Seeking For A Sweet Revenge

~ Chapter 2 ~

I woke up by the sunlight streaming on my face. I frowned as I turned to the side. I felt slight happiness and tried to go back to sleep. I grunted, finding it impossible to do so. I blinked several times until my eyes adjusted to the light. I sat down on the bed muffling a yawn with my hand. "Are you awake, Miss Gabrielle?" I heard a maid say from the other side of the room. "Huh?" I asked, sleep still laced in my voice. "I was wondering if you were awake, Miss Gabrielle." The maid repeated, her voice muffled. "Mhm. Come in." I said muffling another yawn with my hand. The two maids entered and made me stand up. "We need to hurry, Miss Gabrielle. A ball is going to be held by midday and we have only two hours until that happens." One of them said. "No one told me about a ball." I muttered sleepily.

They hurriedly helped into a purple dress and, to my awful look, purple shoes. I was too tired to complain, though. They made me sit down on the stool and I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was still a little sleepy but nothing that couldn't be solved. They styled my short black hair and put on a small purple ribbon. I let out a heavy sigh as they bowed and left the room. I stood up and straightened the skirt of my dress. "Bloody ball..." I muttered under my breath as I went to the nightstand beside my bed. I pulled open the first drawer. I took out the book I was reading and held it in my hand as I traced the leather cover with the other. A knock on the door made me look up. "Yes?" I asked loud enough. "Miss, the guests have arrived and your parents request your prescence on the main saloon immediately." I let out a sigh, not bothering to cover it up. "I will be there in a second." I said and turned around with the book still in hand. I was refusing to socialize to any other human being, including my parents, unless necessary, of course.

I walked an opened the door of my room. The maid was no longer there and I silently thanked for that. I took my delighting and sweet time going down the stairs. A lot of people were there. Some were dancing or talking while drinking some kind of fancy liquid called wine. I made my way across the room, getting ready to go out to the garden and read my book in some quiet and comfortable spot. I avoided groups of people with their fancy chattering and people dancing around the salon.

The main door was just meters away. So close, yet so far. "Gabrielle." I cursed internally as my mother's voice echoed through the loud music. I put on a fake smile as my mom taught me and turned around, putting my hands behind my back, still holding the book. I made my way to where my parents were standing. With them was a woman dressed in red and, I am supposing, her butler. "Gabrielle, daughter, I have the honor of introducing you to Madame Red and her butler, Grell." My mom said. I bowed politely as the woman with the red hair and dark dull eyes smiled down at me. The butler looked kind of nervous as I could see some sweat on his forehead. His bright green eyes behind his round glasses looking down, dark hair tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon. "A pleasure to meet you." I said in a monotone voice. "The pleasure is mine, darling." She said and turned to look at Grell. "Grell, be a dear and bring us some drinks." She said. "Yes, Madame." He said and and turned around, getting lost in the crowd of people. "So..." My parent engaged a conversation with Madame Red and I was soon lost on my trail of thoughts as I watched people sway to the song.

I frowned as I analyzed their movements, those same movements I was taught by force because 'a lady with such high standards should know how to dance. It must come as a second nature.' Recalling my mother's words made me hate dancing even more. I could not quite understand how all those people could feel joy and delight for only moving their feet in a synchronized manner. I am speaking for myself when I say I could be sitting on the swing of the garden and finish the book I had got keen on quite fast, without anyone bothering me. "Your drinks." I looked to the side to find Grell with four drinks on a tray. I was the last one to take one of them and I eyed the golden and bubbly liquid, cringing internally. I looked up at my parents still having a joyful conversation with this woman and took in a deep breath. "I will be taking my leave for you to have a more comfortable conversation. Mother, Father, Madame Red. If you will excuse me." I said in the politest way I could find and bowed slightly. My parents nodded slightly and Madame Red smiled down at me. I turned around and dropped the smile. Witn the drink in one hand and the book in the other, I made my way out to the garden.

(...)

