"Murder you?" Once-ler asked incredulously, then he just laughed a little. "That's ridiculous. Who told you that crazy stuff?"
They were in the dining room. Eugene was staring daggers at him. Here he is sitting in one of the chairs without a care in the world and acting like what he tried to do yesterday didn't happen.
"Rapunzel did," he said sternly. "She told me and tried to strangle me to death. I had to blind her with chemical solution to stop her." Saying those last words hurt him. "She wasn't in her right mind. You have her under your spell."
"Oh, come on," Once-ler dismissed. "I'm not some evil sorcerer." He walked into the kitchen to grab a cup from the cupboard, came back, and poured warm coffee from his portable mug. "You're probably confused. Besides, I don't know who this Rampion girl is."
"Rapunzel," Eugene corrected.
"Gesundheit." Then he took a nice sip of his coffee ignoring Eugene's death glare. "Maybe she fell head over heels for you so hard, it drove her into a bloodhungry rampage." Even though he didn't show it, Eugene was baffled that he could downplay the murder attempt.
"How about some coffee?" Once-ler offered. "And don't worry, I didn't poison it." He pulled a plate out of the bag and removed the wrapping. "Chocolate chip cookies to go with it?" he tempted. "I've made all this as an olive branch and an apology for your suspension. Man, who knew letting you take those pics of me would cause all of this mess? Just toppled like dominos. And who knew Professor Ritchi was behind you all along?" He soon took a bit of a cookie. "Freaky coincidences."
Now Eugene can definitely tell he was rubbing all he's done in his face "Funny how you call those coincidences. I don't recall coincidences being calculated."
Once-ler then saw the pictures of different backgrounds in his room and walked into it intrigued. "Wow, did you take these beautiful pictures?"
"No," Eugene replied flatly following him. "They were gifts from a friend."
One particular picture caught his eye: the La Sagrada Familia. "Hmmm. I see your friend likes Gaudí. Have you ever traveled to Spain before?"
"No, I haven't," Eugene replied.
Once-ler shook his head. "Well, you're missing out. It's a great place. Before I came to the US, I lived there. Although Paris was my birthplace. Right in Barcelona, my family and I lived in this beautiful mansion designed by Gaudí. It was my dad's greatest treasure. May he rest in peace. Did you know he used to be a famous actor?"
Eugene was unfazed as Once-ler continued. "My grandma used to be an artist and buddies with Picasso. I have a picture of them at my house." Then an idea came. "Hey, when you have time, how about seeing the picture at my house? If we leave now, you may even meet my mom. I've told her all about you and she's dying to see you someday."
Disgusted is an understatement to Eugene. It was just lie after lie and me me me from this guy. If he agrees to go to his house, God knows what he'll do to him.
"Kind offer," Eugene replied. "But no thank you. Something doesn't feel right."
"What doesn't feel right," Once-ler asked confused. "Are you still doubting me?"
"Don't you think what your saying is sketchy?" Eugene accused. "Not to mention fake? Gaudí and Picasso? I call bullshit."
Even though Once-ler was listening, he refused to look Eugene in the eye while he was still talking.
"I'm no psychologist," Eugene continued. "But I'd wager that you're some sort of pathological liar. It is a form of illness." Then he smiled defiantly. "In short, you're not right in the head."
There was a minute of eerie silence, which felt like time was frozen. "A form of illness?" Once-ler whispered trembling. "Is that what you said?"
"And there it is," Eugene declared. "Your true colors: a selfish, lying monster. Those pics everyone saw captured Mr. hot shit's hideous true form."
"Eugene Fitzherbert," he said with quivering rage in his slowly rising voice. "Did you, just now…. fucking called me a monster?"
Eugene began to be scared when Once-ler turned to him. The tall man's hands were shaking, and veins started to pop out! And my God, the eyes! They were filled with blind anger! They became almost bloodshot, and the pupils shrank!
"Did you," he repeated seething. "Fucking call me – Me! – hideous and monster?!"
Eugene expected Once-ler, who was now hyperventilating with rage, to slaughter him then and there! Instead, a few seconds later, the beanpole was clutching his head and groaning loudly! He looked like he was in pain as he dropped to his knees, causing his hat to fall off, and began scratching the back of his head! "No, no!" he screeched! "Don't you dare!"
