Hello my lovely readers! We are back with another chapther!
Before we start, I have been getting questions from you guys so let's dice in!
What is Audie's favourite type of flower?
She loves roses but during the spring she white tulips
What is Audrey's favorite holiday?
She has fun with all holidays, but she loves Christmas the most, especially putting up a cute Nutcracker set
Would Audrey like to swim with dolphins?
Yes! She's hoping to do that sometime on vacation!
I love these questions! They're so fun! Please feel free to keep asking!
When we last left Audrey, she found out that Saltbaker double crossed them and the Devil kidnapped her friends!
Can she help them?! Let's find out!
Let's continue our story...
Chapter Fifteen: The Jaws of Defeat
(Audrey's POV)
After a few hours, we finally arrived back to Inkwell. The thing was we landed near the abandoned Mausoleum in Isle one. While I was happy to be back, I had to focus on the task at hand. The boys and Chalice gave me a hug and good luck before I departed. The nice thing was as I made my way towards the entrance to Isle two and three, the Die houses were gone, much to my relief.
I guess that after the Devil's defeat, they were taken down, giving people a better and safer way to go from one Isle to the next, without having Dice to stop them.
It kinda reminded me of the Troll Under The Bridge story, where people were scared to travel across the bridge due to a mean nasty troll waiting underneath to attack. Luckly, I passed with ease, but still felt a tension in the air.
As I walked through the Isles, I so desperately wanted to hide somewhere, like in SugarLand with Bon Bon, the caves near Grim's tower, Sally's theater or even on the Phantom Express. But I knew that wouldn't do my friends any good.
"If the Devil knows that Josh is my fiance, he might hurt him or worse." I thought as I walked past the theater. "I have to see if I can find common ground with him, but knowing him he will do something drastic if I'm not careful."
I then crossed the tracks and came to a halt, as I looked upon the cave entrance with the red carpet, engraved with words written in gold
Try your luck.
I gulped. I began having flashbacks on when I first saw those words, back in my scribbler days. Man, I was scared going in then and I'm scared going in now. I know the circumstances have changed, but it was still the same playing field.
Well, minus the fact that I didn't have to see the manager first. That would be stressful.
"Ok, into the lion's den I go." I muttered.
Then, I walked in.
I was surrounded by the same darkness as I made my way through the cave before I saw a dim light ahead. It got brighter and brighter until I stopped dead in my tracks, gazing at the enormous building before me.
The Devil's Casino.
Same design, same threatening feeling, same owner.
Just seeing the building itself made me have a lot of PTSD at this point. I remember before confronting Dice, the boys had me shrink down to hide me in their pocket, only for the Devil's goons to kidnap me and brought me to their boss.
That was pretty terrifying.
But I needed to focus. This was a matter of life or death, and I do not want to choose the latter.
"Ok, let me think; if I was a demonic freak holding my friends hostage and was using them to get to me, where would I have them?" I wondered out loud. "Casino? Being held individually by Dice's staff? Dungeon? Casino."
I then started heading towards the Casino doors when a thought came to me. It was a bit of a risk but I had another idea on where they could be.
"Maybe somewhere else…" I muttered.
I then headed towards the Devil's tower, which I realized looks like a king pawn in a game of chess, and found the doors unlocked. I hoped someone forgot to lock up and not do this for me.
I reached the main doors, grabbed the handle and took a deep breath, my voice shaking.
"Ok, here goes nothing." I stated.
I opened the doors and slipped inside.
After climbing the long staircase, I reached the doors to the throne room. Sheesh, I've been gone for a few years and he still has the same style.
Guess some things never change.
I grabbed the door handles and pulled to open them. I peeked inside and to my surprise he wasn't there. Granted, I was glad, but he normally resides here or in his office so he and Dice could discuss business or scams.
The good thing was, I was right. My friends were there. I could see their wrists were chained to an iron handle on the ground, and they were in boy-girl order.
I nearly jumped. It looked very similar to the drawing I made.
Ok, that is beyond crazy to think about, but I didn't have time for that.
