“I made sure to add a disgusting amount of sugar.” Barrett’s voice says from the door. I blink hard, bringing myself back to the present, sitting up with a smile on my face.
“Thank you.” I grab the cup, letting the warmth seep into my cold hands. My extremities are always chilled in the morning. “What time is it?”
“About half past eight.”
I let out a gasp, almost spilling the tea on the bed. “I have to get the children.”
Barrett looks down at me in amusement. “You’ll do no such thing. I have Ellen taking care of them this morning.”
Redness creeps up my neck. “What will she think of this?”
“Ellen? I think that as I pay her and this is not a typical occurrence, she will mind her own business and hopefully be happy for us. Now sit down, I brought you a scone as well.”
I let out a happy squeal as my fingers grip the flaky crust. My teeth sink into the delectable pastry, letting the buttery taste settle along my tongue. Barrett watches me intently, enjoying my messy consumption and not minding the bit of crumbs that fall into the bed.
A squawk comes from outside the shutters startling Barrett. I set down my scone and tea on the nightstand and brushed the crumbs from my fingers onto the plate.
“Excuse me a moment, I need to go freshen up.” grabbing the white linen sheet I wrap it around myself even though he's seen me naked. A lady must keep an air of mystery about her. Rushing to the bathroom, I close the door and open the window’s shutters to let in a distressed looking Alfred.
“What's got you all in a tizzy?” I ask Alfred as he flaps his wings in a way that has my stomach dropping to my feet. “What’s this on your ankle?” He finally stops moving enough for me to latch onto the rolled-up parchment. It comes off with a light tug and he hops to the edge of the basin, dipping his beak into the water.
Uncurling the note, I recognize my friend’s handwriting immediately.
They’re getting closer. Be careful.
-J
I swallow thickly, my mouth suddenly feeling as if my tongue has been scraped with a cotton ball that’s absorbed all the moisture. My blood turns to ice as my body shivers taking in the sloped letters that spell out my impending doom. All the happiness I’d felt from the night before evaporates into dust.
How close could they be? I’ve only been here a week and a half, surely, they couldn’t pick up on my trail just yet.
I remember my father’s men. How they smelt of ale and onions, their eyes as unfeeling as a corpse, and their unnatural deadly powers they gleaned from torturing and killing innocent souls. To be in their presence was to know the true meaning of the word ‘fear’.
I find my fingers running down my arm absentmindedly, remembering the way they would lash me for displeasing my father. Not a mark of their torture is left on my body due to time and a helping of magic. But even though the scars are no longer visible, I can still feel the pain of them as if those lashes have stitched themselves to my soul.
My magic might have staved off the men’s inevitable arrival thus far, but I couldn’t hold them off forever. Blast this wretched curse. It’s like a shining beacon for these men, leaving a trail in its wake of every house I work at.
Looking in the mirror, I take in my disheveled hair and the flush of my cheeks. I haven’t felt this happy in… maybe never. I should have known it was too good to be true. Too good to last.
The sound of Big Ben chiming in the distance feels like a noose around my neck, reminding me that my time might soon be up.
MARYBETH- THE TWIN SISTER
There’s nothing to do in this wretched mirror world but sit and wait, and occasionally test the wards of my prison. I spend my days conjuring up ways I’m going to make my twin pay for this. The little shrew. Vengeance is the Peppins way after all. My father made a living off it. Always hunting down his rivals in the dead of the night. How I loved those moments we shared together, honing my magic and watching as it took the lives of those who dared to cross us. How I would revel in the way my power latched onto a living breathing thing and melt it from the inside out.
Flexing my fingers, I imagine that same power curling around my sister’s insipid neck as she gasps for my mercy. Mercy that will never come. The curse was only put in place by my father as a way to ensure our survival and he only made it to cover himself and me. Marigold is free to kill without consequence.
She’s always been jealous of me. Constantly clamoring after our father’s attention when he clearly favored me. And for good reason. Look what she did to him. What she did to our house. What she did to Charles.
Ah, Charles. He was a handsome but stupid man. Only good for a quick romp beneath the covers. I kept things up with him for so long hoping that Marigold would find us out. If only I knew how poorly she would react to our discovery, I never would have done it in the first place. Now look at me. Stuck here, while Marigold flits around. Dodging our father’s men that seek to make her pay for her crimes. I whole heartedly support their pursuits, but the only one who will be taking out their vendetta against my sister, is me. She took our father and my freedom away from me in an instant.
Had it not been for the protection of the curse, I’m certain I would share the same fate as our father. Which is why, I plan to take her down. No one locks me away for years and gets away with it. Not even our shared blood can save her for what I’m planning.
Looking at my nails, I imagine what I’ll do first when I finally break out of here.
What fun it will be seeing Marigold’s stunned face when she learns I’ve outwitted her. How I’ve cultivated the perfect escape. One that she’ll never see coming.
My little friend in the corner gasps, pulling against her restraints.
