m******e Mansion

Chapter 12- Sunday: Cats Save Lives

  The shower, to say the least, was quite calming. It had given me some time to myself to go over everything that had happened. With a single glance over the room I had came from, there appeared to be no exit. So just how exactly do I get out of here? There must be a way. How else could Olivander have retrieved me from the kitchen, and how does he get food? I just have to look closer. There has to be an answer somewhere. But then again, I would never known about this room if it wasn't for Olivander opening it.

       I had a sudden moment of clarity. Perhaps that's how the exit works. Somewhere along the wall there  has to be an opening that's invisible unless you know where to look. I'd have to test that theory later. Now, in the turn of events that I did manage to find that exit, how would I find my friends? I don't know where I am in relation to the kitchen, or the picture room. That could prove to be a problem. 

      Poor Lidia.....I could have saved her. She didn't deserve that fate. No matter what she did to me. I can only hope that she was given forgiveness in the afterlife and that's she's happy there. Nathaniel as well. I may not have liked him as well as I did Lidia, but he was still my friend. Poor Kadince, she shouldn't have had to kill him just for that sick bastard's amusement. He won't even let me go.

      That thought got me frustrated once more. I could manage if he hadn't have brought Kadince into this. If he hadn't of made a promise to her I could have lived with this, but the fucker had to raise her hopes. 

      "Ow," I groaned after I stupidly punched the tile wall. I cracked my fingers and broke some of the skin. It'll just add to the blood already running off me. The floor of the shower looked like it belonged in Psycho. I don't know how all the blood got on me. The bloodstream should have stopped a little while ago. I grabbed the strawberry body wash that I had found in the shower and rubbed it on me. A few bubbles floated out of it. It was strange how something so childlike and innocent could have been made in this mansion. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and paid attention to what was happening now. 

     After washing my long hair, I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off. Luckily my undergarments hadn't gotten any blood on them so they were still clean. The extra clothes I had packed were fairly simple. Just a simple black T-shirt and jean shorts. After I had dried my hair, I brushed it out with my hairbrush that Olivander had been kind enough to leave with my clothes. My black converse weren't so lucky. They had small splatters of blood here and there. Even so, I decided to put them back on. 

      I finally semi had a plan. The shower had left me clean and refreshed, so I was ready to greet the bastard on the other side of the wall. Figuring that I couldn't open it like he said, I knocked like it was a door. Less than a minute later I was greeted with the smirking face of Olivander.

      "My darling, you look so much better," he said eyeing my figure. It was making me highly uncomfortable.

     "I've already told you to stop calling me pet names," I firmly reminded him, crossing my arms in front of my chest and glaring at him.

      "And I told you that you could come out once you've learned to behave. You still seem quite feral," Olivander sassily replied.

      "I'm not a pet who will bend to your every will," I defiantly stated.

      "Well then, my sweet. I guess you won't be leaving this room," he said while moving to shut the door. His body was blocking my way of leaving so I reached out and grasped his arm.

       "Please let me out," I begged while giving him puppy eyes, mentally cringing at how I sounded. He softened his gaze and the smirk on his face faded into a small smile.

       "You're adorable, my Little Lady," he gently said while reaching out to stroke my face. I immediately pushed him back and ran through the doorway. Luckily he wasn't expecting that so I slipped past him easily. The blonde merely sighed with an agitated expression and closed the wall opening.

       "Why won't you just give in to me? You could live happily here in my possession. I would give you anything you could ever want," he mumbled angrily while turning to face me. I just walked over to the chair and sat down while ignoring him. I heard his footsteps growing nearer, but my eyes kept scanning the walls for any sign of an opening. 

      "Don't ignore me, Klarissa," the blonde growled. His voice had gotten significantly closer, and significantly harsher. I continued to pay him no attention. Realizing that I had probably made a bad decision, I opened my mouth to say something when my chair was quickly turned 180 degrees. Hands gripped my shoulders and pushed me back into the chair.

       "I'm trying to hold my anger in for you, angel, but if you continue to ignore me you'll greatly regret it," he said in a dark, menacing tone. His dark purple eyes gazed into mine with a fury I had never seen anyone else behold.

       "Olivander, you're hurting me," I winced. His grip had gotten tighter and I was sure it would leave bruises. My face was portraying pain and he smirked once more.

