* * *
“Janice, I love you.”
“For real, Aaron?” Janice asked, leaning against his chest.
“Yes.” “And your wife?”
“Forget about her.” Aaron said. “She’s betrayed me before. It would only be fair that I betray her as well.”
“Wouldn’t you regret it?” Janice asked.
“No.” Aaron shook his head and buried his face into her arms.
Deep down, she was laughing badly. Finally, this moment came. She got the man who murdered her twin. As the Lily watched in distance, Janice grinned once more.
“Aaron, what did you do?”
“What do you mean what I did?” Aaron sat up and glanced into her eyes.
“After you found out she had an affair with someone.”
“I was furious, indeed!” Aaron grasped. “I loathed her. I wanted so much to tear her into pieces.”
“Did you?”
“No.” Aaron shook his head again. “She pled and wept, begging for forgiveness. She said she was forced to do so, absolutely not on her own will.”
“So, you killed the man she had an affair with?”
“Yes! How did you know?” Aaron exclaimed.
“How did I know…” Janice mumbled and then burst out laughing. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” Aaron shrugged. “Why are you asking me these things anyway? You have my heart now, Janice.”
“Your heart is mine.” Janice smiled.
He smiled back, not knowing what she really meant.
In the next second, he shrieked as the woman stabbed him in the heart with a dagger.
“Janice…” He whimpered.
“I’m taking your heart with me.” Janice scoffed, digging deeper into his chest with the dagger.
“No…” Aaron stuttered in agony. The bed sheet was flooded in blood.
“Save your strength, bastard.” Janice bawled, pulling out the weapon and stabbing his shoulder this time. “You didn’t spare my brother but your evil dishonest wife!”
“Emmm….”
The more Aaron struggled, the crazier Janice got. Rage was bubbling up inside her. She had never felt such indignant and fuming before. She stabbed and stabbed. Blood spew everywhere, staining all the petals. Until not a single part could be distinguished distinctly from his body did she finally stop.
“Bravo!” The Lily swung its head lividly. “You did it, Janice! You did it!”
“Yes…” Still breathing hard, Janice hurled the dagger away and stood up.
“Come here, my dear.” The Lily requested.
“But my hands are covered in blood.”
“They have always been covered in blood.” The Lily leered.
Ding~ding~
“Someone’s at the door.” Janice turned hastily. “What should I do, bro?”
“Don’t answer it.”
“But they will suspect us.”
“Not us, you.” The Lily reminded her.
Swiftly washing her hands and changing into a new clean dress, she went out of the room and locked the door behind her. She took a peek out of window, only to find the spot at the doorway empty.
“Weird.” Just as she was about to turn around, the bells pealed again.
“Coming!” Janice rushed to the door and opened it.
To her astonishment, standing in front of her was a young lady. Odd was she, dressed in long-sleeved clothes despite the hot summer day.
“Excuse me, the shop is closed.” Janice said, closing the door. Yet, the woman blocked her.
“I know.” She said.
Janice couldn’t see her face clearly as she was wearing a black veil.
“What do you want?”
“I’ll tell you.” Completely ignoring her, the lady pushed her aside and entered the shop.
“A splendid flower shop you have.” She commented. “You must be an excellent florist.”
“Madam, what do you want?” Janice repeated.
“I’m not rushing.” The girl said. “So, why are you rushing?”
“The shop is closed for today.”
“Then, why did you answer the door?”
“Madam, please leave now.” Janice warned.
“Or?” “Or…” Janice frowned. “You wouldn’t like it.”
Clink!
A pot fell onto the ground and shattered into bits.
Janice turned around and stared in horror. The sound came out from the locked room behind her.
“Janice…help…”
“Brother!” Janice rushed to turn the knob but the door remained shut.
Clink!
Another pot fell from the shelf and broke.
“Open the door!” Janice cried.
“So…how does it feel?”
“What on earth are you talking about!?” Janice bellowed and gazed angrily at the stranger.
“How it feels to be losing someone you love.” The young lady replied.
“You’re mad.” Janice shook her head. “You’re mad!”
Clink!
A vase slipped and crashed on the floor.
“Stop it!” Janice roared, covering her ears as more smashing sounds echoed in the room. A line of pots fell subsequently from the table, fragmenting into pieces. Following were more glasses breaking and vases dropping. All the ruined flowers spread everywhere, with petals flying in the air.
“Stop it!” Janice cried but it wouldn’t stop.
“Janice.” The lady approached her. “He’s dying.”
Janice knew it. She could hear it. The sound of losing someone progressively.
Her twin was sobbing, calling for help. Yet, she couldn’t reach him. The door was locked still.
“Brother, I’m coming!” Janice sniveled, shaking the knob violently.
“Janice…I’m dying…” The Lily lay on the floor, torn and curved. In its last moments of life, it waved its petals slightly as though it was still searching for something. For hope…
“Brother…” Janice fell onto the ground and wept.
“Dead.” A voice declared behind her.
“You killed him!” Janice gripped the lady’s veil and pulled it viciously, revealing the face of a young fine-looking girl.
“No, I didn’t.” The girl said. “He’s dead all along.”
“No, he isn’t!” Janice screeched. She grabbed a piece of broken glass and flung it at her. What startled her was that the glass went through the body, hitting on the wall.
“Janice.” The girl called again.
Thunderstruck, Janice stepped backwards until her back stuck to the wall.
“You never learnt.” The girl shook her head disappointedly. “Revenge is blind. Magic is just a trick. You have to pay for its cost.”
