novelraw B2— CHAPTER 43
B2— CHAPTER 43
FLASHBACK
“Shhh stupid, if mom ever catches us, we’re dead.”
Celeste tilted her head, her eyes fixated on the stone Celia held in her hand. “Mom and dad is gone...and they told us to behave. They said not to touch anything.”
“Well I’m going to touch it... they’re gone...I can do whatever I want.”
“Celi—”
“Shhh! I bet mom told the idiots next door to keep an eye on us...but whatever, I’m touching whatever I want, the closet is ours anyway...”
“What are y-you going to do to it? Stop now Celia...we’re going to be in big trouble.”
“I don’t care...how could she? She left me food and didn’t leave you any because you were bad. You weren’t bad...I was the one who did it.”
“B-But we already shared it...”
“That doesn’t make it fair, does it?”
“Celia...” Celeste’s eyes flashed to the stone again. “What are you going to do with it?”
“We’re going to steal her most precious jewelry...that necklace dad bought her for on her last birthday, it’s ours now, and I’m taking dad’s watch too.”
“Celia don’t.”
“Celia don’t” Celia mocked. “You’re such a chicken and whether you want to or not, we’re doing it.”
She placed the stone on the bed and rose to her feet. “Let’s go.”
Celeste didn’t want to, but reluctantly she followed her out the room and into their parent’s. They searched the jewelry boxes until they found both of the items they were looking for and only then did they return to their room. Celia pulled out the little pink crate her mother had bought her. In it laid a small Barbie doll and toy equipments for the kitchen. She was eight years old now, she had no use for dolls or playing pretend.
With such thoughts, she threw them out onto the floor and instead threw the watch and the necklace inside and closed it. She took up her stone again. “Now to hide it.”
“This is wrong Celia.”
“Shut up, I’m doing it for you...watch how you take revenge, I’m teaching for your own good.” She opened up the closet and shoved all the clothes hanged inside on one side. She tipped up on her toes, barely touching the board at the top “I wonder if the stone will be enough to break it, it’s kinda thin, but I bet we’ll win if we don’t give up. Pass me the chair.”
Celeste did so, despite feeling like she shouldn’t and Celia stood ontop of it immediately. “I hope the next door neighbour minds her business...”
Celeste shook her head. “You know Mrs. Decca minds everybody’s business...she’ll come if you knock the board.”
“Then where do you suggest we hide what we stole?”
“How about we bring it back?”
“No...!”
Celeste looked around, trying to find a good hiding spot. “Put it under the bed?”
“That’s not even a hiding spot.”
“Then how about...we put it into the matress.”
“What?”
“It’s bad, mom and dad will be angry if they found out.”
“Talk...what about the mattress?”
“You know? We could cut it out, then put the box inside.”
“I thought you were a chicken, but I guess you’re not, bring me the knife and should we do the bottom or the top?”
“T-The bottom.”
“Right...”
Celeste got Celia the knife and together they did the unthinkable. They lifted the mattress, turning the underside up and then Celia cut through the cloth, scraping out a great deal of the sponge inside only to replace it with the box.
They turned it back over and gave each other high fives like they had just accomplished a major achievements.
_
_ /
“Hey Celeste… Celia!”
Both kids looked at each other when their mother called from the other room. She hadn’t much long got back and she was calling them already?
Celia sighed as she went and Celeste followed with a heart that pumped fear.
“Yes mother?”
Have you guys seen my necklace, oh and your father’s watch?”
Celia shook her head, but when Nadine looked over at Celeste, she panicked. “Y-yes...I mean no.”
Nadine’s eyebrows knitted, her steps heavy as she approached Celeste. “I bet it was you who took them? You’re always giving problems...is it because you didn’t eat lunch today?”
Celeste shook her head, her little heart trembling when her mother grabbed her by her blouse. “Where are they?”
“They’re...they’re i—”
“She doesn’t know mom, we were playing the whole time in our room, I was with her, I’d have seen her if she took them.”
“If I ever find out you took them, you’re going on the streets.”
Celeste gulped fearfully while nodding. “Yes mother...”
“Get out of my sight...weakling.”
Celeste rushed out of the room as soon as she was freed and Celia followed after her. When they got to their room, Celeste bursted out into tears and Celia hugged her. “Next time, we’re stealing her wig, her makeup and her lip gloss... don’t cry...she’ll be hogging over them tomorrow.”
And unsurprisingly...that was the beginning of history... Every single time Williams and Nadine did Celeste wrong, they’d steal something...
Whether it be money, jewelry, food and everytime they did it, Celeste would get the blame even though she was quarterly innocent.
But knowing every time they did her wrong Celia would get her revenge...gave her chills...the good kind.
_ _
_ / END OF FLASHBACK / _
Celeste’s eyes widened, her legs taking her back over to the bed “I think...I think I know where it is.”
Immediately all three men jumped up, hurrying over to her as though the life that had left their body had just been restored.
“Where?”
