Edenbridge

Chapter Seven

The weather had stayed miserable and drizzly throughout the entirety of the week. Kell had been the only person to dare to go outside, taking long walks through the gardens as the rain poured down on her. She'd stay out for as long as she could, taking in everything she could before disappearing back inside Edenbridge sopping wet.

Kell lay on her bed, her covers messily hanging over the side of the bed and her clothes a mess. She'd been woken up by Ivy who'd left not long ago, informing her that the person she'd asked after was now waiting for her in the basement. Kell had groaned but had sent the maid on her way, choosing to stay on her bed for a little while longer, savouring the effects of sleep.

Kell had dressed quickly and had tied her hair up in a bun on the back of her head. She paid little to no attention to how she looked and had left her room quickly, storming down the halls but always checking around the corners before she made a dash for it. Kell didn't want to run into anyone who would halt her or try to stop her. If someone sees me, I can't go anywhere, Kell reminded herself.

The main person she didn't want to see was the Contessa. Kell knew that Maria would be skeptical as to why Kell was up and walking around and would possibly follow her, and that was the last thing that she wanted to happen.

Stood at the top of the staircase leading down to the basement, Kell screwed her mouth to the side and froze, narrowing her eyes and holding her breath. I could find out things I didn't ever want to know, Kell told herself. This could tear down everything I have built. She stared down in front of her, resting her tongue on her bottom lip and gripping the handrail tightly.

Kell shook her head and carried on down the stairs, standing on the ground and chewing on her tongue. I can risk it, she told herself confidently. She stared at the door that had been opened slightly, breathing in deeply before heading towards it.

There was no light in the room that the door led into, but Kell recognised it as the room that Maria had slaughtered the two workers in. The blood had been cleaned away and the bodies were missing, probably stuffed into the massive storage crates.

Pressed against the very back of the room was an iron maiden that had an excessive number of bars and spikes coming from it. Inside, Kell could see a figure trying to move around, their entire body blackened and burnt.

Kell shut the door behind her and stood up straight, keeping her hand wrapped around the door handle and peering curiously at the figure.

"You're late."

The figure boomed. Kell winced at the volume of his voice, sighing heavily and running her tongue over her bottom lip.

"How would you know? Time moves differently in here than it does out there. Time is just an illusion."

Kell chuckled. She let go of the door handle and grinned even more when she watched the figure lash out. He shoved an arm through a gap in the iron maiden, trying to grab at Kell. Just like his mother, Kell mused to herself. She stood too far away from him to reach her, watching in delight as he started to lose energy.

"Don't come here and waste my time. I don't even know what you're here for."

He groaned, hanging his head and slipping his arm out of the gap. Kell cocked her head to the side and walked towards the cage, staying at a distance so that she couldn't get grabbed.

"I'm here to set you free, Chester. I suppose it's not too comfortable in there. How long have you been down here?"

Kell asked, looking about the room and wondering where Maria had hidden the iron maiden when the workers were down here.