Page 28 of Tainted Serenity

She’s dressed in the same type of dress I am, only hers hangs loosely over her body, not framing her curves like I know Arthur wants. Her light blue eyes stare at me with mischief as sheassessesme.

“Arthur!” she sing songs before staring at me one last time, giving me another smile full of misdeeds and malice as she skips away.

Panic claws at my insides, trying to escape the vile grip as the pain spreading throughout my body makes it difficult to breathe. That fucking bitch pushed me deliberately, wanting me to be the first one found, killed.

Any second, Arthur can descend the stairs and find me lying at the bottom of them, pain cradling me and making me unable to move. He might already be on his way, especially since that woman called for him in that alluring, sweet voice of hers.

That fucking bitch.

Smoldering with resentment, I refuse to let her win over me. Every muscle protests as I stand up on trembling legs, one knee screaming more than the other with each step I take forward. It’s like a shock shoots up from my foot to my knee, making it impossible to bend it.

With a deep breath that is released like a hissing sound, I look around and notice the door ahead of me. With unsteady legs, I hurry toward the door while trying not to wince or scream in frustration. Slowly, I push down the handle, attempting not to make a sound, and then the door slides open firmly. Eerie shadows cast around the space, making it hard to see anything.

My ears strain to pick up the sound of footsteps above, dull thuds thumping against the floor as someone walks before abruptly stopping. I breathe out a harsh breath, relief filling me that they walked away from the stairs leading down here. Suddenly, the dreaded creaking steps of a human emerge from the stairs I tumbled down, breaking the silence. After closing the door behind me, I step into the corridor without thinking twice.

With my back pressed against the door, my heart somersaults as blood rushes in my ears. In the depths of my mind, a flutter of terror seems to wash over me like a delicate mist, promising a spark of lightheadedness that can’t be contained. With each inhale, the corridor in front of me appears to become more dull and blurred, as if I am watching it through a glass bottle.

The footsteps are audible again, and this time, I hear the shallow breaths of something right outside. The air inside the narrow corridor grows heavy with a burden, and it feels like a venomous viper is clutching my heart to death, strangling its pumping beat until the blood can no longer flow through me. A paleness takes over right before I sense the person outside the door, its hand gripping the handle.

This time my heart stops beating completely, as if the viper has grabbed it and torn it free with its sharp teeth. I wait for the inevitable I know will come once the person opens the door, feeling the dread wash over me at the realization that I might be one of the first to be found. The possibilities of my reality rush through my mind.

I will be killed in front of all the girls as they laugh at my slumped body. I won’t ever see Grey again, and maybe that is what hurts the most. Or maybe it is that I didn’t get the chance to tell him my feelings, albeit scary.

The handle pushes down, panic gripping me, and I stand completely still. But then a loud thump comes from somewhere far away, a flurry of curses ensues, and the handle is released before footsteps fade away. It still feels as if I cannot breathe; my brain is not able to accept that the danger is over, so I stand there for several seconds, waiting for someone to find me.

The eerie silence settles over the corridor in a way that makes it spooky, almost as if a ghost inhabits the space with me. When several minutes pass and nothing happens, I dare move further into the corridor in an attempt to hide should anyone enter.

A blood-curdling scream suddenly echoes throughout the entire manor-like castle, one that sends shivers down my spine until my body freezes mid-step. The scream continues, one full of horror and despair that tears at my own heart. Another wave of panic comes crashing over me with memories that want to forge their way up my mind—moments of when I played hide-and-seek at Grimhill Manor.

I’m back at Grimhill Manor all over again, living through the horrors that fucked me up for an eternity. A sound comes from the corridor in front of me, and my mind disconnects from my body just like it did before.

It’s easier to live through terror if you are not connected to your mind and soul. My body slides along the wall until I’m sitting on my butt on the ground, a hard thump that makes my muscles ache even more. Though I cannot feel any pain. All I feel is the gripping terror of the possibility that the master will find me and capture me once more.

I press my eyelids shut because maybe if I close them, I will wake up in Grey’s arms and everything will be okay again. He will chase away the monsters in my head and comfort me until I can find my footing again to face the evil world.

But he isn’t here, and I’m left to suffer alone, even when he promised me he would never leave me.‘Even in death,’ he said, but it was all a lie.

The sounds draw nearer, and it’s not until now that I realize the screams outside have ceased, but even so, I can still hear the sounds reverberating inside my head. Children screaming for their lives, begging to be left alone, and Frederick Grimhil, who never gave a shit. He thrived on making them suffer, and that horror will forever be imprinted on my mind.

My thoughts spin in my head, my emotions going all over the place as if they are bobbing in an unsteady boat in the open sea.

Where is Grey when I need him? He won’t come. He’s no knight in shining armor; I knew that from the beginning.

Footsteps come closer, and at this point, I’m sure it’s the master coming to end my life.

Legs appear in front of me, and I slowly lift my gaze, my vision blurry from unshed tears clinging to my eyelashes.

My heart stutters. Raven-black hair appears in my field of vision, and those sapphire-blue eyes that felt like home as I stared into them. All of our moments come rushing into my mind again, making me come alive, tears glistening in my eyes from relief.

“Grey?” I whisper, my voice hoarse.

“Do I look like a guy?”

Suddenly, the raven-black hair transforms into a radiant shade of golden, and the sapphire blue eyes are no longer that shade of blue, but an enchanting color of ebony. Confusion stirs up my mind, the ache growing in my chest. In front of me stands a girl dressed in the same type of dress as I am, her cheekbones protruding as she speaks. I meet her eyes, and the shock takes over, she is the same woman who survived the truth or dare game along with me. The tear-stained woman. Now, her eyes give away a feeling of softness and kindness, so far unlike the other girls here.

“I’m sorry,” I say to her, giving her an apologetic look.

She smiles at me, dimples forming on her cheeks. “It’s okay.”

---