“As kids, we use to put it inside the mattress, I’m not sure if it’ll be there, the room has been renovated, the small mattresses we had back then have been changed, but turn it over...let’s see if there’s a cut in middle of it.”
The three men nodded, effortlessly turning the mattress around. Celeste analyzed it, finding just what she thought she would...the box.
It protruded from the thin cloth like an eight month old belly and Celeste wasted no time to haul it right out.
B2— CHAPTER 44—
Celeste opened it up, finding a small perfume bottle filled with a clear, watery substance and a crushed up paper. She took out the bottle, handing it to Zillon. “I suppose that’s it and this...” She picked up the paper. “Must be what she was talking about. I wonder what’s written inside...why did she not fold instead of crushing it?”
“Go ask her, Kitcat, nobody here would know...but how about opening it so we can see too?”
Celeste looked down at the paper, slowly starting to unfold it, she didn’t know what would be inside. She was curious, anxious too, but she was also scared.
What if it was a letter broadcasting just how worthless and disgusting she was?
What if it was a letter of degradation?
Celeste’s hands shook as she finally got it opened up, her eyes zooming in on the words written on it...
‘It’s ironic, I know...the same thing that happened to you is now happening to m—’
A hand settled over the paper, blocking her view of it. “I think you’d like to read that alone...”
Celeste looked up at Zillon, knowing that what he said was the truth...whatever was written on this paper would make her cry, she was conscious of it and she didn’t want to cry, at least not here...in front of so many people.
Refolding the paper, she nodded. “I guess I’ll read it at home then.”
Liam groaned at that. “Ugh! I was ready to read! You can’t just open a secret letter and then close it...the mystery on the inside could drive anybody mad.”
“Shut up, Liam...you’re the one who could drive people towards insanity. You talk too much, why can’t you be like Fredd?”
“Fredd’s boring and you’re just the same...why don’t you spice things up a little and spray some of that thing on me?”
“No.” Zillon pushed pass him, gripping the bottle tight in his hand. “There’s better things I could do with it.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know yet, we could probably test it on somebody —not you— and see if it really works.”
“And if it does?”
“I don’t know, I’m so incompetent that I don’t f*cking know anything...I need to speak with Xavier, no more delaying it. If I have to torture him to get the truth...then so be it and if I have to hang his head outside to get the bloodshed to stop, then probably I’d do that too.”
“You won’t...I don’t think you’d want to murder your own brother.”
“I don’t, but if it comes to that, I will.” He clenched his jaw and walked towards the door. “I’m taking Celeste home and we’ll go back down to the dungeon.”
Celeste followed after him. “I want to come too.”
“Not this time.”
“Why do you always do this? If I want to go somewhere, you’re just always there to stop me.”
“You’re not coming and that’s that. Stay home, you can read your note while you wait.”
He continued to walk and with a heavy heart, Celeste followed him, Fredd and Liam behind them.
They descended the halls, finding Williams and Nadine standing by the staircase, the two glaring at them as they stepped down the stairs.
“I suppose you found whatever you were looking for?” Williams asked.
Zillon nodded nonchalantly. “Yes...now if you’d excuse us...”
He walked pass them and was about to head for the hallway that lead to the exit when Williams’ voice greeted his ear. “I sure do hope you’ll still love your father after finding out who he is or rather was.”
Zillon clenched his jaw tighter to stop himself from answering as he continued down the hall, exiting through the door. He walked towards the car, sighing out a breath of frustration. “That man must’ve gone crazy...wolfbane must be what runs through his veins and not blood.” He opened up the driver’s seat for himself, then turned to the people who followed him out. “Get in guys...”
Liam and Fredd was the first to buckle up in their seats and then Celeste. Her face was contoured with nothing but a dense lugubriousness that didn’t disappear even when Zillon drove off.
It didn’t take long for Zillon to park in front of his house. He exited the car and walked around to open Celeste’s door when she made no efforts to do so. “Celeste come on, it’s not the time to be stubborn now...if you don’t want to be alone, I’ll leave Fredd with you.”
“I told you that I wanted to come with you...I want to see it for myself, I won’t believe it until I see it.”
“Celeste...”
“I’m not going in.”
“Then stay here then...Liam, Fredd...let’s be on our way.” He leaned away from her, but Celeste grabbed his hand before he could walk away.
“Come on, please....”
“It won’t make any sense, he won’t admit it, not in front of you...”
“Then will he admit it if he thinks I’m not around?”
“What are suggesting? Don’t tell me...”
Celeste nodded. “Test it out on me...”
“No, I’d rather do it on Liam.”
“What’s so wrong with wanting to find out if you were being played? We were so close...it couldn’t have all been fake. He told me to be strong, if not physically, then mentally...he taught me so many things, been there so many times, he even took care of me when I was sick. Why go so far for revenge? Something must be off, I can’t see myself believing that Xavier would order the rogues to kill anyone. He was so gentle, so pure...I need to hear him say it, the Xavier I know is way too nice to ruthlessly play somebody.”