Chapter Three #2
“Go into your room now, Aurora.” His voice is the softest I’ve ever heard it. It’s less of a command and more of a suggestion.
I could try pushing Gabriel for more answers but I don’t want to risk my own safety. Tiredness hits me in the face without me even realizing it.
I step into my room and Gabriel shuts the door behind me. I could leave but I can’t risk my dad dying – especially after how hard I tried to save him.
So instead of fighting more, I slump onto the bed, in my pretty gown and all.
I wake up in the middle of the night to a shiver down my spine. My heart pounds as I sit up, looking wildly around the room. But there’s nothing there. I’m not in danger. I’m safe within this room.
Yet, I can’t fall back asleep. Instead, I get out of bed in my silky nightgown.
I found it in the closet. It was filled with a lot of dresses and nightgowns for me to wear during the day and night.
I don’t remember seeing all those pieces of clothing before but they were in the closet after I got back from dinner.
Someone put them in there while I was eating with Gabriel.
He expects me to stay here forever. It settles like a heavy weight on my shoulders.
My instincts tell me to open the door though I’m not sure why. It’s just my gut.
Slowly, like I’m doing something wrong, I open the door. But when I look into the hallway, I don’t see anyone. No one on guard to stop me from leaving. Gabriel’s threat to hurt my father is enough to keep me from running away. But that doesn’t mean I can’t explore the mansion.
My footsteps don’t make a sound on the ornate rug. The hallway is pitch black and it takes me a second to find a light switch. It only lights up a portion of the hallway, giving the entire place an eerie feel.
As I search for another light switch, I hear a sound.
It’s faint. Not distinctive but it speaks to the fact that there’s other people awake.
As I get closer to the stairs, I hear the sound grow louder, though I still can’t make it out.
Once I make my way down the front stairs, I come upon the kitchen where I see a light on.
Glancing inside, I see Maria at the kitchen table talking to two men. Neither one are Gabriel.
One of the men is older, probably in his sixties, while the other man is young, maybe in his thirties. They’re talking to each other about… me.
“That poor child,” Maria says. “Saved her dad’s life and is now forced to remain here forever.”
“I didn’t let her in,” the old man says. “When she showed up here. So who’s fault is this really, Maria?”
She huffs. “I was trying to be nice, Charles.”
So that was the man who first opened the door. Now that I can see him, it turns out he’s not as intimidating as I thought. I thought he was rude to not let me in at first but now I see that maybe he was trying to save my life.
“Let’s not fight,” the younger man says. He’s flipping pancakes on the stove. “We have to stick together now. The girl is here to stay, that much is obvious. I need to make her feel comfortable here with my food. It’s the least I can do after she did such a selfless act.”
A sound down the hallway turns my head. It’s in the direction of… Gabriel’s dungeon. I can’t make out the sound though.
I take a step towards it and my foot squeaks on a floorboard, drawing the attention of the three in the kitchen. Maria pushes the door open before I can walk away.
“Aurora? You should be in bed.”
“Is that Aurora?” the young man asks. “I’ve been wanting to meet her. I’m Alex.” After wiping his hands on a towel, he extends one to me. “I’m the cook here.”
Alex has a warmth to his eyes that I trust. “Hi.” I tentatively shake his hand.
“That’s Charles,” Alex says, pointing at the old man with a scowl on his face. “He’s the butler.”
“This place has a butler?” I ask.
“It’s a little old school,” Alex explains.
“It’s traditional,” Charles snaps. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Maria places her hands on my shoulders. “Aurora, you should go back to bed. It’s late.”
“I can’t sleep. I thought I heard something but…” I glance down the hallway towards the dungeon.
“It was just us talking,” she says. “Now, go back upstairs. Now.” There’s a hardness to her tone that tells me I should listen but it also makes me curious. Why does she want me to go back to my room so badly?
It’s then that I hear another sound coming from the hallway. I need to know what it is. I need to know what secrets Gabriel is keeping.
“I’m not tired,” I say, heading down the hallway.
“Aurora,” Maria snaps, following behind. “Don’t go down there.”
That only makes me want to go down there more. I keep walking until I stop outside the large door that leads down into the dungeon. Being this close to it, I can hear something coming from downstairs. Something like… screaming.
Did Gabriel capture my dad again? Is he in trouble?
I don’t even stop to think as I wrench the door open and rush down the stairs. I can hear Maria calling for me to come back up but I don’t listen. I have to save my father. I know something is wrong.
My body comes to a stop when I see a table in the middle of the room. A hard, stone slab. And on that table is a man… not my father, I realize. He’s not here. Not in danger. For a second, I feel relief… until my eyes truly take in what I’m seeing.
The man is strapped to the table. Screams erupt from his throat because of the knife Gabriel is digging into his skin. The look of pure, cold rage covers Gabriel’s face.
“Tell me where he is,” Gabriel says to the man. “Tell me where I can find Giovanni.”
He’s torturing this man, I realize. This is the true dark side of Gabriel. And to think I was challenging him earlier. This could have been me on his table but Gabriel chose not to do this to me.
I don’t know what to make of that.
All I know is that I feel dizzy. A gasp escapes my throat, causing Gabriel to see me. Truly see me.
He looks stunned but I can’t make out anything else because darkness over takes me and I faint before I can feel the sting of the hard ground beneath me.