I slipped in, closed the door behind me, and rushed to them. As I approached them, I saw two thrones instead of one. Next to his, there was a white throne with a gold outline, and a small footrest of the same color and design. It wasn't as big as his, but almost a good size for…me.
Ok, getting reeeally bad vibes here.
Turning my thoughts from that, I rushed to my friends.
"Audrey?!" Sasha gasped as she saw me run to them.
"Guys! Are you ok?!" I asked, being a few feet from them.
"Audie! You need to leave now!" Josh warned me.
"Please, it's dangerous here!" Sasha begged.
"You'll get caught if you do!" Steve argued, tugging at his chains.
"Please get outta here! It's a trap!" Lexie stated.
"I couldn't leave you guys here! He could have hurt you!" I protested. "Where is he anyway?
"H-he just left to get something." Sasha trembled, her lip shaking.
"Ok I have some time. Ten minutes tops, if he's discussing business." I claimed, looking back at the door.
"Audrey I love you but you need to leave!" Josh protested. "It's for your own good!"
"Josh, I thought I lost you. I can't lose you again." I argued, placing my hands on his shoulders. "I'll get you out and besides, like in school and work, I love working ahead."
I then grabbed his chain and pulled and tugged, but they wouldn't budge. Man, he really wanted to keep them from escaping.
"Argh! It's stuck!" I grunted. Taking a deep breath, I claimed "Ok, no worries. I can work with this. If there's another thing I know, when you have a pen and paper, the sky's the limit."
I opened my bag and started getting my pen and notebook out. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the ominous shadow that was right behind me.
The rest took notice and boy, they were scared.
"Uh, A-Audie…" Sasha choked out.
"Hold on. I need my pen…" I muttered, still looking in my bag.
Then, Lexie screamed out,
"JESUS CHRIST, AUDREY! HE'S BEHIND YOU!"
"Huh-?" I started, as I looked back at their terrified faces, when suddenly, a dark, deep and terrible voice replied behind me
"Well, well, well, look who's home."
I felt a shiver go up my spine. I knew that voice from real life and in my nightmares all too well.
Dang it.
I turned around, looked, and boy was I scared. Standing behind me was the Devil himself, with a terrible sickening grin on his face. The only difference about him was the cracked horn, serving as a reminder of his defeat against me and the Cups.
"Hello, my pretty Audrey." he sneered, waving his fingers at me.
I think my blood just turned ice cold and my heart began beating harder and harder in my chest.
Finally, after a second, Josh cried out "AUDREY, RUN!"
Wishing I would have listened to them earlier, I tried to make a dash for it, but he was faster, grabbing my wrist and pulling me back.
"No!" Josh shouted, seeing as I was struggling to break free.
"Ugh! Let go of me, you overgrown alley cat!" I shouted, pulling to free myself. Man, did he have a grip on me. But if I'm being frank here, I have to say this is ten times better than being small and his tail wrapped around me. Still hate being captured, but I don't miss being the size of a mouse.
"Not this time!" The Devil snickered. "You're not leaving me!"
"HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Lexie screamed at the Devil.
I had to give her points for doing that. I was not as brave as she was, shouting at the Devil like that. I guess that's what happens when the Devil messes with a Christian like her.
"Sorry, Lexie, but you don't give the orders around here." the Devil taunted. "This is my casino."
As I continued to squirm, I could tell the rest, mostly Lexie, wanted to do something, but with the chains holding them back, they couldn't do anything but struggle and watch.
Just then, I heard Lexie yelp a bit.
I looked and saw Dice who had wrapped his arms around Lexie, her chains removed from her wrists, and walked with her, struggling from the group.
"Oh, don't worry, toots. You'll get a comfy spot with me." He sneered.
Oh, COME ON!" Lexie screamed in frustration, annoyance and a bit scared.
I nearly jumped. He had her in his grip, the same way in my dream.
"Wait, that's not right." My thoughts pondered. "This came after my friends fell. What's going on?!"