       "Good, maybe you'll understand how it feels when you bring pain upon me," the male before me smirked while applying more pressure. His hands moved to around my neck and the pressure he applied was growing stronger by the second. His eyes held a bloodthirsty look. It was the gaze of a sadistic man, and it started to scare me. I could feel my eyes starting to bulge out from their sockets and my face started to pale as I clawed at his hands. I whispered out a small 'stop' and he seemed to snap out of it because he immediately released his grip and looked at his hands in horror.

       "I'm so sorry, my love. Please forgive me," he pleaded. He pulled me into his arms in a gentle, yet desperate hug, but before he had hugged me, I saw his eyes. They seemed to have grown to a lighter purple, and the amber ring looked thicker. It made me curious, even though my brain was working a lot slower due to the oxygen deprivation. 

       I felt little drops of water land on my head. Impossibly, he seemed to be crying. My face was buried into his chest while he had one arm around my back and the other rested upon the back of my head. He may be a heartless killer, but I hated it when someone cries.

       "It's okay. It was an accident, you just got a little frustrated is all. I forgive you," I said while taking in as much air as I could. My voice came out a little muffled due to my face being covered, but I believe he understood me.

        "You truly are a kind soul, my angel. This is why I will never let you go, even if I have to clip your wings to keep you from flying away," he stated. His voice had taken a possessive turn and it slightly frightened me. "Please, hug me back. I've never had any human contact since I was a child, Little Lady."

       I could imagine his eyes looking sad while he said that, and the warm drops kept landing on my head, so I couldn't deny him that small bit of comfort even when every fiber of my being was screaming at me to not touch him. Loosely wrapping my arms around him, I could feel him hug back tighter. I was still a little lightheaded due to the lack of oxygen so I leaned a bit into his strong chest for stability. He moved his head down and placed a soft kiss on my forehead before finally releasing me back into the chair. It was at a time like this that I couldn't believe he was truly a monster.

      Olivander just looked like a lost child, his eyes held sadness and a hint of care. His flawless features made him look adorable while his lips were upturned into a small smile. His golden bangs stopped a little past his eyebrows, bringing out the amber ring once more. The freckles sprinkled on his nose brought it all together. So much did he look like a normal every day man. I even wanted to believe he was one. Maybe if he was, him and I would have been something.

     'Stop it, Klarissa. He is a cold-hearted villain. He's your captor, you shouldn't be making googly eyes at him, you should be focused on escaping. -Why can't I just admire the view for once. He's just my type - Come on guys, we should just give in. Then he'll notice how worthless we are and kill us like the rest.'  My thoughts were in turmoil once again. I think I might have worn a pained expression because Olivander looked concerned.

      "What's the matter, Sweetheart?" He questioned, words dripping in honey. "Do you have a headache? I have some medicine for that, I can get you some." 

       "I'm fine," I stated. Looking away from him as he backed up, I noticed an unusual sight I hadn't seen before. Past his right shoulder I saw a pure white animal sitting on the couch. "I didn't know you had a cat," I said. He looked confused. 

       "I don't," he replied.

       "Yes you do, it's right there," I stated with confusion, pointing to the beautiful creature. He turned and looked to where my finger pointed.

       "There's truly nothing there, my love. I think I should get you some medicine, it will keep your mind in check." He said with a tone of worry while walking towards a different wall and opening it. 

        After he had closed it, I walked over to the cat. It was a pure, snow white color, with the most vibrant amber eyes I had ever seen. They were wide and filled with intelligence. Its fur was long without a single tangle in sight. It was truly elegant. Maybe I was just seeing things. This room was getting to me. I turned around only for it to meow at me. It couldn't be real though. Even so, I turned around to consult it.

       "Hey there, no need to cry," I said, reaching out to touch it. At this point I knew it had to be real. My hand was met with the softest silk I had ever touched. I continued to pet behind its ears as it closed its eyes and purred. Something told me that it had to be a girl. When I pet down it's neck I felt a bump and realized it was a collar.

      "Claire, huh? Well that's a pretty name. I think it suits you," I cooed while ruffling her fur. I turned away only for her to jump off the couch and walk towards a wall. She meowed at me again, and I could have sworn I saw her make a 'follow me' motion with her head.

