*Ana*
Who is screaming? I vaguely recognize it. Someone was screaming. The voice was high and shook. It sounded horrified and unhinged.
Make it stop. The screaming is too loud. It hurts my ears. Why won't anyone make her stop screaming?
I cover my ears, but it does nothing. It still sounds so loud. My hands can barely block the sound. It's muffled, but like I put my head underwater.
"Ana-" The scream suddenly stops when a hand wraps over my mouth. I feel their other hand circle my waist and pull me in. The arm tightens, and I shudder. I looked up and found it was Mykhol. He's looking down at me.
"Cousin," My voice is soft and almost lost as a broken whimper shakes my chest. My legs lose form, and I lean against him as my eyes turn back.
"No, don't look," Mykhol tries to cover my eyes now, but moving from my mouth just gives me the chance to scream again.
"Ah!" I scream. I scream from the very bottom of my stomach as tears flow down my cheeks. I don't need to see it because the white box floats in my head.
This can't be! A shudder rips through my scream as I grow mute. There could be no way Nicoli's kitten was-
"Nicoli," I pull Mykhol's hand back without much fight. He only holds onto me as it suddenly becomes clear.
"Your kitten," I turned and found him. "Nicoli," I strain against Mykhol's arms.
"No, let me go," I fight against his arm. "Let me go, I need to go-" I must comfort Nicoli. He must be in pain.
I need to go, But just as I dig my nails into Mykhol's arm, I see Nicoli. He doesn't look at me. No, he's stepping back. He puts his head into Father's leg to hide his face.
"Nicoli?" The name rushes from my lips and dies. Nicoli won't look at me.
But why? Why won't he look at me? I open my mouth to call his name again but find my voice gone. I can't speak. I can't do anything but look after Nicoli.
Why won't he look at me? Please, look at me. Please!
"This is what we could find left." King Alexander stirs. His voice is distant and cold. The blue eyes that once held joy now reflect over the box before growing sharper as they turn onto the kneeling maid.
Abina whimpered on the spot. She seemed to shrink onto the floor. Her arms encircled her legs, and she cried.
"Abina?" I'm not sure if I speak or Mykhol does. But Abina cringes when she hears her name. I hear a loud sniffle before she holds herself tighter.
What would any of this have to do with her?
"Why is Abina here?" I don't feel myself speaking, but it's my voice. My lips are moving as if governed by some other head. I, however, don't feel confident if I am still in the room. I don't know where I am.
I know what I see, though. I see the box still in Julia's hands, and Abina crumpled over. Something is clicking behind my eyes as if trying to connect the two as if to say why the two would have in common. But the connection is faulty. What do these two things have in common?
"Who?" The air grows still as the words drop from my lips. The question is starting to take shape. I can feel it on the tip of my tongue.
My eyes rise to find Father and Nicoli again. Father opens his mouth as if he plans to speak but then thinks better of it, or maybe he doesn't need to talk. He closes his mouth again as if his silence were enough.
Nicoli, meanwhile, shifts his head away from Father's leg. A quarter of his face is free to see. I watch a fat and silent tear fall in a heated path down his cheek.
Nicoli. I watch and drop my hands. It suddenly doesn't seem like I have the will to fight anymore. I can't do anything. Nicoli is crying, and I have no strength. I am helpless.
"Julia," Queen Belinda seems still focused. She motions with her hand, and Julia closes the box. Julia steps back with it to disappear back to where she came from. The smell of death leaves when Julia does.
"Who did this?" I pause to catch my breath. A tremble runs over me and stays under my ribs. It burns and slides into some small hollow below my heart.
"Who killed Nicoli's…." I can't even say it. It's suddenly too painful. Whoever did this had hurt Nicoli. They had hurt Nicoli, and he was suffering.
No one hurts Nicoli. My pain sharpens like a needle. My fangs clenched as I suddenly wanted to scream again. But it's not because of pain or sorrow. I want to cry in anger.
Someone had hurt Nicoli, and someone had dared to hurt my Nicoli. My eyes burned through my tears as I glared at the one person who seemed to be the only one who could answer.
"What kind of monster could do this?!" My voice is more robust, and baby fangs sharpen. I growl and clench my entire body as if to fight.
Whoever did this to Nicoli will pay!
"I said, WHO DID THIS!" I snap and pull away from Mykhol to stand alone. I look at everyone in the room. I accuse everyone with my eyes.
"I said WHO!" I watched the crowd shift. People who smiled after just last night now averted my eyes. They cringe and grow pale. They no longer whisper or speak. It's like they are afraid of me all over.
"TELL ME!"
Without a word, heads began to turn. They fixed their gaze in one direction. I slowly followed their gaze to find it next to me. They were looking at Abina.
"You?" I blink with disbelief. My anger dies as I see the maid shift.
"I didn't do it!" Abina suddenly lifts her head with tears."I never killed that cat!" Her eyes roll in her head as if searching. She's desperately looking for someone to believe her. But in the end, she finds me.
