Trails of Intertwined Stars: Chapter 74 {Part 1}

~Chapter 81: I was Only Playing~

When they reached the door to that parlour room, something felt wrong. There was no piano music, no talking, no breathing, no anything. The door was slightly ajar. Jiu was about to go in first, just in case, wanting to protect Leora from whatever could be in there, but before he could the toddler shot out.
"Mummy! Daddy!" Leora beamed, thrusting the double doors open," You'll never guess what the cook gave me! Icing and pas-"
The girl fell silent. Jiu felt sick to his stomach at the sight. The window had been smashed brutally, glass covering the floor in devastation. There were bullet holes in everything in that room. The divan they'd been sitting on. The piano Emmeline had been playing on. The walls. The floor. The ceiling. The tables. Everything. Emmeline's corpse was the first Jiu spotted; tossed to the side of the piano, cruelly, shot twice, right in the heart, bleeding out onto the carpet. Her hand was stretched out, her pinkie intertwined with another. Vincent's. Vincent lay on the ground, shot once in the head, twice in the chest and one in each leg; bleeding as well. Standing beside the window, caught trying to flee, was a large hitman. His breath hitched at the sight of the toddler staring at him, as he could not see Jiu.

"Who are you..." Leora whimpered aloud.
The man raised his gun to fire at her, but when he tried, he'd run out of bullets. He cursed and threw the gun on the floor.
"You're not a friend..." Leora shook her head, tears filling her eyes," Why...why would you..."
The man rushed to run out of the window. Leora suddenly tugged out of Jiu's grip before he could stop her. The girl screamed, running past the corpses of her parents and straight for the man trying to flee. She shoved him, hard. His eyes widened in horror. She'd shoved him hard, with an anger she did not know she had, and the man fell off the ledge. There was a horrible crunch outside, that made Jiu grimace. He could hear servants outside, crying in fear, whilst the man screamed over his broken leg. He'd miraculously survived the fall. Leora staggered towards her parents corpses, swallowing hard.
"Mummy...daddy...you..."
Jiu felt his breath waver. Vincent, his last words to her, he'd known about the hitman; hadn't he?
Jiu held out his hand, to coax the girl over to comfort her," Leora, come..."
No toddler should have to see the bodies of their parents like this. Leora did not move towards him or acknowledge him. Instead her gaze flickered down to the discarded gun from the hitman that was out of bullets. She picked it up, staring at it.
"This took my mummy and daddy?" She whimpered.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from the doorway. Jiu spun around in an instant, eyes wide. Stood there was Mistress Mohan, trembling; pointing at Leora in horror. The toddler dropped the gun, her eyes wide.
"Y-You-!" Mistress Mohan screamed," YOU MURDERER! YOU KILLED THEM! Your own parents! You killed them both!"
Leora burst into tears, shaking her head, desperately," No, no! I didn't-!"
"You shot them!" Mistress Mohan let out a cold laugh," You shot them dead you horrible girl!"
Jiu immediately stood in front to try to protect the girl, but what good was that? He didn't even exist. Leora cried in fear, it was like in that moment, she couldn't even see him either.
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Leora cried, desperate for someone to believe her," I was just playing!"
"Yes, with a gun!" Mistress Mohan yelled, she was never going to believe her," You killed all of them, didn't you!? Your parents. Duncan. You probably brought the tuberculosis too. You're a murderer, and mummy and daddy aren't here to save you anymore!"
Leora screamed and pleaded desperately, but she wouldn't listen. Henry and Master Mohan appeared, but they wouldn't listen either. The servants appeared, and they were too stunned to know what to think. They circled the girl, hurling accusations of murder at her.

"Stop it!" Leora pleaded, desperately, glancing around for anyone to listen; the room seemed to grow darker," Leave me alone! I didn't-! I didn't do anything wrong! If you don't I- I'll make you sorry! I'll make you all sorry!"
Jiu watched in horror as from the girl, an ink-like substance seemed to leak from her and plunge the room. Was that all the hatred that had been built up in her? He wasn't sure. The ink gathered, and formed a man; a man Jiu knew all too well. Edward. Leora trembled staring at them all, as the butler crouched to her side, whispering in her ear.
"It's alright now," Edward muttered," I'll stop the pain, no more fear. Just give me an order."
Leora trembled, clutching her dress tighter," Make them stop it! Stop them!"
Edward smiled and nodded," As you wish."
He glanced up at the people surrounding them, his gaze growing hard and cold; and he swooped. Jiu's vision plunged to black.