       "Do you want me to follow you?" I quietly asked for fear of Olivander hearing me. Claire meowed again and seemed to nod her head. I walked over to her as she started leading me to the corner I had found myself backed into earlier. The beautiful creature then head-butted the wall. What she did confused me greatly. She must have somehow sensed my confusion because this time she put her paw on the wall and pressed in. 

      "You want me to push the wall?" I asked doubtfully. She slow blinked and nodded again. Thinking I had nothing to lose I did as instructed. A square of it moved backwards, and the wall noiselessly slid to the side. I stared in amazement and reached down to pet the cat, but she darted off into the black pathway and meowed before I could complete my action. I could see her white fur due to its seemingly unnatural shine. She made another motion for me to follow her, and as I stepped into the pathway the wall slid back in place. Somehow I could still see Claire, and she began walking once again.

       We came across many twists and turns, but my little guide seemed to know exactly where she was going. At one point in time I could have sworn I heard Olivander calling my name, but I shrugged it off. I heard it again and began walking faster, only for Claire to look at me and shake her head 'no'. Since she had gotten me this far I took heed to the cat's suggestion and slowed down to my normal place. I don't know how this animal was so intelligent, but she had most likely saved my life for the moment. Kind of like a guardian angel.

       We had finally came to a dead end wall, and I put my hand to it, glancing down at her as if asking if I should press it like before. She slow blinked once more, and before I pressed on the wall,  I knelt down to her level and hugged her in gratitude. She purred out in a way of saying that I was welcome, and I went up to the wall again. Doing as I was instructed, I was met with the picture room again. There stood Lewis, Mark, Miranda, Caspian, and Kadince, gaping at me in amazement.

       "Klarissa!" They all shouted in unison. Everyone gathered around and hugged me while asking a billion questions. I just hugged them all back wordlessly, happy to have returned. After a few moments they backed away giving me some space, with the exception of Kadince who was still holding onto me like I was her lifeline. I stepped out of the doorway and gazed at all of them, a smile gracing my lips. 

      "How did you get away?!" Miranda questioned.

      "Well, this cat behind me-" Mark cut me off.

      "Little Lady, there is no cat. When you opened that wall you were alone." I gazed at him in a confused state while all the others nodded their head in agreement.

       "Well, who cares how she got back? She's here! That's all that matters," Caspian stated. I suddenly came back to reality and my mind went out of control.

        "Guys, he's watching our every move. He has cameras everywhere! You have to hide me, we have to get out of here. We have to---"

         "Woah, calm down, Klarissa. He who?" Lewis asked naively. He should have known who I was speaking of.  

          "Olivander," was all I said while my eyes were filled with a look of franticness.

        "Who?" Lewis questioned.

         "O.F. isn't it obvious? He has to have a real name, and that must be it," Mark said logically.

         "Well she met him first hand, she must be speaking the truth. We really need to get out of here. We have who we need. Now it's time to go," Kadince replied, still clinging to my side with a few tears in her icy blue eyes.

         "Wait, are those bruises around your neck?" Miranda questioned with wide eyes.

         "Most likely," I stated.

         "What did that bastard do?!" Kadince immediately went into a rage.

         "I'm fine, Kandi. It's nothing to worry about," I tried saying.

          "You are not fine if you went through an attempted strangulation!" She yelled.

         "You need to calm down, Kadince," Caspian said.

          "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! He hurt my sister! I won't stand for it!" She kept shouting.

         "Kadince, be quiet. Remember? We need to get out of here. We can deal with it later," I attempted to calm her down. That seemed to bring her back to her senses. We began walking to the door, and Mark opened it for us. Kandi and I went out last, and Mark followed us. All of us walked in a big clump towards the stairs before we heard a crackle.

       "Leaving so soon?"

       My eyes immediately went wide and I looked around frightened. Everyone else seemed to bear the same expression.

        "That really was a nasty thing you did to me, my love. I thought we had bonded....why would you do that to me?! I tried being kind, but I can see that approach must not work to earn your love. I guess I'll just have to use force. I didn't want to, you must understand. You've made me do this."

   "Leave her alone, you crazy bastard!!" Kadince screamed into the empty air.

