✍️✍️✍️✍️ The Crown's Obsession Chapter 251 - 260✍️✍️✍️✍️

PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME

Meddler- Part 3

When the time of evening had arrived, James sat in front of the grave of his father whom he had buried a few hours ago after finding him dead in his room. With everything that was going on, the loss and grief had been too much for him to handle. 

"Sir, the cost for the work is twenty-four coins," came the voice of the caretaker, who was the person to look after the cemetery. James turned, putting his hand in his pocket to give the money to another man who had helped him in putting his father in the casket and burying him in here. 

James' eyes looked bleak as they stared at nothing in particular. The caretaker left with the other man, who had come to take his money, leaving James alone in that part of the cemetery as there were no other visitors. Fresh flowers had been placed on top of the grave. When his mother had passed away, it had been difficult, but he had his father with him, who had also left him alone in this world. 

The sorrow he felt in his chest, turned to hatred because it was always easier to deal with emotions like pain by replacing it with anger and hate. Giving reasons like his father would have still be alive if he were there to take care of him. Since the time he had found his father dead, James tried to find reasons and solutions of if's that was of no use as his father was long gone and dead, and his father was not going to return. 

If he had not gone to visit Lady Catherine's mansion, if he was not forced to marry her, this would have never been the case. At least he would have been next to his father's side, to hear his old man's last wishes. As hours passed, James came to despise the Barnes' family, and on the other side he despised the King of Devon who had disrupted his life by his mere presence. 

James had accepted defeat when it came to the love he felt for the girl, Madeline Harris, but the King had played dirty. The vampire had made sure to corner him to the point where he would have nowhere to go. It was because of his meddling that things had turned this way. James had never meant ill or any harm towards anyone. He was a man who his mother would be proud of, but it seemed like goodness brought nothing but bad luck to him. The King had snatched the girl whom he loved, wasn't the King happy? That he was now involving himself in matters that didn't concern him? 

Blood started to boil under his skin as more minutes passed. The sky finally turned dark. James didn't know how long he sat in front of his father's grave. He stood up when he heard a loud howl coming from the forest which was behind the cemetery he stood in. 

James took note of how the night had arrived quickly, and the crickets had started to chirp behind the bushes. Hearing another loud howl that followed with the previous one, he decided to leave the cemetery so that he would meet the King. 

With nothing more to lose, James didn't care about the King, nor did he care about Mr. Barnes. James was a simple man, and he was living his life peacefully until the time of the Hallow that took place in Devon. Starting to walk away from his father's grave, James almost made it through the cemetery when out of nowhere, a wolf came to stand in front of him. The wolf growled, and James looked around scared and in worry. There were wolves in the forest, but they didn't often come out to the village or the town because of the people who normally chased them away. The wolf looked feral, baring its teeth for James to step back and keep a safe distance, but then came another growl from behind him. 

Before James could do anything, the wolf at the front jumped towards him, biting his leg and making him cry out loud in pain as its teeth sunk into his flesh. Hearing him scream, the cemetery caretaker quickly made his way there with the torch of fire in his hand. The wolves growled again, but they didn't stay near James as they promptly fled back to the forest. 

In pain, James fell on the ground, holding his leg.

"Are you alright, Mr. Heathcliff??" the caretaker came running, swishing his hand that had the torch of fire left and right up in the air. 

"Argh!" James had never been hurt this bad before, and it almost felt like he was dying. He felt his body turn hot, making his skin feel as if it was on fire, and his vision had turned pitch black. Pain shot up through his body, making him writhe on the ground. 

Seeing James on the ground, the caretaker offered, "Let me go find something to aid you!" and he quickly left after noticing the blood on James' pants. 

James huffed for air, his entire face contoured in pain as he continued to cry. Blood was gushing out because of the large bite the wolf had taken, James tried hard to breathe.

The caretaker arrived with a box of first-aid, "I forgot to light the torches around the house. Recently, there have been growls and howls coming from the forest. Here, let me help you to sit up," said the caretaker, lending James a hand so that he would get up from the ground. "There's too much blood! I will wrap your leg with cloth so that you don't lose more blood. This will help you stop the bleeding until you go and see the doctor."

The cemetery caretaker helped James to walk and get inside his house, which was close by. The man started to help James in cleaning the wound. 

"Why don't you complain to the magistrate about the wolves?" asked James, his eyebrows furrowed deeply in pain. 

"We did. Some even went in search of the wolves, but the men and boys never returned. We don't know where they went," replied the caretaker as he tended James' calf muscle that had been injured. The caretaker didn't let people visit the graves after evening, but it was hard to shoo people away who had lost their dear ones and were trying to spend their time in front of the tombs, "Let me get you a pair of pants to wear."

"No, that won't be necessary," James stood up. He had somewhere to go right away.

"Please, Mr. Heathcliff. It would be dangerous to be walking with the smell of blood that might attract those animals as well as the vampires who are looking for blood," the caretaker spoke in a whispered voice as if someone would hear his words even though they were the only ones in the small house.

James borrowed the pants, and when he was about to wear them, he realised the pain suddenly felt negligible. 

His hand reached out to place it on the wound and then press it. As if in curiosity, he pulled out the bandages that the caretaker had put around his leg, and he noticed the wound was healing. The injury wasn't as wide as before. Suddenly his body went through another pain, and James' eyes changed its colour without his knowledge. The anger that had been lurking in him came out in full force, and his hand went to smash the lantern that was in the small room. 

The caretaker waited for James to step out of the room. Hearing a crash, the man knocked on the door and stepped inside the room to notice the place to be empty. Where did Mr. Heathcliff go?

When the man turned around, he was pushed against the wall with his neck being caught by James. 

"M-Mr. Heathcliff!" the caretaker gasped for air. 

As if coming back to his senses, James suddenly let go of the caretaker who coughed while holding his neck. 

James' face held the expression of shock, and he quickly stumbled back with terror in his eyes. Before he knew it, he had bolted out of the house, running away quickly and catching the carriage to visit the vampire who had turned his life into hell. On the way, James picked up a stake for his use. 

For some odd reason, his vision had turned better, and he was able to pick on things around him much more clearly. Slipping into the castle ground, he looked around for the King by taking the back route. When he saw him walking in the corridor, James' blood boiled even higher, and he wanted to kill the vampire. With a stake in his hand, James followed the vampire to only be struck on the head and end up in the dungeon. 

"Tea?" asked the vampire and James growled in anger. 

"I will kill you! Let me out of this!" shouted James, trying to pull his hands and legs off the iron shackles that were drilled and attached to the walls of the room. 

Calhoun stood in front of James with a calm expression on his face, "Madeline will be very disappointed if she saw you in such a state. You are supposed to be the polite person Mr. Heathcliff and not angry young man Mr. Heathcliff." Calhoun wondered what was wrong with James as until now, he had appeared to be nothing more than a human, "You appear to be in bad shape."

This earned him more growls from James. The way the tailorman was behaving now, Calhoun doubted that James was a human anymore. By the look of his eyes that were gold and yellow, Calhoun's lips twisted in distaste. 

"Did you get bitten by something you were not supposed to?" hummed Calhoun to receive a glare from James. 

"It's because of you, my life has turned to be miserable! Why don't you tell Madeline about what you did?" demanded James. 

Hearing Madeline's name come from James' mouth, Calhoun was not pleased, "And what is that?"

"Of how you were the one to push Mr. Barnes to fix the marriage between his daughter and me. I have been silent all this time, but you have crossed the limits!" James spat. No matter how much he tried to get away from the shackles so that he could get to the King, he was unable to free himself. 

"Miserable?" asked Calhoun, "I believe your father died out of old age and not because someone killed him now, is it? Humans have fragile lives Mr. Heathcliff. You should have known that already when your mother passed away. And about your marriage with Catherine, I believe you brought it upon yourself."

"Bullshit!" came the angry word from James' mouth, his eyes flaring bright yellow and Calhoun looked at the man with lack of interest. 

__________

Meddler- Part 4

Calhoun's lips broadened into a smile at seeing the state in which James was in right now.

The first time he had noticed this useless human was when James was found standing behind the pillars and talking to Madeline during the time of the Hallow. It wasn't like Calhoun didn't know who the big spider was who Madeline had mentioned in the beginning and he would have happily torn the tailorman's head before placing it on a spear. 

