Inside The Manor

Chapter Ten

I woke up gasping for breath. My whole body was covered in cold sweat. The calm and collected state I had been in just seconds ago was now long gone. I couldn't get enough air. I could feel my lungs hurting, my throat was parched and my eyes started to moisten.

Good God!

I gathered my knees to my chest and rested my head on top of them. Without even realizing it, I had begun rocking myself back and forth. My head felt heavy, my eyelids even heavier, but I was scared to close them.

"Just a dream. It was just a dream" I continuously whispered to myself. The words were never supposed to leave my mouth, but merely repeating them to myself made them seem harmless. And that was obviously not the case.

Someone was out there to kill me. And it was also obvious by the way Anne spoke that the Queen to send someone else to do her dirty deed.

My imagination ran wild, but like a gut feeling, I couldn't deny that I already had a number one suspect.

Claudia.

Yet, I couldn't bring myself to text Trey to come over. If Claudia found out about it, it would seem skeptical.

Like, why would I welcome her ex-boyfriend in my house in the middle of the night?

And it was indeed the middle of the night.

Well, my phone said it was 3am, but that was merely irrelevant.

I unlocked my phone and started scrolling through my gallery. I didn't take a lot of pictures of myself, because of my low self-esteem, but whenever Cam urged me to take a photo together I wouldn't hesitate. As I kept going through the photos, I kept feeling old memories creeping inside of my brain.

Memories that I had tried so hard to keep locked away.

Unconsciously, my brain had done a blackout on me, to protect me from remembering the accident. I kept swiping the pictures when I felt my breathing stop once again.

It was a picture taken that night.

I was wearing a cute black dress, my hair was caught in a loose bun on top of my head. I was obviously skinnier at the time and my legs looked kinda taller, making my black heels look like they belonged on my feet, whereas the truth was I had never worn heels out in public before that day. My makeup was light, but on point. I was a wearing a small necklace and matching earrings. My nails had been recently done, so they still shined.

One of my arms was hanging loosely around Trey's shoulders, while my other hand was tightly holding Cam's, because of my uneasiness.

Yet, we were all smiling. I found myself smiling through my tears as I kept staring at the screen. Soon I was fully sobbing. Trying to get my mind off of whatever emotion I was experiencing I looked at the busy background.

It was filled with people, all dressed-up for what they had thought would be the best party ever.

Funny, that my plans had completely ruined that.

I kept looking at different faces. Some somewhat familiar, some I had never seen before and one that was too familiar...

Same red hair, same piercing green eyes, same face shape... Same person.

My heartbeat was going haywire while I struggled to text Trey to come over...

I had changed in more comfortable clothes, had made myself hot chocolate despite the heat and was still pacing like a fool in front of the door, when the bell ringed.

I sighed and my brain momentarily froze, but then I opened the door. I was expecting Trey after all...

Fuck My Life!

"Hi Cam" I said as I opened the door wider for her to get in. She looked at me up and down and started for a moment too long at my cup of hot chocolate, her eyes immediately turning calculating.

"Hey, this isn't a bad time, is it?" she asked and looked me in the eyes again, maybe to try and catch me lying.

Yeah, right. The one good thing having strict parents had taught me, was to lie on the spot. That and being able to hear footsteps from miles away.

"No, of course not. I wasn't planning on sleeping anyway" I shrugged. "Anyway let me make you a cup of chocolate"

I started heading to the kitchen.

"I don't like chocolate" she suddenly stated.

Ok, well it wasn't like she had been addicted to chocolate... Except that she had been freaking obsessed with it!

What the hell was going on?

Wait... Was she... No! Was she testing me to see if I knew something? How do I even reply to this?

"You sure" I asked as kept walking to the kitchen, where I had left my phone.

Before she could walk in I texted Trey.

'She's here'

I quickly put my phone down, hoping that he would see the text before coming here. God that would be really messy.

"I'm sure. Why is there something" Cam, or better yet Claudia walked in and stared at me slowly sipping my own cup.

"But, you love chocolate." I slowly said then tried to change the topic. "Is there something wrong? Is that why you don't want it now? Oh, no! Did something happen between you and Trey? s**t, what did he do now? Don't tell me he has asked for forgiveness? Oh, well it was due time anyway."

With a nasty snicker and erratic breath from talking so fast I distanced myself from Cam and walked into a living room.

"No, he hasn't contacted me yet" she said and followed me. She sat on one of the chairs around the table, while I sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

Noticing that she moved her chair so that it was guided towards at me.

Take a hint Claudia! Get lost for f**k's sake!

I slowly sipped my hot chocolate while she stared at me.

The whole situation was extremely awkward.

For a second I thought I would choke on thin air, but when my logic kicked in, I realized I was more likely to choke on all the secrets surrounding me and Claudia on the five foot distance between us.

Overall, I was kind of proud of myself for managing to keep my calm while having some sort of stare of with a cold-blooded killer.

