school supplies. As she walked over to close the bedroom window, something in the distance suddenly caught her attention.

About a kilometer away stood an enormous tree unlike anything she had ever seen before.

For some strange reason, it seemed... alive.

She hadn't noticed it earlier, probably because it was only visible from the second floor of the house.

She found herself staring at it for several minutes, completely mesmerized.

Suddenly—

BANG!

A loud crash echoed across the roof, startling her so badly that she nearly screamed.

A black cat landed on the window ledge before quickly jumping away.

"Woaah! That scared me to death," Gwen sighed. "I thought it was something much worse."

She closed the window, climbed into bed, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep after an exhausting day.

The following morning, Gwen woke up early to continue reviewing her homework.

She opened the window once again.

Her eyes immediately returned to the enormous tree in the distance, surrounded by a beautiful garden overflowing with flowers of every color and variety.

Knock... knock... knock…

Her mother's familiar knock interrupted her thoughts.

Every morning, Alma would gently knock on Gwen's bedroom door to wake her up. Sometimes she even did the same for Angelo, Gwen's younger brother.

"I'm coming, Mom!" Gwen called out.

She hurried over and opened the door.

"Oh, you're already awake," Alma said pleasantly. "Go get ready and come downstairs. Breakfast is ready."

"Okay, Mom."

When Gwen reached the dining table, she sat down while scrolling through her phone.

A social media post about the upcoming Valentine's Day appeared on her screen.

She rolled her eyes.

"People in relationships really go overboard."

Angelo immediately teased her.