We are done seeing your looks, just get aside." saying so Stella and Diana rushed out of the room, causing Sophia to spin around. " Why are they too hasty? We have to leave after fifteen minutes. Stella just told us to stay in the rooms, then all of a sudden rushed like something was burning. Their manners are bizarre. Maybe I should follow them."
Stella brought out a bottle from the small refrigerator and poured water into the glass. " Oh, Stella, you grabbed a bottle with less liquid. The water bottles in the fridge are empty, it would take one hour to cool the refilled ones. We can purchase fresh water bottles in the market. Leave this half-filled in the refrigerator for uncle."
Without looking at the speaker, Stella said," No, it won't be, what are you talking about Diana". then she turned her head, only to find Sophia standing there with a warm smile.
" You? what are you doing here? you were supposed to be in your room, as I told you. And this water is not for me, it's for the uncle. He hardly drank water today, and might not open the fridge for the remaining night, I guess. So, I was just caring for him. Isn't it good?" said Stella in a light alluring tone.
Listening to her words, Sophia's eyes filled with tears. " Why are you crying, now?" asked Diana. Sophia rubbed off the tears with her arm and smiled," I was just impressed by Stella's hospitality. It rarely comes from her, but when it comes, it makes me feel proud of her. Can I give this glass of water myself to the uncle? I also want to serve him, because he let us stay here.
Listening to her plea made Stella and Diana's eyes bulge open. Then Stella put on a fake expression and began with her butterings," Dear, Sophia, I know your heart is oversensitive. I know you want to thank the uncle for letting us stay. But, dear, you have been working as a maid all these years, then why today too, you should act like that? Let me serve him, I also want to feel how serving others makes us feel."
Listening to such words, Sophia closed herself in deep thoughts while Diana continued to laugh quietly from behind. Then, Sophia shook her head in favour of her plea and gently returned to her room.
" You are a good actor too, I glimpsed today. You are multitalented, especially in the needy times," said Diana, in a sarcastic tone.
" Yes, I know. Now, no more wasting the time. I have drugged the drink, and I am going to serve it to the uncle in his room." said Stella, turning her gaze at Uncle's room.
Stella treaded slowly to the uncle's room, with her hand carefully holding a glass of drugged water. When she was halfway to the room, she spoke," Uncle may I enter?" to which she received," Yes, yes, come in."
As Stella entered the room, she sat on a chair beside the uncle, who was sitting on the bed with a quilt on. Stella spread the ends of her lips to give out a feigned smile. "Uncle, I have brought some water for you, please drink it."
As the uncle grabbed the glass from Stella's hand, he began sniffing through his nose, as he brought the glass to his nose. Then, slowly his eyes trailed upwards to give out an awkward expression as his gaze stopped at Stella." My nose can pick up the smell of something mixed with the water. What's in the water?" asked the old man grimly.
Stella's body started feeling anxious. Then, she spoke out," Actually, uncle, I mixed glucose in it. You appeared quite weak today, that's why. You know that glucose is good for our body, it energises it. Please drink it. Even I drink it daily, trust me." said Sophia, huffing light breaths.
" Okay I will drink it." smiled Uncle Joseph. As he gulped the drugged water, Stella kept looking at him with a serious grimace and crossed arms.
" Thank you for your hospitality, little girl!" the old man spoke in a low voice, which was hardly audible to Stella. She kept looking in the opposite direction, waiting for the old man to sink to sleep.
It was not lately that Uncle hit the pillow, with the glass in his hand plunging to the floor.
Stella grabbed it grimly and gave out a basilisk expression. " Anyone pricking spikes to our plot will have to undergo the same treatment." she quivered her lips upwards and exit the room.
As both the cousins kept talking with each other, Sophia came running with a strange expression." What happened to Uncle Joseph? why is he lying motionless? Is he well?" asked Sophia, without taking a pause.
" He is napping now. He was feeling quite lethargic, that's why I advised him to take a rest. We shall go to the car and drive to the market. Join me, girls." said Stella enthusiastically, while Sophia shrugged her shoulder." Everything might be alright. I think I am a bit gullible. Stella knows her actions, we should follow her.
As Sophia stepped into the truck, she gazed at Stella and Diana with suspicion." Are we going to travel in a truck? Did uncle grant you the permission?"
Stella kept rolling her eyes, with her hand hitting on her forehead. Then she turned her neck toward Sophia, without actually looking at her.
