A Marionette's Dream
One Year Later

March 17, 1892

This past year has been eventful, my fifteenth birthday has recently passed, and so has Aidan’s fifth birthday. We sadly still live with our whore of a mother. Last night she brought some bloke home from the pub, he smelled of the sea. Mother sent Aidan and I away for that night, Even now we have not returned home if I could help it I’d never go back to her. I’m tired of the senseless beatings we get, the sleepless nights due to her and her beaus a fighting all hours of the nights. I look down at Aidan as he tugs at my skirt, his brown eyes are wide with curiosity. “Scarlet why doesn’t mummy care for us?” He asks softly. I give him a sad smile, I place my hand on top of his head and say, “I don’t know Aidan. All I know is that we don’t need her.”

He just nodded and stared ahead, I sigh silently. I hate that he has to see that filthy slag act the way she does, our mother wasn’t always like that. She used to be a good woman, never raised her voice at us, and she would always have supper on the table. Now she always yells at us, a horrible human being, and only feeds her beaus to satisfy them. “My my how have you’ve grown Scarlet Afton.” A familiar rich voice spoke from behind me. I tensed and turned, there he was, Lucas Kane. The demon who saved my little brother from death, the demon whom I made a deal with.

I grip onto Aidan’s hand and stare straight into Lucas’s red eyes. The edges of his eyes wrinkled with mirth, “I hope you haven’t forgotten our arrangement milady.” He spoke softly. I look down and allow my black hair to fall over my eyes. I’ve never forgotten our deal, I just hoped that he had. “Please...let me take my brother back to our mother, I can’t leave him out here alone,” I reply quietly. He grins at me, “Why of course dear.” I pick Aidan up and hurry to our small house. “Scaret, who was that?” Asked my brother softly.

I chew on my lip nervously, I don’t know if I should tell him. “He was the nice doctor that made you better,” I replied. He gave me his brightest smile, tears flood my eyes. Oh how I’ll miss that beautiful smile, I jog up the small wooden steps to our home. I place Aidan down on the veranda and bend down to look him in the eye. “The nice doctor is going to take me away for awhile okay? I want you to promise me that if mummy ever hurts, that you will run.” I say softly as I choke back a sob. Aidan nods and makes a crossing motion across his chest. I kiss the top of his head and run down the steps, tears stream down my cheeks as I continue to run. I pray that he stays safe, I pray that I stay safe.

I ran back to the place where I had last seen Lucas. He was standing there, still in the noble men clothing from that year ago. “How was your one year my dear?” He asked. I choose to ignore him, I remember the consequences of the deal. I look up at him and look directly into his eyes, “What did you mean by me being your personal doll?” I ask with confidence. He grins widely, he reveals two rows of sharp teeth. “Why my dear, you’re going to be a marionette. Do you know what that is?” He asks softly.

I shake my head, father told me about them when I was three, but I do not remember what he said. “You’re going to be my puppet love, which means; I can do anything I deem necessary to you.” Lucas’s voice was deeper than usual. Realization finally sunk in, “You’re...actually going to turn me into a doll?” I ask quietly. He chuckles lowly as he twirls a strand of my black hair between is slender porcelain fingers. “I have such a lovely fabric picked out for you dear.” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

My screams rip through the darkness of the room, with each tear of my skin my screams grow louder. Lucas was enjoying my pain, he would taunt me, mock my screams. “Oh dear, these tendons will not do at all! I can’t have you moving around freely, now can I?” He says with a pout. The pain is so unbearable, with each tendon he ripped out the louder my screams went. My breaths came out quick, a gleam catches my eye. I flick my eyes over and see a needle in his hand.

“Now it’s time to make you into the perfect little doll.” His voice was unusually deep again, my throat was too raw from my earlier screams. With each stitch I could feel my vision slipping away, darkness was coming quick. I couldn’t hold it back anymore, darkness consumed me entirely. I groan loudly, I can feel my body swinging back and forth. I open my eyes slowly, I can smell my own blood. “L-Lucas...” I gasp quietly. I try to move my arms, but I can’t. ‘Oh yeah...he removed my tendons...I can’t move.’ I think tiredly.

“Oh! You’re finally awake!” Lucas sounded chipper, which was odd for a demon. I did not look up at him, everything was still hurting. “Look at me Scarlet, I allowed you to keep mobility in your neck.” He demanded. I force my head up, my brown eyes met his red ones. He grins at me and holds up a golden hand mirror. The sight of my face makes me feel ill, that cloth that is now my skin is soaked with my blood. A line of stitches cut across my face and neck, my black locks were replaced with black yarn.

“Look at how lovely you are, you’re going to make a great addition to the show.” I look at him with wide eyes, “S-Show?” I stutter out. He smirks and tilts my head up, a wave of pain runs through my body. “Yes, a show, the demonic circus is in Great London. I am the ring leader, and you are my puppet.” His voice is full of happiness. “W-Why is it in London?” I ask quietly. “To gather souls, of course, the young ones are so much better.” Bile rises in my mouth, he eats children, souls.

“Oh come now love! Don’t look so ill, you’ll be needing their souls too.” I couldn’t stop myself, the bile in my mouth spilled out onto the floor. My body shakes as I retch, my eyes widen in shock. It was black, “Oh dear it appears the demon blood has taken effect.” I jerk my head up, a strand of black yarn falls to the side of my face. “D-Demon blood?” I stutter out. Lucas smiles at me, he places his hand on my head gently and says: “I can’t have a mortal puppet now can I?”

I look down, I’m no longer human. He...H-He made me into a monster, a horrible soul eating monster! Something sweet filled my senses, I slowly look up and see Lucas holding a glowing white ball in his hand. “Say ah dear,” he says has he inches closer. I clench my jaw and shake my head, Lucas narrows his eyes at me. He grips my jaw and pries my mouth open, “You need to eat, this will go against our agreement.” Dread runs through my limp body. “You wouldn’t want me to kill your brother would you?” He whispered I shake my head. “Good, now eat.”

The soul tasted so sweet, it reminded me of the lollies that father would get for Aidan and me. The sweetness of the soul makes my mouth water, it makes me want more. Lucas’s laughter echoes around me, “I see that you want more.” He said. I simply nodded, I’m so hungry. Lucas gently strokes my cheek, “Your beautiful fabric is healing nicely.” He mutters. I look him in the eyes, he returns my gaze and grins. He trails his finger across the stitch on my neck, he’s admiring his work.

“You’re going to be extraordinary...my perfect little marionette.” He breathes if I could blush I would. Lucas holds up another soul and proceeds to feed it to me. This one is just as sweet as the last one, I lick my lips instinctively. Lucas chuckles and tilts my head up, “Your eyes has changed. Such a beautiful shade of blue they are, with each soul you consume the more beautiful you get.” He whispers. How did I get to this? How did I go from a normal teenage girl to this... a demonic puppet. “Our next show is this weekend, you’ll be making your grand entrance.” I stare into his red eyes, “I shall do my best master.”

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