Pushing that thought aside, out loud, I shouted "Dice! You leave her alone!"
"Sorry, dollface, but she's all mine now!" Dice taunted, his grip getting a bit tighter. "Can't let a pretty thing like her slip by me."
"Indeed, and I won't be letting you slip by me anytime." The Devil leered at me with half-lidded bedroom eyes, which made me really uncomfortable to see. "Now, since you're here, let me get a good look at you…"
He then pulled me close to him, with me practically hitting his chest, as he wrapped an arm around my waist with one arm and cupped my chin with the other claw.
I was practically, and forcefully, staring at his yellow eyes. Again, having major PTSD. I remembered when I was first brought to the casino, I was in his office, and he looked at my eyes. I felt so much fear and terror that I actually thought he was gonna kill me. Even though he didn't, thankfully, he was desperate to have me.
And this was no different.
"There, much better." The Devil cooed at me.
I could barely breathe. I was so scared.
After a bit, he asked "Now, tell me, my pet. Did anyone ever tell you how pretty your eyes are? They're so dark and mysterious, makes one want to look closer at them…"
I saw him lean closer and I grew more terrified, as I trembled and squeezed my eyes shut, feeling tears of fright slip down my face.
"Awwww, no need to cry, my sweet little Audrey." He crooned. "There's no need to be scared."
"Hey! Stop that!" Josh finally shouted. "You're making her nervous!"
"Just wanting to get a good look at my lovely." The Devil argued, lifting my chin up a bit, my eyes still squeezed shut. "I haven't seen her in such a long time, I almost forgot what her eyes look like…"
"Ugh! Y'all are SICK PERVERTS! BOTH OF YOU-!" Lexie started shouting, but Dice then clamped a card over her mouth, before wrapping his arms around her again.
"Whoa, whoa, toots. Don't ruin this for the boss." Dice chuckled. "He misses his gal sooo much."
"She is NOT his gal!" Sasha snapped. "And I don't care if he hasn't seen her for a millennium! She's not interested!"
Lexie then muffled angry yells, as a way to agree with Sasha. While I was thrilled to have my pals be on my side, I was still scared at this point. Then I felt something long, and scratchy wrap around my leg. Oh, gosh, he has his tail around my leg! Gross!
If this was supposed to make me calm down, he's wrong!
"Come now, my sweet. Show me those pretty eyes of yours…" He leered.
I could feel his hot breath on my face and at that point, I had enough.
"Argh! Let go of me!" I shouted, trying to pull myself from his grip.
Then, I managed to shove myself away from him, with his tail not tripping me in the process, thankfully. I smoothed out my dress, wiped my tear stained face, and took a huff of annoyance.
The Devil arched an eyebrow of concern, not so much annoyance. "Temper temper, no need to be upset." He claimed. "I may be the Devil and enjoy a snuggle or two, but I am a proper gentleman, respecting a woman's boundaries."
Steve gave a scoff before he sarcastically replied "Oh, yeah sure. You're soooo nice about threatening her. Wow, I should get lessons."
I couldn't help but giggle. That was pretty funny of him to say.
Lexie rolled her eyes. Not at Steve's comment but more with the Devil's, while giving a muffled groan.
Sheesh, that has got to be uncomfortable.
Turning my attention back to the Devil, I snapped. "Look, I didn't come here so you can flirt with me! Leave my friends alone and tell Dice to release Lexie!
"I would, but he gave me a convincing argument not to." He shrugged. "Besides, I won't be setting them free until you agree to marry me."
"N-no! I won't! I don't love you!" I shouted.
"But you know that I'm madly in love with you." He sneered. "Besides I was rather surprised you'd choose someone like…him, for pete's sake." He gestured over to Josh, who shot an angry glare at him.
Ok, not gonna lie, I kinda feel like I'm Princess Peach, who's in love with Mario, or Josh in this sense, and wants nothing to do with Bowser, aka the Devil. I guess this is what I get for playing too many Mario games growing up.
