Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?

Chapter 1: St Mary Magdolen Woman's Shelter.

The old ranch of Moesko Island was quiet, unmoving as Anna Morgan stood in front of a oval glass mirror, smoothing back the elegant locks of her black hair with a brush. The red face of the sun rose up slowly beyond the cragged bodies of the pines, illuminating her face with a glowing, eccentric light. Her chest released a great sigh relief. After trying to conceive a child for more then three years, her patience was pushed to the limit, the waiting was finally over. Every child they tried to have resulted in failure until only just recently, Anna had heard from a local of the mainland that an orphanage called St. Mary Magdolen Woman's Shelter, just near of Moesko Island would be happy to assist in adopting a child. The orphanage on the mainland had received and accepted the adoption papers without question, and Anna was pleased when the letter in the mail arrived two days later. She remembered reading the letter with much enthusiasm, her face lighting up with an expression of ecstasy and delight. It was addressed via a typewriter and the message was exceptionally short, only in one sentence. Anna was somewhat curious but at the same time, she was excited about it.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Morgan

We are pleased to announce that your papers have been confirmed and the chance of adopting a child will appointed to you in due time.

Yours sincerely,

St. Mary Magdolen Woman's Shelter Washington

Richard, Anna's husband gazed at her with a small frown. He was a man of medium build with dark set blue eyes that blazed with authority and grizzled grey hair that plastered to his head. Apart from that he and his wife were horse owners on Moesko Island, hosting horse shows from time to time with great succession. Richard adored his horses and so did Anna. He had wanted a child more then anything, but only if she had conceived one. He was however very unsure about adopting, and he hid this expression when his wife turned to him, her hair pulled back firmly in a tight bun. 'What do you think honey?' she asked curiously.

'My dear you couldn't look more fabulous' Richard replied in a soothing voice.

Anna beamed at him then quickly packed up her belongings and headed for the car, with Richard following close behind. In exactly ten minutes later they were on the winding path to the ferry that would lead to the mainland. Anna could not erase the smile of her face as they drove down the road. Richard's eyes were staring ahead in concentration, not glancing much at his wife. Anna gazed at him and smiled reassuringly.

'Do you think we should get a boy or a girl?' she asked softly. Richard shook his head stiffly.

'I don't know honey,' he grunted, keeping his eyes on the road. Anna somehow knew what he was thinking and stared at him for a long minute of intensive silence.

'Richard, you are okay with this decision, we talked about it last night'.

Richard gave a long deep sigh as his eyes wavered towards his wife.

'I thought that if we had decided on a child it would consist of our own flesh and blood, not a child from some woman's shelter' he replied somewhat gruffly, his hands clenching the steering wheel of the black 1950 Cadillac more tightly then usual.

Anna just smiled again and laid a comforting reassuring hand on his shoulder.

'I know darling' she soothed. 'I really did want that too. But maybe it was gods resolution for us to adopt a child instead of giving birth'.

Richard shut his eyes tightly for a second, and then opened them again.

'I thought god told us that we weren't meant to have a child at all'.

Anna sighed again and squeezed his shoulder lovingly.

'Richard honey, I want a child more then anything' she said with a small hint of pain in her voice. At these words Richard felt a stabbing wave of pity rush through his body. The sensitivity of her voice made his heart weep. 'If you don't want a child I understand…'

'No' he replied, a little more sharply then usual. 'I want you to feel happy and I desperately want to go though with this'. In his heart however he felt a sensation of agony wash through him like cold water. He hated lying to his wife, but at the same time he wanted her to feel cheerful.

In about fourteen minutes they arrived at the ferry to the mainland. Richard parked the car and got out slowly, his muscles stiff from the clutching of the steering wheel. Anna was waiting for him at the stern, watching the water lap up against the sides of the ferry.

'Isn't it beautiful' she commented as they surveyed the flickering glow of the Moesko lighthouse, its beam casting a glare that lit up the extremities of their faces. Richard glanced over at her gradually and gave a small smile. The ferry ride was sluggish and the condition of the sea was calm and tranquil. After the two had disembarked, they took the main road to the orphanage. Anna's face was still bright and optimistic, her expression a mixture of excitement and joy. After about an hour of driving along the main highway they turned off onto a side road. On either side there were large oak trees, their branches knurled and withered while the leaves swayed with gentle delicacy. Eventually the car pulled up outside the orphanage and Anna and Richard both gazed at it. Out of all the buildings the Morgan's had encountered, they had never seen a shabbier looking building. Large thickets of Ivy hung over some of its windows like thick green venomous snakes, twisting and curling their tendrils around the panes of glass and frames. There were tiles missing from the roof, and the battered looking sign just outside, emitted an ominous creaking noise of metal against metal. Richard shuddered a little; this place was making him very uneasy. Anna meanwhile was looking excited at checking out the children, seemingly unfazed by the appearance of the building.

