Maledictus

Ch.2 - Chains and Pain

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"PLEASE, CALL ME
DRACO"

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Alice woke with a start, breathing heavily and finding sweat all over her forehead.

She was lying on a single bed in a tiny room.
For a moment she thought she was back in the Circus, until she remembered the black glove and shuddered at the thought.

She hopped out of bed, and headed to the door, but she couldn't go much further, because there was a chain connecting her ankle to her bed.

Furious, she sat back down and prodded at chain every few minutes.

Click!

The door had swung open and a tall man with platinum, shoulder length blonde hair, walked in.

He grabbed Alice by the hair and looked at her, checking if they had the right girl.
Once he was satisfied, he threw her back down on the bed, and took off the chain.

She stayed sitting on the bed, afraid to even breath.
She hoped that he would leave and forget about her, but this man was clever and would never do something like that.

"Come" he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the room.
He pulled her into a large hall, and threw her a mop and bucket before leaving her there, scared and alone.

She began mopping, assuming that what she was supposed to do.
She cried, she cried for her brother.
How could she be so stupid? Thinking it was him?

After about an hour, she stopped and took a small break, her arm was killing her.

She sat down on one of the cold, marble stairs and buried her head in her hands.

The door creeked open, and Alice stood up quickly with a slight squeak.
But it wasn't the man she had seen before.

Another boy, a lot younger, about sixteen, with the same platinum blonde hair, began walking towards her, a blank expression plastered on his face.
She began mopping furiously, wiping her eyes in the process.

He tapped her on the shoulder, and she jumped, turning to face him.

"M-M-Mr. Malfoy, please-" she stuttered, trembling all over.

"Come" he said kindly, bringing her over to the marble stairs. "Please, call me Draco"

She looked at him, surprised at how nice he was being.
I guess she was so used to being treated like dirt, it was a shock for someone to actually be nice.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"A-A-Alice, Mr. Malfoy" she whispered, still afraid to breath.

Here he was, sitting with a girl no older than eleven, who was covered in cuts, dirt and was as skinny as a stick.
She was brought here to clean, but she should really be seeing a healer.

"What-" Draco began, before Lucius Malfoy, his father, burst through the door.
Alice jumped to her feet, starting to mop again.

"What do you think you're doing!?" he shouted, pulling her long black hair.

"Father, it was my fault!" interjected Draco, trying to spare Alice anymore pain.

"Don't you dare take the blame for a filthy mudblood! Go! I will deal with you later" he said sternly. "And remember, this was your idea"

Draco hesitated before leaving, feeling terrible.

"Now" he sneered, pushing her to the ground. "You will always remember never to interact with either myself, Draco or my wife!"

He raised his wand, and Alice curled up in a ball, covering her head.

"CRUCIO!" he shouted as a red spark emerged from his wand, hitting her.
She screamed a blood curdling scream, until he finally stopped.

"I need this place spotless for tonight!" he sneered, slamming and locking the door behind him.

She was in pain, pain she had never experienced before. Stray tears fell down her pale and dirty cheeks.

She tried to stand, but her legs were like jelly.
As much as she wanted to be floor and never have to deal with life again, but she knew if she wanted to stay alive she would have to suck it up and start cleaning.

It took her all day, but she finally finished, and just in time too.