"For your information, Josh is the best thing that's happened to me!" I argued. "He's kind, sweet, generous and tries his best! You are a selfish, horrible freak who makes people feel small, so you can feel bigger than everyone!"
My friends nodded in agreement, as I sternly crossed my arms across my chest.
The Devil pondered it over for a second before replying "Hmmm… true, very true but, uh, he does lack one thing and that's power! You're seriously going to waste your time with second best than with me, who can give you all your heart's desires and wishes?"
Excuse me!? Josh, second best?! Oh, that is just low for him to say!
"He's not second best!" I shouted. "And yes, I want to be with him, not with a heartless monster like you!"
"Oh, but my little lovely, don't you remember that you already agreed to be my bride." He sneered, caressing the edge of his pitchfork.
I arched an eyebrow. What was he talking about?!
"Uh, when did I ever agree to marry you?" I asked, annoyed.
"You sure you're not confusing your creepy fantasies now?" Sasha called out, which made Steve and Josh giggle a bit.
Even Lexie snickered a bit under her gag. I had to admit, even under these circumstances, that was dang hilarious.
"Amusing, Mrs. Evans, but no. I'm referring to when she was here, as a scribbler." He stated. Turning to me, he asked "Don't you remember while the boys took on my manager that I ambushed you and brought you here? Where you signed that contract…?"
I thought hard about that moment, trying to remember that day…when it came to me.
I remember being small in his grip and he threatened me to sign the contract so he didn't burn the sketchpad. While I kept my end of the bargain, he dropped it in the fire and then, forced me to accept his marriage proposal.
"What?! No! That time didn't count!" I protested. "You forced me to sign that contract and used your powers to make me say yes!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa back up." Josh chimed in. "What happened?"
Oh, right. They only got a snit bit of my adventures here. Guess they don't know everything that happened.
"During my travels, before the boys took him on, I was captured and he threatened to destroy my sketchpad if I didn't sign my soul contract." I explained. "While I did, he backstabbed me and forced me to say yes!"
"Which means you have to marry me since you agreed." The Devil pointed out. "Might as well save yourself the trouble and tie the knot with me."
"Ew! No! And in case you forgot, I burned my contract so you down own me!" I snapped. "Deal with it!"
I hope I got my point across because this was getting me nowhere.
However, things got worse.
Much worse.
"Hmmm… very well I guess you leave me no choice but to do…this!"
He snapped his fingers and within a second, the group fell through trap doors, screaming. Now, I was nervous, especially since that happened in my nightmare. Even Lexie was startled by that. I raced over to help them, but the Devil grabbed my arm, holding me back.
"GUYS! Are you ok?!" I shouted, my voice shaking a bit. Oh, gosh! I hope they're ok…
Just then I heard Steve call out.
"Yeah. Yeah, we're good. Just, hanging around."
There were groans of annoyance from Josh and Sasha.
"Lame." Josh stated.
"Seriously? Bad jokes now?" Sash asked, a bit irritated.
"What?! What?" Steve asked.
Ok, they were ok. Maybe that was just his way of scaring me, and trust me it really did. But I kinda failed to see the point of this. Why drop them like that if they're just going to dangle like that?
Just then, there was a low growl.
Oh no. That can't be good.
"Uh, Steve? Please tell me that's your stomach?" Josh asked nervously.
"Uh…no?" Steve replied.
Lex looked at Dice and then at the group in concern. They were up to something, but what that was I couldn't tell ya.
Dice, as though he read her thoughts, replied to Lexie. "Oh, don't worry, sweet cheeks. You'll get a front row seat to this."
Just then, we heard a roar from below, followed by Sasha screaming and Josh shouting
"AHHHH! HE RELEASED THE KRAKEN!"
"Ok, first, best line ever. Second, AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Steve cried.
"A k-kraken?!" I gasped. I knew the Devil had a variety of demons and other monsters, but a kraken was something I never thought he could have.
Great, now all I need now is that scene from Star Wars, where the group had to avoid the deadly Sarlacc pit. In this case, we had to avoid a demonic-kraken pit.