But Calhoun was aware that this would only bring in hate in Madeline's heart towards him. The beginning had been difficult, and he had decided to keep his claws to himself, waiting for the right opportunity so that he could get rid of this person who didn't have an actual backbone. 

"It is quite rich coming from you. Hearing you complain like a little child," commented Calhoun. He pulled the chair that was in the corner and sat on it, "Where did your voice go when Catherine was subtly speaking about building a home and family with you? Or are you going to claim that you are one of those men who don't know how to pick on details? I wouldn't be surprised if you said yes. No wonder Madeline is not by your side."

"You bastard! You forced her to stay in the castle! She sent me the letter because she needed help! She didn't want to stay here. Madeline isn't someone like that. She deserves a quieter life," James gritted his teeth, "She liked me, and you know that!"

Calhoun sighed. Crossing his legs one over the other, he said, "I think you are missing the main point here, Mr. Heathcliff. Madeline is marrying me out of her own free will. You had your time, and you missed it. If you had put half of your time and attention on Madeline than going around with Catherine, maybe the story would have been different. But let me tell you this, you are her past, and you chose Catherine."

"I do not love Lady Catherine!" 

Calhoun tilted his head to the side, "Then you should have refused. Why didn't you refuse," he raised both his hands in question.

"Because Mr. Barnes threatened to kill my father when I refused the proposal!" James pulled his hands forward in an effort to remove the shackles, "I was having my chance! Madeline wanted to stay by my side! You manipulative bast-"

"Are you sure about it? Because the last time I checked, it wasn't Madeline who wrote the letter to you, but it was her sister Elizabeth," Calhoun clicked his tongue, "You should get your information right before deciding to point your finger which might break. Madeline doesn't want you."

James shook his head, "That is because you have cornered her the same way you did to me! You have been playing dirty. She even tried to take her own life because of you. Do you know how much she might hate you?" he laughed, "Madeline might not say it, but I can tell she feels suffocated in here. You kept her here like a bird being caged." 

Calhoun's eyes narrowed at James,

"Haven't you heard everything is fair in love and war? At least unlike you, I wasn't accompanying another woman while mentally claiming I like someone else. Madeline deserves a man who is not afraid and has an actual backbone," said Calhoun, "My apologies for the misunderstanding, but can you blame me? Catherine announced about her liking you, and you didn't utter a word of rejection on it. I am not afraid to say no and go after what I want, Mr. Heathcliff."

"And if it might put you to ease," Calhoun continued, "Though she's still walking on the path to discovering her feelings, Madeline is in the process of falling in love with me. Much stronger than you could come to scrape the surface of her feelings."

James' face contoured in dislike and hate, "It is because you are manipulating her. She nearly killed herself an-" He couldn't speak more as Calhoun had left his chair to come and stand right in front of James, holding his neck.

"I am usually not this nice, Mr. Heathcliff. I am keeping you alive because of her, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to get you out of our lives so that you will stay far away from Madeline," Calhoun smiled at James while his fingers dug into the human's neck, "It seems like you have been bit," and Calhoun's smile increased further. 

This explained the colour of his eyes. Though it wasn't obvious, Calhoun could still smell the faint scent of blood. 

"I hope she finds out about who you are and what you are capable of doing. All the ugly truth," James gritted his teeth, moving his head away when Calhoun let go of James' neck. 

The smile on Calhoun's face remained intact, "I cannot wait for that day. I would have said give up and leave, but it seems like the words are not getting into your thick skull. I hope you enjoy your stay here. It is very cosy," and Calhoun left James behind who continued to tug and pull on the chains.

As Calhoun left the dungeon, he met Theodore, who was standing outside the castle, "We have a guest?" asked Theodore, who followed Calhoun's footsteps as the King made his way inside. 

"Yes, more like an annoying insect." Calhoun wondered how James had even got inside the castle and passed through the guards, "James has been bit by a werewolf." 

"How is that possible?" Theodore questioned in surprise. 

"By teeth," came the dull answer from Calhoun, "He must have got bit somewhere on his way today. His eyes are changing colours. Make sure no one goes to the dungeon. Especially Madeline or her family members. I wouldn't want his presence disrupting the marriage which is going to take place soon. I doubt sending him to Barnes' in his current state is feasible." If James was converting to a werewolf, things would turn ugly if he was let loose out in the open. It was better to keep an eye on him while also keeping it away from Madeline. 

"Noted, my King," Theodore bowed his head dutifully and they continued to walk. 

Calhoun walked towards his quarters, while Theodore decided to make a few rounds in the castle.

On the way, Theodore caught sight of someone's shadow moving in the corridors. On a closer inspection, he noticed it was the King's half-sister, Lucy Gerville. She had a worried look on her face as she walked. The night was getting late, and the place where the vampiress was heading, it wasn't where her room was located. Curious, he decided to take a look at what she was up to. 

When he was about to catch up with her, Theodore noticed Lucy wasn't walking aimlessly but she was following her husband. Samuel was at the far front, walking with a maid. It was no mystery what Samuel was planning to do as they slipped into one of the many empty rooms of the castle where people would not catch them. 

He wondered if today was going to be the day Lucy would find out about her husband's affairs. But Theodore knew Lucy, once she would find out about it, it would break her. 

Theodore questioned if he should leave her alone, after all, it wasn't his business what the couple did. Or was it?

________

Feelings of the past- Part 1

Music Recommendation: Vertiginious news by Isabelle Mathis

.

Lucy Gerville was in her room, standing next to the window and staring outside at the castle when she found her husband walking past one of the halls in the West wing of the castle. She looked at the clock and noticed it was late. Where was he going? Lucy asked herself. The vampiress had never questioned her husband on what he did, where he went. She was a woman who didn't doubt her husband's motives, but since some time, Samuel had been growing distant. 

It wasn't that he had not touched her as it was only two weeks ago since he had touched her in the bed, but his affections didn't come out as freely as she had expected. There were boundaries. 

He barely stayed around her and always giving reasons of work as if he couldn't stand her, and somewhere it hurt Lucy. Her hand that was clutching the window sill, she let it go and then stepped out of her room. A room which belonged to her since she was born.

Lucy made her way through the corridors, heading in the direction where she had seen Samuel before. When she finally did catch up, her eyebrows furrowed. She heard whisperings at the other end. Without making her presence known, Lucy heard whisperings,

"Did anyone see you?" she heard Samuel ask someone. It seemed like Samuel was not alone, and he had company. She wondered who it could be. Whoever it was, it seemed like they didn't use verbal language as Samuel went ahead to say, "Good. Follow me." 

Lucy didn't know which side Samuel was going to walk. She hurriedly tried to hide behind the wall without making any noise. The footsteps on the marble floor grew louder until Samuel walked past her along with another person before the footsteps started to die down. When Lucy finally craned her neck, she caught sight of a girl who was in her maid's attire. What work did he have with a maid at this hour of the night? Unable to keep her curiosity, she followed both of them while keeping distance. 

The three of them continued to walk where people didn't often come to venture. It was the remote side of the castle. What Lucy didn't realize was that there was a fourth person who had started to follow the trail of curiosity on what was going on. 

Theodore had been following Lucy to find her following her husband, Samuel Gerville, who was with a maid. When Samuel disappeared inside the room on the left, Theodore stopped walking, his eyes focused on Lucy's back who appeared to be contemplating on if she should or shouldn't see what her husband was up to. 

There had been many times in the past where Theodore was aware about Samuel's special trips and extended work time in other towns and villages. He would have mentioned it to Lucy if she had not so fondly spoken about her new husband in the past. It was the time when it hadn't been even a year since she had got married. 

'He's an amazing man,' Lucy had boasted in front of everyone, 'Tucks me in and takes care of me, making sure I sleep well.'

And it had made Theodore wonder if he should let her know that Samuel was tucking her and making sure she slept only so that he could continue doing things behind her back. Samuel Gerville. Theodore was not fond of the man for more than one reason but keeping his best interests, especially with Calhoun in the mind, he had not gone to meddle in things that didn't concern him. 

'He's not like you. Someone to give me false hopes. At least he married me,' Theodore remembered Lucy's words that were sharp. 

She despised him, and Theodore was well aware of it. Dear Lucy...thought Theodore to himself. He would have stopped her from following, but he was in no mood for it. Samuel had been trying to cause damage to the King's reputation, and Theodore wouldn't let it happen. Calhoun had been tolerating Samuel only for Lucy's sake. The girl was like a leaf that moved with the direction of the wind. It was how she grew up. 

