Violet falls to the floor of the room and begins to cry.
Violet (thinking) – I really thought I could control everything, but damn it… I only mess things up!!!
I managed to lose Jheysi, Alicia, and now Maya…
I won't be able to do it!! And what if I involve the others?!? I could lose all of them.
Why did Fionna trust me with such a heavy burden?
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Alicia
{Hi, my faithful readers. It seems that things have finally spilled over and everything has gone downhill.
From the very beginning, I already said this wasn't a story with a happy ending, and I also know that many have already abandoned it as soon as they read about the sad ending.
Well, I could have told it from a more appealing point of view, with a possible ultra-mega happy ending, but I'm only 17 years old. I'm too young to understand everything that's happening in my life.
I still don't know who my father is, much less where my mother is.
Violet is an incredible person, right? And well, maybe something in her journey will change the world for the better.
This is the pre–final arc, and I invite everyone to stay with my crew just a little longer. I promise you won't regret it.}
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Violet curls up, hugging her knees, continuing to think and chew over the same words and events, when she hears a gentle voice coming from the door.
Mandy – Violet?
Violet lifts her head and runs toward Mandy, hugging her tightly.
Mandy – What happened here?
Violet – I messed everything up. Everything.
Mandy – What do you mean?
Violet (crying voice) – The hooded ones from earlier today… the ones who took the girl!!
Mandy – I know. They did that?
Violet (crying voice) – And much worse. They took Alicia, Maya, and Jheysi.
Mandy – WHAT?!?!
Violet (crying voice) – I tried my best, but even so, I was weak.
Mandy – Look, come with me.
Violet (crying voice) – NO!! YOU'LL END UP LIKE THEM!!!
Mandy – VIOLET!!! LISTEN TO ME!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE!!
And I'm sure you did your best to protect all of them!!
And cut it out with this talk of seeming or thinking you're weak!!
Damn it, you are literally the strongest person I know!!
Violet (trembling voice) – No! You are… I… I can't even save my friends…
Mandy gives a gentle smile.
Mandy – Well, we can sort this out, but for now you need to rest a bit. Come to my room.
Violet – I can't… no… I just can't…
Mandy – Somnum Nunc!!
Violet collapses unconscious into Mandy's arms.
Mandy – I have no idea what happened, but it's much better for you to rest for now.
Alicia's Point of View
Alicia wakes up with unbearable pain in her head. Looking around, she realizes she's surrounded by darkness, with only a sliver of light coming through a crack in a high window. It's possible to hear distant, almost incomprehensible echoing voices.
In the background, footsteps can also be heard coming and going.
Alicia (thinking) – What happened? What place is this…
That moment… that light!!!
Distant footsteps can be heard approaching.
A person starts shouting the following:
Girl 8 – HEY!!! YOU!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! WHY ARE YOU KEEPING US LOCKED UP HERE?!
Girl 9 – PLEASE LET US GO!!!
The hooded guard looks toward Alicia's cell and says,
Hooded 40 – Silence, all of you. Soon, some of you will be released.
Soon after, it's possible to hear a familiar voice.
Girl – When I get out of here, I'll finish you off, idiot!
A door in the back opens, and Hooded 40 says,
Hooded – Put this one in the cell next to the one where we placed the other girl. I think her name was Alice or Alicia…
Girl – What did you do to her? I swear, if you touched a single strand of her hair, I'll end you.
Hooded – Hahahahaha, don't make me laugh, little girl. Inside these walls, you have no power at all.
Guard – And what should I do now, sir?
Hooded – Go back to your duties. The Grand Master must already be finishing the preparations for the ritual of—
Girl – I'll rip out your filthy lung.
Hooded – Hahahahaha, then let's see who rips whose lung out.
The hooded man leaves the room, and soon after, the guard also leaves.
Alicia, still disoriented and frightened by the conversation she just heard, curls up in a corner and begins to cry. Guard footsteps and the sound of chains can be heard, and all of it only makes Alicia more desperate.
With a small breath, Alicia asks for help, but in a way almost inaudible to human ears.
A short time passes, and Alicia hears a soft voice, almost like a whisper, and she begins to calm down.
She hears another voice coming from the cell next to hers—it's a girl. She says:
Girl – Bad day, huh? Hahahahaha. I don't even know what I came here to do.
Alicia – Huh? What happened to you? Did they capture you?
Girl – No. I literally sold myself to them.
Alicia – What do you mean?
Girl – I've been lost in this world for a long time, girl. My father abandoned me and kicked me and my siblings out of the house.
Alicia – That's horrible. Why would someone do something like that?
Girl – Right? Just because my siblings and I wanted to have more than our father had.
Alicia – What do you mean?
Girl – My father is a perverse man who likes to toy with people. My siblings and I don't… we always help people.
Alicia – That's a good thing. You should be proud of yourself.
Girl – Yes, I am. Very proud of myself. And I try to pull everyone out of my father's grasp — the ones he tries to manipulate with promises.
Alicia begins to notice a change in the girl's tone of voice, which becomes slightly deeper.
Alicia – What is it? Do you have a cold?
Girl – NO!! ALICIA, I'M NOT SICK!!!
A loud crash is heard, and the sounds of fighting echo in the distance.
Girl – ALICIA!!! TODAY IS YOUR END!! JUST AS LEONORA SAID!!! YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL!!! YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!
Then two men enter the room, and everything becomes clear as day.
One man approaches Alicia's cell and says:
Man – You're the girl. You're his daughter… He heard you, and we came to get you out of here.
Alicia – There are more girls here. Can you check if the girl next door is okay? She didn't seem well — she was saying strange things.
The man removes Alicia from the cell.
Man 2 – There's no one in the other cell.
We don't have much time. We need to go.
As Alicia walks toward the exit, she passes by a cell and sees Jheysi.
Jheysi – Alicia!!! Are you okay… this is such a relief.
Jheysi begins to sob uncontrollably.
Alicia – Jheysi, are you okay?? Did they do anything to you???
Jheysi – I… I'm sorry… I… I—
Alicia – Can you take her out too? She's my friend.
Man 2 – We don't have much time. Let's go
Alicia – I'm not leaving without her.
Jheysi – Alicia… it's my fault!!! It's my fault!!
Man 1 – Sorry, girls. We're out of time.
The man standing beside Alicia snaps his fingers, and they appear in the middle of a forest.
[To be continued…]