Creature and the Maiden ch 29

Creature and the Maiden chapter 29

Later in the evening, Laura was awoken was by a crack of lightning and thunder outside her window. Jolted from her sheets, she looked outside and saw the hard rain smacking against the glass on the window.

Wind wailed restlessly outside and the tree swayed precariously, groaning as though trying not bend and crack under its weight by the force of the harsh wind.

How long had she been asleep? Complete darkness surrounded her and it was pitch black.

She began to count as another bolt of light lit up the sky. Like she did in the cave what felt many ages ago. When she reached seven she heard the hard thunder, and by reflex she pressed her hands on her ears. Even though she was told countless times that it was rare that people got struck by lightning, she was still afraid of its destructive nature. The fear to be hit by it and die, or for the whole house to be struck and destroyed by its powerful force.

Laura wondered briefly if such a powerful force could really create life. Recreating life from the death? She wasn't sure and deep inside of she didn't want to know anything about it.

Slowly, she rose from her position on the floor and moved away from the window.

With no fire or even matches to light up the room Laura walked towards the door to knock and beg a guard or servant outside to bring in a candle, when her attention was suddenly drawn to the edge of the door and for a moment her heart stopped.

The door was open! You could barely see it but looking closer the lock hasn't been properly closed: light were sipping in. Either it was Maria's intention or Mr. Crottington's clumsiness which hadn't properly closed it, but it didn't matter.

Laura could hardly believe it! It was a gift cast down by a god!

Hesitantly she opened it, putting her head out to see if the hallway was clear and no servants was visible. Then, while holding her breath, Laura silently stepped out from her prison.

She could see the staircase; it was only a few paces away and she steadied herself
against the wall and began to make her down. The house was quit and there was no servant in sight. The Mansion was big and dark and she wasn't sure where she should go. Being prison in the bedroom all the time with only one view from her window how the mansion looked outside, the main door was hard to find. She could find the servant door but even that was a hard task.

Suddenly Laura's ears pricked up something on the left side of the hallway. She was sure she heard her name. Curious she moved towards the door she heard the voice coming. First all could be heard from within was the ruffling of paper, then she heard the voice again, Mayor Rochester's voice. She moved closer and peered from the small…. The only light were the two candles sat either end of the large desk and a small bonfire. The whole scene looked ghastly and Laura couldn't help to shudder as she saw Mr. Crottington and Mayor Rochester, her enemies, talking to each other with a harsh frustrated tone in their voices.

Rochester was leaning against the desk as he looked down at Mr. Crottington who was sitting on the other side, like a schoolboy ready to be punished for his mischief. The Mayor was leaning forward, stared intently at his face.

"Now I am guessing the dowry is going to be however much the business needs to get out of ruin? Am I correct?" Mayor Rochester questioned.

Ignoring his glaring eyes, Mr Crottington stared down at his tumbling fingers on the table. "Well, I have quite a few debts that will need to be paid to see that my business is refurbished, if you know what I mean."

"I am sure you will find that it would be possible, or she will remain in my custody - or in jail - till she is an old hag and you on the streets." Rochester said with steel in his voice.

Mr Crottington looked up at him. "I have told you already. It's probably been destroyed by the fire."

"Or she has hidden it. I don't believe she would have told you where it was so easily."

"It could be in that family's house… or perhaps the creature has it."

"And why should the creature be wearing jewelry, especially this necklace?"

"Especially this necklace? What did they mean?", Laura wondered. Did they mean her necklace? Was that what Mr Crottington was asking about?

"I will go and ask the Bovarys and just in case check through the Creatures rags if he has it. If by necessary, kill him if he`s not operating."

Her face paled as she heard the last words. They would kill John just because of a necklace?! Thinking carefully, Laura had no problem to memorize her precious treasure, she'd almost wore it all her life. She remembered the texture, the smoothness and the slight heaviness carrying it around her neck. Every detail on it, especially "To my precious one", signed on the back of the pendant.

Mr. Crottington dropped his voice and said with a careful tone back to Mayor Rochester. "If I told you something, Sir, would you respect my wishes of not to tell anyone about it?"

"I… yes, of course." said a very calm but irritated Rochester.

"I have a good excuse that I haven't told you before but…Her father might be…alive."

What?! Laura's face paled.

"WHAT!" Shouted Mayor Rochester.

"I received a message just before my journey. He`s alive and on his way to Marseille."

"He's alive and you haven't told me earlier, WHY?!"

Moving backwards, Laura quickly covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to calm herself and try not make any noises like screaming in joy and relief!

Her father was alive!

Her father is alive and was looking for her. He had never died or forgotten about her. He was looking for her and he was determined to find his only and beloved daughter. She had to get out of here; the thought of spending one more moment in this cursed house was maddening. She wanted to go and free John and together flee to Marseille. She wanted to go and find her father and be reunited again let this nightmare be over.

She wanted -

A terrible chill ripped up her spine as a cold hand slid onto her head, running through her soft short hair. Her breath caught. She made no sound; a sort of cold tingle ran through her body. Then her head was tilted, the shadowed face inches from her face. Shock took hold of her and she didn't react when a hand covered her mouth and dragged quietly her away from the door.

Moments later she was dragged back into her room again. Her captor tossed her on the floor. Again she was trapped but this time with no other than Pierre himself.

"What do you want from me?"

"Because you're rich and beautiful! That is why Father and that Crottington want you badly." Pierre said sourly as he locked the door after him. "So don't flatter yourself they want to because of your beauty(hang on, he just said it was because she was beautiful?), dignity or stubbornness."