Lucy, who was standing a few distance away from the door of the room, her hands clutched on the sides of her skirt. She wondered if she was ready to confront what her husband was up to. Most of the time, Lucy had tried to look over the matters. She wasn't a child to not to know what her husband was doing with the maid. 

She could still go back to her room, think as if it was nothing unfaithful, to believe that her husband was a good man who loved her. But even Lucy knew that it was far from the truth. Standing there for six whole minutes, she finally moved her feet forward. Her footsteps were soft, and she finally reached the door, to push it slowly open. 

Lucy's red eyes grew wide when she caught her husband, who was sitting on the edge of the table. Half of his pants had come down while the maid sat down on the ground in front of him. The maid's head bobbed up and down while her husband, whom she had put faith on had his head thrown back whilst his eyes were closed. 

Her hands and legs shook at the sight in front of her. Lucy didn't know when Samuel had last spoken lovingly with her, the way he had shown he would before their wedding took place. It hurt her, and though she wanted to look away from the scene, she couldn't. The betrayal felt nothing less to the time when her parents had died. 

Lucy continued to look at Samuel, whose face was filled with pleasure as the maid continued to please him. Samuel caught hold of the maid's head, pushing her mouth towards him so that she would take all of him. 

"Ah…!" he sighed, and Lucy felt a tear slip out of her right eye. Her lips trembled, and she could barely think. Before she could witness more of it, a hand came to cover her eyes. Lucy was in shock, and her hand let go of the door. The door was then quietly closed as she was pulled away by someone from the scene to leave the corridor and go to the next one. 

Lucy was heartbroken, and when the hand that was on her eyes was pulled away, she saw it was Theodore. Taking her hand back to her side, she stared at Theodore. Even though it wasn't her who had crossed limits, she felt ashamed as Samuel was her husband. To make things worse, the act was not caught just by her but also this person. When she blinked, two more tears slid down on her cheek. 

"Do you need water?" Theodore offered the vampiress who was still processing what she saw.

Lucy shook her head, "No, I am fine," she lied. A lie that was easy to catch.

"Let's go to the kitchen and get you some water," Theodore suggested as if he had not heard the word no from her mouth. Lucy stared at Theodore. His habit of doing what he wanted to do had not been fixed, noticed Lucy to herself. In the past, Theodore often asked her questions, and when she answered it, he continued to do what he felt was right despite her answers. 

Lucy's head was too muddled up, and she didn't bother to refuse. She was tired and sad. Getting a glass of water from the dining room instead of the kitchen, Lucy continued to gulp it down. She wondered when Theodore would bring the topic of what they saw, but even after two minutes passed, he didn't question her. 

Did he perhaps know about it? About her husband's infidelity? Because when her eyes went to meet Theodore's, there was no change in his expression. He looked like a wall. Just like in the past where his feelings and emotions were indifferent to things around him. 

If Theodore had not come to pull her from standing at the door, she didn't know for how long she would have been standing there, watching her husband and the maid. With them still there, she knew what would happen next. It felt like a stake piercing through her chest. It seemed like people kept disappointing her, and she tried to forgive them, but it brought no good as they never changed. Her husband Samuel, Theodore, her parents...they had all disappointed her at some point of time, and she had tried to forgive their actions but she couldn't. 

Feeling Theodore's eyes, Lucy asked, 

"What were you doing there?" her voice cracked at the end as she wanted to cry, but at the same time, she tried to hold back her tears. 

"I was making my rounds in the castle. The King wanted me to keep an eye," he answered her question, "More water?" 

"Okay," she agreed, giving the glass back to him, and Theodore poured her another glass of water. 

Theodore observed how she put up an invisible wall between them. Her voice sounded distant, and he didn't blame her. He could have stopped her before she pushed the door, but Theodore had stood there, watching her face fall and the emotion of shock consumed her face. Like she had seen a person get killed. 

"Thank you," Lucy thanked him, finishing half glass, she placed it on the table, "I will be returning back to my room."

"Yes, milady," Theodore bowed his head. Lucy was in pain, and she was angry. Not just on Samuel but also on Theodore. Lucy, who was walking towards the door, turned around to face Theodore.

"You knew it, didn't you? You knew it, and you didn't care enough to tell me about it," came the angry words from Lucy that were directed to Theodore. More than Samuel, she was mad at Theodore, and she wondered why it was so. 

Theodore looked back at her, "It wasn't my place to tell you. I doubt you would have believed me if I had told you about it."

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed, "What reasoning is that?" she questioned, "How long has this been going on? Answer me!" her eyes started to fill in with more tears. 

"For some time."

"How much?" Lucy demanded, and Theodore wondered why she was trying to find more details about it as it would only hurt her. Before she was Samuel Gerville's wife, Lucy was the daughter of the late King of Devon. She was the princess.

"A few years," answered Theodore to see Lucy close her eyes and the tears that she had been trying to hold back spilt on her cheeks. 

_________

Feelings of the past- Part 2

Lucy doubted a few years equalled two or three years. For so many years, she had been made a fool of herself. Her eyes then opened, "You could have told me."

"You were the one who picked the person out of the two people which your parents showed. It was your choice, milady," Theodore's words were calm.

Lucy shook her head. 

"No," whispered Lucy with pain in her eyes, "My choice was none of them. The person I wanted to marry didn't have the courage to return my feelings and to tell me that he loved me. My choice appears to be of failure." Lucy was speaking about Theodore and not about Samuel anymore. All these years since she was married to Samuel, she had harboured nothing but hate towards Theodore. Because it was easier to let go of things when you despised it with every living part of yourself.

Lucy had put all her feelings in a container and closed the lid that she had for the man who stood in front of her. In anger, she had never tried to confront things with him. With every opportunity, she had avoided him. 

"I told you, milady. It wasn't my place. You have appeared to be too fond of your husband. Telling anything directly would be me stepping out of line," Theodore responded. There had been a time where he had sent her to follow her husband so that she would find out, but the princess was distracted by other things which was why she never came to find the truth about Samuel. Not to forget, the previous King and the Queen kept a close eye on him and Calhoun as they both imposed a threat to the throne.

The circumstances back then were hard, before the person he was getting attached to, Calhoun was Theodore's main priority. 

This wasn't what Lucy wanted to hear.

Why didn't you ever profess your love for me, asked Lucy in her mind, without bringing the words out for him to hear. She had a feeling if she were to ask Theodore would only brush it away, similar to what he had done in the past. 

She shook her head, ready to leave when the door to the dining room opened. It was Lady Rosamund who raised her eyebrows at both Lucy and Theodore. 

"My my. What do we have here?" asked Lady Rosamund, "I hope it's not rekindling memories in the middle of the night?" 

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. She hadn't expected her Aunt Rosamund to be awake and out, not to come here at least. Her aunt's eyes looked at her and then shifted on Theodore who bowed his head. 

"We came here to drink water," Lucy answered Aunt's Rosamund's question. She could feel the underlying meaning in her aunt's words. 

"Funny that none of us have water in our rooms and we are all here at the same time, isn't it?" asked Lady Rosamund, coming towards the table and looking at Theodore, "Are you going to pour me a glass of water or not?" asked the older vampiress. 

Theodore had spent the same amount of time as Calhoun did in the castle as both of them had entered the castle together with the same objective. Both the men were aware of the people who worked in the castle and also the relatives who were close to the deceased King and the Queen. The older vampiress, Lady Rosamund had tried getting Lucy and her son together, in hopes that her family would still be able to get the throne. And maybe it would have been easy as the lady was the King's sister. 

But somewhere, Rosamund found out about Lucy's growing feelings towards him. He doubted Lucy spoke about him to the lady, but someone did go and put a word about the matter to the late Queen. Though he never had the confirmation, he had his suspicion on her. 

Noticing Lady Rosamund, who had raised her brows while waiting for him to pour her a glass of water from the jug, Theodore bowed his head, 

"I am a minister here, milady and only Calhoun's servant to serve. I will have the maids refill water in the jugs of your room," offering the lady a smile who looked as if she had been slapped straight at her face, Theodore looked at Lucy for the briefest moment before taking his leave from the dining room. 

Lucy, who had drank water, decided to leave the room too as she had nothing more to do here. But her aunt stopped her, 

"Lucy dear."

Turning around, Lucy asked, "Yes, Aunt Rosamund?"

