The Great Escape

Chapter- 19

She remembered the time she tried to learn doing it the way Lady Kiara preferred it. Thirteen years old, with small pimples magically appearing on her face and hair growing all over her body rapidly, like trees on a fertile land; Lea was a quiet child of a maid in Douglas mansion.

Upon the advice and counselling of the Countess Daisy Douglas, a well-known prosecutor herself, Lea's mother, Sally finally had gathered the courage to leave the abusive husband back at home and moving in the mansion with her teenaged daughter after facing years of abuse.

The life was easier after that, but ghosts of past kept haunting the mother-daughter duo. Sally flinched at the sound of the spoon being tapped against the plate, scrambled to find words if asked a question, shivered at the sight of the Count, anticipated a harsh sound of the palm crashing against the Lady's cheek whenever the Countess sassed about "what a genius man" her husband is.

And though, the tapping sound was never followed by a bash on her head, her stutters were always answered by a reassuring squeeze on her shoulders, the sight of the Count was always followed by a respectful nod, her anticipation was always proved wrong by a raucous laughter in private and a quiet "Thanks to you, my darling" in public— Sally often jolted awake at nights screaming and sobbing.

Lea was no good either. Her father had scarred her enough, both mentally and physically, and her mother's progressively worsening state marked the onset of panic and nightmares in her as well. 

Doctors were employed to help the duo cope. The Countess made sure on her end that the husband can not see past the bars of the jail. The Count made sure his sight was as non threatening as possible. Everyone co operated, but Sally could not. A year after moving in, she was found dead, a knife implanted on her side.

And that was the first time Lea met Lady Kiara.

Five years older than her, Lady Kiara had returned from Iredale institute, a boarding school near the capital of the Dukedom. It was a week after the night Lea's mother had died.

She could not sleep. Her mother's face, dead and cold, with blood painted all across her body stared back at her morbidly. It called out for her, it's black slithering tongue slipping out of it's mouth. It's arms, bent at odd angles, raised up in her direction, open as if asking to embrace it. Sometimes, it would be closer to her, a maniacal smile wedged on it's lips, eyes filled to the brim with a diabolical craze. Those were the nights she would sit up straight, screeching and screaming.

Those nights, when it said nothing, but smiled.

Smiled and stared.

The night was one of those nights. Her visions were filled with the distorted images of what looked like her mother, but never acted like her. Mourning quietly, she was sitting at the edge of window sill, her legs dangling outside as she stared at the grass brushing against her feet.

"What—" Someone spoke.

Startled, Lea screamed. Scrambling to get inside the room again, she hurriedly shifted back and fell down on the floor of her room. She screamed again, this time in pain.

"Oh my Goddess! Are you okay?" She had heard a feminine voice above her. She raised her head up and found herself staring at a girl. The moon shone brightly over her head and it's rays weaved into her long flowing brown hair delicately. As the light was limited, she could not see much, however, as the girl stepped inside and took a hold of her hands to pick her up, a fresh flair of the sandalwood wafted towards her.

Another aristocrat. Lea had realized.

The female guards, along with some maids, had busted inside her room just some moments later and confirming her suspicions, had bowed to the girl.