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Wonderland Untold Tales part 2

“How long is he planning on keeping me here?” I asked her, and the maid looked concerned for a moment before her expression relaxed once again.

“I’m sorry I won’t be able to reply to that…” Her shoulders moved back and fort gently as she showed me the new meal. “Please eat something… if you’re trying to runaway you won’t be able to do that on an empty stomach.” She assured me.

I just stared at her from a distance. I didn’t trust her any more or less than I trusted Patrick.

“If it’s about his secret, I won’t tell anyone… so he should let me go.” I pleaded with her, or more or less I asked of her to get that message across to the man.

The maid simply shook her head, it didn’t seem like my words had any meaning to her whatsoever, she repeated. “Try to eat something, anything really…” With those words she left the room, from the opening in the door I could see the guards standing outside.

I was like a rat in a cage, with nowhere to escape…

The room was spacious enough for me to walk around in, and there was a bathroom and shower included, it was almost like a hotel. However there was also a closet full of clothes that seemed to be for a woman. I wondered for a long time if they belonged to anyone, although the things seemed brand new, I doubted someone like Patrick would have such fine taste in clothes…

I sort of fixated on looking through the clothes until I found a small note within one of the long coat’s pockets. “He’s the one…” That was what was written on this tiny piece of paper, surely there had been more from this note but it was ripped apart with only this being left.

I continued to look around the room and the more I did I realized there were traces of another person living there…

So at the end I wasn’t the first one to be trapped here… but that made me all the more nervous because if I wasn’t the first, then who was?

And what’s more unnerving… is what happened with the one here before me?

Days passed and finally I was given the chance to speak with Patrick, he came into the room and sat onto a chair he pulled from the desk. He stood there as if waiting for me to be the first one to speak, so I did…

“Why are you keeping-” I paused, even if I were to ask him that I doubt that any reason he gives me will help me get out… So instead I chose to ask him something that interests me more.

“How many people have been living in this room?” After that question left my lips I noticed Patrick was slightly startled as if he wasn’t expecting me to ask that. Then with a small smile on his face he lowly replied. “You have always been the only occupant of this room.”

“Me?” I stared at him. Everything around here the way that it was, was because of me? “Those clothes in the wardrobe…” I questioned while he looked unfazed.

“All chosen by you to fit your style.” Patrick’s words made no sense. This was the first time I’ve seen this room, how on earth could I have been here before and forgotten all about it?

Unless… he wants me to replace someone he used to know…

“Abel… I know you want to escape but I need you to remember your past and act accordingly…” Patrick stood up, as if he didn’t see a reason to speak to me any longer.

“Wait…” I called out to him. He paused and turned back around giving me a questioning look.

“I’m… hungry.” I told him in a light voice, somehow this seemed to disrupt his thoughts.

“I will arrange for the maid to make something for you.” Patrick gave me a simple reply but I stopped him.

“Make me something yourself…” I asked, this was more or less a test, I wanted to see if he would do that for me. In essence to see how far I can push my luck here…

If I resemble someone that once lived here, then surely he’s taking me as a substitute to that person… if that person ran away, is he mistaking me for her?

Or is he doing this purposefully knowing I’m not the same person?

Either way I need more information and mainly I need to know just how close the two of them were, the type of things that they experienced together…

“Right… I’ll do that.” Patrick nodded along and left the room soon after. So he will do it?

After he came back, it had been about twenty minutes, I sat there and offered him half my food. “Let’s eat together.” This was just because I wanted to reassure myself he hadn’t made anything that was laced.

Patrick didn’t hesitate and began eating calmly, I did the same.

It was a simple meal, of toast and honey, it was most like a desert than anything else but I loved it. Or maybe it was because I had been going on hungry for so long that anything I ate would be delicious to me?

“You’ve always liked it.” As if reading my thoughts Patrick responded with a simple voice, I could almost hear faint laughter within it.

I get it… now I see why he confessed, this entire ordeal…

Whoever I remind him off, he loved that person…

But the issue is I am not them, and I fear what might become of me if he finds that out as well…

“Don’t worry about getting your memories back… Even if you don’t, all you have to do is fall in love with me all over again.” Patrick’s stern voice felt soft at that moment.

Falling in love with him? Someone that horrifies me so much?

