Piece Of Cake~ A Teaberry Chronicle(COMPLETED BOOK I.)

XXXVI. And They All Fall Down............

Akito's POV~

Pulling into the circle driveway, I turn off the engine and step out. Within earshot I hear Hikari screaming, turning to see him running from Ivvy who seems to be holding a knife, I take this as my opportunity to search for Evette inside the house. The rain continues to beat down as a flash of lighting could be seen in the distance, stepping inside I call out to her.

"Evette! I know you are hiding here! Come out now!"

She doesn't answer back as I step into the parlor.  The sound of crunching beneath my feet, I look down as the lightning flashes once more, revealing the word LIAR strewn across the floor. Under my foot is a photograph, picking it up I see the first photo that was ever taken in what would eventually be our hell home. "Tck, so she knows the truth..." I say in a low tone, dropping the photo I call out to Evette once more. Leaving the parlor, I make my way down the hall toward the East Wing. "Evette!" I call out, still no answer from her. Passing a partially open door, the smell of roses mixed with rain causes me to stop in my tracks. 'Maybe she is in here?'I thought opening the door to reveal the greenhouse, now broken from years of damage. Walking around the table in the middle, my footsteps cease as I see the lifeless form of the Lolita doll laying among the roses, clutched i her hand is a single white rose.

Eyes widen as the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "What the  fuck?!" Is all I could manage, unable to move from my spot, rooted to the ground in terror. All  can think of is the last words that Madame Reine had spoken.

"You have until sunrise to find Evette and bring her home. She has had her fun and now she must return to Salem."

"She'll be returning alright, just not......intact." I say reaching to pick up her corpse as I let out a laugh, carrying her out of the Greenhouse. "As you wish, doll" smiling as I leave the East Wing, carrying her out of Manor Duvain. opening my trunk, I toss Evette's doll like form into it, slamming it shut. Walking around the corner, I see Ivvy disappear into the overgrown maze. "This looks......entertaining" I say, following behind, making sure  to keep my distance.

Hikari's POV~

Out of breath, running and stumbling as I crash into the walls of the overgrown maze. Not looking back as I trip on an over hanging limb, falling to the ground hard. Rain still pounding on my already soaked clothes, the pounding in my shoulder ever present as I ache from the fall. The sound of the rain drowning out any other sounds that could be around me. "For someone who says they love me, you are running away rather quickly." Hearing Ivvy's voice in the distance, I stammer to my feet, continuing to slam into the wall of the maze, my footing loosened by the mud beneath them. Holding myself up from the fall to come, I grip my shoulder hard as a sharp pain throbs within the wound she had inflicted. Stepping further, I keep my hand on my shoulder as the pain persists. "You told me to run!" I shout back, stopping in my tracks. Exhaling my breath, almost unwilling to continue, a thought had crossed my mind.

'How could I be so cowardly?'

Leaning against the brush of the maze, breathing heavily, the pain still agonizingly apparent. "And you listened?" shouting back at me, Ivvy's voice all around as I push off of the maze wall. Turning down another path, I reach an open area. No longer surrounded my the confusing walls and turns of the over grown maze behind me, the sudden realization hit, I reached the epicenter of the troubling maze. A long table with what was once a white table cloth and now a dark decaying earthy tone, weathered and worn chairs align either side, and a forgotten Tea Party lay strewn across the table. Many variety's of tea sets, some missing pieces, and others broken into shards. The chair at the end was just as worn as the others, with one exception. This chair had splatters of dried blood, that seemed to be splattered on the table cloth in small amounts. Sitting down in the chair, I resigned myself to my fate. I deserve to die for what I have done. No longer willing to run from her anymore. Taking a deep breath as the sound of rain tapping on the tea sets became like a lullaby to my appending death. Thunder strikes as lightning flashes all around, a prelude to the calm after the storm.