|| 𝐴𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 || [𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙜]

Part 5

Aless's eyes fluttered open slowly. She could feel someone shaking her gently.
"Hey." Heisenberg whispered softly.
"Huh?" Aless murmured. His face came into view.
"Hey, time to get up."
Aless sat up. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them.
"Get ready. We've gotta go see Miranda in an hour." Heisenberg said to her. He stood up from where he sat on the side of the bed, and left the room. But not without sneaking a glance at her.

Aless looked around. She was warm. Soft, fluffy white blankets surrounded her, along with the one Heisenberg gave her right before she fell asleep.
The room seemed familiar. Of course, there was scrap metal in piles in the corners. The room had a faint, musty smell, and smelled a little like vanilla.
She swung her legs over to the side of the bed, her feet planted right on the cold hardwood floor.
She hesitantly stood up. She didn't want to get out of bed.
Finally, she recognized the room. Karl's parents stayed in that room.
Well, they used to.
She walked over to a photo covered with a sheet of cloth, and unveiled it. The cloth revealed a photo of young Karl and his mother and father, standing close for a family photo. Karl was smiling widely, showing a few of the gaps in from where his baby teeth once sat. His mother was in a deep rouge dress, and matching lipstick. Her thick wavy hair rested on her shoulders. Aless's eyes moved to Karl's father, who stood with pride and with a hand on Karl's shoulder.
Aless's heart warmed. She missed those times, when everything seemed so.. simple. And easy.

///

"I didn't say you could stand around." Karl said, leaning on the doorframe with his hammer resting atop his shoulders.
He scowled when he noticed the family painting uncovered. "Leave that. Get ready." He growled.
Aless frowned. "Do you have a hairbrush??" She asked, with an annoyed tone.
Heisenberg rolled his eyes and pointed to the vanity by the large window overseeing the trees and factory. "You look fine, but there's a brush in there anyways if you really need it so badly."
Aless glared at him. "Thank you."
He nodded sternly and left, closing the door.
Aless huffed. She walked over to the vanity and looked at herself in the mirror before pulling out the brush from the drawer. Her hair looked awful.
It does not look 'fine'', Aless thought to herself, annoyed.
She brushed her hair, getting rid of all the knots, and fixed the bow when she put it back on.
She dusted off her dress and put the brush down, and walked out of the room.
Going down the hall, she heard Karl call her from the first floor.
"Come on, hurry up. We're gonna be late."
She went down the stairs and glared at him again.
They exchanged glances before leaving the house. They walked in silence as they reached Castle Dimitrescu once more.
Aless stopped.
"What are you doing?" Karl said, stopping too when he realized Aless paused.
"Why the hell are we going back in there?? Didn't we both almost die?"
Karl looked back at her bewildered, then chuckled. "Aw, don't be afraid, sweetheart. There's a cave not far from the entrance. Don't worry, Alcin- er, Lady Dimitrescu won't kill us there anyways, Miranda wouldn't allow it. Besides, I'm too strong. She wouldn't dare. " He said, grinning.
It took Aless a minute. She took a step back, afraid to re-enter Castle Dimitrescu. Karl held out his hand, his face softened a bit.
"You promise nothing will happen?"
"I promise," Karl said, lowering his voice. "I'll make sure of it."
Aless gave him her hand, and started walking with him again. She squeezed his hand tightly, then pulled away.
"Don't call me sweetheart." She said flatly, to which Heisenberg paused for a second in awe, then just continued walking beside her.