"I hope you aren't doing something that you shouldn't be doing," Lady Rosamund advised her niece, "Associating yourself with a man who is not only beneath you but also someone who once you shared rumours with. It wouldn't look nice as you are not only the princess but also married to Samuel."

Lucy opened her mouth, to reply on her aunt's words, but instead of speaking about what she saw, she decided to keep quiet. After all, her martial matters had nothing to do with her aunt or anyone else. The shock had not left her body yet. She needed time to process and think about it, on what she saw and what she was going to do. 

She offered her aunt a smile, "We just happened to appear at the same time. You worry unnecessarily, Aunt Rosamund. I will be going to my room."

When Lucy stepped out of the room, the smile on Lucy's face fell at the thought of how her room was empty, and she would be sharing the bed with her husband who was having an affair with the maid right at this moment. 

"Goodnight, dear," Lady Rosamund wished her niece.

In one of the guests' rooms, Sophie was pacing back and forth in the room. Wringing her hands together, she tried to think about what she could do. The plan to marry Calhoun had slipped out of her hands, and she was trying to get back. The question was what to do. 

Sophie wondered if she should get the poison from the market, through the merchants. There were some people whom she knew who could get it for her. But the question was on who to use as bait. Madeline's sister would be perfect, but by the looks so far, Elizabeth and her younger sister appeared to be close. If only she could find one pinch of dislike, she could make use of it and frame Elizabeth. 

But Sophie also wanted to poison Elizabeth along with Madeline. The girl got on her nerves! Far worse than Madeline! 

Considering how her brother Markus had betrayed her and was not doing anything, she wondered if she should set her brother up for the poisoning.

Who else was there? Sophie questioned in her mind. And suddenly someone knocked on the door of her room. The young vampiress' eyebrows furrowed, wondering who had come to visit her at this hour.

Walking towards the door, Sophie opened only to frown, "What do you want, Markus?"

Markus quickly allowed himself into the room while making sure no one saw him, and he closed the door. "I need a favour from you. Right now," spoke her brother.

Sophie glared at her brother and then asked,

"What is it?"

___________

Awake- Part 1

Music Recommendation: Murahachibu by Jigoku Shoujo

.

Sophie glared at her brother after he said what he wanted her to do, "You must have lost your mind, brother, if you think I would listen to something so childish. And I am sure you are more than capable of doing something like that."

Markus stared at his sister, knowing how upset she had been since the time Elizabeth Harris had been announced to be the one, who he would be getting married to. But if there was someone whom he could trust here in the castle apart from his mother who was possibly sleeping now, then it was his sister, Sophie. 

"Why don't you go and ask that human of yours. If I am not wrong, she will help you out in that matter," said Sophie and turned around to walk away from Markus, "If that is all you came here for, you can leave. I am tired."

"It is not for my benefit, Sophie. It is for both of us. Our family," Markus tried to sway his sister's mind, "Elizabeth wouldn't be able to do this, and I believe you can do it. It is just for ten minutes."

Sophie snapped around, the vampiress looked as if she was fuming, "Both? You are the one who wants to use the elder girl for your advantage, not to forget mother's partiality. How is that in my benefit? And why do you even want me to go and speak to the guards at the dungeon?" demanded Sophie. 

Markus had out of bizarre reasons asked her to come along with him and distract the guards so that he could step inside the dungeon. "I told you it's for your benefit. I overheard Calhoun order Theodore to keep people away from the dungeon. That only means he's hiding something or someone in there." Markus then walked towards where Sophie stood, and placed his hands on her shoulders, "If we find out what is being hidden in there or who is there, maybe we can do something about it." 

Hearing this, Sophie looked at her brother with intrigue. 

"The dungeon has always been kept away from everyone. No one is allowed to step inside there," Sophie reminded Markus. It was because when she was young, Sophie had gone halfway into the dungeon to be pulled and escorted back into the castle. She had many times tried to get inside the dungeon in the past, but it wasn't possible, and the only time she was able to take a look was in the presence of Calhoun. It wasn't like she was interested to see the peasants and their scummy face, thought Sophie to herself. She had then stopped bothering to take a look at the dungeon as she had better things to do than associate herself with criminals. 

"It is just this one time, Sophie. All you need to do is keep the guards distracted," Markus continued to persuade his sister. 

"Will you leave that little bitch?" Sophie folded her hands across her chest when she asked the question. 

Markus' eyes narrowed, "You know she's an essential key to our plan. Elizabeth is Madeline's sister. Not to forget, her beloved sister." 

"Yes, I can very well see that. You should know that I don't do things for free. If you want a favour from me, then you will need to return it," Sophie tried to bargain a deal. It looked like Markus was desperate and eager to take a look at what was inside the dungeon. This was the right time to trade favours, "What do you say?"

"Mother will be upset if any one of us try to disrupt her plan," Markus warned Sophie. His sister's pettiness often had caused them trouble which needed to be fixed later. 

"Alright. How about I ask the favour later?" Sophie smiled to have Markus nod with agreement. 

And with that, the siblings went to the dungeon where Sophie tried to distract the dungeon guards with her words, keeping them busy to let Markus slip inside the dungeon. With her being the King's cousin, the guards were much more lenient when it came to conversing with the lady.

Markus quickly walked and slipped inside the dungeon. Most of the rooms were locked, some open with the criminals who had gone against the King who had been tied with chains around their necks, legs and hands so that they wouldn't escape. 

When his ears picked on a growl, Markus quickly walked in the direction where he heard the animal-like sound. Did Calhoun get a wolf? Questioned Markus to himself. He reached the room which was locked. He tried pushing the door back and forth, but it never opened. Peeking in the thin gap of the door where he flinched his eyes to take a better look, he found there was indeed an animal inside which had fur on it, but oddly this one was bigger. 

He wanted to take a better look, but the thin gap restricted him from taking a better look. When he pushed the door again, the little action caught the animal's attention, and a series of growls were heard coming from the room. 

On the outside of the dungeon, Sophie stood talking to the guards,

"How many of them are often tied in here?" she questioned one of two guards. 

"We have two or three of them in a week, my lady," answered the guardsman who had a big belly and moustache.

"I thought people would know not to go against the King. The poor people sure don't know what to do and what not to do," Sophie gave them a pleasant smile. Noticing her brother Markus who had not stepped out of the dungeon yet, she continued to speak, "I will ask brother Calhoun if he can tell the maids to serve you something. It must be hard to guard here."

"Not at all, my lady. It is why we are here," the guard bowed his head.

"You know I made some excellent food the last time when I was in the castle. You must have eaten it," came the prideful voice of Sophie. Even though it was never her intention to cook for the lowly servants, Calhoun had dismissed her food only to be served to the servants. She wondered what was taking her brother, Markus this long. Here she was wasting her time with the guards who she had no interest with. 

"Thank you for preparing such a delicious meal, Lady Sophie," the guards thanked her and Sophie lifted her nose in the air. 

She was the best cook, yet Calhoun had picked that human's food over her food. More than Elizabeth, Sophie had to do something about Madeline because she was the reason why her mother was entertaining Elizabeth even if it was for their gain. Sophie knew well that if she were to ask for poison from her brother, he would let her mother know, and she would never be able to poison the girl. 

But her goal wasn't just poisoning. She wanted to make sure Madeline was out of their lives so that she would be the one who Calhoun would turn to. It was considered to be ideal for a vampire to marry another vampire. Sophie didn't even understand why a vampire was getting married to a human. Maybe she should drop a letter to the High House. If they were to find some issues going on, it would be easy to get rid of the humans. 

And as Sophie continued to think while the guards spoke to her, someone arrived from the back. The guards were quick to bow their heads, and Sophie's head snapped around to see it was Calhoun's trusted servant, Theodore who had arrived at the front of the dungeon. 

"Lady Sophie," Theodore offered her a bow and Sophie pursed her lips. 

This was not good, thought Sophie to herself, "Theodore," Sophie greeted the vampire back, "What are you doing here?" she asked him. 

Theodore replied, "I was here making my rounds. What are you doing here at this hour of the night when you are supposed to be sleeping? I mean to catch your beauty sleep."

Sophie's lips twisted into a frown. Markus was still inside the dungeon doing who knows what. Was he building a new room for himself to stay there? She asked herself. If Markus was caught, she was not going to help him out of it. 

"I have been unable to fall asleep," answered Sophie, "I thought...to take some fresh air."

Theodore gave her a nod, "It must be very polluted near the guest's room."

