𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭 (𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓞𝓷𝓮)

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓾𝓻

"I told you, Cuthbert. I told you this would be a mistake and you didn't listen."

"I thought I could have faith in her, Cecelia, she's your daughter after all."

"She's also your daughter, and look what happened. We're poorer than ever. She clearly took after you with how worthless she is."

What?

"It's not her fault, she tried."

"What do you mean she tried? She was so unappealing to the prince on purpose. She didn't want me to succeed. She didn't want her Mother to finally have some power. She's a selfish little girl who only cares about herself."

No Mother I tried, I tried so hard. I always try so hard to please you.

"I agree Mother, Catherine is awful." Caroline remarks with a snicker.

Not surprising. 

"She always gets in our way. I can't believe I was actually friendly with her," Charlotte says.

"I'm just glad I got out before anything bad can happen," Charles says.

What? Why are they saying these things about me?

"She is and has always been the weakest part of this family. We'd be so much better without her in it.

"That's why she's with them now, Caroline," Mother announces with joy etching her tone.

Them?

A woman in a red and yellow gown cleaning off a bookshelf appears. Her head is turned to the shelf, and her hair is tied in a bonnet. Slowly, she starts turning into view. 

Her bonnet comes undone to reveal dark brown hair. Her face slowly meets mine, her right brown eye coming into view followed by her crooked-teeth smile and her other eye.

She stares at me with lifeless eyes as she stocks the books on the shelf. Her face is stuck on mine as her arms move almost mechanically.

Wait a second that's...

"We live for the King. God bless the King. Almighty ruler." She chants in a monotone voice.

Oh no no no no no.

"We live for the King. God bless the King. Almighty ruler." She chants louder this time.

No no no no.

"We live for the King. God bless the King. Almighty ruler." Her chants get louder as her eyes bulge a little out of their sockets.

No no no no, make it stop. Make it stop please.

"We live for the King. God bless the King Almighty ruler." Veins are popping out of her forehead and neck.

Stop stop stop stop stop.

My shallow breaths escape my mouth without warning while my heart beats beneath my chest.

Make it stop please please please please, please.

Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop.

"Do you see what you've become," she yells this time. Her eyes lit up in flames, "You couldn't be a strong girl for your family, and now you're a slave. How hard is it for you to just be normal for once."

She points at me and her figure comes closer. The books in her hand turn into small blades while the rest of her arms diminish into dust. 

I get up and try to run, but my legs give out and I stumble backwards.

"You're a disgrace to this world," she snickers while propelling further in front of me.

I push a little faster and actually run this time. I run and run and run, but she's chasing after me. Chasing after me with the speed of a pure devil.

Sweat pours on me as my body beams of hot flashes. Tears slip out of my eyes uncontrollably as I run from seemingly street to street. My ankles bend and twist with each step I take.

"Do you really think you can always outrun your problems?" She practically growls.

My speed decreases as it becomes more and more of a struggle to even move. Shallow breaths come in and out of my mouth. This is all my fault for being severely out of shape. 

I turn on one road and trip backward right onto a little gray pebble. A hand instinctively goes to touch the now blistered part of my back. 

Of course Catherine, you just had to mess that up like everything else.

I turn my head several times right and left, but it's too late. The figure comes closer, and wraps its arms around my shoulders.

No no no no no.

"All of your problems will catch up with you someday," It laughs right in my face causing the rows upon rows of sharp teeth to be showing.

"No no no no no no," I scream and flail my arms around. 

She drags me by my legs down the street. my arms are flailing up and down. The back of my head bounces off each edge of the street. A mixture of blood, sweat, and tears run into my mouth.

"Leave me be! Leave me be!" I scream with a raspy voice.

"Silence child! It's too late for that now. You had years to fight and you didn't."

"No no no no no! I didn't mean it I swear! Leave me be! Leave me be!"

"Catherine? Catherine!" Her wretched voice screams into my face.

"No no no no no no! Make it stop, make it stop! Leave me be!"

"Catherine wake up!" A distorted voice screams.

What?

"No no no no no no no! Stop stop stop stop!" I scream and force myself to look around at my now dark room.

What the-

I sit up and Charlotte is in front of me with a bucket in her hands. Christina's cries fill the room while I run a hand through my hair. 

A nightmare. It was just a nightmare.

Charlotte pushes the bucket right in front of me as the green-yellow puke slips right out of my lips. The motion scratches the back of my throat while Charlotte just stands there collecting it.

My head becomes airy. Sweat still beams across me, but this time it dissipates. I finish puking, and use a cloth to wipe my mouth.

I take the bucket from Charlotte, and walk it into the washroom to dump it right in the toilet. This takes mere seconds before I mouth a thank you to her and lay back down.

"I can't wait until she leaves tomorrow," Caroline's scratchy voice grumbles from the other side of the room.

Me either sister, me either.