"Touch me and I will scream!" Laura hissed through clenched teeth while she quickly moved up from the floor.

"They will lock you in, you know!" He said with a slow gentle voice. "My father will pay the doctors to proclaim you insane. Let them experimenting with your body. Force you to drink odd and probably poisonous drugs they have cooked from their laboratory to see what kind of effect it will have on you."

Laura tried to back away but it was hard when the room was so little. Hearing these terrifying words her hair stood on Laura neck and arms as she tried avoid Pierre touching her and to maintain her cold face.

"Perhaps you will end just like the Creature!" Pierre continued. "Perhaps they might give you poison enough so you might lose control of the reality before your father sees you. With you crazy chattering about the Creature and the rumors of what you have done he might have no choice other than to believe in it and that, I believe, will break his heart in thousands of pieces."

"No, I don't believe in you! Why should I?!"

Pierre's expression softened and it seemed that his hatred became less pronounced.

"I don't have any control of this! I'm not a part of this and that makes it more worse!"

Laura watched him for a moment.

"You're weak." She whispered.

"What was that love? Couldn't quite heeeaaar you."

Still with an pale emotionless expression Laura straightened and held her head up. Refusing any tears trail over her cheeks and responded high and clearly voice. "You're weak."

Pierre looked at her with slight confusion, tries to assess the situation and get his bearings.

"What?!"

"You're weak because nothing or no one have ever guided you, supported you or even loved you. Perhaps if you have someone, or rather had someone, you might have been a different man and not committing these unforgivable acts."

Another crash of thunder rolled across the sky followed by a flash of lightning but Laura continued with a loud clear voice.

" I knew, I knew all the time that he wasn't dead. I never believed what Mr. Crottingon said and now my father coming for me and I'm going to fight to set me and John free. You might give me poison and arsenic but my will is strong enough to withstand it. We will survive this burning Hell and all the Devils in it! "

A cynical laugh escaped his lips as he looked at her incredulously. "Little princess, this fortress is too heavily guarded with a lot of Devils and Demons. You cannot escape and there is no one Prince to save you!"

Then, seeing the small knife in his hand, Laura realized what he meant. Fortunately, having the bookshelf behind her back she quickly grabbed up one of the books from it and with every ounce of anger and determination she could muster, she hurled it towards Pierre.

Unfortunately he ducked and before anything could be done, Pierre was over her. Moving behind her and with one arm he yanked Laura hair back, and with the other hand he clutched the sharp knife onto her throat. She tried to remove the knife by her hands but she could hardly breathe because of the pain in neck as Pierre tugged her hair hard around his fingers, causing tiny stars to appear in the corners of her eyes.

"I will not let them poison you or set you in asylum. You're mine and no one else." He hissed at her.

But before he knew what she was doing, Laura had lifted up her leg and slammed it down onto Pierre's foot, causing him to loosen his grip of her hair and immediately Laura turned around and hit him right between his legs.

As she turned, the knife grazed her shoulder and made a small cut but she had no time to seen to it because she rushed towards the door and began to beat it hard with her hands and started to scream. Still in pain but capable to move, Pierre reached for her but Laura moved away and instead ran towards the window. For a moment she didn't care that the room was two floors over the ground and ignoring the pain she reached to the window frame and tries to open it. But it was locked!

Moving her head back, a pair of black eyes was glaring ferociously close to hers; then Pierre raised his hand and brought it down towards her face.

First in a quick second Laura thought it was the knife, trying to cut her eyes, but instead she received a hard smack on her left cheek and by the power causing her to fall with her back onto the ground.

Two seconds later, Pierre was on top of her, pinning down and straddled her.

With fury he dug his hands into her delicate flesh on her throat to silence her screams, feeling her poor skin break beneath the pressure of his sharp fingers. Despite the pain that was pumping through Lauras head and the lack of oxygen, she managed to keep her eyes open and starred at him with fury.

Staring up at his bewildered ones, her eyes were greener and brighter than ever been before and seeing her hateful look and no inch of fright or fear, Pierre hesitated.

This is wasn't he imagined it to be. From the very beginning Pierre wanted her submit herself willingly to him. He had believed that she was like any other women that could be persuaded by money, seduction or by force. That last thing he rarely used because no women had ever said no to him.

Laura didn't want him! She didn't want him no matter what he did to her. She would never move willingly into his arms no matter what kind of seduction or torture. Not even now when he was ready to kill she begged for her life.

Not even the word "Please" to him.

Never.

Now, when he has finally understood it, there was a feeling of sadness and emptiness in him and there was no choice other than this. There was no other choice or second chances. This was the only solution.

But mere seconds after he settled his mind on this final act, the loudest crack of thunder came and then, all of a sudden, a great light hit just outside the window and the whole room was lighted up as if it was daylight.

Then the large tree outside was grabbed by the current, got splintered apart like a twig, then and a large part of it went down, breaking through the big window down at Pierre and Laura.

Couple of minutes later, Rochester and Mr. Crottington were in the room followed by the guards and servants. Having seen and then heard the big lightning from the window, and then the big explosion from the other side of the mansion, they quickly ran to see what had happened.

When they entered, Mr Crottington almost fainted. Half the room and over Laura's bed was covered with a thick branch from the tree outside. Together with thousands of small pieces of broken glass that was shattered across the room like small diamonds. Rain and wind was coming through the broken window and in the middle laid Pierre; on the floor covered in blood and with a knife in his chest.

But there was no sight of Laura Dubois.