"I would never!" Abina's eyes are wild with fear. "Please, your Empress. I'm being framed. It wasn't me; it's-" Abina's eyes dart to Mykhol as if to say something, but whatever it was, never got out.
"Silence!" Mykhol kicks the maid, and she cries. Abina quickly fades back into herself as if scared of Mykhol just as much. But she keeps her eyes up to find me. I see her stare back at me with pleading tears.
"Abina, " I ask, expecting her to shake her head. My stomach tightens, but it doesn't feel like an act. I don't think she's lying. But then, why would they think she did? Something twitches behind my head as if things aren't adding up.
"She is one of my maids." I regard my Father first before falling to the only one who seems sure of it, my stepmother.
"What is your reason to accuse her?"
"Your Empress," Mykhol interjects to rush for my hand, "This morning,-' But whatever he wants to say is overwhelmed by King Alexander taking a step forward.
"After Nicoli woke up to find the kitten, we found a blood trail leading to this maid's room."
"Nicoli found the kitten?" My face falls as I relive the horror of just seeing the box. But it was because of Nicoli now.
Did he find the kitten? The pain and horror he must feel, I can't bear to think how it all must have been. I suddenly want to rush over and hug him all over again. But Mykhol's hand stops me.
'Don't' I catch the warning. I want to fight Mykhol, but I don't think this is another of Mykhol's whims. There is genuine concern in Mykhol's stare. He is serious. In the end, I can only look back at Nicoli.
"Searching this maid's room," King Alexander goes on, surprisingly calmer, " we discovered her bed covered in blood."
"You sound so sure," Mykhol scuffs. " How do you know she did this?" Mykhol raises his voice as if indignant again.
"Anyone could have killed that-"
"The blood was completely drained." Queen Belinda cut over. "There's only one thing that could do that."
Stepmother didn't say anything anymore but gave us a pointed look. It was easy to read what she meant. Even without the word, her grey eyes practically screamed it out.
"A vampire." I stiffen at the accusation. She means only a vampire would be this cruel.
"Yes," Her eyes shifted from Abina to stay on me.
"I didn't do it!" Abina cries again. She scrambles to her feet. She wobbles and falls back, but this doesn't stop her. She crawls to fall directly in front of us. "Please, you must believe me, I would never-"
"Be quiet," Mykhol immediately kicked her back by the shoulder. Abina cried in pain, but this didn't stop her from crawling back into place. Her hands are above her head, praying for mercy. But it is now my turn to hear her pleas.
"Your Empress! I didn't kill it. I wouldn't. Believe me!" Abina waves her hands together as if in fervent prayer. "I don't know how my bed was like that. I just woke up to guards bursting in. After that, I was dragged here and accused-"
"Shut up!" Mykhol moves his hand to slap her. But just before it can, I step to be in his way. He freezes up.
"Ana, what are you?" Mykhol lowers his hand as if never having a thought to hit me. I doubt he ever would, and he would lose it if he did.
"Speak honestly," I turned to direct my question. "I want to hear it directly from you."
"Did you do this?"
"No, your Empress." Abina doesn't even miss a beat to answer. She reaches for the hem of my dress. When she does, it pulls it slightly off my shoulder. I must have missed a button somewhere.
"Let go of her." Mykhol hisses through his teeth but not before giving my shoulder a long look. He is not the only one.
"Ahem," Mykhol catches them and quietly moves to pull it back up.
I don't think she did this. I don't think anyone guilty could act this well. I feel her tears are sincere. Abina is a vampire. But she isn't this kind of monster.
But I can't prove that. I already know. I can't say I don't believe it. There is more than enough reason to say Abina did. They found her bed covered in blood.
Regardless of what I feel, Abina looks guilty. And with a quick look around, I can see everyone's cold faces. They think she's guilty, too.
"The culprit is caught red-handed. That is clear." Queen Belinda clears any possible doubt. Her voice is firm enough to command everyone's attention. Her grey eyes almost look like she's smiling as she speaks again.
"She needs to be punished."
"Punished?" I repeat as Abina cries—a rigid rock forms in my stomach. Is Abina going to be punished?
"Please," Mykhol scuffs beside me. His hand rests on my shoulder to prevent my sleeve from falling again.
"For eating a cat? Don't you all eat meat? It's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?"Mykhol then winked at me.
He's trying to help. He must think Abina is innocent as well. I'm not alone on this. I feel myself lift a little.
"I think you're taking this out of proportion."
"That cat was kept inside Nicoli's room." Queen Belidna's voice hardens. "Do you realize what that implies?" And just as quickly as Mykhol smirks, it shrinks.
"That…" Mykhol's face drained of color, and I widened my eyes at the realization.
"She could have harmed my son."
"Shit," Mykhol's smile is long gone, and I can feel myself grow cold. I only grow colder as I see those grey eyes find me again. The implication rings in my ears as if she were accusing me instead.
What happened to the kitten could have been Nicoli instead.