Chapter 4: Betrayed
Drip... Drip... Drip...
This was the extremely annoying sound that successfully awoke me from a rather peaceful sleep, that had been, thank God, deprived of both the nightmares and frightening thoughts that had haunted me for years. I suddenly panicked; where the hell was I...? Still waking, the day was fuzzy in my mind, and then I remembered that I was with Carla; I smiled, realizing that I actually felt at home here, but then the smile was wiped from off of my face as I remembered something that I had tried to blot out upon waking from my sleep; A voice, I thought, almost frightened, Hadn't there been a voice...? I shook the thought from out of my mind, and was glad that I had had a peaceful sleep despite the circumstances concerning the stressful meetings with Carla and Travis. Despite those, the last couple of hours had given me a clean slate-- a blank sleep for a change, and I had a whole new life to begin. Carla would know the truth later on today, and either with her, or without, I would journey into whatever uncertainties that lay ahead of me.
I suddenly shivered; the room was freezing cold-- cold as ice. I shivered once again, and stared at the open window that was obviously the source of the cold-- but hadn't I closed the damn thing, and locked it too, hours ago? Oh, no matter. It was unimportant. Was it the cold that had awakened me? No. It was that damn sound alone that had done the trick; I had gotten used to the cold. First in the forest of D'Nalge at night, then in that nasty attic, and finally on the streets. Cold was nothing to me now. I shivered again. It was bothersome; had Carla opened the window again? Why would she have?
A gust of particularly cold wind suddenly rushed into the living-room, and I felt goose bumps forming all over my body; I pulled the blanket further over my head, and listened.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
Where the hell was that noise coming from, though…? I strained my ears to hear it better; I hadn't really heard something like that in ages, but nonetheless, I recognized it. It sounded almost like rain falling into a gutter, but it wasn't raining… I listened a bit more carefully; determined to name it.
Drip… Drip… Drip… A dripping faucet; that's what it was! My eyes widened, and I blinked sleep out of them; glancing around the living-room. I smiled; realizing that Carla had left the room as the floor beside the couch was now deprived of her slender sleeping form, I hope that Travis didn't come back, I suddenly thought, deciding that her leaving the room might have a darker side to it. I cringed at the thought of what the two of them could be up to upstairs if he had indeed returned… Shaking the images out of my head, I stared at the television across the room from me, and smiled when I found it to still be tuned on to the same channel that Carla and I had been watching before I had fallen asleep; now showing some low-budged horror flick from the early 40's or so. My hands flew across the red carpet; searching for the remote. Snatching it up from the floor at long last, I promptly flipped the television off; Just like when we were kids, I realized, yawning again.
I let the slender remote fall back to the floor once again, and rolled back over onto my side in order to drown out the unbearable sound, Drip… Drip… Drip… Strangely enough; as if by magic, the sound intensified, which left me feeling the urge to scream in order to attempt to make it stop from reaching my ears.
Drip... Drip... Drip... Well, it was no use; I simply had to investigate into the origin of the very annoying sound. I kicked off my covers, stood, and stretched; I figured that it was coming from the upstairs bedroom, so I quietly began to tiptoe up the stairs to see if my plausible hunch was indeed correct; when I entered the long hallway that led to the bathroom, I found that Carla's parents had put some new carpet in-- just like they had wanted to. I smiled, and continued to walk; the annoying sound continued, though with less ferocity now; it seemed content now that it had dragged me away from the comforts of my sleep.
I paused, unsure behind which door the bathroom was, and then I remembered: 'Third door to the left,' Carla's voice echoed from so long ago from the occasion when I had asked her where the bathroom was nearly ten years before… I smiled at the memory, and at last stood outside the door.
Drip… Drip… Drip… the sound continued as the bathroom door swung open ajar. I pushed it fully open, and wandered inside; catching a glimpse of the billowing clouds of steam issuing forth from the bathtub, despite the fact that it was pitch dark. I flicked on a light-switch, and my eyes immediately adjusted to both the light, and the white fog that was swimming before my eyes. I breathed in the steam deeply, and felt nothing but pleasure as the sweet fragrances of apples and roses entered both my mind and body; causing me to forget the sound that had brought me here, and filling me with complete want.
