Alarm bells blared inside my mind. Holding onto the docile child mask was becoming increasingly difficult, but I stuck it out and asked her with a naïve expression, what we were doing there.

She didn't answer, just kept up that smile that was now looking strained at the corners. She opened the door and all but dragged me inside. I took one glance at the tasteless, gaudy decorations and felt dread settle in my stomach. There was no one aside from us in the room at the moment, but this was by far enough proof to make me smile wryly on the inside.

I was led right towards the huge four poster in the middle of the room. Her grip on my hand was tight now, as if she was scared I'd bolt. I guess she wasn't completely daft.

With a bruising grip on my narrow shoulders she hoisted me up and placed me firmly on the side of the bed.

By now her express was beginning to look less like a smile and more like a painful tightening of the facial muscles.

"Now, Kaoru," she said giving me what she was probably sure was a "motherly" smile, "I want you to stay here for a while, Mommy will be right back."

I simply nodded in response, because I was ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure that should I open my mouth something utterly scathing and sarcastic would escape. My eyes discreetly flicked to the doorway... Still no sign of anyone. My hand clenched in the duvet.

She straightened up and spun on her heels to walk towards the door. Her movements seemed so stiff and unnatural, like a robot, that I almost had the urge to laugh if it weren't for the intense degree of disgust I was currently dealing with.

She slipped through the door and it closed behind her with a click that almost echoed in the silence of the room.

Now, if I were an actual child, this is where I would be frantic and confused about what was going on, but I'm not... so when the side door that I assumed led to his study opened and, predictably, Richard Verne stepped into the room, all he got was a blank stare.

I didn't even want to analyse the way he was leering at me like a starving wolf that cornered a limping rabbit.

It was simply another variable that I didn't calculate: the woman was using me like a sacrificial lamb in a futile attempt to keep this... this man's favor. Clearly, my finding myself in this situation was as a result of me mistakenly calculating Claire's thought process as one would that of a properly functioning human being. Somewhere along the line I forgot that she was just as much a waste of space as the thing currently looming over me with twitching fingers.

Slowly, almost giddy, he knelt in front of me, breathing heavier than an old plough horse too. The putrid smell of days old alcohol and pipe smoke on his breath made my nose burn.

He was blathering senselessly; I chose not to listen after he made a particularly sickening comment about the texture of my skin. I instead slipped my hand into my right pocket and looked at the door again for a sign of anyone.

Still no one.

I sighed in annoyance.

When his hand landed on my left thigh and began to rub obscenely, I ran out of patience.

My left hand shot out and grabbed a handful of his hair as my right hand emerged from my pocket gripping a toy figurine of a knight with his sword held in a salute. Without a moment of hesitation, while he was still stunned by my sudden action, I rammed it straight into his left eye socket, sword first.

There was only the slightest resistance before it sliced straight through.

"GAAH!!"

Immediately, he jerked away screaming and howling in pain. He staggered before falling to the floor on his ass. He flailed his hands frantically around the protruding part of the toy knight, not knowing what to do. For an improv weapon it worked perfectly.

Leisurely I slid from my perch on the bed, walking around the screaming, writhing mass on the ground. I slipped out the door and made my way, calmly back to the playroom running into Maddie halfway there. She frantically checked me over apologizing a mile a minute for not being present to hear the bell go of in the servants' lounge. It seemed it was heard by a scullery maid who fetched her from the kitchens. She then rushed here just now to be told by Ronnie that Claire took me away.

After assuring her that I was fine I took my seat on the fainting couch once again, both of us ignoring the audible screams from somewhere else in the mansion.

"Maddie," I said, patting Ronnie on the head as she seemed spooked by the screams.

"Yes, young master?" She urged seeming eager to repent for failing to come to my aid earlier.

"There's been a change of plan," I said slowly. "Forget the first plan and proceed with plan B."

"Of course, young master." I took a moment to marvel at how the round, kindly face of my wet nurse somehow become bloodthirsty at the flick of a switch. She swept out of the room with the practiced gait of a predator.

Satisfied, I returned to placating a confused Ronnie. I had no choice but to push things ahead now.

I would simply have to play my part of the innocent child to the fullest If any questions were asked.

I was jerked awake by fingers digging into my shoulders. It took me a moment to realize where I was. I had fallen asleep curled up on the fainting couch with Ronnie once the adrenaline had worn off. It couldn't have been more than half an hour at the most.

"Wha--"

Another jerk had me standing unsteadily and Ronnie being sent sprawling to the floor with a yelp.

"YOU!!"

I recognized that screech. Looming over me with an expression twisted with rage was Claire. Her makeup was a mess and her hair was dishevelled.

I opened my mouth to shout but a cold hand immediately clamped over my jaw. I was half pulled half dragged from the room, with Ronnie hot on my heels, alarmed and frantic. I squirmed and flailed madly, but sadly her strength stat was still higher than mine.

