Elise sat hunched over her desk in her cramped bedroom, the faint blue glow of her computer screen casting shadows on her furrowed brow. Hours had passed since she had last moved; her eyes were bleary and her back creaked.
“Are you kidding me?” she scoffed, barely louder than a whisper. “They’re seriously praising these jerks? Unbelievable.” Her eyes darted over the forum posts at superhuman speeds, each new comment deepening her scowl. Her grip on her mouse tightened, fingers turning white. The posts never ended, each and every one praising the Male leads of [A Veil of Thorns and Roses].
‘Oh, I love Prince Edward, he’s so incredible…’
‘Isnt Duke Malcom the best?! Those cold eyes, that distant stare…’
‘Count Lander is obviously the best! Especially when he takes that sword to Victoria’s neck…’
“Seriously?! They’re supposed to be the bad guys! Why doesnt anyone get that!?” she shouted, her voice cracking. In her fit of rage, she nearly threw her mouse, but she caught herself and simply tossed it onto her bed with a heavy sigh. “Ugh, why am I yelling? They can’t even hear me.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “In and out, In and out. Just like Mom used to tell you,” She muttered, cracking her back as she stood. “Jesus. I need a smoke.”
After a few minutes of stumbling through the junk in her room, she found some cigarettes and a lighter, then headed outside. As she made her way through her living room she stumbled on some of the loose items that carpeted the floor. Eventually, she made it outside and headed down into the parking lot of the old apartment building. She stood there for a moment, enjoying the biting cold of the late November night. Silently, she pulled out a cigarette and struggled with her lighter until a small flame flickered to life. She took a slow drag and closed her eyes, savoring the warmth that filled her lungs.
“I shouldnt’ve gotten so worked up,” she said in a soft whisper as she watched the wisps of smoke curl and struggle against the cold air only to die out moments later. A soft shudder washed over her, and she shifted her gaze to the street. For a while she simply watched as cars passed by and enjoyed the warmth of her cigarette, but eventually her mind drifted back to the forum posts and she let out a soft sigh.
“Still, Why do people like characters like that? They’re obviously very bad people.”
She turned towards the apartment building and leaned against the fence that surrounded the parking lot, its rusty metal cool against her back. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the faint creaking sound the fence made as she shifted her weight.
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“I just don’t get it…” she groaned, looking up at the night sky. The stars were barely visible through the heavy pollution of the city, but she still raised her arm up as if she could grab onto them. Suddenly, with a loud groan her contemplation was broken and the fence gave way. Her heart leapt into her throat as she screamed, flailing her arms to grab onto something—anything—to stop her fall. But it was too late. She hit the ground hard, pain jolting through her body, and rolled into the road.
A blaring horn and the screech of tires was the last thing she heard before her world was filled with pain, and everything went black.
----------------------------------------
A sensation of floating enveloped her, making her feel weightless and detached. Was this a dream, or what dying felt like? For a while she floated in that strange state. Her mind was completely blank.
Then, slowly, awareness crept over her and tears began to stream down her face. As soon as she felt the moist warmth of her tears, she shot up and screamed. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. She scrambled to stand but fell out of the opulent bed she had been lying on. The fall sent a jolt of pain through her body, clearing the haze of her mind slightly.
Unfamiliar women rushed into the room, their faces filled with worry as they approached her. “No! No! Get away! Who are you people?!” She shouted, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. It was higher and more childish, yet strangely refined.
“Milady, please calm down,” one of the women said, her voice gentle yet firm. She had a kindly face framed by short chestnut hair. “You’ve had a terrible shock, the [Physician] is coming to see you, so please let us get you back into bed.”
Elise’s heart raced as she was overcome by a wave of dizziness. This wasn’t her apartment, and the room was far too fancy to be a hospital.
“Where am I?” Her childish voice trembled and she clutched at the sides of her head. Memories of the last night flooded into her mind; The forum, her apartment, a smoke break, the fence, falling, a loud horn, bright light. Tears streamed down her face and she fell to her knees, causing the two women to panic and rush to help her up.
“No! Don’t touch me!” She screamed, pushing them away. Her breath came in shallow gasps and her eyes darted around the opulent room. “Lady Victoria, Please listen,” One of the women—an older lady with streaks of grey hair—said in a soft voice. “You need to stay in bed, It’s just as Maria said. You suffered a terrible shock to the head.”
For a moment, Elise sat frozen. The lady—No, now that she looked closer, they weren’t just random women, they were maids—Had called her ‘Lady Victoria’.