Sophie's eyes narrowed at Theodore's words, "The guards were praising the food that I made. Now only if the King ate what I prepared. You should put in a word, Theodore."

"Absolutely, my lady," Theodore obliged, "You should perhaps get back to your room as the dungeon is not a safe place for a lady." 

Sophie let out a girly laugh, "Don't be silly, Theodore. I am just talking to the guardsmen. I will leave in some time. You should instead go and take some rest. I know how much brother Calhoun makes you work."

Theodore and Sophie both smiled at each other. Sophie knew she would have to send this man away if Markus was getting out of the dungeon today. As angry as she was with her family for ditching her and changing their plans to get their hands on the throne, they were still her family.

On the other hand, Theodore knew Sophie had come here, snooping around. 

He would have come here earlier if he weren't caught up with Lucy, who looked as if she had broken her heart all over again. Calhoun had given him the order to make sure no one entered this place or knew about their prisoner who had been caught tonight. 

When Theodore began to walk towards the entrance of the dungeon, Sophie felt her hands turn clammy. 

"Let me come with you," offered Sophie to see Theodore offer her a smile in return. 

"I am not going to meet the prisoners, Lady Sophie," Theodore cleared her thoughts, and she felt a sense of relief but then why did he step forward? Her eyes widened when Theodore pulled the gates together and locked it from outside, "This will let the guards rest much more easily. Would you want me to walk you back to your room? Please," he pressed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, waiting for her. 

Sophie's eyes darted towards the locked gates and then at Theodore. The dungeon was not to be entered without permission and with Markus who was in there, she doubted it was a good idea to let Theodore know that someone was still in there without permission. 

"Okay," Sophie put on a smile on her face. 

"Lovely," Theodore said to walk her away from the dungeon before they made their way towards the castle. 

The guards decided to take a seat on either side of the entrance of the dungeon. When Markus was done peeping and peeking at the animal which was shackled in chains through the small slit, he made his way back to the front of the gates only to notice them closed. 

Markus' eyes widened at sight. Moving his eyes left and right, he saw his sister was missing, and the guards were not here. 

Markus gritted his teeth in anger. He was furious to be locked in here!

When Markus heard a sound from the front as if the guards were returning, he quickly went back inside the deeper part of the dungeon so that they wouldn't see him. It looked like he would have to wait for the gates to be opened. 

How the fuck was he supposed to get out of the dungeon!

_____________

Awake- Part 2

While on one part of Devon in the castle where people were awake as the clock moved close to struck twelve, some other people were also awake at this hour of the night. In the dark forest where the light of the moon didn't reach the ground because of the thick and lush trees, a body was being dragged by a man, and two more people followed the man closely. 

The forest was quiet where even the owls and the crickets didn't chirp loud enough for them to hear. 

"How long is it going to take? We can throw her here, and no one will know about it," said the girl who was following the man who was pulling the dead body's hand which had turned out not only heavy but had started to smell. 

"Far enough so that no one will find her," said the man, "Niles, there's a river not too far away from here. Push her over the bridge. The body will float to the next village, and it won't be our problem anymore." Niles, who was the family butler, bowed his head and continued to drag the body across the ground of the forest. The dead person's body caught dirt on its back. 

"But papa, why not bury her?" asked the girl to receive a glare from her father, "I was only asking…" her voice trailed to a whisper which was heard clearly by the butler and her father. 

"Do you know what you have done?!" her father demanded, anger evident in his voice, "This is the second person you have killed. Have we not taught you better, Catherine?!" his eyes flared, and his daughter looked down at the ground. "Niles was in the mansion, and you could have asked blood from him. Servants are one thing, but you killed the Dutchess daughter! The last time you killed someone and it took a lot of time to hide it! Do you know how scandalous it would turn that you are killing people who are of high social standing!!" 

Catherine didn't look up to meet her father's eyes. She was slightly ashamed, but she couldn't help it. Miss Layla had it coming. The words the human had spoken had angered her. 

It wasn't that Catherine wanted to kill Miss Layla, who was the young daughter of the duchess who had come to the Barnes' mansion. 

'I heard you are getting married! Is that true?' asked Miss Layla. The girl had red bushy hair that was tamed down by many pins pushed in to keep it in place. 

'Yes, you must have seen him. James Heathcliff?' Catherine reminded Miss Layla, who raised her eyebrows before questioning. 

'You mean the tailorman?' Miss Layla looked as if she was confused, 'I thought he liked someone else. What was her name?' she tried to remember and then said, 'Ah some Harris' girl.'

Catherine had laughed it off, 'You must have heard it wrong.'

'No, no. I remember James telling me that he liked her a lot. And he wanted to marry her,' Miss Layla then gave Catherine a look, 'Is he marrying you out of his own will?'

The vampiress' eyes narrowed. 

Catherine had been in a bad mood because James was not paying her the attention she had been expecting from him. She had hoped that with the announcement of their marriage, which was in less than a few days, James would be more affectionate, but instead, the man was growing cold towards her. Catherine didn't like it, nor did she approve of his behaviour. 

Hearing Miss Layla tell James wanted to marry Madeline, it boiled her blood, 'What do you mean?' Miss Layla was a person who belonged to the higher class, but her family used to get along with the lower families. And James was a highly esteemed tailorman who was good looking. There were only a few who didn't know about him. 

Miss Layla smiled, 'I know you, Lady Catherine. You are a good person, but stubborn. I think James likes her.'

Catherine continued to laugh, 'The girl is marrying the King, Miss Layla.'

'A pity that they cannot marry each other. So strange, isn't it?' When the human girl placed the teacup on the table, Catherine had attacked the human by draining every single drop of blood from her body. Before she knew it, the damage was already done. 

"James is in love with that human girl. Madeline Harris!" Catherine burst out. 

Mr. Barnes stared at his daughter, "I don't think you understand the severity of the situation."

"People die every day, papa. Vampires drink blood-"

"Catherina, you killed people! You are going to get married. Do you think people will look kindly at you? The bodies belonging to the high social standing people are not only hard to hide, but the High House notices it!" Mr. Barnes didn't know what to do with his daughter for being so reckless. "Do you think the dutchess is not going to search for her missing daughter?!" 

Catherine looked down at Miss Layla's body, where the human's eyes were still open. The colour of her skin had changed its colour. If the human had not taunted her, she wouldn't have done anything.

"Why don't you frame her?" asked Catherine suddenly, and her father looked at her, confused.

"Frame whom? The girl who is getting married to the King?" Mr. Barnes had an incredulous look as he gaped at his daughter, "Do you want both of us killed?"

Catherine parted her lips again to say, "How about burying the body in James house?"

"I do not understand why you are trying to bury the body close to where the family of the body lives, Catherina," Mr. Barnes shook his head. 

"James is being reluctant about the wedding. Why not frame him and then we ask the King's help. This way, James will forever be indebted to us," Catherine proposed to her father. "James' father hasn't been doing well in health." If senior Mr. Heathcliff died, they would have no leverage against James anymore. 

Mr. Barnes held his hand for their butler to stop pulling the body. It was true what his daughter was telling, but the old vampire questioned if it was worth the trouble. Mr. Barnes never wanted his daughter to marry someone so low, a human.

What if he did frame James and the man was executed? That way, his daughter would let go of the human instead of clinging on to him. 

If it weren't for the King, Mr. Barnes would have never agreed to this, "Niles, get the body back in the carriage. We'll dispose it off in the village." 

"Yes, Sir," the butler bowed his head. 

Catherine was happy, hearing her father listen to her. This way, James would never be able to give her any reasons, and he would have to marry her. It would be just for a few days and then her father would help James in uplifting the false offence. 

Back in the castle, Madeline was unable to fall asleep. Instead of staying in bed, she went to stand near the window. She had not been able to get her thoughts straight as they were all over the place since Calhoun had left the room after pleasuring her. 

Her body continued to hum as it remembered the little details of what transpired on the bed. Her cheeks felt warm, and her eyes lowered to look outside and down on the ground of the castle. With one hand placed on the window, she leaned forward and she saw Calhoun's wolves running around the land. 

Madeline heard a creak and her ears were quick to pick on it as she was the only person in her room. Her eyes fell on the fireplace, but the sound didn't come from there. When another creak was heard, Madeline's eyes fell on her hand that was on the glass that belonged to the window. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, and when she slowly pulled her hand away, she noticed the glass had cracked itself. 