“I’ve already paid the cost!” Janice retorted. “They killed my brother! They killed my other half! I’m just punishing them for what they did! It’s not a mistake at all!”
“It is a mistake to punish the wrong person.”
“I don’t care! The world is better off without those morons anyway!” Janice laughed. “They deserve death! They betray their own spouse!”
“No, you’re wrong, Janice.” The lady stated. “You make them do that. You kill them.”
“Yes, so what?”
“Losing your beloved one is a suffering much more painful than you could ever imagine.”
“I lost my brother! I lost him!”
“You’re just using each other to do what you want.” The woman said. “You’ve used him as an excuse to direct your frustrations on innocent people. And he, worse, has used you as a mean for revenge. Both of you are monstrous creatures that never should have been brought to this world.”
“What…do you want to do with me?” Janice widened her eyes.
“Nothing. I’m not doing anything with you.” The girl shrugged. “The world is.”
In a fleeting moment, a pot of white rose fell off from top and stuck Janice’s head. She fell and l
anded with a glass stabbing right through her neck. Blood immediately spilled from her wound.
“Err…” Stuck, Janice could feel her arteries exploding near her neck. Blood was flowing out rapidly and heat was accumulating at her torn lesion.
On being stained with blood, the white rose withered and curled up as though it was saying goodbye to her.
“Withered white rose.” The woman’s voice chuckled softly. “Loss of innocence.”
12. The Vocalist’s Grasp
Gabriella
“Go! Get out of my room! All of you!” She shrieked in her unusual raspy voice. On hearing her scream, everyone except one fled without return.
Irate, her once adorable face was twisted into an unsightly, irritated frown. Standing next to her, the maid remained silent, waiting for her mistress’ next order.
“This is despicable!” The bad-tempered woman continued to castigate. “Unacceptable! Unpardonable!”
She turned to take a glimpse of the maid, who apparently had to agree with everything she said.
“Yes, madam.” She nodded timidly.
“Where on earth is that stupid moron!?” The mistress screamed once more. Her squeaky voice echoed in the entire changing room, frightening the maid.
“He…” The maid stammered, shivering.
“He what?!”
“He said…he would come later.”
“What!”
By now, the woman was pretty much outraged. With one kick, the stool in the front turned upside down and the curtain was scratched into pieces.
“Please, madam, calm down.” The maid pled.
“Calm down!” The mistress exclaimed incredulously. “How can you manage to say that out?”
Furious and annoyed, she smacked the maid, who fell straight onto the ground sobbing.
“Get him here! Get that foolish bastard here at once!”
“Yes, madam.” The maid whined and stormed out of the room.
“What another useless freak!” She muttered under her breath and sat down.
Just then, she regretted having screeched like crazy, for her throat hurt more than she expected. Tranquilly, she placed her hand over her throat, trying to rub against it to make it better. In the end, she had no choice but to take a cup of water. She couldn’t let her throat sore since there was an important performance the next day. She had to keep her voice soft and sweet at least.
“Everyone’s always standing in my way.” She mumbled indignantly to herself, tossing the empty cup across the dressing table. “They never learn! Never listen! Never be good!”
“Madam…” The maid returned, bringing a man behind her. “He’s…here.”
“For God’s sake, what took you so long, Corrie?” The woman got up and slapped her maid again. “Now go!”
Corrie nodded and left, leaving the man alone.
“Now, you!” Seeing the man who infuriated her, the mistress was now flushed with anger.
“Yes, madam.” The man remained as calm as could be though. “I was told that you want to see me.”
“Yes!” The woman widened her eyes and yelled. “Of course I want to see you! Not for your bloody sickening face but to make you kneel before me and apologize!”
“Excuse me?” The man raised his brows and shrugged.
“Don’t you even remember what you have done? Back there! On the stage!”
“Oh,” The man understood at once. “I’m sorry, madam. I told you it was an accident.”
“An accident to play the wrong note and to make a fool of me! That’s funny! Hilarious!”
“But madam, nobody seemed to notice.” The man insisted. “You did just as well as usual.”
“Nobody noticed! How dare you say that! They all glared at me when you hit the wrong note!” The woman screamed. “How embarrassing! You did this on purpose, I’m sure! You avenged on me, didn’t you! You made me look like an idiot intentionally!”
“No…madam, I…”
“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” Before the man could say anymore, the woman howled in rage.
“Kneel down! Kneel!” She commanded. Yet, the man remained still.
“Did you hear me? I asked you to kneel down and apologize!”
“No, madam.” The man shook his head slightly. “I can’t.”
“What?!”
“And forgive me for saying.” The man said. “I have already apologized enough for the mistake I’ve made. Frankly speaking, it’s inappropriate of you to humiliate me and request something an employee does not necessarily have to do to his employer.”
“Huh?” The woman glanced up at him and frowned.
“Sorry, madam.” The man went on. “But I won’t kneel even if you sack me. You’ve deprived enough of my freedom and self-esteem. At least, for once, I have to remain some of my self-respect and pride.”
The woman burst out laughing.
“Talking about self-respect, peasant?” She chuckled. “You don’t even know how worthless and disgusting you are! Someone as poor as you doesn’t deserve respect from all perspectives! Without this job I’m providing you with, you have long been a beggar straying out there!”
“Well then, madam.” The man sighed. “I quit.”
“Eh? Wait, what do you think you’re doing?” Shocked, the woman called out. “You’re not going! You can’t walk out like that! There’s a show tomorrow!”
“Well, madam, you can find another pianist, indeed.” The man said without turning back and slammed the door behind him.
Abandoned in the room, the woman looked in horror. And next, the place was filled with dreadful screams again.