Seeing this hot stuff squirm made Eugene scoff. "Oh, give it up!" he complained. "You're just putting on an- "
Just then, something caught his eye. There was a white spot appearing where Once-ler was scratching. At first, he thought it was a bald spot. If only it was! What was there was another eye! Bloodshot and moving!
Outside, the sisters were still waiting when they suddenly heard screaming! Did something happen to their Once-ler? It was Eugene backing up out of the door, terror-stricken! They jumped to conclusions and thought he had done something to their beautiful man!
"¡Hijo de puta!" Luisa growled. Eugene didn't have time to react when she punched him clean in the face, landing him on the ground! "What did you do?!" she bellowed! He was able to hold her fist to stop her, but she was much stronger than him! He was met with punch after punch!
"Once-ler!" Isabella shouted as she rushed into the room! Then she heard his cries of pain! "It hurts!" She ran into the bedroom and found him kneeling and clutching his head!
"Once-ler!" she said and knelt. "What happened?!" He refused to look up! "What's wrong?" She was about to touch him, but he smacked her arm away, knocking her off! "Don't look at me!"
When she got back up, she was shocked at what was before her! Not only was he whimpering from the pain, but as soon as he looked up, a grotesque swell came out of the side of his head! It looked like his face, but there were a few strands of hair popping out with eyes without pupils and the tongue sticking out!
"Don't just stand there gawking like a goddamn fish!" he cried! "Get this disgusting swelling off me and burn it! Now!"
Once-ler screamed as a meat cleaver stabbed between him and the swelling causing blood to spill! "Careful! That hurts!"
Eugene's wrists were tied to the leg of his bed. His face was in pain and black and blue, but he was too terrified at what was before him to care. Luisa was chopping off the swelling, making the beanpole groan sickeningly with each chop, while Isabella was holding the rest of him down to prevent him from squirming! He, the girls, the walls, and the paintings were coated with blood! It was a barbaric mess that lasted until sunset!
"Don't you dare die on me!" Luisa panted as she kept chopping.
"¡Por favor, Once-ler!" begged Isabella. "Stay strong!"
After a few chops, Once-ler made one last agonizing scream, and with one final chop, his head, swelling included, was completely cut off!
Both girls were panting when the job was done. "It's finally off," panted Isabella.
"We've removed it," said Luisa. "Just like you wanted."
Suddenly, Isabella screamed! "He's headless!"
"This can't be happening," Eugene whispered with fear.
"You should've noticed while you were cutting the swelling off, Luisa!" Isabella shouted.
"Me?!" Luisa retorted. "You should've noticed! What do we do now? We're killers!"
"Relax," calmed Isabella. "As long as no one saw us, we'll be alright."
Then they gasped and remembered something! They were so busy taking care of Once-ler that they forgot about one witness: Eugene. Seeing him pretending to be asleep, they became paranoid.
"Quit pretending to be asleep," hissed Isabella.
"You saw everything, didn't you?" interrogated Luisa.
"No," he whimpered softly keeping his eyes closed. "I saw nothing."
"Lies," she spat back. "There's someone watching us. I can feel it!"
"Me, too," agreed Isabella. "You probably took pictures of the crime with your camera! You know photo editing, so you made Once-ler look like a monster!"
"That's why he invited you to his mansion: to have us kill you," admitted Luisa. So he was right about the invitation being sketchy. He still wanted him dead. "Once-ler's the most handsome creature on the face of the earth."
"Luisa," piped in Isabella. "He knows too much. Now's our chance to kill him right here, right now!"
While the girls interrogated and plotted, the eyes on the growth began to roll back, revealing blue, bloodshot eyes. Then the eyes turned right at the group.
"Luisa! Isabella! What the hell did I just tell you?!"
The sister turned and gasped. Even Eugene opened his eyes in fright. The growth was talking! It sounded just like Once-ler, but the voice was distorted.
"Burn it off!" he screamed angrily. "Burn off this revolting swelling or that thing will wake up again! Fucking hurry!"
The command snapped the girls out of the shock. "Right!" they both said.
Eugene, on the other hand, was absolutely petrified. The growth on Once-ler's head was real, the girls chopped off his head, and now the swelling was awake and talking! It was too much to take in, and next thing he knew, he fainted.