Chapter 4: Beneath The Shadows: Where Loyalty Lies

As Hazel and Amber left the room, a figure emerged from the shadows.

"So, they're planning Hazel's escape. Finally, I have a chance to prove my loyalty to Madam Nora," she said, a vicious smile spreading across her face. "But first, I need that key as evidence." With that, she melted into the darkness.

While the others were preoccupied, Alicia sneaked into the slave quarters and approached Hazel's bed, her heart racing as she searched for the key. "Where did she hide it?" she murmured, rifling through Hazel's clothes. She shifted to Amber's bed, her fingers trembling slightly.

Alicia hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to give up. "She's good at hiding," she muttered, sliding her hands under Hazel's mattress. Suddenly, her fingers brushed against something solid. "There it is—my green card to prove my loyalty," she said, a mischievous grin forming on her lips. Quickly, she pocketed the key and hurried back to her duty post.

…

Hazel scrubbed the floor, a nagging unease gnawing at her. Thoughts of the key she had hidden under her bed kept intruding.

"Calm down, Hazel. Everything is where you left it," she reassured herself, but the panic was swelling.

"It would be where I kept it" Hazel said standing up deciding to check to be able to keep calm.

...

When she reached her bed, she tucked her hands under the mattress, only to find it empty. "Where is it? I kept it here!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with desperation. "Okay, calm down, Haze. It's probably just… hidden under…" As she lifted the mattress, the realization hit her like a cold wave: the key had been taken.

Her heart raced with fear. "Amber. Yes, she must have taken it!" Hazel thought, her pulse quickening as she walked briskly to find her friend, careful to avoid drawing attention.

"Amber!" she called when she spotted her. Hazel looked pale and visibly shaken.

"What's wrong? You look sick!" Amber said, concern etched on her features.

"Did you take the key?" Hazel asked urgently, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, I didn't. Why? Is it missing?" Amber's hands flew to her mouth, eyes widening.

"Yes! I can't go through that hell again!" Hazel's voice trembled as tears threatened to spill.

"Let's go look for it," Amber said, taking Hazel's arm and guiding her back to their room.

Once inside, they frantically searched through both their belongings, desperation rising with each moment. Suddenly, the door swung open, causing them to freeze.

"Amber and Hazel, you're being summoned." Their hearts sank.

"Who summoned us?" they asked in unison, dread creeping in.

"Madam Nora," the slave replied, turning to leave.

"Amber, I'm so sorry for dragging you into this," Hazel said, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"It's okay. Let's see what she wants," Amber said, giving Hazel's back a reassuring pat.

…

Hazel and Amber entered Madam Nora's study to find her dressed in black, lounging on a black couch, lazily filing her nails.

"Good evening, Madam Nora. You sent for us?" Hazel said, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor.

"Come out," Madam Nora ordered, her voice icy.

Alicia stepped from the shadows, her presence unsettling.

Hazel, unfamiliar with the girl, thought, "And who's this?"

"Alicia, she did it," Amber thought, clenching her fists to suppress her anger.

"Tell them what you told me," Madam Nora said, her tone nonchalant.

"Madam Nora, today I was in the empty room under the stairs, unaware of my presence. Hazel was showing Amber the key to the front door. Amber intended to create a distraction so Hazel could escape," Alicia said, her innocence almost theatrical as she held up the key.

Madam Nora erupted into laughter, sending chills down Hazel and Amber's spines. "You went into my secret room? Do you think that just because you're confined to this mansion, you'll find freedom beyond the front door?" She laughed again, cruelly.

"Guards!" Madam Nora shouted coldly. The guards entered, their expressions stern. "Take these two and throw them in the dungeon without food or water for a week!" she ordered, and the guards seized Hazel and Amber, dragging them away.

"Please, we're sorry! Forgive us!" they shouted, their voices echoing as Madam Nora's figure faded from view.

…

Madam Nora turned to Alicia, who had her head bowed, hands outstretched, clutching the key.

"And what reward do you desire?" she asked, snatching the key from Alicia's grip.

"Nothing, Madam Nora. I just wanted to prove my loyalty to you. I would like to be your eyes among the slaves," Alicia said, a sly smile creeping across her face.

Pleased with Alicia's eagerness, Madam Nora replied, "Very well; I bestow upon you the title of head slave." Alicia felt a surge of pride as she accepted the title, leaving the study elated by her newfound status.

…

Amber and Hazel sat on the cold dungeon floor, leaning against each other's backs for warmth.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Amber," Hazel said, guilt lacing her voice.

"It's no problem. At least we don't have to do any chores for now," Amber joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Hazel chuckled but then asked, "By the way, who is that girl? I don't know her, so why did she do this?"

"Did you forget, or are you kidding me?" Amber replied, turning to face Hazel, her brow raised.

"I'm not joking," Hazel insisted, her curiosity piqued.

"She's Alicia. She's always been obsessed with earning Madam Nora's recognition, so it's no surprise she'd go to such lengths. You and she had an issue once, so maybe this is her way of getting back at you," Amber explained, tracing her fingers along the cold stone floor.

"We did?" Hazel asked, intrigued.

Amber smiled, noticing the childlike wonder in Hazel's expression. "Before you were thrown into that damp room, Madam Nora was already interested in making you one of her favorites. Alicia overheard this, got jealous, and plotted against you. She poisoned Madam Nora's blood wine and framed you for it. In a rage, Madam Nora tortured you before locking you away."

Hazel's eyes widened in shock. "And there I was, reborn," she thought.

Recalling Amber's reluctance to leave, Hazel asked, "Amber, do you plan on escaping with me?"

Amber froze, staring at Hazel. She felt a sudden urge to come clean. "Honestly, I can't leave Madam Nora's side. I tried escaping once, before you were brought in. I made it home, expecting to be embraced by my parents, but I was poisoned and sent back to Madam Nora. If I leave the mansion, I'll be dead by midnight. I have to take the antidote from Madam Nora at noon."

"What! Your parents did that to you?" Hazel exclaimed, horrified. It dawned on her that she had no idea what the outside world, which she longed for, actually looked like.

As Amber watched Hazel, a strange instinct tugged at her. "Sometimes it feels like Hazel is still here, but other times, it's like a different person," she thought, searching for an explanation. She decided to be direct. "Hazel, be honest. Who are you?"

Hazel stiffened. "Did she figure something out?" she wondered, meeting Amber's intense gaze.

"Please, just be honest with me," Amber urged, her voice softening.

Hazel felt an unexpected surge of trust for Amber since arriving in this strange realm.

"Fine. I'll be honest. I'm not Hazel. My real name is Rachel Roman. I died from heart disease and was reborn in this body. Recently, I've been recalling Hazel's memories, and I feel like we're slowly becoming one. But originally, I'm not from this world."

Amber stared in disbelief. "So, you're saying you're not from this world, and you died in your own?" Her voice held a mix of excitement and confusion.

"Yes. In my world, there are no vampires," Hazel replied, a faint smile touching her lips, almost wistful.

"So the real Hazel and you are one now?" Amber asked, intrigued.

"Not yet, but we're slowly merging," Hazel admitted, then added a plea for secrecy between them. Amber agreed, her heart racing with the thrill of being trusted.

Soon, both drifted into a restless sleep, but then a voice pierced the darkness. "Hazel." She jolted awake, heart pounding.

"Who's there?" Her voice trembled as she scanned the cold, damp dungeon.

"I am you," the voice replied, echoing in the stillness.