Broken Memories (Sequel to Return to Belli Castle)

Chapter two: Therapy

Matilda sighed as she gazed at the grandfather clock at the corner of her office, listening to the cresendo of struggling and screaming. At first it had been faint, somewhere far from her office and then as Toby Parker walked walked closer, having to drag Catherine Belli with him, the screams to be let go became louder and distracting.

Toby seemed to be struggling more than Catherine.The door was pushed open and Toby was forced to push Catherine into the room with one hand. He quickly ran out of the office and locked the door with the key around his neck.

Catherine hit the door, a grinding scream of fustration.

"I doubt that'll be neccasary, Miss. Belli," said Matilda, calmly. She took her glasses off and beconed Catherine to the red armchair beside her desk, with her hand.

"I don't want to be here!"

"Frankly," said Matilda, stepping out of her seat when Catherine didn't sit down. "Neither do I. But we both have to be here. See, I think there's a few things you dare not tell us and to hide that, you've been making up lies."

"I'm not lying," said Catherine.

Matilda gave a trustful, friendly smile. But Catherine didn't believe that she was a friend- nobody did. "And that's why you're here, in my office. You're not like the other girls here... I think you're quite... sain. But we won't know until you care to tell me about yourself."

She sat down and after a few seconds of silence, Catherine sat down beside her. Though, Catherine watched her from the edge of the armchair. "What do you need to know?"

"Well, Cata... Catherine," said Matilda, "I have a series of questions for you and hopefully, we'll get them all answered by today."

Catherine didn't trust her at all and the more Matilda spoke, the more Catherine lost interest in her words. She would only tell the others that there would be nothing else left to help her- she'd seen it done before in her four weeks in Bellwood Mental Institution.

Countless times Catherine had yelled to them about Riccardo, but nobody believed her- the longer she was in the institution, the more insane she would become. That would be until Riccardo had a chance to take her Azoth, the rare life source within her.

At the first question, Catherine couldn't find the right answer. Where was there to start at "Why can't you stand your own name?"

"I... um..." Catherine took a deep breath, twiddling her fingers as she knew she'd have to say his name, again, the name that all the workers had heard too many times and yet thought were lies. "Hmm... I never thought I'd have to go back to that question. But like all things, I'll start at the beginning of that reason."

The car hurried down the empty road. The road glistened with the rain that had fallen over it with the twilight around them. At the back of the car, young Catalina sat with her sister, Fiona, who'd just returned home during her collage holidays. Catalina had been asleep quite a while, sleeping on Fiona's shoulder, where as her older sister gazed out of the slightly open window.

A light shone through the opposite window and before they knew it, another car, it's black body disguised by the night, hit the side of their little red car. Ayla and Ugo, their mother and father were in more of a panic then Fiona. Catalina was still in an uneasy sleep, lying on the back seats as the car flew down the ledge.

The black car hit them one last time, causing the car to fly through a pile of stacked logs. The glass of the front window shattered.

From the other car, a man stepped out of the car and approached the car. Ayla's body was through the window and Ugo was still breathing, too afraid to open his eyes as the car door was pulled open with a great amount of force.

"Riccardo?" asked Ugo, a few seconds after his eyes parted. "Brother? What?..." Ugo yelled as something pierced through his chest. He didn't know what it was but it was like a large, thin spring of blades.

As his pulse stopped, Riccardo opened one of the back doors to look at Fiona, who was unconcious. Riccardo reached for her, but then he heard a murmer from the child closest to him. He couldn't remember his brother having two children, but as Fiona was the first, her Azoth would be stronger than her sister's. Then he began to think.

"Please," whispered Catalina, a hand over where the glass had fallen on her. She was losing a large amount of blood and barely had any chance of surviving. "Help me," she cried.

Riccardo put his coat over the wounds and picked the young girl up, carrying her to his car. Soon though, Catalina would become unconcious and by the help of Riccardo, would keep a small amount of blood left to live by clockwork, something others would find without a doubt impossible. Those people just didn't have the mind of a pure villian, somebody who would raise a girl from death to become a trap for something much more.

During that night, as Fiona was left unconcious, Catalina was saved and trapped in Belli Castle with her uncle, the steward of the castle at the time. Riccardo had convinced the young girl her parents had died in a tragic car accident and he had saved both her and her sister, who only wanted to forget her Catalina.

That night Catalina Belli died and Catherine Belli was born, only a clockwork girl who possessed Catalina's memories.