"This cannot be that bad." I said eyeing the wine on the glass. I was sitting on the edge of a fountain, the book now resting on my lap and holding the cup with my hand. "A lot of people drink it and are not fazed by the taste." I tried convincing myself. I let out a heavy breath. "Father says you learn from experiences, whether they are good or bad." I kept telling ecouraging words to myself. I let out another heavy breath. "Here goes nothing." I said and gulped the drink. I wanted to spit it out but found myself gulping it down. I opened my mouth and let out a series of coughs from the burning sensation in my throat. I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as tears prickled on the corners of my eyes. "Wh.. What kind... Of drink.. Is this? How can people.. Drink this thing... From h.. Hell?" I said in between coughs. I took my time as I calmed down and glared at the half empty glass cup. "Never again." I muttered under my breath. My voice was a bit raspy from the coughing. I tried to breath evenly as I put the glass beside and opened my book, resuming my reading.

Everything was so calm until a series of screams were heard, alerting me. "They must come from the inside." I muttered to myself as I unconsciously took the half empty glass and my book and ran inside the mansion. I didn't know what was happening but I had a feeling this wouldn't be nice. The constant pounding in my chest told me so. Maybe I was just overreacting. Maybe everything was fine and the screams were from something that fell. Nothing major. It could be the other the way around, though. Maybe my suppositions were nothing compared to what I was going to see. I shook my head at the thoughts. I shouldn't be thinking that but I couldn't help it. I felt and urge to get there. I needed to get there.

My eyes widened as I saw people running in all directions, ear-piercing screams was the only thing I heard. My heart started pounding against my chest harder as I looked frantically inside the room.

And then I saw it. The thing that made me feel sick and want to cry at the same time. I knew they were important people. I knew they had some enemies but I never thought things would go this far. On the middle of the room were bodies. I narrowed my eyes and recognized them. Each face. They were the people with the highest standards of the party, including my parents. My breath hitched and I felt a sudden rush of doubt, not believing the scene. I almost wanted to laugh, wanting to belive this was just a simple joke. Trying to imagine that they would wake up any second and laugh at me for believing it. But, the dull and lifeless look in their eyes told me otherwise. I remained speechless as I felt tears cascade down my cheeks freely, leaving a wet trail.

"Oh, you're here." The female voice made me snap out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Madame Red with Grell standing next to her. "What happened?" I asked, my voice above a whisper. "They got poisoned." She said simply and coldly. I felt a pang of fear and panic come over me as my eyes widened a little more. I took a step back, the grip on the book becoming stronger. I turned around to run away but I felt dizzy and weak, the feeling making me stop. The world around me started spinning and my legs felt like jelly. The glass cup I was holding fell off my grasp and shattered on the floor, the liquid making a disaster. I heard a loud thud and realized the book was no longer in my hand but on the floor. "Are you feeling okay? Are you scared?" I heard the voice of Grell behind me as I fell on my knees. I glared at the golden liquid on the floor beside me with narrowed eyes. I was having trouble breathing as I felt a heavy weight on my chest. I was sweating cold and my body was shaking. I shook my head trying to stop the dizziness and trying to gain some consciousness back. I closed my palms forming a fist as I accomplished nothing. My vision was getting blurry and I cursed under my breath. I heard a faint laugh. "You should be be. Sweet dreams, Gabrielle." Two pair of feet caught my blurry camp of vision and I looked up. Both were smiling madly down at me as I glared at them. "I am going to kill you both in the slowest and most painful way possible. If it's the last thing I do." I spat bitterly with the last ounce of energy I had before blacking out.

3rd POV

The girl blacked out like the other victims. "Poor girl. If she had not drank the wine, she could have lived a little longer before we killed her." Grell said taking out a knife from his sleeve. The mansion was desert except for the bodies on the main salon, the unconscious girl in front of them, and the pair, of course. "Just get rid of them so we can go as soon as possible." Madame Red said turning around and walking to the main entrance. "Yes, Madame." Grell said turning the girl on her back. He crouched and positioned the knife in her throat. In a swift move, blood was oozing from her neck and making a pool of blood on the floor, mixing with the spilled wine and into Grell's glasses, skin and clothes. "How beautiful. Red is such a beautiful color." He said standing up with the bloodied knife in hand and doing the same to the bodies in the middle of the room before leaving the place.