[b]Pari - I [/b]

[i]5:00am
Blackriver County[/i]

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It wasn’t always possible to remember and find time for her morning routines, but if there was any day where setting the time aside would be worth it, it was today. And so she did it. Upon waking she said a silent prayer before leaving her bed, clearly visualising her affirmations for the day. She opened her eyes, and moved towards the bathroom of the cheap motel and let cold water hit her face. With a sharp gasp she carefully washed her face, eyes and mouth. She brushed her teeth, gargled mouthwash, drank water. Each step had purpose.

She smiled at her reflection, and combed her hair methodically with her fingers into a ponytail. To the balcony - where she performed her sun salutations and a quick yoga routine under the rising sun meditavely. She sat herself down for her Pranayama, taking a few moments to breath in the early morning air - and exhale anything she was holding on to. She smiled again. She was ready, as she got dressed she recited another prayer in Marathi out loud. With purpose, she collected her belongings and finally switched on her phone, listening to the sound of the cars engine as she left her room to head towards the safehouse. 

Parinaaz Bhatt sat with one leg crossed over the other in the backseat, a manila folder on her lap, with one hand she thumbed at its corners - already aware of the images and information inside - but still she was curious for another look. The forefinger of her other hand was pressed to her lips, brushing against her front teeth. She glanced upwards into the rear view mirror and saw that her driver was looking right back. She placed her hands back by her side and smiled politely at him, nodding her head in acknowledgement of him as they traveled the roads of Blackriver County.

There was a strange stillness about the place at this hour - as if it were suspended in a single peaceful minute as the sun rose up, casting it’s rays against the luscious greenery, the dew on the grass sparkling, and the trees catching an ethereal amber glow in the solar spotlight. “Good morning,” she said softly to the man in the driver's seat - he smiled back - but it wasn’t a sincere smile. Just a return of hers so as not to appear rude. He was here to take her to the safehouse, and that was that. As the journey brought her closer to the mountains, the bright glow seemed to hide behind darkened clouds, and the stillness was disturbed by wind. The atmosphere changed. She swallowed.

She turned her head to look out at the scene as the car began to wind around the roads in the mountains, thick deciduous forest either side of them, sliced through the middle by a rough grey dirt road, that only seemed to get bumpier the further they drove across it. She couldn't resist opening the folder. The images were grim, but fascinating all the same. If she wasn't well read in every detail of the reports, she might embarrass herself in front of the team, and that would not do. She turned an image upside down and examined it from that angle too. As she poured over them, she could sense the driver stiffening in posture, and a quick glance at the rear view mirror again showed that he had been watching. She closed the folder and sighed, smiling awkwardly once more. 

"Simply terrible..." he said in a slow, deep drawl of a voice. "This is my home and this shit's hap'nin." She pursed her lips as he spoke, and leaned forward ever so slightly in the seat. "We're going to get to the bottom of this, Sir." Pari's voice was calming, and had it not been for the wire guard between the backseats and the front seats, she would have placed a hand on his arm comfortingly. They were the last words they shared, as only a few moments later the car pulled up onto the drive of the safehouse. As she collected her belongings, she placed the folder back into her purse, a modest looking cabin-sized suitcase in her other hand. She let her eyes take in the picture, it was a beautiful location, but there was an abnormal aura about it too. A shroud of darkness that had made the air feel murky to her - murky enough that her heart began beat faster in her chest, her grip tightened around the handle of the suitcase - something about this place was unnatural. Pari was not deterred, and she moved steadfastly to the door, whispering under her breath more prayers in Marathi. 
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