I could tell by Lexie's face two things; one, that she was scared for the group, and two, she wanted to say that line. If that gag wasn't on her, she would definitely say that.
"Huh, it must be hungry. I'm sure he'd be ok having a bite of your friends." The Devil grinned at me. "I can, however, stop this…when you say you'll marry me."
"No!" I shouted, pulling at his grip.
"I'm giving you a fair chance, my darling. Marry me or your friends will become lunch for my monster." He warned me, his voice sounding a bit threatening.
I began to panic. He really wanted to kill them, especially Josh, considering he sees him as a 'threat.'
"Don't do it, Audie!" Sasha cried. "SAVE YOURSELF!"
"You know you don't love him!" Steve reminded me. "Get out while you still can!"
"I love you more than life itself!" Josh called out. "GET OUT AND SAVE YOURSELF!"
Now, I am more stressed than I ever felt before. My mind was racing, everything happening at once and trying to decide what I should do, while panicking about my friends. Not only that, but I was remembering what the angel and demon warned me about, recalling the fact that my dreams were actually visions of possible future events. Could this be it?
Then, I heard Sasha give a blood curdling scream, as she was shouting that a tentacle wrapped around her leg.
Things were going from bad to worse until I couldn't take it much longer.
"STOP! STOP! OK, OK, I'LL DO IT! I'LL MARRY YOU! JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE!" I screamed, tears sliding down my face.
"NO, AUDREY!" My friends cried.
"AUDREY, NO!" Lexie screamed through her muffle.
The Devil gave a nasty grin at me. "That's more like it."
He snapped his fingers and levitated the trio out, closing the trap doors, and dropping them to the ground.
Then, everything was silent. The only thing that made noise was the heavy breathing and panting from the group as well as myself. I have faced a lot of terror before but that topped it. Taking the whole cake and frosting with it.
"That, was scary. More than we faced last time." Sasha gasped.
"I'll never eat seafood again." Steve muttered.
"Ditto." Josh nodded.
While I was thrilled to see them alright, I knew the terrible choice I made. Since he had to keep his end of the bargain, I had to keep mine. I had to marry him, whether I wanted to or not.
And I really didn't want to.
I then slipped from the Devil's grip, and rushed to my friends.
"You guys ok?!" I asked, as I hugged each of them.
"Yeah, just startled." Steve gasped. "Whoo, that was scary…"
"Audrey, please don't do this!" Sasha begged me. "You'll be miserable here!"
"But knowing you guys are safe, will be the only thing that keeps me going." I stated, my throat feeling tight. "I couldn't let him hurt you. If he did, I would never forgive myself."
"Audie please… don't do this." Josh begged me, tears sliding down his face. "I'd rather be eaten than see you marry that fink."
I felt my heart turn hard and extremely defeated. I know I was looking out for them, and wanted to help, but now, I feel like I just dumped him for someone worse.
Tearing up, I claimed "I know, I know, but I didn't want to lose you. I mean, what was I supposed to do; ignore the letter and go home, knowing you'd be killed? I know what he's capable of doing and it's not something to take lightly. What will I tell my folks? Your family?"
He looked at me, knowing I was right. I knew the risk going into it, but having me explain to my folks and my future in-laws that Josh was dead, that would be very, very hard to explain.
"You all are important to me." I trembled. "I can't lose you guys…"
There was a pause before Josh asked.
"If you are going through with this, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course, Josh. What is it?" I asked.
"Promise me…you won't forget me…or the guys."
"I promise, and I promise I will never, ever stop loving you."
I then lightly placed my hands on Josh's face, giving him a kiss. I wanted to make sure I felt his lips on mine… but then I felt the Devil grab my arm and pull me away from him.
"Alright enough of that. Your true fiancé is waiting for you." He reminded me, wrapping his arm around my waist.
Sasha glared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "You're sick, you know that!?"
"Thanks for the reminder." He gloated. "Good to be me, isn't it?"
I heard Lexie give a low growl, her mouth still gagged. Clearly she was ticked.