She didn't know why this was happening. It made her wary at times to touch anything that was made of glass. Madeline, instead of being afraid, stepped forward to notice how the little cracks had formed under her touch. She raised her hand again, her hand hovering over the cracks.

Madeline placed one finger back on the glass to notice how the cracks continued to move towards the edges, and she quickly pulled her hand away from it. 

_____________

Awake- Part 3

Madeline looked at the glass that had cracked under her touch, leaving fine white lines like a spider's intricate web. Compared to the last three times, this time it was different as the glass didn't shatter itself. 

"What's happening?" Madeline questioned. 

Calhoun had told her that her father was hiding something, something that her paternal grandparents were aware of, and it made her question what was being hidden. The way her grandparents spoke, it was as if Madeline was a clumsy girl, but she wasn't. 

After a first few times, Madeline came to understand and believe that she wasn't like her sister Beth, that she was different. After all, who went breaking glasses at the slightest touch. 

All these years, she was normal. She had felt normal like any other person, but what was happening, it was far from being called normal, and humans didn't have such powers or curse did they? Madeline had heard of how some of the humans, who possessed unusual powers were often labelled as witches. And witches were never welcomed in their houses or the villages because of the amount of bad luck one brought with them. 

Madeline wondered if she should get a second reading from Calhoun's acquaintance. The man named Raphael appeared to be nothing short of knowledge when it came to a person's past and future which were twisted in riddles. 

She wondered if the glass would break if she would put more pressure on it. Her body felt cold, goosebumps rising on her skin as she raised her hand for the third time towards the window. Madeline took a deep breath. If she placed it for more than two seconds, it would break, and there would be pieces of glasses on the floor, she thought to herself.

But when she placed her hand on the window, the cracks instead of continuing to create more damage, it started to mend. 

Madeline's curious eyes followed the cracked lines that started to disappear behind her palm. The windowpane which was about to break, it looked crystal clear. She had a look of surprise on her face and to test if she was dreaming, she knocked on the glass, and nothing happened. Calhoun had mentioned to her that breaking glass was considered to be a sign of an ill omen, but she had fixed it back. Was it possible to consider it to be good luck?

Examining one more time, Madeline went to knock on it with her knuckles when someone knocked on her door. 

Madeline's eyes snapped at the door. Was it Calhoun? She asked herself. It was late for him to be visiting her, but Calhoun always appeared during odd hours. She doubted it was him because the man would not bother knocking or bother himself with locks. Her hand reached towards the lock of the door, hovering over when she heard another knock.

"Maddie? Are you awake?" 

Madeline frowned hearing Beth's voice from the other side of the door. Quickly opening the door, she saw it was her sister who had worn a coat over her nightdress and behind her stood a guard.

"Do you think I can sleep here tonight?" asked Beth who looked worried. 

"Yes, of course," Madeline pushed the door wide open, and she looked at the guard to say, "Thank you." The guard gave a deep bow before leaving. Beth looked as if she was in shock and Madeline went to stand in front of her and ask, "Beth, are you alright?" 

Beth looked disturbed, and she nodded her head, "I just overheard some kind of noises in the room I was sleeping in. I thought of coming here to sleep."

Madeline gave her sister a nod, "The bed is big enough. You can take the left. No, I mean the right," she corrected herself. Beth didn't seem to mind it, and she moved around the right side of the bed to get inside the sheets. 

She wondered what had gotten Beth worried. Surely, it was nothing big but only the rustling sound of the leaves and the forest that wasn't too far away from the castle. Madeline didn't want Beth taking the side where she and Calhoun were on the bed before.

Getting inside the sheets herself, Madeline laid her back on the surface of the bed that had turned cold as she had not occupied it before Beth had arrived at her door. The candles were still burning enough to let one see the room but not too much to hinder one's sleep. 

"I was worried you would be asleep," commented Beth, who was on her right, "I mean you left my room some time ago."

Madeline's eyes moved to the corner, looking at her sister, and then looked back up at the ceiling, "I was finding it hard to sleep," and it was the truth.

"Is it because you went to meet grandma and grandpa?" Beth asked her voice barely curious who was looking at the decor of the room. 

Madeline had already questioned Beth, and she had not received an answer she was looking for. "Hm," she responded to her sister, "I was wondering about Jennine's death."

"What about it? A vampire came and killed her," Beth replied. She then turned to sleep on her side so that she could look at Madeline and Madeline did the same. 

"You said you saw the vampire?" inquired Madeline again and Beth nodded her head. 

"I told you that it was a vampire. What were you expecting?" asked Beth, her eyebrows furrowing, "What's the matter, Maddie?"

"Nothing," whispered Madeline. After a minute of silence passed, she said, "I sometimes worry. About things that I have never seen or felt. I feel like there's something missing." Whenever Madeline tried to remember what happened when they were small, a lot of it was a blur. 

But there were some parts of her memories, when she was small, that she still remembered. One of it was, seeing the blood on her hands and the blood didn't belong to her but of the person who was lying on the cold, snow-covered ground. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Madeline felt the things that her grandparents and her family were trying to cover up, everything coming to point right at her. 

Beth said she saw the vampire with her eyes, and being a year older to her, Madeline wanted to believe that she had nothing to do with her friend's death. That she would never do something so murderous. 

Her elder sister placed her hand on her arm, "You simply worry about nothing, Madeline. Things are just fine. Sometimes our minds like to conjure things, and when you are small, you always end up with bizarre memories. I have had them too."

"You did?" Madeline felt a sense of relief flooding her mind. To think that Beth was experiencing something close to what she was feeling, Madeline felt less stressed. 

"Yes. I remember when we were small. Children used to not play with me. I would often dream of them not talking to me, where I was being ignored," Beth confessed to Madeline, who couldn't believe it. Beth was the popular child in the village where everyone wanted to be her friend, wanted to know her. Hearing this Madeline realised, Beth and her fears were two separate things.

 "But everything turned well later, didn't it?" Madeline question, placing her hand on the pillow and letting her head rest on it. 

Beth stared at Madeline, and a broad smile appeared on her lips, "Yes, it did. For some time," she murmured the last words which Madeline didn't catch. 

"What else do you remember about our childhood?" Madeline wanted to know everything, wanting to refresh her memory through Beth's help. She hoped she would get something out of it. Though the glass didn't break today and went back to looking normal, it didn't mean she was not worried about the future. 

She wanted to believe that mending the crack of the glass was a sign of good luck, but something told her otherwise. That an ominous event or presence was lurking right around the corner, waiting for her. 

Beth said, "Hmm, I think we used to visit our grandparents' place a lot. There was a boy, who used to come to play but then I don't know what happened to him. It was funny how we used to play house. I remember once we went to this cemetery, but grandma was quick to chase us away from there. Telling it wasn't a place for children to play."

"But we have been to some of the graveyards," Madeline's eyebrows furrowed, "I mean, I remember once one of our aunts asked us to go fetch the handkerchief that she dropped in there."

"Oh, that didn't go well. Grandpa was very angry. It's not like there were ghosts in there who would abduct us," Beth laughed at the memory, "Sometimes I feel our grandparents were a little too over-protective of us."

"Don't you think it is strange," questioned Madeline, trying to dig more from Beth. 

"They have always been like that, Maddie. Are you meeting them for the first time?" asked Beth who tried to get in a much more comfortable position, "I mean, the whole village is strange. They don't allow vampires, not a single one. But I think it's because of Jennine's death." 

Madeline doubted it was because of their friend's death. There was some secrecy going on which both she and her sister weren't aware of, "Beth."

"Hm?" Beth responded back. 

"Do you remember from which cemetery we were chased away from?" asked Madeline. 

"I don't...remember, Maddie," Beth replied with her sleepy voice, "Why do you... want to...know about...cemetery?"

"I was curious," Madeline whispered when she noticed how Beth was drifting off to sleep. She decided not to disturb her sister's sleep and turned her back against the surface of the bed, staring into the dark ceiling. Somewhere between their talks, the candles had dimmed, and so did the flame in the fireplace. 

Madeline was curious to know about their childhood, maybe more about her. There had been moments in the past where Beth spoke about her childhood, but when it came to Madeline's childhood, Beth didn't have much recollection about it. It was strange, Madeline thought to herself. Someone from outside would have told it was because Beth was too involved in herself for not taking note of her sister.

Beth being older to Madeline by a year, she should have remembered at least one figment about her, but there was nothing. 