///

"Heisenberg. I'm glad you could make it." A voice boomed as the two entered the cave. The voice came from Miranda.
Karl bowed his head.
"And you are?" Miranda queried, talking to Aless, who was trembling. She had never seen her in person before, only pictures.
"Aless." She said, as confidently as she could, though Miranda and the others could still tell she was nervous.
The others, were the other Lords, who were sitting on pews and chairs. Lady Dimitrescu's eyes bore into Heisenberg angrily.
In the corner, Lady Beneviento was sitting on a chair. She was seemingly whispering into the ear of a doll, who was... moving and chittering about?
Heisenberg sat down on one of the pews.
"Won't you stand in the middle and kneel, dear?" Miranda said to Aless, who obeyed.
Miranda clapped her hands together.
"Now, who is going to tell me exactly what happened?" Miranda said, eyeing both Dimitrescu and Karl.
"I will start." Dimitrescu said, her voice low and angry. "The girl came running into my castle, only the lord knows how. She agreed to be my servant, and was in the castle working for us for a few weeks. What a shame, she went into the room that I strictly told her not to," Lady Dimitrescu growled, glancing at Aless, "and on that day, Heisenberg visited for business. He was asking me for money for some project, and I said no. He kept begging and trying to prove his case, but I-"
"I do not care about why he was there. Get to the point." Miranda bellowed.
Lady Dimitrescu was startled, but continued.
"Anyways, after the girl went into the wine room, Heisenberg was sneaking around the castle and stole her." She snarled.
"Whoa whoa, I didn't steal her. I recognized her, and went looking for her. I knew you were going to turn her into wine when you didn't need her anymore." Karl said, his voice growing louder each time he spoke.
Miranda looked at Karl. "Recognized her? From where?"
Karl put his head down, looking at his feet, then looked back up to Miranda.
"I saved her, from those damned lycans."
Dimitrescu scoffed. "Turn her into wine? And how, I suppose, do you know that? How do you know in the first place whether that's what I have in mind for her?"
"Because you always fucking do that! What the fuck else are you gonna do?? Make her drink the wine??"
"HAH! And what are you going to do with her?? Turn her into one of those monstrous projects of yours??" Dimitrescu laughed.
Aless gave Heisenberg a petrified look.
I'll tell you later, he mouthed at her.

///

"Look at him. He has nothing else to say." Lady Dimitrescu said with humour, "And so I have won this case. The girl is to stay with me. It was a good try, but you are too much of a child to keep her." She grinned.
Heisenberg's lip tightened. Anger rose up in him.
"Ohohoho, I'm the child. No, not the supersized bitch claiming victory before Miranda has even made her decision!"
Dimitrescu gasped. "What's wrong, Heisenberg? Trying to make up for your loss with insults? How dare you call me a bitch!" She raised her voice. "Why would Miranda listen to a greasy, good-for-nothing man who sits in his factory doing nothing but building god KNOWS WHAT!!"
Heisenberg chuckled. "Oh, puh-LEASE! If you wanted to buy a fur coat or some shit, the entire species would go fucking extinct!!"

"ENOUGH." Mother Miranda boomed. Both stopped and whipped their heads in her direction. Lady Beneviento and the doll were staring right at them, the doll giggling. Lord Moreau, who was in the corner, winced at Miranda yelling.
Miranda spread her wings, the feathers dark as the deep starry night. "I do not tolerate arguing in my church. Remember, I am making the decision. If you continue to argue, she will go with Beneviento."
The doll waved at Aless as she glanced over at her.
Aless didn't want to go with them. The doll was cute.. well, kind of, but the woman had an ominous aura.

///

"Now." Miranda glared at the two of them, who growled at eachother and sat back down.
Aless looked at Karl, hopeful. She didn't want to go back to the castle. She wanted to be with him. She hadn't seen him in so long..
But he had changed. He seemed so much more mean, and unkind at times. His temper seemed to have a much shorter fuse now, too.

"Heisenberg." Mother Miranda looked at him. He stood up.
"Although all the arguing was unnecessary, Alcina is right. You rarely ever leave that factory. It will do you good to have someone else with you."

Dimitrescu scoffed softly, which earned her a dirty look from Miranda, and a smug one from Karl.
"Thank you, Mother. I will be sure to put her to good use." He grinned.
"This meeting is now adjourned." Miranda declared.
Heisenberg held out his hand to help Aless stand back up.
"I won. You're safe with me."
Her shoulders relaxed. Almost all the tension in her body went away when he smiled at her a bit.
Almost.