The Devil then announced to me "I'm glad you finally came to your senses, my darling. It'll be nice to have a little wife and queen in the casino. It'll take time for you to get used to things, but you'll learn to love it."
If I'm being honest, I don't think I'll ever get used to living here, especially living in fear and terror. I will hate every second of being queen and a permanent resident of the Casino.
Looking down sadly, I asked. "J-just promise me you'll leave them alone…?"
He lifted my chin and replied with a sickening grin "Oh, of course. They're no use for me anyway. They will be set free after the wedding. Can't let anything happen between now and then."
I hung my head in defeat and simply and sadly replied with
"…Very well."
"Good. Now, one more thing…"
As if I didn't feel any more humiliated and defeated, he grabbed my wrist with one claw and slipped off my engagement ring with the other.
"You won't be needing this anymore." He sneered, as he made it disappear in flames.
I felt my heart rip in two. My ring was gone. That was the one thing that showed I was engaged to Josh.
It was gone in a single moment.
"No….no…." Josh trembled, dropping to his knees in defeat.
Lexie at this point was getting angrier by the second, as she restlessly tried to break free of Dice's grip, but I could tell she was getting tired. All that squirming around with not a lot of space to move. I know that feeling.
"Now, since that's all out of the way, why don't you get some rest?" The Devil asked me. "You'll need your energy for our wedding, which is in two days.
I looked up, surprised. "Huh? But I-" I started, but he cut me off.
"What? Thought I was going to marry you right then and now? As much as I would like to, I knew you'd be running around Inkwell for a while and could use some rest."
I felt him slide his claw down my cheek, making me flinch a bit. Gosh, I hated it when he did that. Made me feel like I was a pet to him.
"Besides, you look very exhausted and could use time to unwind." He added. "I want to see my bride all ready for her wedding."
He then called out "Dice!"
His manager, along with Lexie, approached him, being a few feet, and set Lexie down, who removed her gag, and ran to wrap me in a tight hug.
"You called, boss?" He asked in a sickening tone, taking a bow to his employer.
"Escort my fiancée and Ms Luthor to her bedroom." The Devil ordered. "Make sure they get some rest before the big event."
That got me. Wait, he wasn't going to release Lexie?! That wasn't part of the deal.
"What?! No, Lexie stays with the guys." I argued, holding Lex in a protective position.
"Well, Dice and I had a little, chat, and we both decided she'd be better off staying with you." The Devil replied. "She will be not only your maid of honor, but your lady in waiting."
"What?!" We cried out.
"No way!" Josh shouted.
"She stays with us!" Sasha argued.
"Don't drag her into this!" Steve growled.
"Y-You're outta your mind!" Lexie snapped, her voice shaking.
"No, not really, and besides, I think it'll help you both in many ways." The Devil claimed. "You can stay close by, making sure she stays calm and doesn't try anything stupid. You don't want her to have a panic attack, do you, Lexie?"
Lexie looked completely distressed as he asked her that. Something told me in the back of my mind Dice had this "suggested" only to be an excuse to be near her, especially since he had a few attempts to woo her over.
After a second, she looked down in defeat as she replied "...No."
"Then it's settled." He sneered. Turning back to Dice, he ordered "Escort them to my fiancée's bedchamber, and make sure she gets time to recharge before the wedding. I'll have a room ready for Lexie momentarily."
"As you wish, boss." Dice replied.
Smirking at me, he took my hand and gave it a kiss, much to my disgust, and then extended his arm out.
"Shall we, dollface?" He asked, grinning wickedly.
Without saying another word, I linked arms with him, and the three of us headed out of the room. As we were nearing the doors, I looked back at Josh, as a few imps were removing their shackles and were about to move them back to the dungeons.
I gave Josh a "I'm sorry" look, just before the doors slammed shut.
I hope that's not the last time I'll see him.
Shortly, after passing down several hallways, we finally arrive at a set of large double cream doors with golden handles.
Twenty bucks say that this is the door that leads to my new bedroom.
Dice took a key from his pocket, unlocked the doors and opened them.
