Chapter 3: Wild inner thoughts
Eli flew above the city, observing the people as she neared her parents ' mansion. She banked once, twice, and then landed in the backyard with a soft flutter of her wings. She had to sneak around the house to avoid being seen - her family would not like it if they saw her flying. A white picket fence surrounded the backyard and was trimmed with roses and petunias. The grass was green and well-kept. The fence wall was the back side of her parent's house, which had been built in the Elven era six hundred years ago. The three-story manor stood like a castle in its own garden. Tall oaks and elms fringed the lot, with small bushes at their bases, giving the mansion privacy from its neighbors.
"It's alright. They will probably ignore me today." She nervously wondered as she walked home.
She arrived to find that the house was empty and quiet. She quietly opened the doors, trying to sneak into the house without being noticed by her parents, sisters, or brother.
However, when she walked in, she saw her brother, James standing at the top of the stairs. He glared at her angrily. "Why are you late?!"
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. "I- I'm sorry... I had work to do at school..." she lied, trying to cover up her real reason for being late.
James didn't believe her, though. "Bullshit! You were supposed to be here an hour ago!" he yelled.
Eli quickly tried to run out of the room, but her brother grabbed her by the hair, making her fall on her ass.
"Bitch! My laundry is dirty. Weren't you told to wash my clothes?!" Suddenly he grabbed her neck, slowly squeezing it.
"S-Sorry..." Eli apologized. Her brother's grip made it hard for her to breathe.
He then pushed her against the wall, pinning her down. "You better not fuck with your chores again!" he threatened.
'Kill him. Should I kill him? Let's kill him.' someone spoke inside Eli's head, commanding her to fight back.
"N-No..." Eli's heart was beating fast. Her gaze was frozen on the nearby umbrella. 'Stab him. Stab him right in the eye. ' the urge to pick up a nearby umbrella and shove it into Jane's eye was overwhelming.
Suddenly her brother dropped his hand, leaving her dizzy.
"Useless whore..." he grumbled as he walked downstairs.
Eli stood up, rubbed her neck, and stared at her brother. 'B-Bastard...'
She sighed before going up the stairs, hoping she could do her homework peacefully. However, when she entered the hall, she saw her mother, Eleonora, and little sister, Jane, arguing.
"Jane! How many times do I have to tell you? A lady shouldn't behave like this!" their mother scolded.
"But Mom! I wanted to help her clean my room!" Jane responded, obviously angry. "You shouldn't have fired that maid! Especially after I apologized!"
Their mother gave her a displeased look."You are a dumb child! Why did you apologize?! I warned you last time. I also warned Miranda about letting you clean. She would have asked you to leave if she wanted to keep her job!"
"Mom, please... I am sorry..." Jane started tearing up; however, she met up with a backhanded slap from her mother.
"Don't cry! You shouldn't feel sorry for her!" her mother said, clearly annoyed. "Especially when you're the reason she became jobless."
Jane leaned against the wall, crying. "I... I just wanted to help."
Eli couldn't take it anymore. "M-Mom? What's going on?"
Her mother glared at Eli for a moment and sighed, "It's just you. It's just a family matter. Go to your room."
These words broke Eli's heart, 'B-But I am part of this family ...' she thought as she gritted her teeth.
She gave Jane an apologetic look and started going to her room until she heard Eleonora calling for her.
"Eli. Wait."
Eli looked back and saw Eleonora walking towards her. Her silver hair waved as she stopped in front of her daughter. "I forgot something. We need to talk..."
Eli nodded and lay her hands down. "What's wrong?"
Eleonora sighed, "Your brother is becoming more violent lately. Did anything happen at school?"
"Uhh... He's ... Uh." Eli wanted to say that he was always violent, but she knew this would only anger her mother. "Uh... Nothing that I know of." She shrugged.
However, a voice inside her head started talking again, 'If you raised that piece of shit differently, he wouldn't be violent. Now would he?'
Eli shook her head and said, "No. Nothing happened."
Then she stormed off into her room and quickly locked the doors.
She placed a hand on her head and muttered, "What is happening to me?"
Meanwhile, the voice inside her head said, 'You should say, What the fuck is happening to me.'
The voice was hers, but she knew she wasn't thinking that. Or was she? Eli couldn't understand if it was her inner thoughts going wild out of stress or someone else breaking into her mind.
"W-What are you?" Eli asked with a trembling voice. She walked past the mirror but noticed something weird. Reflection of her was standing still, staring at her with a smirk on her face.
The reflection pointed the finger at herself and chuckled, 'Who am I? I am YOU! The real you, behind this good girl facade!'
With a gasp, Eli quickly turned around and ran out of her room.
'You can't run from yourself, you pathetic excuse of me!' a voice shouted within Eli's head.
She didn't want to listen to it and ran towards the kitchen. She needed water. But when she reached there, she found a new maid, Lara pouring tea for madam Eleonora.
"Miss Eli?" she exclaimed, almost dropping
the cup.
Eli gasped, "Lara! S-Sorry! W-What are you doing here?!"
Lara smiled and held the tray with tea and cookies. "I came to serve the mistress," she replied politely, but she was looking at Eli.
"Would you like some tea as well?"
A short girl in her twenties, with smooth skin and a flat midsection, had long hair neatly slicked back. Her glossy eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated kindness. Her bright voice and gentle manner were inviting. She was surrounded by a warm light that made her appear as if she was glowing.
'Is it just me, or is Lara fucking hot?'
"Th-Thank you..." Eli stuttered, feeling embarrassed by her inner thoughts. "Maybe later." She tried to make a break for it, but Lara's slender fingers firmly clasped her wrist.
Her eyebrows were knitted together in concern, and her mouth curved into a gentle frown as she asked, her voice heavy with worry. "Miss, is everything alright? It looks like you need someone to talk to."
'Yes. Let me cry on your shoulder.' Eli's inner voice said in a sad tone, pretending to weep.
"Shut up! Eli yelled out.
"I... Uh... I am sorry." Lara's eyes widened with fear as she stumbled over her words, her voice trembling. Her chin quivered as she tried to apologize, aware of the consequences that would befall her if she angered one of her masters. "I was out of line." she bowed her head low.
"No... Lara. Not you!" Eli lowered his eyes and clenched his fists, trying to will away the anger bubbling up inside. He exhaled slowly before releasing his hands and apologizing to Lara, "I am sorry, Lara! Of course, I would love some tea with you. Thank you." She forced a smile and cursed internally.
Meanwhile, her inner self was laughing so loud that Eli felt paranoid that Lara might also hear it.
'I am a fucking idiot!' her inner self continued. 'HAHAHA!'
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