the fall of red

flowers

Chloe felt the same sensation as her body was pulled back harshly. She thought her eyes would pop out of her head with the force she was being pulled at.

Chloe carefully maintained her balance as she patiently waited for the strange sensation to subside. When it finally passed, she cautiously opened her eyes.

To her surprise, she found herself in a familiar room, albeit with subtle changes in its decor. A quaint, heart-shaped bed had replaced the cot, and the room was adorned with more heart-shaped objects. A striking rug in the design of a queen of hearts playing card lay elegantly on the floor.

Chloe's eyes darted around the room, searching for any clue that could explain why she was there. However, everything appeared to be perfectly ordinary.

As she tentatively stepped around the room, her gaze fell upon a photo frame perched on a nearby surface. Inside, she saw a captured moment in time—three individuals frozen in a snapshot: the regal figure of the queen of hearts, a distinguished man, and a young girl whom Chloe presumed to be none other than a young Red.

Chloe carefully lifted the ornate frame, studying the frozen moment captured within. A man with a warm smile had his arm wrapped protectively around a rosy-cheeked young girl who Chloe could only assume was Red. She couldn't have been more than four years old in the faded photograph.

Suddenly, a piercing shout shattered the tranquil atmosphere, causing Chloe to jolt alarmingly. Hastily setting the photo frame back on the dusty mantelpiece, she spun around, heart racing in her chest.

"No!" The agonised cry of a young girl echoed through the hushed room, sending Chloe sprinting towards the window at the far end of the dimly lit bedroom. Chloe peered out of the window, straining to catch a glimpse of anyone or anything in the secluded space behind the castle. Failing to discern any movement, she cautiously manoeuvred out the window, her heart pounding with trepidation. Grasping onto the sturdy branches, she slowly descended, each movement accompanied by the unnerving sound of rustling leaves. After a few heart-stopping slips and with self-encouragement echoing in her mind, Chloe's feet finally met the soft embrace of the grassy ground. As she stealthily advanced towards the front of the castle, her eyes fell upon a bustling congregation of people, their hushed murmurs permeating the air.

It took the teen a few moments to finally understand what was happening. The queen of hearts stood in front of a guillotine as a guard pushed a man towards it—the same man who was in the picture frame in the Red room.

"Dad!" Chloe looked over towards a heart-shaped rose bush and saw a small girl crying. It didn't take long for Chloe to put the pieces together and realise that the girl was Red, and she was about to see her father's death.

Careful not to be seen by the crowd of people watching, the queen made a guard lower the king. Chloe ran towards the little girl, making sure she'd make it in time.

Red was too fixated on the sight in front of her that she didn't notice the blue-haired girl come up behind her.

Just as the blade dropped, Chloe wrapped her arms around Red's face so she wouldn't see the sight while also looking away, not wanting to see the horror herself.

A young Red grabbed Chloe's arm, pulling away from her. Before Chloe could react, Red ran in the opposite direction of the courtyard, no one seeming to notice due to the commotion.

"Where could my daughter be?!" Chloe's head shot up, crouching behind the roses to miss the stern gaze of the queen of hearts, who was frantically scanning the area for Red.

"I hope she doesn't believe she's escaping punishment!" Chloe anxiously looked over her shoulder, attempting to catch a glimpse of Red or anyone who might have seen her, but no one seemed to know the girl's whereabouts.