Sure enough, I was right.
The room was a large area with white walls and a gold trim that had pillar-like outlines, a brown tile flooring with a circular rug, consisting of an elegant rose embroidered with leaves and petals. There was a canopy queen size bed with purple covers and pillows, white poles holding up lacy curtains. Near the far end of the room was a large vanity holding various perfumes, makeup products and a white foot stool for me to sit on. To the left of me was an oak closet that has black handles and a crown like design. There was a small fireplace near a small bookshelf with novels, and antiques. I saw another door, probably one that led to the bathroom or something, and a white dresser with multiple drawers and silver handles. There was a glass door near the bed with a pathway leading towards a balcony outside and diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling.
I hated to admit this, but this was a pretty cool room, despite the fact that the Devil himself made it for me.
"Here we are, a room fit for a queen." Dice sneered as Lex and I stepped in. "Now, get some rest and if you need anything, just ask."
"I'd like you to leave, please." I choked out, not bothering to look at his disgusting face.
He gave a shrug. "Eh, suit yourself."
With that being said, he then headed out and closed the door. Lexie was ticked at this point and slammed her fist on the door.
"Ugh, that JERK!" She growled.
I really didn't pay attention to all that. In fact, I was so numb I couldn't think much about anything. With all that had happened in a matter of minutes, I felt completely defeated and completely humiliated. So much so, I was overwhelmed by tons of emotions, rushed to the bed, fell on it and began to sob.
Hard.
"Oh jeez! Audrey!' Lexie gasped.
She then rushed over, sat on the edge of the bed and began rubbing my back.
"Hey, hey... it'll be okay."
"I'm sorry Lex! I-I shouldn't have come!" I wailed. "This is all my fault! And now I'm gonna marry him and not Josh! And-and he shouldn't have done that to you! This is all my fault!"
To be honest I don't usually cry like that. The last time I cried like this was when my grandmother passed away. There wasn't anything traumatic about her death, but she and I were very close and losing her was really hard, almost like a piece of me was gone.
"Why is this YOUR fault?!" Lexie asked. "Dice is the one who did all this!"
"I-I should've done something! I feel so humiliated!" I sobbed, my face buried in a pillow. "Now I'm gonna be married to that freak, and I'll never see the guys again… and, he-he took my ring…"
"Ok first of all, that was LOW! Did you nab us?" Lexie asked. "Did you hold us hostage?"
"…No?" I replied, looking up with sad eyes and tears streaming down my face.
"Then it's not your fault. The DEVIL was the one who did that junk to us, so it's his and that blockhead's fault." Lex reminded me. "It was them, not you. DON'T let anyone tell you differently!"
" I-I know I just, I feel bad that you're all in this mess." I recalled. "I was just hoping to send a message to the boys, and now look where I've ended up. Josh must hate me now…"
"That's not true. Josh has been nothing but worried for you since we've gotten in this mess." Lexie reminded me. "He loves you very much, and I bet he loves you STILL!"
"You think so?" I asked, sitting up and wiping my face.
" I know so. And...the wedding is in, what'd he say, two days? So, that's plenty of time to come up with an escape plan." Lexie assured me, lightly grasping my hands.
"I hope so." I mentioned. I took a deep breath. "Man, now I know how Princess Peach feels when she's in this situation. Great, the Devil is the big Bowser wanting to marry me, Peach. Now I just hope that Mario, er Josh, helps me."
Lexie couldn't help but giggle. "Honestly, if you're Peach, I'm Daisy. I need me a Luigi right bout now."
"Yeah, though would Dice be Kamek? Or some other loser?" I asked, holding back a laugh.
"Pfft! Basically...or Tatanga." Lex laughed. She then paused and gasped, as if she thought of something. "Omigosh I just realized something! Tatanga is a purple alien, and Dice wears purple...ya bet that's a coincidence?"
"What?! No way! Oh why didn't I see that before!?" I chuckled.
