The Girl in the gilded cage (A Tom Hiddleston story)

Who was using who

*Malina*
The late afternoon sun casts long, eerie shadows across the circus grounds, and icy fear grips my heart. Lavinia's nails dig into my arm, her eyes filled with a malice that chills me to the core. I genuinely fear for my life. "You always ruin everything!" she hisses, her words sharp as daggers.

"Lavinia, this isn't you!" I plead, trying to twist away, but her grip is unyielding. I'm terrified, but I can't let her see it. I have to stay strong. But it is a lie, this is her, she had shown us time and time again.

,Tom's voice breaks through the suffocating tension, a lifeline in the chaos. "Malina, hold on!" I see him, battered but resolute, staggering towards us. Relief floods through me. I'm not alone.

"Iaon," Lavinia shrieks, looking for her partner in crime.

But he doesn't have time to act before he is tackled to the ground by People called here by the noice.

Ioan, now restrained by a group of circus workers, laughs, a sinister, chilling sound. "It's too late for that, darling. She's already in too deep, you can't save her."

"Shut up, Ioan!" I snap, anger flaring despite my fear. "You think you've won just because you've twisted her mind? You're the one who's pathetic!" I glare at my sister. "No matter what you do, you will never win."

Lavinia's eyes blaze with hatred. "I don't need anyone to tell me what to do, Malina!" she snarls, her voice filled with venom.

It is my luck that my sister loves to hear her own voice, and is to busy talking to kill me.

Tom reaches us, wrenching the knife from Lavinia and pulling her away from me with a firm grasp. "Lavinia, stop this. Ioan's just using you," he says, his voice steady despite the chaos.

"No one is using me... I was using him," She huffs angrily.

The circus workers tighten their hold on Ioan, who thrashes against them, his eyes wild. "Let me go! She's mine! They're all mine!" he raves.

The wailing of sirens grows louder, a beacon slicing through the chaos.

"Tom you would not hurt a woman," my sister suddenly beg. "What about you let me go... after all we are family."

"You must think me stupid," he huffs.

Police cars screech to a halt, officers quickly emerging to take control of the situation.

  "Lavinia, you have to stop," I say, my voice firm. There's no room for reconciliation, not after everything she's done. Not after she tried to kill me.

The officers move in swiftly, detaining both Lavinia and Ioan, handcuffing them with practiced efficiency. Lavinia struggles against their hold, her eyes filled with cold fury. "You haven't seen the last of me, Malina," she spits, but her words no longer hold power over me.

Ioan, alongside her, is led away, still defiant. "You'll regret this, Malina. This isn't over," he hisses as they are both escorted to the waiting police cars.

I stand firm, watching them being taken away. "Maybe not, but we're stronger than you think," I reply, my voice strong.

The crowd of circus workers begins to disperse, murmurs of relief and disbelief filling the air. Tom wraps an arm around me, pulling me close. "You were incredible," he says softly, brushing a thumb over my cheek.

I lean into him, exhausted but relieved. "I couldn't have done it without you, Tom."

As the sun dips below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the circus, I know that I've faced the darkness and emerged stronger. In the distance, the lights of the carnival twinkle to life, a beacon of hope and new beginnings. With Lavinia and Ioan taken away, the shadows that threatened us begin to fade, leaving us with the promise of a brighter tomorrow.