Maledictus

Ch.41 - Broken.

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"VERY WELL"

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"Please Mr. Baxter, I didn't mean it!" Alice said quietly, her voice trembling with fear.

David had walked in at the right time to see Alice kick James in the shins and shout at him.

James was trying to get her into the cage, but Alice freaked out hoping she could avoid the transformation.
But as usual it only brought on more pain.

"Well it's not going to happen again, ya hear me you fithly bastard!" he growled and pinned her wrists against the wall.

She could feel her wrists breaking as he held her with impossible strength.

She let out a whimper as her left wrist snapped and tears brimmed her eyes as she hissed in pain.

But he didn't stop.
Not until her right wrist snapped as well and that's when she let a cry of pain escape her dry lips.

David let go as he heard the crowd explode in cheers.
This was his cue to introduce the next act.

Alice's legs buckled underneath her and she let the dreaded tears fall as her wrists limply hung by her side.

She stared at the floor trying to ignore the pain she was in put the thought of the transformation out of her head.

She wanted to die right there and then, but she knew she was letting everyone down by doing so.

She would just have to work through the pain until help came.
If it ever came.

James pulled her to her feet, but couldn't stay upright and fell to the cold, wet ground once again.

"I will try make it the last" James said softly, helping her into the rusty brown cage.

He gave her a supporting smile before she was covered in a dusty tablecloth and wheeled into the ring.

She could already picture the eager audience awaiting her performance.

If they only knew what she went through, then she was positive everything would be different.

As soon as her cue was made, her bruised skin coiled into the most beautiful scales of the deadly black snake.

The audience cheered and shrieked until she was taken off.

Once she transformed back, she was faced with David who did not look happy.

He grabbed her by the collar of her green dress.

"We didn't get half the audience we got last night!" he boomed.

"And how is that my fault!?" she shouted through gritted teeth.

David reached for his cane, but James stopped him by grabbing it first.

"Let me deal with her" James said calmly.

David wanted to do it on his own, but he knew his son must learn at some point.

"Very well" he mumbled, letting Alice go and she dropped to the floor.

James pulled her to her feet and and dragged her to her almost bare dressing room.

Alice huddled into a corner, wanting to believe it will all be over soon, but that would never be the case.

Both her wrists were now broken and she couldnt move them, even if she tried.

"Please..." She whispered, covering her head.

Despite her pleases, James came forward.
He grabbed her broken wrist roughly and Alice hissed, pulling it away.

"Do you want it fixed or not?" he asked, annoyed at her stupidity.

"Mr. Baxter notice and he'll only break them again" she said quietly.

James gave her a weak smile before taking her wrist and mending it in a matter of seconds.

"Will I do the other?" he asked, his wand still raised and Alice nodded, her hair blocking her pale face.

She jumped as the spell hit her skin and mended the bone, but after that, she could move them with ease.

"Thank you"

"No problem" he answered, sitting down beside her.

Once again, Alice was confused.

James had been the one who brought her here in the first place.
Now he was saving her and treating her like a normal human.
Not a cursed human.

James heard a slight sniffle, and noticed a tear fall from her face.

"You're alright now" he said softly.

Alice looked up and wiped her eyes.

He had extended his arms, giving her the option of a hug and she took it gratefully.

He may have hurt her, but that's all she needed at that moment.
A hug.
A genuine hug.

She broke apart after she had calmed down a bit, and headed into a corner.
There was no window, and she began to miss the stars almost as much as she missed Henry.

"Can you bring me out?" Alice asked.

"Out?" James asked.

"Out to see the stars" she replied dreamy, looking at him, hope filled her dark eyes.

As much as James wanted to bring her out, he knew his father would find out.
He knew that it was never going to be Alice's fault, but there was no way of proving that to David.

"It's too risky" he sighed.

"But you can make up an excuse" she protested.

"It's too risky, and you know what will happen if he finds out" he said, heading for the door. "It will be more than two broken wrists"

He closed the door quietly, and she listened for his footsteps to die away before dashing to the door.

It was locked.

She screamed in frustration.
Why her?

She didn't belong there.
She didn't deserve to be there.
She deserved to have a family.
Not one that was torn apart by the same people.