"Oh Jesus, I'm literally Princess Daisy…" Lexie sighed, as I doubled over laughing. Soon she started laughing too. "Now all I need is to wear a yellow dress and a dude in green to be my boyfriend and I'm all SET!"
We did find the whole thing funny as well as ridiculous, thinking that we related to Mario characters and used people like Dice and the Devil and compared them to villains. Who knew they would be similar in so many ways?
"Yeah that sounds right…" I giggled. After a second, I took a deep sigh. "Sorry for crying. A lot happened too fast and I'm still trying to process the whole thing."
"Dude, it's totally understandable! I'd be crying too if I was forced to be the wife to that muppet crackhead." Lexie mentioned.
"It'd be worse if you married Dice." I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"Ew yuck...what's with that guy anyway? He's always hitting on me for no freakin' reason." Lexie shuddered. "Still mad he tried to kiss me when we first met."
"Oh, that's right. Really sorry about that. Totally uncool of him." I mentioned.
"Dice should be sorry, not you." Lexie reminded me.
"No, I just feel bad. You're 19 and shouldn't be going through this now. It's not fair." I stated.
Lexie paused for a second before taking a breath.
"I dunno what to say there, Auds. Dude's a creepo. Honestly, I've had people hit on me as young as 16."
I looked surprised. "Really? Wow, I'm so sorry that must have been hard…"
"I remember I went to Mexico last year and some dude came up to me asking if I had a boyfriend." Lexie explained. "I was stupid enough to tell him no, cause tell the truth, and he kept pressing me. Thankfully I was firm telling him no and he walked away. But still...nothing like what Dice did."
"Wow, that must have been hard." I stated. "To be honest,I kinda had it rough too. I was teased a lot in school."
"Same. I grew up with autism and eczema, so those things became a target of bullying. Nothing major, but they isolated me from me and some called me names." Lexie claimed.
I had to admit that was something I didn't know. I know she told me about the difficulties of holding a job, but this was something new.
I felt bad. No one should be treated like that at a young age.
"Oh jeez…I-I'm sorry about that. You know, if it makes you feel better, people made fun of me calling me Alice instead of Audrey since Alice in wonderland is one of my favorite stories." I mentioned.
"Why on earth would they make fun of you for that? It's a great story!" Lexie reminded me.
"Because I was too curious about stuff and they made fun of me because I was shorter than everyone. They would say "Oh, did someone drink the potion from Wonderland or were you always that short?" Argh made me so mad." I groaned.
"Ugh...I swear people find stupid reasons to make fun of people." Lexie grumbled. "Like, get a life."
"Yeah…" I trailed off, looking to the side.
After a second, Lexie piped up. "I feel like it's 'cause they have crap home lives, and they feel powerful hurting others. I don't understand it, but power is addictive."
"Agreed, and you-know-who just loves using it to hurt people and get what he wants." I grumbled.
"Yep. That guy puts Elmo to shame with the amount of crack he's on." Lexie mentioned.
I nearly snorted at that comment and began to giggle.
"Sorry, the way you said it was funny."
"Doesn't he though?! Like take Elmo from Sesame Street, drop him in some ditch off Elm Street, and give horns...BAM! Ya got the Devil we're dealing with." Lexie grinned.
"No no I'm with you on that one." I mentioned. I then took a deep sigh. "I just hope we can come up with a plan and fast…"
"Agreed." Lexie nodded. She then slipped off the bed and began pacing around the room...trying to think of something.
I laid on my back and took a sigh. I know I felt defeated at this point, but I couldn't give up!
I had to find a way to get Josh, the rest and myself to safety. I know I told the boys not to come, considering I needed to do this alone, but I needed their help more than ever.
But getting a call for help from a place like this is anything but simple, especially with this place crawling with creeps and other monsters.
I had to plan this carefully. If I'm not, I would doom my friends.
I couldn't let that happen.
Whooo boy that was intense! But this is bad! Audrey agreed to marry him! Hopefully she and Lex can come up with a plan to escape! I would not want to be forced to marry the Devil! *Shudders*
Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review but let's avoid the flames please :D