Suddenly a woman in her mid fifties came bustling out of the front door. She had dark brown eyes that were hard and stern, and auburn hair that was swept back in a ponytail. Her appearance made Richard's eyes narrow slightly while Anna met the woman's eyes with a smile.

'You must be the Morgan's' she said somewhat hastily.

'Indeed we are' Anna replied merrily.

'We have many fine children for you to look at, and I am sure they are very keen to meet you' the woman declared and held out a pudgy hand.

'I am Sister Elizabeth by the way, I run the shelter here' she added.

'Anna and this is my husband Richard' Anna exclaimed shaking her hand with enthusiasm.

'Now if you don't mind could you please follow me' Elizabeth continued. She retreated into the shelter with Anna and Richard following close behind. As they stepped inside the appearance of the building changed into a more splendid look with beautiful stain glass windows and a polished wooden floor. They went past a large window where a group of boys were all laughing together and playing cricket. Anna glanced to the right and saw a small garden littered with roses and other flowers. In the centre of the garden stood a fountain with a beautiful statue situated above. Anna gazed into the depths of the fountain and watched the water lap gently against its sides. She glanced back at the boys and noticed that everyone was seemingly keeping there distance from the garden. Elizabeth was watching Anna's gaze with discontent, her brown eyes hardening to narrowed slits. Not wanting to cause a scene she cleared her throat abruptly, 'Mrs. Morgan'. Anna who was still staring at the fountain jumped a little when she spoke. She turned her gaze to face Elizabeth and asked 'Why does no one go near that garden?

Elizabeth opened her mouth for a second, then closed it again. Then she replied stiffly 'I would rather not dwell into that'.

'Why not?' Anna asked somewhat curiously.

Elizabeth sighed a little, averting her gaze 'Something happened there and I think it is best if it is kept quite'.

Not wanting to ask any more of Anna's questions, Elizabeth hurried along the corridor and pointed towards the very end where it opened out into a large room. 'You will find all the young kids here' she said with a smile. She turned to walk back but suddenly stopped again, slowly facing them, 'oh by the way if you need assistance just give me a shout'.

'Will do' Anna replied as Elizabeth scurried down the hall and back to the main desk. Richard watched her go, deliberately raising an eyebrow.

'She seemed to be in a rush' he mused. Anna meanwhile shrugged and began to walk around the children.

'Which one picks your fancy?' Richard asked.

'I really would like to have a girl, a young one' she replied.

Richard glanced around the room and pointed to a group of laughing girls, 'there are a group of girls over here' he gestured.

Anna began to walk over to examine them, when out of the corner of her eye she spotted a little girl sitting alone at the windowsill.

Anna had many relatives on Moesko Island who had children but she had never seen a girl like this before. She appeared to be eight years old with very pale skin, white as marble and extremely long black raven hair that rippled and cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist. Some of the long hair was obscuring her face and her eyes were a dark brown and unblinking. She wore a flowing white dress that ended at her ankles. On her feet were little black shoes, which were finely polished. The girl just sat there, not moving a muscle and watching a green bottle fly crawl across the pane, its wings twitching occasionally. Anna's eyes lit up at the sight of the girl.

'Richard over there!' she said pointing.

Richard's face fell upon her and his insides squirmed like writhing worms. There was something about this girl that he didn't like. It was as if a warning signal had gone off inside of him as if saying 'Anna stay away from her'. He thought he could feel a strange presence of some kind emanating deep within her. Without a glance at her husband; Anna gently approached the girl who had not noticed them.

The little girl glanced up slowly as Anna came to her. Richard almost felt a rippling shudder go through him, he was very uneasy and kept a few steps back not wanting to be near this child.

'Hello,' Anna said kindly as she kneeled down to examine her. 'What is your name?' The girl said nothing for a second then she spoke. Her voice was soft and almost a whisper like a breathe of icy wind. Something about her voice made the hairs on Richards nape prickle uncomfortably.

'I am Samara'.

