BOOKSDRAMA Chapter 7
Chapter 7
I’m done here. Stellan, let me go or deal with the consequences, Carllan’s voice cut through the tension.
As Rupert Drayton’s son by his second wife Althea, Caellan was five years Elysia’s junior. Elysia’s mother had died suddenly just two months after she vanished.
Within half a year, Rupert had remarried Altea, bringing her daughter Rowena from her previous marriage into their family.
“Are you deaf‘ Release me!” Caellan’s voice rose sharply. “Looking at this witch turns my stomach.”
“Whatever else, she’s Dad’s daughter–your sister, Torin said, his tone sieri.
Bitter laughter escaped Caellan’s throat. “Please! 1 have only one sister–Rowens. That’s all
His words Tumbled out in a rush of anger. “This snake abused Rowena behind closed doors. She seduced Rowena’s fiance, then drugged her and had people.. aack her! From the day the came back, Rowena cried herself to s
He’d endured watching only to see her suffer, to feed his hatred. Now he’d seen enough. Rowena needed him at the hospital
A strange smile played across Stellan’s lips. Pasience. Caellan. One crucial memory remains. Then you’re free to go.”
Something in his tone hinted at a knowledge of an incident involving Carlton, but the young man missed it
To Callan, Stellan simply wanted them to pity Elysia’s tragic past, to excuse her crimes.
“Never! Rage colored Garllan’s voice. “She could die screaming and I wouldn’t flinch. You’re just like her ungrateful to the core. If Rowena hadn’t saved you both, you wouldn’t be standing here. Perfect match, really”
Whispers rippled through the studio.
Dr. Rookwood owes Rowena his life? Yet he helps Elysia? That seems wrong,” one said with disdain.
“Who said Dr. Rockwood is helping Elysia As if she’s worthy of his attention! He’s clearly doing this for science–merely showcasing his
research achievements,” another girl sneered.
Stella’s glance silenced them. He leaned close to Caellan, voice barely a whisper. “Did Rowena really save us Did you see it yourself?” He seemed to think the rope wasn’t tight enough, so he tightened it fractionally.
The question and constriction sparked fury. Cacau’s foor lashed out, leaving a large footprint on Stellan’s pristine lab coal
ink of yourselves as investors previewing my work. Watch, and you’ll leave
as promised
The cameras had cut during his first words, resuming only after Caellan stilled
As the stream continued, a new scene materialized a lush hillside overlooking vast wheat fields.
The livestream chat exploded with reactions.
[Wait–has she actually escaped” But why is she just standing there dazed?]
[Run, you idiot]
Elysia’s breath came in ragged gasps. Just as viewers expected her to flee, she tamed toward the wheat field.
From his corner of the studio, Caellan watched with growing disgust. “Pathetic Can’t even grab freedom when it’s handed to her, he spat, his voice dripping with contempt.
The cameras captured Elysia parting the wheat stalks, revealing two unconscious boys. Despite their din smeared faces, their expensive clothes marked them as outsiders.
Hold up–she was a quarter mile away. How’d she spot them?]
[What is she, some kind of superhero“]
[Those boys look weirdly familiar ]
On screen. Elysia hoisted one onto her back and carried him to a shallow cave. The smaller boy proved manageable, but the second, towering over her, proved too much. Her legs buckled.
10:48 AM ch
Chapter 7
A whimper escaped h
her throat as fresh cuts opened on her arms, but she cushioned the boy’s fall with her own body
“Have to hurry,” she muttered through gritted teeth. If those men find them, they’ll end up in chains too she forced herself to stand. “Just a little more, Elysia. You can do this”
Her legs trembled with each step, her feet sinking into mud, but something deep within drove her forward
[Watching her had me terrified–cach time she stumbled, I feared that would be the time she wouldn’t get up again)
In the studio, nor viewer’s face had drained of color, eyes widened in shock as they recognized something in the scene
On the projection screens, the memory continued Elysia caught her breath against the cave wall, then suddenly turned and vanished without a backward glance..
The tension that had gripped the studio audience visibly dissolved. Before anyone could process what they’d just witnessed, Carllan’s contemptuous voice cut through the moment. That’s your big reveal! he sneered.
Comments flooded the chat as soon as Caellan spoke.
It really thought Elysia bad become a better person. Just putting on a show]
[The villagers might have helped. Not everyone there deals in children.[
sia raced thro
through the forest at full speed, finally stopping at a
The livestream chat’s speculation died as the memory footage revealed the truth. Elysia thomy shackri
Ignoring the piercing vegetation, the crouched down and dove in. drawing gasps from her lips.
The dense, sharp thorns raked across her back and arms, the burning pain
She found the ordinary–
looking plant from deep within and yanked in free. The thorns raked her flesh once more in retreat. By the time she clutched the plant, her patris were slick with blood–
its barbs had buried deep into her flesh.
Yet she smiled through her tears. “Perfect. The younger boy’s burning up–this should break his fever.”
A breeze sent fire racing through her wounds. “Now for water-” she murmured, heading for a stream.
The mocking comments in the that suddenly stopped scrolling. In the studio, the earlier whispers and sneers gave way to some unfolded.
to stunned silence as
as the
Torin leaned forward, transfixed by Elysia’s reflection in the stream Cone was the soft, delicate four–year–old–
her face already bearing traces of the fourteen–year–old who would eventually come home to them
“One year changed her this much? he wondered. What horrors twisted such a caring child into someone so cold
His heart ached with regret. If I shown more warmth when she returned, guided her gently, corrected her with patience.. perhaps she wouldn’t have lost her way!
Back in the memory, Elysia had returned to the
cave with water. Crouching beside the younger boy, she began carefully wiping the grime from his face. As the dirt fell away, the revealed features left everyone in the studio speechless.