If the only way I can survive is to pretend to love this man, then… that’s exactly what I’m going to do…

Chapter 4: Story (4)

***

Since then I began pretending to ease up to him. Knowing that if I pretended to love him right off the bat it would come off weird, and unrealistic…

I slowly made more demands from him… from little things that I could think off, to bigger things… It has been about a month since I started to do this and to my surprise…

He’s complied with almost every single thing I asked for, all except when I asked to make a meal for myself in the kitchen…

I suppose he doesn’t trust me that much…

“You only eat things that the Master makes for you personally… why is that?” The maid asked me one day. “It’s beginning to seem like you don’t enjoy my cooking.” She seemed slightly offended.

“Hm…” I didn’t reply to her, anything I say to that woman will probably be used against me later. I mustn’t reveal my true intentions, I mustn’t be tricked by her to think that she’s actually trustworthy.

“The Master doesn’t have the time to cook for you every day, please understand…” The maid continued in a somewhat solemn voice. I didn’t pay her any mind at all, I had no intention of listening to her at all.

The rest of the time I spent reading in that room, there was a small collection of books. Surprisingly they were just the type I liked, as well as the clothes in the closet, the make up products in the bathroom… Everything was things that I enjoyed but hadn’t seen before…

Then I found another note that had fallen between the lining of a coat through it’s ripped pocket. It read. “Don’t trust him.” Those words I stared at for hours.

There was no need for me to even consider who ‘him’ had been referring to. So I waited my options and placed the papers carefully back where I found them. If they were a warning placed there by someone that had lived here before then I hope they can save the next person, because I’m sure that even if I make it out of here, there’s little I can do to protect anyone else that ends up in the same spot…

“Would you like anything to drink?” The maid arrived at my room late at night which was uncommon for her to do so. I stared at her for a long time, after I gave her no response she turned around and left, but then a small note came lose from her hand.

I quickly picked it up when she was gone.

“I’m on your side…” Was what’s written in the note. That woman was on my side? Surely it was some sort of ploy. This means nothing… and yet… seeing her handwriting I felt like I had seen it somewhere before, only I couldn’t recall where that was…

This continued for a while, it had been almost two months since I was there… every next interaction I had with Patrick I would try to find out more about him but he was quiet.

Almost as if he had little to nothing to say about himself. I didn’t speak about me either, and then we just stood there and ate in silence…

This kind of uncomfortable atmosphere would make anyone slowly lose their minds…

I didn’t know what people outside thought had happened, was there anyone at all looking for me? Or did anyone care at all?

These types of feelings became a daily for me…

“You’ve stopped eating again…” The maid came into the room, she spoke lowly but that wasn’t the case, I had in fact eaten everything off my place. “Please makes sure to eat properly or the Master will be very upset with you.” She continued while moving closer towards me then leaning over my ear. “…I will help you escape tonight, prepare.”

Then she headed out as if nothing had happened at all…

And a part of me started to think she really was on my side. So I prepared and that night she unlocked the door and I stepped out for the first time in a while.

We were heading out from an underground pathway that wouldn’t be noticed by the other servants in the house.

Both of us were silent, as to not make any unnecessary nose to alarm anyone and finally I was outside… only there was someone waiting for me there and it was Jennifer…

“You’re here? Did you send her in to help me?” I ran towards her and hugged her tightly. I hadn’t seen my friend in so long I felt like I might cry at the sight of her, only she returned me with a cold stare that I couldn’t even recognize as her own.

“…you were staying with him all this time?” Jennifer asked me with her shoulders shaking as if she had been upset, she pushed my hands away from herself and I couldn’t even utter a word. “You’re really the worst, although you knew how much I liked him… you still you…”

“Jen… it’s not like that… why… why are you upset?” I wondered as I watched her cry.

“So you were trying to runaway?” A voice sounded in the distance Patrick stared at me with a pair of cold eyes. Quickly I was apprehended.

I turned to look back at the maid that had helped me but she simply went to stand beside the other guards…

I understood that no one was on my side… they had arranged this to test me to see if I’d runaway and they were right…

But even more painful than the thought of going back there again, was seeing Jennifer so upset at me as if I had wronged her. I had no idea what thoughts they’d planted in her head or why she looked at me like that… but I knew I wouldn’t let things be like this…

Patrick Starlight… I will make you pay… I will make you fall hopelessly in love and make you lose everything, I swear it…

The man that I hadn’t taken any amount of interest back then, was now the sole reason for this anger that was burning up in the pits of my stomach. I won’t be controlled anymore, I won’t be a bird in a cage anymore…

I’ll get out and ruin him, to a point that no one will be able to recognize his name anymore… I swear it… by any means necessary…

END of Wonderland Untold Tales