Queen of Terror

Chap. 21

Down I went.

••••

"What did you see?"

My eyes blinked opened and stared at five people who were right in front of me. "Gee, Chloe, she just woke up," I heard Alya say. "We should give her a rest. She must be exhausted." I sighed as I rested back on my bed, knowing Alya was right. I was exhausted, but I was also determined and was not about to have a break, so while my back rested on the bed I was laying on, I told them what I saw.

"I managed to talk to her," I started. Truth be told, I didn't even think I could reach her, but I felt so relieved when I did. "When I saw her, she looked somewhat annoyed and disturbed, so I took it that she had been in the middle of something. In other words. . .if anyone of us between Bridgette and I ever wanted to chat together telepathically, the other isn't allowed to say no. Anyway, the chat ended quite early, because she left. I tried asking her a few questions without letting her know that we already had a few answers, like for example, who was Clara Nightingale to her, but she. . .she didn't reply. It didn't look like she wanted me to know at all. She even sort of looked surprised when I mentioned Clara."

Laura started stretching as she walked away from the bed, looking to be tired as well. "I think you guys need to go now. I have to sleep, since I haven't exactly gotten that for the last two nights. Go back to wherever you came from," she pointed over at a direction. "The door's that way. I can't bear to look at you." She walked inside a room with the words, "I'm sorry for all your losses," before she shut the room door, leaving us there, surprised and confused.

She was just going to leave us here? I thought perhaps, she would want to come with us to the palace so we'd figure things out together, but I guess not. Laura seemed like that type of girl who enjoyed being by herself, who didn't really like asking for help, but sometimes did it when she really needed it. She had went over to Lila, asking her for help with Bridgette. Why didn't she want to collaborate with us during this crap?!

"I don't know about you guys, but I sort of don't. . .trust that Laura girl," Nino said while we walked back to the limo. "I mean, I just. . .I don't know. She does know so much about Bridgette because they were close, but you guys. . .Bridgette and Laura lived together for years, so I'm sure they became like best friends or something. How can we be so sure that Laura isn't working with her?" The door opened and we all headed inside the limo. Although nobody particularly replied back to Nino, I could tell we were all thinking the same thing; about what he had said of Laura secretly being against us. I didn't want it to be true, but I knew Nino had a point. Even though Laura had explained to us what had happened and how Bridgette got taken away, it still didn't excuse the fact that she could have been working with Bridgette and was just trying to lure us in to her.

"We just. . .need to be careful," I muttered, mainly to myself. "I need to be careful!"

•••••

At first, finding out that my entire class of friends were all against me because of Bridgette, I'd felt so afraid, but knowing I had other friends that were so willing to protect me, it made me feel so much better. Now, walking inside of the palace once again after going to visit Laura, I didn't feel as frightened as I had expected myself to. I walked over to one of the maids I'd seen, a question stuck in my head. "Hey, do you know if that brunette girl, Lila, came back here?"

The maid shook her head. "Your Highness, you and your friends are the only ones who came back after you left. I've been standing close to the front door for a while and that girl didn't return."

I breathed in with frustration as I started walking away, mad that Lila had decided to go do her own thing even after everything I told her about Bridgette being dangerous. She may have just not believed me, or maybe she was still mad over what had happened between us. Honestly, that girl could hold grudges for years if she wished to. I walked inside my room after wishing my friends a goodnight, before I closed the door. They were all sleeping here because as we had promised and planned, no one was allowed to go outside alone until we had brought Bridgette down. After closing my door, I walked up to my drawer and grabbed the envelope I had received from Bridgette out of it. I wasn't sleeping until I was positive this girl wasn't dangerous anymore.

I opened the envelope up and took out the pictures that were inside. My eyes immediately went over to Bridgette, who had her face covered. I still kind of wondered how she had managed to take a picture with her in it, because when I had experienced my parent's death, when I had watched Bridgette stab my parents, there was never a camera anywhere. Still, I didn't think much into it as I touched Bridgette with the tip of my index finger, more determined than I'd ever been. When I had touched my parents in the picture, I had experienced their death. Maybe this time, if I touched Bridgette, I would experience something different.

I shut my eyes, waiting for my mind to take me to a different place. It did, and like always, I was confused at where I had landed up. I seemed to be inside a tiny cabin, though I wasn't quite sure. My heart leaped when the door suddenly opened and Bridgette herself walked in. At first, it seemed as if she was looking directly at me, and I stood still for a while, but then her eyes turned away. There was another door right at the other end, and that was where she was heading, so I silently followed her, although I knew she couldn't even hear me. Bridgette opened the door and headed out; I did the same thing.

We were in what seemed to be the backyard now, but my eyes immediately went down to the large table that stood there, with a bunch of small purple bottles sitting on top of it. I instantly recognized those bottles because they looked exactly like the same ones she had used on all of my classmates to make them go against me. Bridgette didn't have the power to possess people, but she could make these potions, which she used to get people on her side. I watched with burning anger as Bridgette picked up one of the bottles and started walking back inside the cabin. Again, I thought she looked directly at me, but that must have just been my mind playing tricks.

I followed Bridgette back inside the cabin, then I stood still as I watched her walk over to this small closet she had. She placed the bottle down gently, before grabbing onto the closet handles and pulling the doors opened. I clenched my hands when I heard someone mumbling, and I walked closer to take a look inside the closet. I let out the loudest gasp when I found Laura all tied up with a tape over her mouth, laying inside the closet in an uncomfortable, tight position because the closet was too small for her. It confused me so much that I just stood there, frozen. Hadn't we just seen Laura like a few minutes ago. How was she already in Bridgette's hands?

Except if this was all the past.

"Oh Laura dear, shush!" Bridgette grabbed ahold of the purple potion and ripped the tape off of Laura's face. Being all tied up and in an uncomfortable position, Laura couldn't move, so Bridgette took that as an advantage, grabbing onto Laura's mouth ad forcing it open. Once it was opened up, Bridgette poured the potion inside of her mouth with a grin on her face. "Remember what I asked you to do?"

"Kill Marinette," Laura replied back coldly.

"Exactly! Don't let me down, Laura!"

Maybe Nino had been right. Laura had tried to lure us in just so she could have a chance to kill me. Even so, something felt off. When we had seen Laura today, she hadn't looked or seemed like the murderous type. Sure, she could have been acting, but I had just sensed this innocence from her. I backed away, wanting to disappear right now and go back to my time, but before I could, Bridgette whirled around and looked directly into my eyes. At first, her face looked shocked, but then her lips curled up into a twisted smirk.

"I knew you were there!"

What?!