CHAPTER 5

Sometimes people don't know what is real or fake. They go through the motions of what is already planned for them. It isn't until they are hurting that they understand just how bad the damage and consequences are. Life is like a business; You lose, You gain. Anything can happen but only you can have the most faith in yourself. Only you can hold yourself up. Only you can keep your secrets. 

After Claire's meeting with Killian. she rode the horse back home and took the tunnel back to her room. Now in the safety of her room, she could think of everything she said and did tonight. Today, before the sunrise, his men are going to attack and if he is true to herself then he will capture her stepmother.

Anything reasonable he wanted.

She thought of everything that man could possibly want from her. He is rich. Has abundant amount of money. Houses all over the kingdoms. Allies with almost all of the men in the kingdom. They weren't necessarily called allies. Most of them feared him too much to attack him or go against him. He is close with the King too. 

As the hours passed by, the moon shined brightly with no stars sparkling in the blanket of darkness but the moon itself could shine without any stars. Claire remembers her mother telling her the story of the Sun and the Moon. She said the Sun dies every day so that his moon can come out and breathe and shine.

And she used to end it with, "That's how true love works. You let yourself go so your other half can shine as brightly as yourself." She always said it with so much sadness, like she let it go herself.

As she sat next to the window and gazed up at the moon, she felt herself getting tired. As she closed her eyes she wondered, again, if the sun would ever get tired of dying every day to let the moon shine brightly.

She was woken up by the heavy and urgent banging on her door. There was shouts and screams from the other side. She quickly got out of the sofa and ran up to the locked doors. It was just about time for sunrise. She opened the door and let her maid - Dani - in and closed it back.

"What is going on out there?"

"There are men in red attacking us, m'lady!"

She was right. They are here.

"You need to get out of here, m'lady!"

As soon as Dani said that, every noise from outside was down. They couldn't hear anything. Claire felt her heart beating fast against her chest, anticipating for what happens next. A few moments pass by before someone banged their fist on the door hard. Claire's heart was beating so fast. The pounding on the door was continuous and by the time she put away her medication Dani had opened the door.

"Miss Stokenholme, you are ordered to be down stairs." the man said coldly

Dani was going to speak but before that Claire said "Very well."

As she walked past the door, she took her maids hand and held on to it. They walked down the stairs and reached the drawing room that had a door leading to the vast back garden. As she walked there, she noticed the small amount of blood splatters on the wall. The drawing room and back garden was filled with the butler, horsemen and maids with a knife to their neck for everyone. 

Even her family was there with a knife to their neck.

Claire's heart actually picked up a beat when she saw that but she took deep breathe and calmed herself down. 

"You cannot treat woman from titled household's like this. I will complain to his majesty."

"Woman? Titled?" Claire asked before she could stop herself

"You-" Sylvie turned to her and pinned her with an accusing gaze "You were part of this? Of course you were, you spiteful little bitch!" Sylvie's eyes held so much rage in them Claire wondered if she would have the dying face of red eyes and vein bulging face.

"Spiteful!? For everything you did, this is not even half."

Claire looked around the room: Raymond had blood running down his forehead and down the side of his face, Hannah - her youngest sister - was trembling like a leaf in winter and the twins - Dave and Stephan - kept their heads down, they had no signs injury on them.

"You promised you wouldn't harm them" Claire asked the duke who has not spoken a word, yet.

"Your brother - the Viscount - put up a good fight, while you other siblings were quite complaint. They are quite fine."

"And you will leave the workers alone?"

"As soon as your part of the deal is finished" he said calmly

"What deal, Claire?" asked Raymond, gritting his teeth

"You caught her, you may do with her as you wish. What do you want?" she avoided her brother's gaze and question

"What do I want?... Choices. Choices."

That's when something clicked in her mind and without another word she held her dress and ran outside the room and to the hidden door leading to the basement. The door was closed and it felt like something was holding it close from the opposite side. With much difficulty, she finally managed to open the door but the once silent and dark place now just looks like a desolate and unused basement. Claire felt the weight of her actions. Sylvie suspected her so she moved them all.

She walked down the creaky stairs, the sound echoing all over. Each cage was now empty and has already started to fill with cobwebs and dirt. Sylvie was strict about the cleanliness down here after all she didn't want to lose business because her "products" were spreading diseases. 

Something feels different, though. Something is off. 

"M'lady, be careful!"

 ~~~