5 Years Later...
In the hallway of their mansion, 8-year-old Alice cautiously descended the stairs.
Her small feet pattered softly on the wooden steps, her heart pounding with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
As she reached the bottom, she froze in her tracks. Her mother, Eleanor, sat slumped on the stairs, a bottle of liquor in her hand. Her lipstick was smudged, her eyes red and swollen.
Alice's stomach sank as she watched her mother whisper incoherently. 'Aiden... I need you... come back... Please, please Aiden, come back to me, come back"
Fear gnawed at Alice's heart as she approached Eleanor. She placed a timid hand on her mother's shoulder, but Eleanor remained motionless, her gaze lost in the distance.
'Momma...' Alice whispered, her voice trembling.
Eleanor's lips curled into a bitter smile. 'Go away, Alice. You're annoying.'
Tears welled up in Alice's eyes. 'But Momma...'
Eleanor's eyes snapped open, her gaze piercing Alice's heart. 'CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP?! I WISH I HAD NEVER GIVEN BIRTH TO YOU!' she screamed.
Alice recoiled in horror. 'No, Momma, that's not true!'
Eleanor's voice rose to a deafening pitch. 'YES, IT IS! I MEANT EVERY WORD!'
She smashed the liquor bottle at the ground, shattering it into a thousand pieces. 'GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!' she screamed.
Alice turned and fled upstairs, her heart shattered into a million pieces. As she ran, she heard Eleanor's blood-curdling screams.
In a haze of terror, Alice reached her room and slammed the door shut.
She pressed her ear against the wood, listening to the sounds of her mother's madness echoing through the mansion.
Suddenly, the screams stopped. A bone-chilling silence descended upon the hallway.
Alice's heart pounded in her chest. She slowly opened the door and cautiously peered out.
There, in the dim light of the hallway, sat Eleanor, her wrists dripping with blood. Alice's eyes widened in horror as she watched her mother harm herself.
Eleanor's hands trembled as she carefully cut the blade through her skin, her heart pounding in her chest.
She let out a mixture of yells, screams, cries, and laughter, as if her emotions were fighting for dominance.
The sharp sting of pain and the overwhelming rush of adrenaline created a pain of sounds that echoed through the house.
In the bedroom, Alice's eyes wide with fear, she clutched her teddy bear tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Eleanor's cries grew louder, and the sound of her blood dripping onto the cold, hard floor filled the room.
Alice, unable to bear the anguish any longer, mustered up the courage to leave her safe haven and venture out into the unknown.
As she stepped into the hallway, the sight of her mother lying on the floor, blood seeping from her wrists, struck her like a thunderbolt.
Alice's heart ached for her mother, and she couldn't help but feel scared for the pain she was witnessing.
And in a blink of an eye...
Aiden's voice echoed through the house, calling out to Alice, "Dinner's ready!"
The silence that followed was deafening, but there was no response.
Aiden, growing increasingly concerned, continued to call out, but still, there was no sign of Alice.
Feeling a sense of urgency, Aiden decided to investigate.
He cautiously made his way through the house, searching for any sign of his friend.
As he approached Alice's bedroom door, he could hear the faint sound of sobs. Pushing the door open, he found Alice lying on her bed, tears streaming down her face.
Aiden's heart ached for his friend, and he sat down beside her, gently placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Alice, what's wrong? Why weren't you at dinner?"
Eleanor, who had been listening from the hallway, had heard enough.
Her patience had run out, slamming her utensils on the table and stormed inside the room, "ALICE, YOU'VE GOT TO COME DOWN AND EAT! AIDEN HAS BEEN CALLING FOR YOU!"
Ignoring Aiden's protests, Eleanor grabbed Alice by the hair, intending to drag her downstairs.
However, the sight of Eleanor's anger and the pain in Alice's eyes was too much for Aiden. He couldn't stand by and watch this happen.
With a surge of protective instinct, Aiden stepped between the two girld, shielding Alice. "ELEANOR, PLEASE, LET HER GO. LET ALICE GO!"
Eleanor's face contorted with fury as she glared at Aiden. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE WITH HER! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" With that, she stormed downstairs, slamming the door behind her.
The room was filled with tension as Eleanor, gripped Alice's hair tightly.
Her eyes were filled with anger, and her face was contorted in a way that made everyone in the room feel uneasy.
Eleanor dragged Alice down tha stairs and threw her on the ground, "What did I tell you about responding quickly?!" Eleanor bellowed, her voice shaking the walls of the dining area.
Alice's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to find the words to respond.
Suddenly, Aiden stepped forward, his face a mixture of concern and fury. "LET HER GO!" he shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of the situation.
Eleanor, startled by Aiden's intervention, released Alice's hair, causing the young girl to let out a gasp as she rubbed the spot where her hair had been pulled.
The sound of her breath hitching and the table creaking under the force of Eleanor's hand as she struck it echoed through the room.
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT?" Eleanor screamed, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "I AM YOUR WIFE, AND I WILL NOT BE DISRESPECTED IN MY OWN HOME!"
Aiden, now standing face-to-face with his mother, retaliated with equal intensity. "WELL I DIDN'T WANT TO BE YOUR HUSBAND BUT LOOK WHERE WE ARE NOW!"
The two continued to shout at each other, their words cutting through the air like knives.
Alice, still shaken from the ordeal, retreated to the corner of the room, her eyes filled with tears.
YOU ARE READING
Black Magic
Misterio / SuspensoA woman in the 19th century curses her husband with black magic, she doesn't know the exchange of that, it might end her whole bloodline.