" You always have trouble with the situation. Maybe you should get down, Sophia. We would enjoy in the market without you. Is it fine?" asked Stella, narrowing her eyes at Sophia.
" No, it's okay. Sorry for suspecting you again and again. I thought you are doing something....leave it, my mind overthinks a lot, I need to rest my brain." said Sophia, with a blank expression.
" Yes, it overthinks a lot, especially when we have urgent tasks at hand, right Stella," asked Diana, with eyebrows lifting.
" Sophia, I think you should rest for a while. We will surely wake you up once we reach the market," said Stella, with her hands, clutched to the handle of the truck as she continued to drive on the windy, darker roads. Sophia obeyed her and slowly bent herself on the seat.
They arrived closer to the market. There were ten walks more to the market. Suddenly, Stella rotated the handle faster, leaving the market behind.
" We are not going to the market." chuckled Stella. " Yes, I know where you are taking us, Stella, especially Sophia, who is the main intention at present. We came to the mountains at our mother's order. Is it true?"
" Yes, we came here at her command, and I told you why. It's because she loathed Sophia and continues to do so. Her caring and affection towards Sophia, yesterday, was a play of deception. This was done to fool Sophia and compel her to go on a trip with us, where she would be completely wiped off. Poor girl! she couldn't understand that too much sugar altogether can lead to diabetes, a lifelong disease." smirked Stella.
" I guess she wanted to wipe Sophia off, a long time ago, but because of our father's existence, she couldn't execute this act. Father was considerate towards Sophia and we had to act casually in front of her. But today, finally, everything would be settled." uttered Diana.
Stella stopped on an area, covered entirely with dry, fragile bronze leaves. When both the girls lifted their heads from gazing at the leaves, they scoffed. Straight in front of them, there was a haunted palace.
It appeared darker than the actual darkness of the night. It was 35 feet tall with towers attached to it, slightly bigger. In the upper portion of the middle tower, there was a clock placed in the middle, hanging crookedly out of its spot. This palace had a total of five towers divided to the left middle and right. These towers were topped by a spire.
The story of this haunted palace was quite famous among the people. One who stepped in never returned. Not even their bodies were recovered by the civilians. There were armed forces to destroy this palace, but it absorbed all attacks. Stella and Diana planned to let Sophia enter this palace and experience death at the hands of a spirit, inside this palace.
"Where are we ?" asked Sophia, in a low tone, as she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and noticed Stella and Diana standing beside a haunted palace. " What are you doing there," implored Sophia, with bulging eyes and tensed expression.
" We are enjoying ourselves here, you also join us." chuckled Diana. " Sophia, isn't this the best spot for our picnic?" asked Stella, sarcastically.
Sophia got down from the truck and approached them. " You are inviting death, dear. This place is not safe for anyone. We should immediately return to the Uncle's house."
" We will not go empty-handed, Sophia. We will only return after completing our purpose. Promise me, that you will listen to our request now. If you didn't, we will stay here only." declared Stella.
" Okay, tell me the purpose you want me to perform," asked Sophia.
" And the purpose is, you have to go inside the palace and wave your hand at us, from the topmost tower," ordered Stella, making Sophia shocked. She was about to nod against the statement when Diana brought out Sophia's pendant from her pocket.
" What are you doing with my pendant," cried Sophia.
" You have no option, Sophia." saying so, she threw the pendant towards the Palace. The pendant broke the glass window of the top floor of the middle tower and slipped inside. Sophia stood there with eyes moistened. She was about to sob but controlled herself.
" Enter the tower and wave at us," spoke Stella angrily. Sophia stood there without uttering a single word. Then, slowly she paced her steps lightly. She would stop in the middle and again get preoccupied.
Her mother and father's last gift to her, inside the palace, needed to be brought out. But it sounded like nothing more than death bells to Sophia Watson.
Yes, she was Watson, from her parent's side. As Sophia treaded toward the big Grill gate, her feet stopped. She began caressing the gate grills and whispered gently," The keeper of this palace shall forgive me for entering his boundary. I just want a pendant, nothing more." saying so, she sobbed harder and opened the grill gate and walked towards the palace entrance.
Her movements again halted. She rotated her head to look at her cousin standing farther, with an indifferent attitude. Sophia's body jerked. Her heart began pounding and her stomach felt a heavy burden placed on it. She felt like an unfortunate sheep depositing herself at a butcher's house, while her fellows wailed not at such a condition.