4
I could hear a faded voice yelling at me to wake up in the background. A maid struck my face and startled me awake. It brought me back to my senses, back to reality. I sat, my breathing irregular, still reeling from what had happened to me. My eyes are welling up with tears. As my cheek stung, I placed my palm on my face. I noticed several of the servants scowling as I glanced around the room. One of the maids approached me and chastised me for screaming in my sleep.
"I- I'm sorry," I muttered.
I found myself unable to hold back my tears any longer. I give myself freedom to cry. After a while, I ceased crying, leaving me with swollen eyelids and a stuffy nose. I glide out of bed and go to the bathroom. I washed my face with cold water and then gazed in the mirror.
'So I died again…but I'm back in hell…' I sighed.
I returned to my bed and sat, peering out the window. Benjamin barged in just as I was resting.
"You," he said with a cold tone.
"Don't you ever get tired of this?" he questioned.
'What?' I thought, confused by the interaction.
Benjamin proclaims his anger towards me with his false accusations. He raised his hand and swung, punching me in my arm this time.
"Ouch!" I wince.
He proceeds to walk away as if he had accomplished something. As soon as he left the room, I punched the bed out of anger.
'ARGH! This motherfucker! Is testing my thinning patience!'
I exhale, restraining myself.
"So I really am back, and there is no doubt about it," I say with a saddened voice.
A sharp pain emerges from the side of my shoulder. As the pain spreads across my body, I find myself on my knees, struggling for air. The intensity of the pain becomes unbearable, causing my vision to blur and my muscles to tense up. With each gasp for breath, I can feel my body weakening, desperate for relief from the excruciating agony. I was left on the floor, drooling from the corner of my lips and tears streaming down my cheeks. I lay there, exhausted, with my eyes closed for what I believed was a moment.
When I finally opened my eyes, I realized that hours had passed. The pain had subsided slightly, but my body still ached, and my mind felt foggy. I realized it was nearly noon. I grabbed the bed sheet to help myself up.
"Phew!" I puffed.
I went back to the bathroom. I discovered something as I probed the source of the pain. My skin bears the imprint of a flower. It appeared to be faintly familiar. As I traced the delicate lines of the flower on my skin, a glimpse of a distant memory began to resurface. A symbol of something significant from my past.
"I know I've seen something like this somewhere, but where?" I was puzzled.
I racked my brain, trying to recall where I had encountered this flower before. Suddenly, a flash of recognition hit me—it was the same flower that was adorned on the cover of my mother's journal. It was a book that she kept hidden from everyone but me. I need to revisit the pages of my past and unlock the secrets hidden within the faded petals.
"Damn!" I cursed.
The journal's current location is hidden somewhere in the abandoned house.
"How strange I thought she would be here," a voice remarked.
I immediately hide the mark and exit the bathroom. Lisette stood in the middle of my bedroom, observing her surroundings.
"Oh! That's where you were," she stated, judging my disheveled clothing.
I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me as I tried to come up with an excuse for my appearance. It was clear that Lisette had caught me off guard, and I couldn't help but wonder how much she had seen or heard.
She invites me to tea while spewing the same nonsense as previously.
'Great, because bitch one found its way into my room, bitch 2 will be here any second now,' I reasoned.
Benjamin entered my room exactly as I had predicted. They have their normal discussion, berating me. I watch them cluck and chuckle like chickens as they finally make their way out of my room.
I huffed as I lifted my head to look at the ceiling, drained of the exchanges. Tired, I prepared for an encounter with the devil at his office. I walked to his office, knowing what was waiting for me. I knocked on the door.
"Come in," he responded.
He was still standing behind his desk, as he was before. Despite knowing what would happen to me, I asked him nevertheless. I told him about having Lisette be engaged instead of me. He treated me with the same animosity that one might mistake for his archnemesis. As he spoke, his voice dripped with venom and contempt, making it clear that he took pleasure in my suffering. The air in the room grew heavy with tension, and I braced myself for the verbal onslaught and violence that were about to ensue.
After suffering torment, I eventually returned to my room. Without a moment's respite, a maid appears to inform me that my presence at lunch is required. I tell her to wait while I treat the wounds caused by that cretin's magic.
She pointed me to my seat at the table. I sat down and listened to the horde of gremlins. Hearing their voices, I could feel my rage rising. I desired retribution for all the wrongs done to me. I would torture them with every breath they breathe.
After lunch, I was told to pack my possessions immediately. I gather my belongings and head to the wagon that has been waiting for me. The driver and I agreed to make a stop along the road to pick up a few items. He has no idea I'm about to escape right in front of his eyes.