The Poisonous Rose

Chapter Three

Even if Lucas didn't have super hearing, he would have heard the girl's voice echo through the corridors. He stood up immediately, sure he'd heard wrong. He immediately stormed down the corridor, only to stop in his tracks. There the girl was, standing in the entryway, looking around in the dark. Since Lucas had been living in the dark for years, it didn't bother him, but he realized the girl must be really scared.

"Hello?" she said again, her voice shaking, confirming his suspicions. "I—I know you're in here. Please come out." Lucas stayed where he was, watching her. She started to walk farther into the entry hall. He was sure she must've been blind in this darkness.

It suddenly hit Lucas that she had just walked into the castle. He was frozen where he stood. Now she could never leave this place. She would be trapped here forever.

Lucas hesitantly stepped closer to her. There was a small table in the corner of the room where a candle stood. He lit it and held it up for the girl to see.

~~~

Forsythia's head snapped in the direction the sudden light came from. The man stood there, staring directly at her. Forsythia backed up a step. As the man came closer, she stepped back, until she hit the door and could step back no further.

Forsythia wouldn't have been so afraid if he hadn't walked towards her like he was a murderer who wanted to kill her slowly and painfully. His eyes held no emotion in them. She couldn't tell whether he was coming closer to her because he wanted a better look at her, or if he was coming closer to see who was barging into his home and whether or not he should kill them right away. Forsythia hoped it was the former.

"What are you doing in here?" the man finally demanded. His voice sounded quieter than she'd thought it was, as if he hadn't spoken in a while. By the looks of it, there probably wasn't anyone else in this castle, so for all she knew, he hadn't spoken in a while.

Today he wore clothes that actually looked like someone from this part of the world would have. The clothes he'd worn the day before were something a very rich man would wear. He wore a white shirt and black pants with brown boots. Forsythia noticed that he looked like he might be lonely. She would have been, living in a castle all alone. She wondered how he did it. Did he hate living alone, or did he like it? She'd heard that some people liked living in solitude.

She'd been so focused on wondering whether or not he was lonely, she'd forgotten he'd asked her a question. "Oh," she said, suddenly coming out of her thoughts. "I was just trying to find my way to this old abandoned house and I came across your castle," Forsythia told him. It wasn't exactly a lie. She had been on her way to the abandoned house, and she had come across his castle. She just didn't tell him that she'd come here on purpose. "I'll leave right away. I meant no harm."

Something flashed in his expression that made Forsythia want to back up more, only there was a door in her way. "You can't leave," the man said. "Once you enter you can never leave."

Forsythia reached behind her for the golden doorknob. This man was obviously crazy and dangerous. He was someone her mother would have warned her to stay away from. The man somehow saw what she was trying to do. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the door.

Forsythia yanked her wrist out of his grip. "Let me go," she begged. "Please, don't make me stay here. I didn't mean any harm." Forsythia was close to tears as she imagined all the horrible things that this castle could hold.

"When I say you can't leave," the man said, his voice deadly calm, "I mean, you can't leave. It's not my doing. This castle was cursed. Anyone who comes in can never leave."