He crossed the PCPD squad room and stood before his sister. He regarded her shackled state with cruel contempt. His plan had worked perfectly. Alexis was under arrest for criminal fraud, while he had secured his own release. The murder charges against him would soon be dropped. Alexis, on the other hand was destined to spend a considerable amount of time in prison. In one master stroke, he freed himself and exacted his revenge on his sister.
"Do you remember when we were children? I spent hours trying to teach you chess. You never had much enthusiasm for the game. How fortunate for me."
He smiled then. It was a petty almost childish smile. A smile of victory. A smile of an old wound avenged. A smile of ancient jealousy revealed. It was a smile she knew, a smile she feared and Alexis felt her heart seize.
She was frozen in place in the middle of the PCPD, barely able to breathe. She watched him retreat, his form the focal point of her entire field of vision. All the rest was darkness and muffled voices.
"... Alexis, what's wrong? Alexis..."
"ALEXANDRA! Cousin, where are you? It's time to play a new game!"
Alexandra Davidovich huddled behind the great chair in her uncle's study. He wouldn't look here. I never come here. I'm not allowed here. She crouched lower as the voice grew closer.
"I know you're in here. I know everything. Never forget that, cousin. You cannot hide from me. You can never escape me." The young man towered over her. "There you are!" He snatched her wrist, pulled her to her feet and made his way toward the library. "So Little One, why were you hiding from your favorite cousin?"
Alexandra was afraid to speak. She was afraid to follow, but she was more afraid to resist. She worked furiously to keep up, but her short legs were no match for the young man's pace. Her arm ached as he pulled her through the halls of the Cassadine estate.
"Today I have a new game for you. One that should be easy for one as smart as you. You are so proud of yourself Little One. You think you are smarter than your cousins."
Alexandra shook her head in protest.
"Oh don't look at me that way cousin. I have seen you with the tutors. I have heard them sing your praises. You should be proud. You have pleased my father."
Alexandra stopped short for a second, ignoring the pain in her arm. "Uncle said...?"
"Oh, he has told me of your brilliance. He was impressed that a child of your age could be so very clever. Now we will see it first hand."
He pulled her into the library. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he walked her to a large marble chess set. He gave her shoulders a sharp twist and pushed her down in front of the white pieces. He smiled as she cringed, then took his place behind the black. Alexandra was frozen, too frightened to move or even rub her painful shoulders and wrist.
"I don't know this game."
"Don't worry cousin, before this day is over you will."
He stroked the wisps of whiskers dotting his chin. He'd recently begun growing a beard and was quite proud of his display of manhood. He pushed the king's pawn forward two squares.
"I thought white pieces moved first." Alexandra blurted and instantly knew she'd made a mistake. Before she could react, his hand flew across the table. She fell to her knees from the force of the blow.
"I will not tolerate insolence, cousin! Never question my actions!" He rounded the table and grabbed her bruised face. "NEVER! Do you understand?"
Alexandra tried to nod her head, but his grip was too tight.
"Yes" she squeaked.
"Good. Now just to be kind, I will allow you the first move" He returned to the board and pulled his pawn back.
Alexandra shook with fear. She didn't know the rules! He hadn't explained the rules! She couldn't afford to make a mistake and he hadn't bothered to explained the rules! Timidly she touched the white pawn opposite the piece her cousin originally moved. She inched it forward two spaces. He eyed the board, then turned his eye to her. She locked her eyes with his and held them. If she looked away, there would be punishment. She held her breath and waited.
"A strong first move. See, you do know this game." He repeated his original move, pushing his pawn forward. "It's your move cousin."
His soulless smile frightened her. What piece should she move now? She had seen Stefan play chess before. She knew each piece had special moves, but she didn't know which moves went with which piece. The first row pieces all looked the same. They must all make the same move. She touched the pawn in front of the queen and moved it forward. She prayed her strategy wouldn't displease him.
"A safe move Little One. You are very conventional, but safety will not bring you victory. You must be bold to defeat your enemies." With a flourish he slid the king's bishop diagonally across the board. "You must attack."