Another moment in total silence passed, before Claudia spoke again.

"So how's the problem with the water going?" Her words formed a question, but the tone in her voice was monotone, like she had repeated those very same words a thousand times in her head.

Who knows? She might've.

"It's working." I let out a giggle. God, that sounded so fake. "Ever since I came from the office everything is working just fine. It's probably good thing I didn't call the professionals." I sipped my drink again. The annoying sound filling the empty room.

This was suffocating. I was going to suffocate if the atmosphere didn't change.

"So you and Trey, huh? I always thought of you two as endgame. He hasn't called you at all? I tired another attempt at switching the topic.

It would be easier for me if she was suffering as well.

But then again, why would she?

Cam was the one in love with Trey, not Claudia.

Cam was my best friend, not Claudia.

Cam was the one who was probably dead, not Claudia.

Just as I thought that, I suddenly remembered I had no idea where the real Cam was. But, before I could mentally elaborate my worries Claudia spoke again.

"Not even a simple text. He has also blocked me on all social media." She sounded kinda sad, and I guess I would have believed her if I hadn't heard that secret conversation between her and Anne.

Damn, right he has blocked you.

I clicked my tongue against my teeth.

"Aren't you going to do anything about it?" I asked. I was about to ask just about anything just to keep her at the center of attention.

She looked at me confused for me a minute. Like she couldn't figure something out then shrugged.

"I wasn't planning on it. Do you think I should?"

I shrugged as well and sipped my hot chocolate again.

"I don't know. I have never been in a serious relationship so I can't really tell."

Silence followed. The silence was aggravating me.

Should I do it?

NO!

But, maybe... NO!

Just...

Oh, well!

"Why are you here?" I did it. And it sounded aggressive even to me.

Well, there goes my cover...

I should have thought this better.

Claudia looked at me in the eyes.

"I don't know" she said. "I just felt like I couldn't leave you alone"

Couldn't leave me unsupervised, you mean.

I smiled at her, trying to look genuine.

"I'm fine. Really. Why would you even think that I'm not?"

"You were acting weird at the office today. Suspicious, actually." She said as she stared at me intensely.

I sipped the chocolate again.

This wasn't good.

"Suspicious? What? Suspicious about what?" I asked as I giggled nervously.

Claudia wasn't having any of my bullshit any more though.

She leaned forward on the chair and I felt my skin prickle from fear.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me? What secrets are you hiding?" she asked with menace.

I looked at her in the eyes again and leaned towards her as well. Showing fear right now could make all this go to hell.

"I. Am. Not. Hiding. Anything." I stated each word separately.

Claudia raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Because I would really hated for this to end like last time."

My heart exploded in my throat.

She just had to go there, didn't she?

My eyes got glossy and I shivered. I could feel my mouth drying up as my throat felt scratchy.

"Get out" I whispered.

Claudia made a noise of acknowledgement, but didn't move.

"Get out" I said louder.

Instead she moved more firmly on the chair. She gave out a small laugh.

"Bet you wouldn't have never told that to Camilla, would've you?" she asked as she examined her fake nails.

"What?" I asked, trying to act like stupid.

Claudia barked another laugh.

"Even dead Anne doesn't stop bother the living" she muttered.

"You killed her." I declared.

Claudia shrugged.

Because it was no big deal, right?

"You killed her on cold blood" I repeated.

Claudia finally bothered enough to answer.

"She was in the way. And now, so are you."

I sipped my cup again.

"Willa hired you to kill me, didn't she?" I asked as my eyes took in something that relieved me enough to make me feel smug.

"It's Queen Willa to you." Her tone suggested I had offended her.

"Newsflash Claudia, Willa. Will. Never. Win" I said.

"Queen Willa. And she already has. As soon as I finish with you, Prince Drexel will succumb to her feet, and the throne will be secure."

"With Willa?"

"Queen Willa"

I rolled my eyes. I knew I was safe, so why not make the most out of the situation?

"Why do you harbor so much hate against the Prince?" I asked curiously.

"He's weak" was her immediate response.

"Why?"

"Cause he's in love. A foolish Prince, willing to sacrifice his kingdom for someone who doesn't even fit the Royal prospects, is not what the Realm of Ulani deserves."

"In love... With Anne?" I asked.

Claudia laughed again, only this time it sounded earnest.

"It's only better you don't know." She shrugged again, but then looked at the clock hanging on the wall over the fireplace.

When she turned her eyes to me, something in her had changed.

"Now, it's time to finish what you started all those years ago."

She slowly got up, but then fell when her right leg got hit by a bullet.

As soon as she fell with a gasp and turned her head to see her attacker, I grabbed my now empty mug and smashed it against her head.

Her eyes closed, and silence enfolded me.

For a total of two seconds, because Trey couldn't keep his goddamn mouth shut for any longer.