Le Début |Skulduggery Pleasant

Chapter 14: Brainwashing

Third Person's POV:

Belle awoke on a soft plush bed in a giant bedroom. It was her old bedroom in Nefarian's castle. She looked around confused and then looked down at her body, realising that her clothes had changed to a dark blue lace dress and dark blue high heels. She got out of the bed and slowly walked to the door and tried to open it.

Locked... She thought to herself.

Belle frowned and looked around, seeing her weapons were on the vanity. She walked over to them, a determination in her eyes. She grabbed the gun and walked back to the door, taking the safety off and aiming it at the door lock. She fired and pushed the door open. She walked through the halls of the castle, knowing it like the back of her hand after spending a few years of her life here.

She heard screaming. Skulduggery...

Belle dropped her gun and began to run and tried to find Skulduggery. She came to a hallway that she didn't recognize all that well, but for some reason, there were flashes of memories that invaded her head, causing her to stumble and a headache to grow. She continued running, trying to find the place where Skulduggery's screaming was coming from. She threw a door open and barged in, seeing Skulduggery tied up to a chair, slumped over. 

"Skulduggery..." She muttered, quickly moving to him and trying to untie him.

"Not so fast, Belle," Nefarian said, moving out of the shadow, glaring slightly at the girl in front of him. He walked over to her and grabbed the top of her arm, pulling her up so then she was standing. "You, my dear, are coming with me."

He led Belle out, practically dragging her behind him. He led her through the halls with her trying to stop him by digging her heels into the ground and struggling in his grip. 

"Let me go, Nefarian!" Belle yelled.

"I shall not, my sweet doll," He said. "You will once again be loyal to me and only me. You will never leave my side again."

He opened a door and sat down on a seat, forcing her to sit on her lap. She looked down at her lap and frowned.

"Did you change my clothes?" She asked softly.

He stroked her cheek and she flinched slightly. "Of course I did. I couldn't have my innocent little doll dressed in such inappropriate clothing."

"What do you want with me?" Belle asked him softly.

"I want what I've always wanted from you, Belle," He paused for a second. "For you to do everything I command you to."

He moved her hair away from her neck and began to kiss her neck. Belle closed her eyes tightly and felt a single tear slide down her cheek. 

She shook her head slightly. "No. Nefarian. I don't want this."

Nefarian stopped what he was doing and frowned slightly. "What is wrong, Belle. I remember when you loved me. Why don't you love me anymore?"

Belle sighed slightly. "Of course I love you, Nefarian."

Of course, however, Belle was lying when she said this. But she was sitting on the lap of a literal psychopath.

Nefarian smiled. "And I love you too, Belle," He paused for a second. "And that is why I'm going to do what I must."

Belle frowned, confused at what he said, when Nefarian suddenly hit the back of her head, successfully knocking her unconscious. 

"I always could tell when you lied to me, Belle," Nefarian said, standing up and letting the girl drop to the ground. 

He scooped her up into his arms, carrying her through the hallways and back to the room where the skeleton detective was still tied up on the chair. The skeleton raised his head when he entered and tilted his head at the sight.

"What did you do to her?" Skulduggery asked, a slight edge in his voice.

"Oh, nothing, Skulduggery. Belle is perfectly fine," Nefarian said, sitting Belle down on another seat that was across from Skulduggery's and tied her to it. "I just have to get her to be loyal to me again."

"And how do you plan to achieve that?" Skulduggery asked.

Nefarian stood back up and walked over to the skeleton, smirking. "By torturing you until she agrees to follow my every order. I mean she is in love with you after all."

Skulduggery said nothing and continued to look at the girl tied up across from him. 

Nefarian laughed. "Please don't tell me that you didn't realise that, right?" Skulduggery continued to stay silent. Nefarian laughed again. "Oh, you really didn't know. This is going to be a lot of fun!"

~Half an hour later~

Belle Èclipse's POV:

I groaned slightly and opened my eyes to see Skulduggery tied in a chair across from me. 

"And the princess is awake," I heard Nefarian said.

I looked at him, frowning and tried to get up but then realised that I was tied up. I looked back up at the diabolical man near me and snarled at him. 

"What are you doing, Nefarian?" I asked him, glaring.

"I'm convincing you to be loyal to me, my darling," Nefarian answered me.

"And how are you going to do that?" I scoffed.

"By torturing the one you care about until you beg me to stop," Nefarian said softly, getting close to my face.

And then it began.