Alexandra scanned the board. His piece was positioned along a diagonal to her king. Only her pawn stood in the way. She knew only one thing about chess. The game was over when the king was captured. If she lost the match, she would be punished. In the unlikely event she could defeat her cousin, she would be punished. Her ultimate goal was to delay the end of the match until dinner. Uncle would not allow a delay in dinner for a chess match. They would be forced to stop without a winner declared. Hopefully her cousin would lose interest and tomorrow he will have forgotten all about the match.
But what move should she make? She could copy his move, but something told her mimicry would not be rewarded. She could move another pawn. It would be another safe move, but she'd just been told that safe moves were not acceptable. She started to rest her head in her hand, and winced as soon as her slender fingers met the tender flesh of her bruised cheek. She would have a black eye by morning. She expected banishment to her room as punishment for some contrived clumsiness on her part. Her cousin would not be blamed for her injuries. She almost welcomed this punishment. She could not play chess alone in her room.
"Make your move, Little One!"
She jumped at his harsh words. Her heart was racing. She was so afraid, but she was angry too. Why must I endure this? Why doe he treat me so? She stared at him through hooded eyes. There was no excuse for the way he treated her. There was no excuse for the way he treated everyone.
"Don't call me that!" For some reason her voice found steel.
"What did you say?"
"Don't call me Little One!" She did not retreat. Her eyes held steady. "I possess a name. I would prefer YOU address me by my name, cousin."
"You possess a name? You possess a name do you? YOU... POSSESS...? Cousin, you POSSESS NOTHING!"
Throwing the marble board aside, he rushed her, picking up her small body by the throat. She dimly heard the marble shatter, and the chess pieces scatter across the floor.
"Everything you have, everything you are, was given to you by me! I am the Prince! You exist at my pleasure LITTLE ONE and you no longer have my pleasure!" He began to squeeze.
Alexandra's feet kicked wildly, then not at all. The dark eyes of the Cassadine Prince smiled.
"Wake up Little One. Come back to me, please."
A gentle voice parted the clouds in her head. It was the voice of an angel, the voice of her guardian angel. Alexandra struggled to lift her eyelids.
"That's it. Open your eyes for me."
Her eyes fluttered and focused. A teenage boy, blond and sun kissed, smiled. "Welcome back Little One. How are you feeling?"
"Stefan!" Alexandra captured her cousin in a fierce hug.
"It's alright Little One. You're safe now." Stefan pulled back and caressed her unbruised cheek. "You've had a difficult day."
"Stavros tried to teach me how to play chess." Alexandra touched the angry welt that adorned Stefan's left cheek. She smiled sadly. She'd seen this before. "You look like you've had a difficult day too."
"I decided my brother needed his own lesson in chess. He has a better understanding now."
"Stavros will be angry. He'll want revenge!"
"Don't worry Little One. My father has decided Stavros needs to return to the University. I suspect he will not be coming home for a long time."
"He won't be coming back?"
"Not for a very long time."
"He said I possessed nothing, Stefan. Not even my own name! He said, all that I have I owe to him. That's not true. Is it Stefan?"
Stefan smiled and gently rubbed her shoulders.
"You own more than you know, Little One. You own your own life. When you grow up, you'll be free. You will owe my brother nothing. You will owe this family nothing. You can become whatever you want. You can do whatever you want."
"Stefan?"
"Yes Little One"
"I don't ever want to play chess again."
"Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Where is my brother?"
"He was released Alexis. Scott Baldwin dropped the charges. He left."
"Not him! That wasn't Stefan! That wasn't my brother! Stefan never tried to teach me chess! Stavros did! Oh God! I should have known. I should have known! How could I not know?"
"Alexis, you're not making sense! Your brother Stavros is dead. He's dead Alexis."
Alexis stopped her pacing and turned to Cameron.
"You don't know the Cassadines. You don't know Stavros! I should have known. My brother, my real brother is missing! Oh God! What did Stavros do to him?"
"She's playing nuts again!" Scott Baldwin advanced on Alexis. "You're not gonna get away with it this time, so don't even try!" He nodded to the uniformed officers. "Take her back to her cell. Now!"
As the officers escorted her away, Alexis called to Cameron. Find Luke Spencer!"