_____________

Coffin boxes- Part 1

Madeline heard her sister Beth snore softly who was occupying her side of the bed. She had been lying down and staring at the ceiling in deep thought. She wished there was a way to find out who she was. The more she thought about it, the more tangled her thoughts turned out to be. 

Giving it some more thought, Madeline questioned why the coffin of Jennine had been moved to another cemetery. Was there something about the last graveyard that wasn't right? Her eyes had started to turn heavy, and with the last spark of fire that extinguished in the fireplace, it left the room dark, taking Madeline deep into her dreams. 

When Madeline opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the middle of nowhere. She turned her head around, wondering where she was while her eyes took in the darkness that surrounded her right now. She knew she was in a dream, but it felt far too real. She could feel the cold bite of air on her skin.

The next moment she turned behind, she caught sight of a lantern that was on the ground, emitting light from it. She tried to see if someone was there, but it looked like she was the only one. 

Hearing a loud hoot in one of the trees, Madeline's eyes were quick to find the owl sitting on the branch and looking at her unblinkingly. 

Noticing a post that was too far away from where she stood, Madeline walked towards the lantern. Picking it, she walked to the post to realize she was near the village where her grandparents lived. What was she doing here?

It felt uncanny that out of all places, her dream would bring her here. The heat that was coming from the lantern felt warm, making her think about how real the dream felt. When Madeline started to walk, the lantern that was carried in the forest looked nothing less to a ball of light that was travelling towards the village. 

Reaching the village, Madeline noticed how the lanterns outside the houses had been long blown away, leaving the house's dark. But there was something eerie about the atmosphere which made her want to wake up from the dream which she was dreaming. 

"Stay quiet and don't utter a word."

Hearing the voice of a person, Madeline's eyes were quick to search the source of the voice, but she saw no one. 

"Quick, so that no one sees!" Madeline recognized the voice to be of her grandfather's. Where was he?! Then she saw shadows moving from the corner of her eyes, and she quickly turned to walk and follow the shadows. When she caught up, she noticed her grandfather walking along with her grandmother and her parents. Apart from them, there was a man whom Madeline didn't recognize. 

Madeline knew it was a dream because her parents like her were sleeping in the castle. There was no way they could be in this village, at this hour of the night. Though they could not see her, she kept a safe distance as she continued to follow them. Madeline's footsteps stopped when she noticed the cemented board that was built in an arch shape from one pillar of the gate to another. 

'Carnival's local cemetery' read the board. 

Was her dream trying to conjure more things because of the answers she sought right now?

"What are we going to say to the others? There have been questions," she heard her mother's worried voice that came out as a whisper.

"Father, some of them are having doubts. Today was too close," added her father. 

The little group continued to walk until they reached a particular grave. "People will not know. Open the coffin," ordered her grandfather. 

 Her grandmother stood next to her mother, who kept wringing her hands together as if the weather was too cold, "I told you we should do it quickly. That something was going on. Bu-"

"That's enough," her grandfather hushed her grandmother, "Nobody knows anything. What they know is what we will make them believe. And there's nothing wrong. We are only protecting them and us. If you are worried about the High House, I will take care of it. So that there will be no doubt."

Madeline who was standing far away from them, leaned in closer to hear every word that was being exchanged by her family members. They kept speaking in circles that she didn't understand. And whose coffin was being opened?

By the time Madeline raised her hand, that was holding the lantern, the light in it disappeared and so did the lantern making it look like all this while, she had imagined its presence. With no light, she wasn't able to see who the gravestone belonged to. Walking to the side, she saw her father open the lid of the person's coffin.

"People might know," commented her father. 

"What are we going to do?" asked her mother, anxiousness filled in her voice. 

"What happened a week ago is not good. I have already made arrangements so that no fingers come to point at our family. The magistrate has been snooping around the house back and forth. Once we use the other coffin, there won't be anything to worry."

At first, it was nothing but dark around her. But then Madeline's father raised the lantern in his hand for light to fall on the person who was residing inside the coffin. Madeline's hand instantly moved to cover her mouth. 

It was her friend, Jennine's body that was rotting inside. Why was her family opening the coffin to take a look at the small girl's body? Madeline asked herself. Beth had told her that a vampire had killed her friend, but here it looked like her family was trying to cover up things. As this was a dream, she wondered if her mind was feeding lies as they were fabricating situations from her worried mind. 

Madeline, was shocked to see the girl's face that was in the process of decomposing. She took a step back to trip and fall on the ground, which was next to another grave. Though her body was not hurt because of the little fall, Madeline had a deep frown on her face until light fell on the name on the grave that was next to her, that read,

'Madeline Harris'

__________

Coffin boxes- Part 2

Music recommendation: Dark Ambience | Cave Sounds | D&D Tomb | 45 Minutes 

.

Madeline's eyes grew wide in shock, staring at the tombstone which had her name engraved on it. Scared, she quickly moved away from it whilst her eyes continued to stare at the name. Why was there a grave in her name? Was she looking at the future? Or was it in the past? She continued to question herself until she heard her grandfather say,

"We can't let others know. If someone comes and takes a look at the body, they will try to dig more information about what happened."

"But that they will!" her grandmother responded in an agitated tone, "Why can't we just bury her?"

"You cannot kill her!" Her mother stepped forward, "She might not mean anything to you, but she is our daughter!" 

Madeline didn't understand what was going on around her as her head felt like it was spinning. Even though it was a dream which she was dreaming right now, she could feel every emotion. The words spoken by them were heard by her. 

Her mother was not speaking about Beth was she? Because that would leave only her to the 'daughter' that her mother referred to. Unless she was not their daughter, somewhere in the back of her mind, she had always wondered why she had blonde hair when her parents and Beth were blessed with dark black or brown hair. She had somewhere told herself that she had acquired the physical features from her grandmother. But did she?

Her legs and hands shook when she tried to get up and stand on her feet. The temperature around the graveyard only turned colder, making her shiver.

"What do you propose then? The villagers will know something is wrong with her," her grandmother retorted back to her mother, "We have been living here quietly, and you came here along with that thing to disrupt it."

"If it weren't for your blood, this wouldn't have even happened!" cried her mother. 

Madeline wished she could ask them questions. But when she had fallen, making a loud noise, no one had even blinked or turned to look at her. Looking away from her family, she moved towards the gravestone that had her name, which was next to the grave where Jennine was resting. 

Why would they build a tombstone for her? She was alive, and she didn't remember her parents ever told she was too sick. 

Nobody ever built a grave before the person was dead. It was considered a bad omen. People often made a coffin only to invite death quicker to a person. It was a belief that the coffin enclosed the soul of a person, continuing to keep it dead and to let the soul to rest. 

Her grandparents and her parents weren't aware of her presence, and Madeline decided to take a look inside the coffin. Giving a glance at her family, Madeline placed her hands on the top of the lid before she pushed it open to only see the coffin was empty. 

"That is enough of chitchat. I will try to fix this one but let us keep it away from the others, at least until everything is sorted. The High house, they are of mixed people who think they know the law and are higher in position than us. If they come to know about us, it wouldn't go down well, and the whole village might end up going in flames," said her grandfather, "This is something I didn't expect to happen this soon. Where is the girl?" 

"She's sleeping in the house. We locked the room," Madeline's father answered, his lips pursing in the end. 

"Unattended?" her grandfather looked unimpressed, "We cannot let her out in the open. She is harmful."

"She's a child-" her mother began only to hear an unapproving grunt come from her grandfather.

Her grandfather said, "The only way to get out of this is by killing her. I would have killed her if she wasn't my granddaughter, but that doesn't mean we are going to let her out. If we let her free, we don't know what will happen. There will be more people ending up dead."

"What do you propose then? Since what happened, we have locked her in the room," said her father in worry and in slight distress. 

"I will look after this one," offered the stranger who had accompanied her family to the graveyard, "You can take care of the one in the house. If I am not wrong, the High House is already on their way."

Her family agreed and left the small girl as she was who continued to reside in the coffin that was opened earlier. Madeline quickly moved forward to take a look at Jennine and noticed there was no bite mark on the little girl. Instead, there was a wound near her stomach. 

Madeline watched the man who had stayed back, pulling out her friend Jennine's body up and opening his mouth, he took a bite into the small girl's neck. Seeing this, her face contoured in disgust because the man was a vampire who went to take a bite at a dead person. Not staying there any longer, she quickly followed her grandparents and her parents.