I was dragged through one of the side doors and into the falling snow barefoot.

'This woman only ever has strength for the wrong things,' I thought distantly as my small frame was dragged past the tree line.

After being dragged until my feet started to feel numb, I was suddenly tossed onto the frigid snow-covered ground. It broke my fall, but the heat instantly began to seep from my body, so I made to get up, only to be pushed back down by the weight of Claire's body slamming down onto mine. Her hands gripped my neck and squeezed tight.

I fought for fear life as the mad woman above me screeched like an unholy banshee.

"YOU, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!" Her nails bit into my skin and my own nails left deep bloody tracks on her forearms as I clawed at her trying desperately to get air into my lungs. "I LOST EVERYTHING THE MOMENT HE SAW YOU!! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD I TRIED TO GET TO THIS POINT?!! I SACRIFICED SO MUCH!! I DESERVE THIS!! IT WAS MINE!!" Her grip tightened as her breaths came out in huge puffs of white. Her mascara left pitch black tear tracks down her cheeks, and only added another level of wildness to her appearance.

I picked up on another voice over Claire's mad ranting. It was Ronnie's crying. So, she followed us all the way out here it seemed. I couldn't really see her well past Claire's curtain of dark hair but by the sound of things I assumed she was bawling her eyes out.

And this is how I found myself in my current predicament.

"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THIS DAMNED FACE!! YOU SEDUCED HIM I KNOW YOU DID!!" At this point she seemed to be trying to convince herself.

My vision was darkening and my struggles becoming weaker. My lungs were on fire.

Suddenly Claire jerked as if from impact and she lost her grip on my neck. Her body weight also left me as she staggered to her feet. Freezing cold air came rushing into my lungs so quickly I began to hack and cough. At that moment I decided that breathing was one of my all-time favorite things in the world to do.

I looked up to see Ronnie with a fist full of Claire's black tresses and another tiny fist pummelling madly at Claire's back while still bawling.

With a noise of frustration Claire managed to free herself before lashing out at Ronnie who was thrown back into a gnarled old tree. Her head made a sickening smacking sound against the bark. When she didn't get up, I immediately felt sick with dread.

"Ronnie?!" I choked out, but she didn't so much as twitch.

The madwoman's gaze snapped back to me. Her eyes were completely crazed beyond logic. Her pale face, messy hair and smeared make up made her seem like some kind of wraith.

I was still gasping for air and unable to stand as she advanced five steps through the snow in my direction.

I crawled backward away from her trying to think of a way to get myself out of this situation when suddenly a crisp 'deng' sound rang through the air and Claire slumped into a heap in the snow.

Her sudden drop from my field of vision revealed Reggie holding a.... is that a serving tray? He lowered the pan and bounded right over Claire's body to my side.

"Young master, are you ok?!" His hands flew all over me trying to find any injuries. When his eyes landed on my neck, they amost fell out of his head and rolled away. He yanked on the braids of his wig fretfully apologizing over and over again.

"Enough!" I cut him off impatiently. "Veronica!" I coughed pointing to the still form of my younger sister.

When his eyes found her small form at the base of the tree, he immediately rushed over to scoop her up.

"Take her back to the house," I gasped out doubled over with both hands on my knees. My feet were numb by now and I was hoping to god that I didn't end up with frostbite.

Maddie and Luke were next to come running into the little clearing.

""Young Master!"" They said in unison. I waved of yet another round of apologizing. It's not like any of them could have predicted Claire suddenly going crazed off her mind.

Maddie swiftly picked me up from the ground and followed after Reggie jogging back towards the house. Luke somewhat reluctantly slung Claire's unconscious form over his shoulder before following.

"Again, young master, we are so sorry," Maddie said still apologizing profusely. "This is twice now in one day that I've failed to protect you. We were so busy proceeding with the plan that we forgot to secure Mistress Verne."

"Never mind that," I said firmly, "Veronica hit her head, have her looked at immediately."

"Yes, young master!" She said nodding vigorously. Reggie, hearing that, picked up the pace and full out ran towards the house.

"And have that locked up in a far corner of the estate where I can't see it." I indicated towards Claire's still form.

Luke nodded solemnly.

"Did you take care of the issue with Verne?" I enquired.

"Yes, young master, as per your orders." Maddie answered.

"And the clean up?"

"Already completed, young master."

"Good. Send someone into town with a few gold coins to fetch a coroner.... Preferably one that's easily bribed."

"Right away, young master." She replied as she ducked into the blessed warmth of the mansion.

I really hate when unknown variables pop up in a plan, but this time the end result is still the same. I was nearly strangled to death (for the second time) today. I narrowly avoided being sent into an even worse hell by that spiteful goddess too.

After all this happened, I just wanted to know if Ronnie was alright before going to my room to crash. I would have to wait for the coroner though.

The sooner someone took Richard Verne's broken battered corpse off my hands the better.