Chapter 1.23: Gossip Mongering

For the following two weeks, Leila found herself restricted from seeing the siblings. They were locked in the house’s basement, guarded by twenty men who were armed. Her father stood firm, stating that they needed to be interrogated. When she asked what that would entail, he said anything that was legal. She was beyond frustrated and tried to get any information she could on their health. Alek was already out of commission so she was rapidly losing people to manipulate.

Her mother had broken him down in ways she couldn't comprehend. She could only imagine the lack of trust Charmaine would have in her once she was free. The woman might be starving or worse. Her brother Cleo didn't care about him so if he was half dead she'd be thrilled. Still, this wasn't fun to be thrust into. The teenager sat in her father's library and angrily chewed on a pen. Everything was becoming too difficult to properly plan for.

She had a mental list of what she had to do. And that list kept getting longer the more melodrama she participated in. It was like the novel was shifting around her. Each time she made a possible step in the right direction, she was forced in another direction. The pen snapped as she took it out of her mouth and she threw it in a rage. It was hard not to scream and throw a temper tantrum. All she had that was guaranteed was Cleo's dark magic.

Once she lost access to Charmaine she dived headfirst into training. The author of the novel had thrown her a bone by making it mediation. To use magic, you had to be connected with nature. You had to be in tune with yourself as magic had a price. You risked ruining not only your mind but your body if you used it carelessly. Leila took this very seriously and trained in a healthy way. She would spend three hours a day on it.

The teenager had meditated a lot in middle school. It became a trend to listen to guided meditations with lofi music in the background in her friend group. She hadn't enjoyed it much at first. It was hard not to move around from boredom. Only when she researched and found methods did it truly catch her interest. Beginner blogs recommend visualizing a room or enclosed space in your mind. It made things much easier and her attention was grabbed.

Leila laid down flat on her back when visualizing. She imagined she was back in her real bedroom and found herself growing emotional. Since she was cursed to live as Cleo, she tried not to think about it. Remembering who she had been before burned. She went from being a high school student to a devil. Being in a world where everyone hated or used you was terrifying. If Leila wasn't so hard-headed she doubted she'd be doing so well.

All throughout her life there had been obstacles. She was an oopsie baby and was forgotten. Books were her only comfort in the hell that was her home. A weak-willed house was her mother. Just thinking about her made the teenager sick. The woman was so scared of the outside world she hid from it. Her father made sure to instill fear into the doormat's heart and dominated the household. This didn't mesh well with Leila which led to endless fighting.

‘I’ll know how to bash their heads in when I get back.’ The thought made her feel better as she got up. She needed a new pen and had to check on Alek. The man finally started to leave his room but refused to see her.

She was worried that Cleo’s mother had gone too far and he would be out of his mind for a while. For her plan to get back on track, she needed a sane brother to be her shield. If he was in a state that left him useless, she would kill him. In her eyes, Alek was a coward who wasted his potential on chasing a foolish dream. His parents would never love him and only saw him as a weapon. Desperately craving their love had led to his downfall. She barely did anything to the man and he folded. It was really pathetic behavior for a killer.

Leila had been sneaking into his bedroom at night. She had only managed to do it twice, but it was enough time to see what she was working with. The teenager found herself amazed Cleo’s mother had gotten him to put on so many drugs without his health rapidly declining. She had dug around his dresser coming across bottles of pills and vials of gross-smelling liquids half hazard buried under his clothing. The clothing was also drenched in sweat and blood, her stomach had flipped at how bad it was.

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Still, she struggled to regret putting him in the position. He was a book character who acted on the whim of others. She was real, a human being manipulated by supernatural forces. He would always be beneath her no matter the situation. The teenager left his bedroom satisfied and now walked with her head held high as she schemed. The man-made mention of her actions, the second time she could feel his eyes on her back. There was no use in saying anything since she’d deny it all.

"Miss Cleo," The teenager perked up at the sound of her name. Someone was calling for her from outside the room. "Miss Cleo!"

Yeonhee came running in with a tray in her arms. She held onto it for dear life as she stopped, panting from the long journey. There was sweat plastered on her face and she took a minute to catch her breath. The teenager was confused and debated taking the tray from the woman. Eventually, when the maid still stood in a panic she made up her mind. Leila walked over and forced her to give the tray up. She placed it on a nearby chair and stared in shock.

"Are you alright, Yeonhee? Did something happen while you worked your shift?" She put her hand on the maid's shaking shoulder. The woman was rapidly palling as she tried to speak. "Okay, you need to sit down."

The maid tried to protest but the teenager gave her a stern glare. This shut her up and she sat down on a nearby chair. The chair creaked under her weight as she stretched her legs and groaned. The poor woman had leaves in her hair and dirt splattered on her knees. The usually serious woman had been turned into an exhausted wreck. Leila could only wonder what sent her into such a panic that she ended up this way.

"Are you okay?" Leila asked softly and received a nod as an answer. The woman slowly took in a breath and exhaled before attempting to speak.

"I'm fine Miss Cleo," Her hands shot out and grabbed the teenager. Her grip was strong as her breathing became erratic once more. "It's that girl your father hired! She spoke ill of you again."

The teenager frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She instantly knew who the woman was talking about. "What is Seanna saying now?"

The maid had turned sour on the woman after their confrontation. Leila didn't blame her, she would be wary of anyone who mistreated her. But the woman was letting her distaste for the heiress affect her work. Multiple maids and guards had come to her complaining about Seanna's behavior. They moaned about how she constantly half-assed her duties and forced someone else to do it. And that she was spending her time gossiping instead of actually listening to her superiors in the estate.

Yeonhee's face was red as she spoke. "She told some of the gardeners about your confrontation. She heard those accusations and rushed to spread them." Her chest heaved and her hand moved to cover her mouth. She coughed weakly and wheezed.

"That harlot made them think you're a depraved sex fiend! That you would harm a pregnant woman out of jealousy!" The maid stopped talking as she descended into a fit of coughs.

Bending down, Leila put a hand on the woman's shoulder and smiled. "Thank you for telling me this," She was grateful that the maid was so loyal to her. "Tell the head maid I want you to take the rest of the week off."

"What?!" Yeonhee practically fell from her seat at the teen's declaration.

Leila couldn't blame her for the shocked reaction. It was out of the norm for a noble to give a newer maid so much time off. Usually, they would just lengthen their break and have them see a doctor. Giving them multiple days off was unheard of for a young noblewoman. Maybe a head of household would do something like that but never their unemployed child. But Leila could see how exhausted the woman was. And she was worried that any more work would be detrimental.

"You look feverish and I don't want you passing out anytime soon," She rubbed the woman's shoulder comfortingly. "She won't cause a fuss since you have my permission. Also, try to stop by the kitchen and get your lunch early."

Yeonhee squinted in confusion at her words. "But I already ate lunch? And I have so much work to do!"

Leila shrugged and smiled warmly at the woman. "Doesn't matter to me. Get a snack and take the rest of the week off. You deserve it." The look on the woman's face said everything she needed to know.