The fragrance was intoxicating… Simply intoxicating.
I continued to breathe in the vapor, and then closed the door behind me; forgetting to lock it. In an instant, I had thrown off all of my street clothes, and had plunged into the warm, steamy water. I did this without giving it more than a second's thought. It was almost as if the fragrance was controlling me-- luring me into the bathtub.
I shut the faucet off, as the tub was full, and my spirit seemed to exit my body as the water purified me of age-old sins that had been committed ages ago; nightmares and uncertainties seemed to melt away as long caked-on dirt and grime washed away at long last. The year of living on the streets seemed to disappear along with everything; D'Nalge, the death of my fiancé-- even the deaths of my beloved parents… even fears of shaskas and destiny were now no more. The entire universe now seemed nonexistent as I purified myself in this rebirth, and yet, the sound continued although I had shut the faucet off, yet now, it no longer bothered me.
Nothing mattered anymore… I was free.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
The sound continued as I washed my hair, and yet I continued to pay no attention to it; lost in my own fantasy world where nothing troubling had ever befallen me, I was myself again. I wasn't the Beatrice who sought truth anymore. I was carefree-- happy, even; an adjective that had seemed long gone for so long instantly returned.
Crrrrrreeeeeeaaaaaaaaaakkkk... The door opened suddenly and without warning, just as I finished scrubbing out the gray dirt that had managed to hide away in my fingernails. I paid no attention to it-- although there now seemed to be a shadow hovering over me, "Carla?" I called, blinking shampoo out of my eyes, "Is that you?"
No answer.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
"Evening, Beatrice," a male voice suddenly whispered from behind me, and my heart instantly froze in my chest with fright.
The dreamlike atmosphere of the moment had suddenly turned nightmarish, "Travis?" I screamed, turning to face him, and sloshing water around in the tub, "Get away from me," I hissed the warning, but he ignored me, and ventured closer. He smiled a wicked smile, and I screamed an animal howl of fury as I fought to hide myself from him, "Get the fuck away from me," I warned again, suddenly wishing that this was all a dream, and I would wake up millions of miles away in a cold sweat.
He continued to approach me-- my mind buzzed with panicked questions that I knew would not be answered: What was he doing...? Why was he here...? Where was Carla, and why was Travis smiling that dammed smile?
"I'm naked!" I screamed, panicked; trying once again in vain to hide myself in the clear water.
"It doesn't matter," he replied, and a single word flashed through my mind causing my blood to run cold: RAPE. Was that why he was here? My heart beat with intense ferocity, and I felt my forehead beginning to sweat.
His eyes widened, "Oh, no, Beatrice," he whispered, almost sarcastically, "You need to grow up. You may be pretty-- no, let's face it. You're fucking gorgeous, but that is the farthest thing from my mind," his smile widened, "Unless that's what you want."
"You filthy little pig," I hissed, still frightened, "Get out. I'm nake--"
"It doesn't matter," he replied, shrugging his shoulders, "or at least not for you it doesn't… For you, my dear, nothing will matter soon."
And the sound continued, as if doing its best to add to the overall madness of the evening. That damned sound would not let up, not even for a second; Drip… Drip… Drip…
"What do you mean?" I asked, frightened, staring into his dull brown eyes, as he steadily walked closer towards me.
He smiled coldly, "Haven't you guessed that by now, Beatrice?" he asked, as a small dagger clattered onto the floor beside him; my eyes grew steadily wider, and he nodded, meaningfully, as I understood. The little bastard was going to kill me.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY!" I screamed, trying desperately to find a way out of the bathroom that avoided Travis and sure death; I stared above me; there was a window; it was less than a foot in both width and length-- there was no way in hell I could crawl out, and the only other way out was through the door. That was an impossibility as well. I realized the truth: I was trapped, "CARLA!" I wailed, hopelessly.
