They Have Always Lived In The Castle

Chapter Nine

As you walk up towards the front door, you take the extent of the damaged done to the house. It was incredible, how much damage had befallen the place due to a few crazy locals. To add to the image, you'd come in your outfit from the night before, the cuts on your arm still visible, black smoke smudged across your face, hair unruly. 

"Uncle Julian." are the first words that Constance says at you approach her and her sister as they walk up the garden. "You will write his book? Like you promised won't you?" Constance asks desperately, you give her a warm nod before guiding them into the house.  "My kitchen." Connie gasps as she looks at the mess, Jonas sneaking out from under the fridge. 

"I'm going to put death in all their food and watch them die." Merricat says, after trying to fix a potted fruit ornament. 

"Like you did before?" You ask picking up some items off the floor, she looks at you, a mixture of emotions in her wild eyes. "I'm sorry. He was wicked. He was a very wicked man, your father." You say understandingly. 

"He was very wicked to me." Constance says, her eyes hazy with sadness and confusion. 

"I put it in the sugar."

"I know." You say, almost impressed "I knew then too"

"Constance never uses sugar and I knew you were out of town."

"That's why you put it in the sugar." You smile. 

"You saved me, my Merricat."

"That she did..." You say, nodding firmly. Suddenly there's a loud knocking at the door. 

"Constance?" Helen's squawking voice rings though the house from outside as she continues to knock. With another panicked look, Merricat looks at Constance and then at you. 

"Shhh" You say quietly "stay silent, they don't need to know you're here." 

"It's Helen and Sam Clarke. Open the door, dear." You put your finger to your lip and you head towards the door. 

"Constance?" You hear Sam, Mr Clarke shout, as he knocks again. 

"I just thought you'd like to know that your Uncle Julian's funeral is the day after tomorrow." He yells "Is Y/N with you, she's missing and you should have a friend with you!" He says worriedly but Helen hits him as if to say 'the rumours can't be true'. 

"There's a lot of flowers already. I think you'd be very impressed if you could see all the flowers we all sent Julian." You peak though whats left of the curtains in the room nearest the front door.

"We're your friends too, dear." Helen shouts. "No one really believes the rumours, not really" Helen shouts unconvincingly. "We're going to forget all about it." She adds but a small smile spreads across your face, you could see in her eyes this wasn't the case. 

"Sam, break down the door." She orders.

"No. Every window's already broken in the place already, Helen. I'm not gonna break anything else, for Christ's sake." He says walking away towards the car. 

"Then climb in a window, for God's sakes." she tries to get him back but he continues to walk away, backwards facing Helen. 

"No. Look, leave them. They'll come out when they're ready. They're not children."

. . . 

There was silence after that, nothing, as you help them clean up a bedroom and the kitchen. But that afternoon, as if on cue, you hear a car pull up. 

"Connie? I'm back."

Charles's velvet voice calls as the sound of gravel crunching beneath his feet give Merricat enough time to pull you and her sister down behind the table. You whisper 'shh, I'll try to get rid of him' before disappearing. 

"Darling. Let's forget all that ever happened. I want to be friends again. Will you open the door?" You hear Charles coo as he calls though the window. 

"Connie, I can help you, Connie. I can. Everyone thinks you tried to murder your uncle and Y/N, but I can help you..." Neither you nor Charles saw the horrified look on the girls face as the realisation of what the people thought. 

"Please, you have to open the door. You understand? I can't help you if you don't let me." He says though the window getting more annoyed " I'm not going away." he calls as he heads to the back, finding the gate open as you said it would be. 

"Where is she Connie?? What have you done with her!" He goes to get to kitchen door opens but it won't budge, groaning, if you hadn't open this door, did that mean something had gone wrong.

"I don't deserve to be treated like this!" he yells, the stress of not being able to hear you and the door being locked coming out in his over acting. "I came here to help you!" 

Still not hearing anything he stops angrily stomping and yelling and kicks the door down, tumbling into the kitchen and onto the floor. Connie screams as she slides backwards out of shock and Charles scrambles froward, he couldn't see you and that worried him, something wasn't right he was sure.

"Where is she Connie!" He tried to grab her to make her face him, telling her to calm down.

"No! No! No! No! No! I didn't!!!" she screams. 

"Where is she???" But Constance continues to scream. 

Suddenly a loud thud echoes thought the kitchen, a limp body falling to the floor, blood bringing to pool by their head. The sounds of shocked breathing filling the air.