'My name is Anna, Anna Morgan and this is my husband Richard' Anna exclaimed.

Samara's dark brown eyes flickered for a second onto Richard, but went straight back to Anna again.

'You have a very pretty name' Anna said, still staring into Samara's eyes, 'it suits you'.

Samara managed a very small smile then she turned her head and continued to scrutinize the fly on the glass.

'Do you sit here all the time?' Anna asked tentatively.

Samara inclined her head just a fraction of an inch, 'Yes'.

'Why is that'? Anna queried.

'Everyone thinks that I am strange. They don't like me. They are afraid of me' Samara murmured.

Anna laid a hand on her shoulder, 'I'm not afraid of you' she said. Samara smiled a little and gazed longingly at her. This comment made Richard look at her in utter revolution. He wanted more then anything to get away from this girl and judging by the way Anna was talking to her, it looked like she was going to choose her.

It didn't take long for his trepidation to be complete. In less then thirty minutes later, Anna was leading the young Samara by the hand to the front desk of the shelter. Elizabeth, who was busy shuffling papers into a file, glanced up as she saw them coming, her eyes coming to rest on the little girl and her insides stiffened abruptly. But she did not express this as the trio came towards her.

'Ah so you have chosen Samara!' she said placing the file into a cabinet.

'She will make a wonderful addition to the family, won't she Richard' Anna exclaimed.

Richard whose thoughts were circling with fear spoke quickly, 'Oh yes… she will'.

Anna smiled at him and signed the form that Elizabeth was holding.

Elizabeth quickly came out from behind the desk and went down the hallway to another set of doors. No less then one minute later she returned carrying a small suitcase. The suitcase was constructed of dark greenish leather with golden silk on the lid and on the bottom right side was a rose etched into it. Striding back to the desk she handed it to Anna who reluctantly took it.

'You will find all of Samara's belonging's inside the case' she said putting the form aside. She gazed down at Samara who was still holding onto Anna's hand, 'I hope you enjoy your new parents' she continued. As she said this, the tone in her voice had slightly changed a little and Anna had trouble registering it. Was it hatred or something else? Anna could not tell. She shook the thought out of her mind, cleared her throat and asked curiously, 'Do you know what happened to Samara's parents?'

Elizabeth gave a small indication of a sigh, 'The father I have no idea, the mother however apparently died of complications'. She smiled again, not looking at the little girl standing before her. 'Enjoy your trip back to Moesko Island'. Anna nodded in reassurance and satisfaction. Finally she turned, motioning with her hand for Samara to follow and walked her out of the shelter. As they left, Samara turned her head and stared directly at Elizabeth, her lips forming into a malicious smile. Elizabeth glared at the little girl with up-most loathing and she spoke in a voice that only she could hear, 'I know what you are'.

Samara's smile turned instantly into a deepening scowl and an opaque gleam sparkled in her brown eyes. She whispered her reply that made Elizabeth's blood run cold, 'I know'. As she said this Elizabeth glanced down at her desk and her lower lip trembled violently. There, etched into the wood of the table was an image. An image of a woman with a distorted waterlogged face. Her mouth opened in a scream of silent terror. Elizabeth watched her go before placing a file atop of the horrible image. She was shaking and her breath caught in her throat. But at the same time their was relief. She spoke out to herself in a shaky horse voice that was distant, 'It is the fear of the monster deep within, waiting to be called and that monster is YOU!' she retorted, spitting it out in pure unrelenting venom. At last after eight years, the little freak was gone, banished to a new home. She smirked a little to herself as the car drove away before finishing with a bitter statement, 'You were never seen in the eyes of god; the devil will always follow in your footsteps'.

Authors Note: I have been busy with Uni work but I wanted to update this first chapter because I realized that I missed out some key information regarding Samara and where she was adopted from. I was watching the Ring Two the other day and found important points. I really wanted to provide more detail of what the shelter was like and the foreshadowing of the fountain to where Evelyn had tried to drown Samara as a baby. The suitcase also provides more background to Samara's real mother. I also wanted Sister Elizabeth to express pure disgust to Samara as she knows what she is capable off. I will provide heaps of information about Evelyn in later chapters because she is going to play an important role later in the story. I was thinking to actually have Samara reunite with Evelyn but I don't know how it will play out. I am hoping to add Samara's biological father the Ocean Entity into the story as well. I also want to thank SKAM Asakura Lawliet for reviewing my story :)