"She can't hear you," Travis whispered, smiling that sickening grin of his, "Not anymore, I mean."
"No!" I insisted, not wanting to believe the horrible truth-- not wanting to believe what had happened to my dear best friend practically right under my nose, "No!" I whispered again, frightened, but it was already so clear what had befallen her…
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded, as the sound continued, and at last, I realized what it was.
"I have my reasons," he replied, smugly.
Drip… Drip… Drip…
"Why are you doing this to me?" I repeated, as his hands inched closer towards my neck, ready to strangle me.
I screamed.
There was blood-- blood everywhere.
There's blood on his hands! I realized, frightened. Dark red blood was dripping from his large hands, and into the water, turning it redder by the second; my rebirth quickly becoming a death.
"Don't!" I begged, as his hands came to rest around my trembling neck, "What did you do to her," I asked, panicked, although I knew the answer,
"Only what I'm about to do to you," he whispered, "although I must confess, Bea… I'd prefer stabbing to drowning any day."
"Don't do this to me," I whispered, trying to mask my panic with crazy calm, "don't. Please."
"Don't beg me, Beatrice."
"I'm not begging with you. I'm try--"
"You stupid little bitch," he hissed, slamming my head against the back of the bathtub with incredible force; I gasped as blood issued forth from my mouth, and joined Carla's in the water, "don't grovel at my feet like the little slut that you are, Beatrice. You're dying tonight, like it or not. Just like that whore, Carla. Before you die, I'd like you to know someth--"
"No," I whispered, "No!" I screamed, and attempted to jump out of the bathtub. It was now or never. I had to get away from the murderer. I kicked at him, not caring that I was exposed anymore-- only holding onto the slight hope that I could escape from this duel alive. I grabbed for his hair-- his face-- his eyes-- anything, but it was useless, for he seemed to strike back with cat-like movements each time my hands narrowly grazed his skin. He had grown stronger throughout the years-- or I had grown weaker. I was not entirely sure; he was no longer the same boy I had known back in my school years; He has changed, I realized, almost howling with crazed laughter at the irony of Carla's words, "Please, don't--" but I could no longer speak, for his hands had once again wrapped themselves around my neck, and this time, they weren't resting at all. His eyes narrowed in hatred, and his grip tightened as he began to choke me. Everything began to fade away; It's over, I thought, in a faraway voice, This is death… I felt his hands pushing my head back into the warm, bloody water, until I simply could not breathe anymore. The scent of apples and roses now mingled with blood caused me to vomit a bit into the water, as I wished I had never returned here. But I can't let him win, I gasped for air, but it was useless. My lungs had already begun to fill with the water; How can he be doing this to me…? I wondered, but there was hardly any time left to wonder… I hated death. Death was everywhere and everything. Life continued to fade away…
Drowning was the most painful thing I had ever experienced before in my life-- the most painful thing that I would ever experience.
I closed my eyes, But I cannot die without a fight, the faraway voice repeated, and everything came back into focus-- but only for a moment; I stared into Travis's face, an despite the bloody water, I saw and heard everything clearly. I wondered what he meant as his lips formed the last words I would ever hear, "Remember this, Beatrice: Nothing is ever as it seems," and, his eyes yellowed and narrowed in utter hatred, while a forked tongue issued from within his mouth-- but only for a moment, and then it was gone again.
I wondered if I'd imagined it all.
But there was hardly any time for thoughts; my life was slipping away. There wasn't any time to fight. I had to give in-- give in to death.
I closed my eyes; I didn't want to see the bloody water any longer; I didn't want to see the look on Travis's face; the way he seemed so triumphant-- the way as if he seemed to be gloating the same way he had gloated when he had scored higher than me on an AP Bio exam years before…
I choked on the water.
I could not feel anything anymore; my memories left me. I wasn't anything anymore. I could not think at all. My mind was wiped blank, and then... complete darkness.