Return to Belli Castle (A Haunting Ground Fanfic)

Chapter Eight: The Clockwork Girl

There was the sound of footsteps as somebody circled the table, where Fiona Belli lay, unconcious. In a cage at the corner of the room, Hewie was also unconcious. Riccardo walked over to the small desk in the room where his radio was. He turned the channel of the radio until he could hear what he called 'special occassion music'. Music played from a violin as he danced around the room slowly, humming as he pretended to dance with somebody. "Oh, my sweet Fiona," he chucked, stopping beside her to peer down at her pale face. "Soon your Azoth running through your blood will be mine, and nobody will be around to take it away from me. Not even young Catherine."

He looked at the other corner of the room, opposite to Hewie. Catherine was sat against the wall, her hand on her lap. Riccardo had stitched up a wound he had caused. She was extremely useful to him, but with his age showing quickly without his Azoth, Riccardo was growning weaker. So he was forced to alchemise her blood. Her hair fell over her face, brushing her eyelids and her mouth. There was no movement in her whatsoever, no silent breath.

As Riccardo grinned at Fiona, she awoke in a panic. For a moment, she didn't know what to say as she gazed at Riccardo. She noticed Catherine's lifeless body and jumped off of the table, beside Hewie's cage. "You killed her!" she cried, taking the knife from the desk. "Ho... How could you? I'm the one you want... not her!"

"You're right, my dear Fiona," smiled Riccardo, "Catherine isn't the one I want. You are. That's why I took care of Catherine all of these years after I killed her parents, because one day, she would make the perfect trap for you. And here you are. At the moment she's only dreaming, she's still with us. Actually," he said, putting down his gun so that she couldn't have to panic as much. "Catherine hasn't been... all there for a while. You see, when I found her still alive, I thought it was impossible for her to make it with her losing so much blood and all. But she did. Now she's ran by clockwork surrounding her heart and her mind is barely there anymore. Catherine only listens to me, being obedient to my every word. But her body can't make blood, so she contains whatever I gave her from myself. As I grow older and weaker, I must take blood from her and soon she'll have nothing left. A waste I think, since I've seen her growing up ever since she was nine years of age."

"Then why do it?" asked Fiona, trying to sneak her hand behind her so she could grab the knife from the desk.

Riccardo laughed, causing Fiona to jump. "Because that's the reason why I took her in. She doesn't know yet that she'll be killed. But once I have you, I will no longer need her weak Azoth."

Fiona felt weak, having to lean against the wall to stop herself from falling backwards.

Riccardo walked into a room, were cobwebs collected in all corridors and a broken, dusty chandelier at the centre. There was a key-plate typer in one corner and a birdcage containing a deceased bird within. The window in the room was misty, making it impossible to see the garden.

A young girl sat on the bed in the room, only about the age of nine. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, hugging them tightly to her chest. The door opened and Riccardo walked over to her with his shot gun, smiling. "When can I go home?" she asked.

"Oh, young Catalina," smirked Riccardo. "Understand that you won't be going home any time soon. Your parents are dead!"

"Fiona will find me," hissed Catalina. "You said she was still alive."

"But has she came for you yet? No! Face it, she doesn't want you. In a few years all you will be is a faint memory to her. That's why I'm here... to help you. You see, there's barely anything inside of you of Catalina, now you're somebody else, somebody empty within. But if you help me, I can help to make you whole, again. With Fiona's Azoth, you'll be cured... that's all you need to get." He pulled out a knife and threw it at the bed in front of her. "Catalina's dead, now you're Catherine, the clockwork girl."

Fiona blinked and the vision left, not knowing what to say. She looked at Riccardo who had grabbed a knife. "Now I will get my Azoth," he whispered, stepping towards her. Riccardo smiled as Hewie tried to break out of his cage. He tried to swing the knife for Fiona, but she moved out of the way. Instantly, Hewie broke through the door of his cage and bit at Riccardo's ankle. "Ger' off!" yelled Riccardo, trying to attack the dog with the knife.

"Hewie!" cried Fiona, opening the door. She ran out with Hewie, slamming the door in Riccardo's face.

He frowned and closed his eyes as he sighed. "I really have to buy a lock for that thing," he cursed.

Riccardo wasn't able to turn around quick enough at the noise of the knife scraping the table and the pain of it cutting through his shoulder. He turned his head to look at Catherine who was clinging onto him. "That Azoth is mine!" she hissed, pulling the knife from him.

Weak, Riccardo fell backwards towards the wall. Catherine groaned in pain and fell onto the floor. She tried to pick up the knife, again, but Riccardo pressed his foot down on it and picked the knife up, pointing it to Catherine. "Fine," said Riccardo, finding it hard to breathe. "You've had your fun, and I guess I've treated you quite unfair, but you have to stop this nonsense now!" He put a hand over his shoulder stab wound.

For a moment, Catherine nodded, standing up. She stepped closer towards him and reached into her side bag. She pulled out a gun and pointed it at Riccardo. "I am stopping this nonsense," whispered Catherine, smiling.

As a bullet hurried towards Riccardo, he swung the knife, catching her stomach side. Catherine watched him fall to the floor and screamed at the pain. "This was never about revenge on Fiona," she whispered. "It was about revenge on you, Riccardo Belli." She kneeled down to his level, unable to see his eyes as he had his head down, finding it hard to breathe. Catherine took a hold of his shoulder and with her other hand, tried to stop her own bleeding. "You were never helping me, were you? YOU PLANNED TO USE ME AS A TRAP! But guess what, Riccardo... you were good to reunite Fiona and I back together. Sadly though, you're no use to me anymore, are you?" Catherine let go of his shoulder so he had to lean on the table. She stood up and walked away, over to the door.

"Come back, Catherine!" cried Riccardo, reaching out a bloody hand. "Please, it hurts. I need Azoth." He smiled as he saw her turn back around. Though all she done was shake her head and slam the door behind her. Furiously, Riccardo screamed, his voice echoing.