     "You know, you are really starting to get on my nerves. I'll make another deal. For every hour you keep Klarissa from me, I'll kill another one of you. However, if you let her return to me, I'll spare all of your lives and you can continue living as if none of this ever happened."

        "He's lying! He'll kill us all no matter what, it's in his nature. We need to get out of here," I said in a rush to leave. The others believed my words over Olivander's, and we were on our way once again while we heard a growl coming from the intercom.

             "Fine. Have it your own way."

        With those last foreboding words we continued on our way down the stairs. As I was nearing the bottom a large c***k noise was heard.

CREAK.

SNAP.

OWW!

      I turned around to find that Miranda had fallen into a large hole in the stairs. It was large enough for her entire left leg to fit through. Lewis immediately rushed up the stairs to her aid. You could see the blood dripping down what could be seen of her yoga pants covered leg.

       "Someone come help me! She's stuck," Lewis called out. He was trying to pull her out, but a piece of wood was stopping him from doing so. Miranda just continued to have tears run down her face in pain. I rushed up the stairs to help him. Before I reached them, however, Mark handed me a pocket knife.

       "Ok, Miranda. This is going to hurt, but it'll be over soon," I told her. I started sawing at the piece of wood attached to the stairs that was stopping her from being rescued. It eventually gave away and Lewis was able to pull her out. There were various chunks of wooden stair stuck in her leg.

       "Keep her from looking at her leg, I'm going to try to fix it," I said. Lewis grabbed Miranda's hand and started gently talking to her to calm her down. She was losing blood, and fast. Her face was beginning to sweat as well as grow pale. I quickly pulled out all the small splinters first, then I began pulling out the large pieces. She kept shouting in pain, but Lewis continued to stroke her hair and try to keep her attention off what was happening out of her line of sight. As I pried the last piece out,  it started gushing out blood as if it had hit an artery. I used the knife to cut through a bit of my shirt, then I wrapped it around her leg to stop the vast majority of bleeding. It definitely helped.

      "Shh, shh. It's okay, Miranda. It's all done. You're going to be fine," she just looked at me and gave a weak smile while nodding. Lewis then picked her up bridal style and walked the rest of the way down the stairs with her. He then carefully put her down and she shakily took a step before almost falling. Caspian pulled painkillers out of his pocket, why he had painkillers I didn't know, and gave them to her to which she greedily swallowed down. Lewis and I wrapped one arm under Miranda's armpits and walked with her. 

         "That was merely a warning. Now, will you give Klarissa to me, or do I have to carry through with my threat?"

        At that moment I caught a glance of a fluffy white tail. I began following it slowly while dragging Miranda with me. The others looked at us like I was crazy while still pondering Olivander's words. I just continued to walk and found Claire sitting at the end of a hallway, tail delicately swishing behind her. She made a motion to the door to the left of her, and I noticed what door it was.  I gave her a silent thank you while she seemed to smile. Then she disappeared around the corner, silently padding away.

       I made it to the door and opened it, revealing the comforting living room. I took the blonde girl with me and put her on the couch. She immediately closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep, and everyone seemed more at ease, too. This room would buy us more time. I could feel it.

          "I'm still waiting for an answer, and as the Little Lady knows, I hate being ignored."

         I walked over to the window as everyone began to quietly converse with another. It was too painful to listen. Upon looking outside it calmed me more. Everything was somehow tinted in a light purple glow, and it reminded me of Lidia. I glanced down at my wrist and saw her bracelet that I had carefully tied on my own wrist what seemed like hours ago. I would always have a piece of her with me now.  

        "Klarrissa, have no fear. We're not giving you up," Caspian confidently said. I felt a hand rest gently on my shoulder. Turning, I was met with the green eyes of Mark. I blinked, and for a split second I could have sworn they were purple, but the image faded as quickly as it came. Kadince came over as well. It was strange how quickly they must have gotten over Nathaniel. Almost like it never happened. I glanced around the room at the remaining five faces. They were just like my family. I couldn't bear to see anymore of them dead. I wouldn't let Olivander kill them. 

         "As you wish. Let Round Four commence, my Little Angel."

          Only what he didn't know was that this angel was about to shed the fake white wings and let her black ones take over.