When they reached the house, a house, which she didn't recognize, Madeline heard her grandfather say,

"This is something you cannot speak about. We are lucky that I caught sight of it before someone else did. It is something none of you are supposed to whisper or think of," the man then raised his hand as if indicating to open the door of the locked room that they stood in front of. 

"It would bring nothing but death upon us. I wonder if we should kill her," her grandmother proposed. Her father went to open the room which was not closed just by the handle but also had been locked with a lock and key.

As the door was pushed open, the family members looked as if they were apprehensive of stepping inside the room. As if somewhere, they were scared of the person who was in there. 

Madeline who stood behind them could feel the tension even though she didn't belong to this time frame.

"Oh dear, I cannot look at her!" her mother shook her head and ran out of the room before even taking three steps inside. Madeline saw her mother take a seat on the chair, her hand covering her face as she cried, "How did this happen?!"

"In every century, you have some bad seed," murmured her grandfather, and the three of them took themselves to get inside the room.

Madeline followed them to notice a small girl that stood with her back against them. Her heart sank in her chest when she saw the little girl turn around. Blonde hair, brown eyes, she didn't have to question to find out who it was. But the small girl had her hands covered in red, which was undoubtedly the blood of the girl named Jennine. The little girl's hand was tied in ropes so that she wouldn't come to harm anyone. A gasp escaped her lips, and she shook her head.

No...that was her.

She had killed a small girl, thought Madeline to herself. 

__________

Coffin boxes- Part 3

"You came here only for a visit, so it shouldn't be hard to lead your life back to a normal one. Leave this one here with us," her grandfather ordered her father, "Having someone who might go on a killing spree. Don't worry. We won't kill her. We will make sure that we fix her."

Madeline's father looked at his parents, anxiously, "Is it possible? You will spare her?" 

"If she doesn't turn aggressive again, yes," informed her grandfather. 

"I should have known that there was something wrong with her," said her grandmother shaking her head, "I thought it was just a simple ability when she broke the glasses in her hand, but she is not like us. Who knew she would try to kill someone. I can feel the evilness from here!" The woman's eyebrows contoured in distaste, and she turned her face away from the child to look at her husband, "We have to do something quickly."

Her grandfather nodded his head. He looked as if he was in deep thought as he stared at the small girl in front of him. 

"Leave this place immediately," said her grandfather and her father looked startled, "Leave this place and go live in another village. Somewhere far from here and leave her here, with us."

"What are you going to do with her?" asked her father in a worried tone. 

"I will tell you about it later, but in the meantime, go pack your bags with your wife. If someone asks, we will tell them that you left to live in another village. It is a good thing that you don't have another child, it would have caused us another headache. You can make it look like you're starting afresh." Her grandfather then said, "Go. Leave right now, and I will try to hide the evidence of death this girl has brought on this holy land." 

Her father gave a reluctant look but didn't question his father's judgement. Sparing a look at the small girl, he stepped out of the room, and Madeline's grandmother went to lock the door from inside.

"What are we going to do?!" whispered her grandmother when she went to stand next to her husband. 

Madeline saw the small girl staring at the old couple until her grandfather went to place his hand on the girl's head for the girl to fall unconscious.

"If the High House comes to know about this, the entire village will go down. I would have never guessed that we were going to have a bad seed in the family." Her grandfather's words hurt Madeline, who was listening to them closely. 

"Why not kill it off right away. It would help in ridding off the evilness that is haunting in this land," whispered her grandmother. 

"You know we cannot kill her. The last time a person like this was killed, a whole lot of people died. It will bring more bad luck and misfortune upon us for who she is. Let me see what I can do," said her grandfather, who carried the little girl in his arms, leaving Madeline who stood there with a shocked expression on her face. 

This was a dream, right? Madeline questioned herself. She hoped it was just a dream and what she was witnessing was not real. 

When Madeline stepped out of the room, she caught sight of her father, who was trying to get her mother's attention who was still sitting at the small dining table while staring into nothingness. 

"Get up. We need to leave quickly. Come on," said her father, "Up...wake up, Madeline?" The voice slowly changed. 

Madeline's eyes flew open, and she gasped for air when her eyes fell on the ceiling of the roon. She could feel her heart racing in her chest, a small sheen of sweat covering her forehead that left the small strands of hair to stick on it. The room was bright now.

"Did you wake up?" It was Beth who was calling her, "You slept a lot today. It must be because you were awake for such a long time. When you were sleeping, I even got ready. Come on, get up now. We need to head to the dining room." 

Madeline pushed herself up and looked at Beth, who pulled the blanket and went to the closet to pull out the clothes for her to wear. "The King must adore you. He has stacked so many dresses for you. I doubt there's any need for you to repeat the dresses," came Beth's voice who pulled out a dress and then placed it on the bed.

"What time is it?" asked Madeline, her voice sounding distant and heavy because of the dream she had been dreaming so far. 

"It was close to eight when I reached my room and got myself changed. I knew you would need someone to help you to wake up," Beth's smile was wide, unlike Madeline, who was staring continuously. 

Madeline wasn't feeling good right now, and she felt sick. She felt lost, and she questioned the parts of her dream that she still remembered and some that started to disperse as time continued to pass by. 

"Are you alright?" asked Beth, noticing Madeline didn't get out of the bed and was quiet, "I can tell them you are sick so that you can get some rest,'' offered her elder sister. But was Beth older to her? Beth was a year older to her, but in her dream, there was no mention of the first child. 

"I am okay," Madeline tried to put up a smile on her face.

Getting out of the bed, Madeline walked towards the sink, splashing water over her face to wake herself up. The thoughts of what she saw and heard continued to linger in her mind. Raising her head, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had the same features of blonde hair and brown eyes as the small girl. 

"What did you hear yesterday in your room, Beth?" Madeline questioned her sister, who was looking at the dresses in the closet. 

"Hm?" Beth turned her head, "I don't know. It was some creaking sound that scared me. I tried to ignore it, but it kept making noise, and I came here. It must be because of the branches hitting the window," Beth said it out loud and then said, "I will take a look outside later, just to make sure nothing is going to bother me tonight," she smiled, "I should probably ask Markus to come with me and take a look. Men sometimes love it, to play the knight. It makes them feel good."

Madeline offered Beth a smile and walked behind the wooden room divider where the bathtub was placed. Taking off her clothes, she got into the tub while hearing Beth speak,

"I actually made a trip to his room before coming here, but when I knocked on the door, he didn't answer it. I doubt he's still sleeping. I would have entered the room, but then it would be rude to do so."

"He must be busy," Madeline humoured her sister so that Beth wouldn't feel bad that she wasn't conversing back, "As he's the King's cousin, he might have been offered more work."

"If that is true, it's a pity as we might not be able to spend much time together. But I was sure Markus would be present in his room because he didn't mention having any work today. At least not until later this afternoon." Beth pulled out a dress that she liked from the closet and then asked, "Do you think I can borrow your clothes from here?"

"Please feel free to wear them. You are my sister," murmured Madeline. While Beth was intrigued with the different types of dresses which made her excited, Madeline pressed her lips before parting them to ask, "Beth, do you know when father and mother were born? I mean the dates."

"Their birth year, you mean?" asked Beth, her eyes still on the clothes and she pulled one which she liked. 

"Yes," answered Madeline. She used the water in the tub to pour it on her skin slowly. 

"It is the same century we were born in," laughed Beth, "Somewhere thirty to forty years back." 

Madeline wanted to ask more with Beth, but she didn't know much. And considering how Beth didn't remember Madeline's childhood and only her own, was it possible that...she and Beth didn't grow up together at the beginning of their childhood?

It didn't look like either of them were adopted. But if what happened in Madeline's dream was true, it was possible that she was older to Beth, and she didn't have an answer by how many years. 

_______

Physients™ Hit Here To Continue Reading 

------------------------------------------------------

ACCESS OUR LATEST ON THE GO HIT HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR MOBILE APP. ON OUR SERVER

NOTE: PHYSINEWS MEDIA WE RESPECT AUTHORS & CONTENT OWNERS WE MADE THIS POST TO ENTERTAIN EVERYONE DISCLAIMERS PLEASE ENTER HERE 

--------------

✓ HIT HERE TO ACCESS STORIES WE RELEASED 

∆∆∆∆∆∆

✓ HIT HERE TO ACCESS LIVE TV AND MOVIES

------------------------------------

......