Chapter Eight- The Unraveling Truth

I couldn't turn around. For some reason the horror on her face had me frozen.

"Him." She repeated again.

I finally turned around.

"Louise." I whispered with confusion.

If I had remembered death I'm sure it would have felt like this. He stood there looking past me and straight at the girl.

"It can't be." I said with hesitation.

The girls grip tightening on my arms as she let out a cry when Louise inched closer to us.

"Isabella, who is this?" He asked as he took another step.

The girl was even more hysterical now and the closer he got the worse she was. She was trying to push her body further against the wall and was trying to block herself with my body. Her eyes never leaving Louise.

"You stay away from her!" I yelled.

"What, why? Who is she?"" He asked curiously.

"He, he knows." Cried the girl.

Louise furrowed his brows and stood still as he waited for me to speak.

"Leave Louise!" I said coldly.

He turned quickly and walked out of the room and the girl finally loosened her grip.

"He knows." She whispered.

"He knows what?" I asked eagerly.

She looked past me but there was nothing there, she just stared off and repeated it again.

"He knows. He knows. He knows." She kept on.

"Shhh, it's ok now. We must go." I told her as I pulled her up.

She shook her head and pulled her arm away. She began to walk off and I called after her.

"Where are you going?" I asked but she ignored me.

"Please, don't leave!" I begged her but she kept walking until she was down the hall.

She was mad. She had to be and whatever happened to her made her crazy and I didn't know how to get through to her, but right now I had to figure out what to do about Louise.

I found him looking out of one of the windows that over looked the garden. He had his hands in his pockets. He looked so emotionless.

"I just need you to be honest with me." I sighed as I joined him by the window.

He peered out over the garden as the rain poured down heavily. Here and there the lightning would dance across the sky lighting everything just enough to see.

"I don't know who she is. I already asked you who she was." He said with his jaw clinched.

My eyes searched his once he looked at me.

"She was so frightened by you." I retorted.

He shook his head.

"I don't know why, but I didn't hurt her. How could I have?" He words full of irritation.

"Then why don't I believe you?" I cried.

" I don't know Isabella, why don't you?" He said angrily.

"Because she was scared to death when she saw you Louise!" I turned away from him, I couldn't bare to look at him now.

" When I came here, this place was full of people. There wasn't a single room not occupied. I met with the woman I was supposed to and then had dinner along with everyone else staying here. I was never alone with anyone. Then a fight broke out and I got caught up in the middle of it. The next thing I know I'm dead just like you." He sighed.

I didn't know what to say. I felt uncertainty and confusion. I wanted to believe him but how could I?

" I can't believe you until I talk to her more." I said calmly even though inside I was shacking.

"She's clearly incoherent." He said bluntly.

She was, there was no denying that but I don't know what to believe right now. I glanced back at Louise and he quickly looked away. The someone cleared their throat from behind us and we both turned around.

"Ahh the love birds." Chuckled Marcos.

Louise took a step forward and put an arm in front of me.

" Oh please Louise, don't act as if I'm more of a danger to her than you are. He smirked.

I stood there guarded behind Louise's arm and looked at both of them.

"Am I missing something?" I asked confused.

"Don't." Warned Louise.

Marcos laughed and shrugged his shoulders as if to say he wasn't afraid of Louise.

" I overheard your conversation about the girl." Marcos said challenging Louise.

Louise was stiff and he glared at Marcos.

"I said don't, Marcos and I mean it." He hissed .

"No, what are you talking about Marcos? I asked.

He grinned a wide grin and then raised his eyebrows at Louise.

"How about Louise tells you how he knows the girl." He said and pouted his lip at me.

I moved from behind Louise's arm and crossed mine in front of my chest. I could see his face had changed and he was killing Marcos with his eyes.

"Isabella, don't listen to Marcos. After everything, he's just trying to come between us. He wants you for himself and you know that. He's not who he says he is!" Louise spoke but never took his eyes off Marcos.

Marcos scoffed and leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"Tsk, tsk, Tsk." He clicked his tongue.

"Now Louise, don't be naive. While I'd love to do to Isabella what you have, you know I wouldn't need to lie and break the two of you up to do so. Besides, I'm perfectly fine with my past coming up. Are you?" He said narrowing his eyes at Louise.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" I asked angrily now as my previous question had not been answered.

"Oh alright. Do you remember the wardrobe?" Asked Marcos taking a small step towards me.

Sudden Louise yelled and lunged for Marcos. Marcos went flying back and rolled down the stairs and Louise wasn't far behind him. Louise was punching Marcos but Marcos covered his face and laughed hysterically.

"This. Is. Too. Much. Oh. Stop." He laughed between blows.

They both knew it was going nowhere. What's the point in a fist fight if you're dead?

"Stop!!" I screamed and they both froze.

"Please Isabella, let this go. Don't ruin what we have." Pleaded Louise and he stood up.

"No, I want the truth! I don't care who it comes from but I deserve to know." I demanded.

"The wardrobe. That's where she's from." Said Marcos in a cool tone.

"It was your fault Marcos. You showed me how and it ruined my whole life!" Exclaimed Louise.

I stood there watching both of them and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You act as if you didn't enjoy it. You loved every moment of it and you even surprised me. I thought you would be my prodigy." Marcos said gleaming at Louise.

Louise looked at me and sighed. "I guess I owe you the truth but just know I truly do love you and I never felt it before you. I can't help what I was, only what I've become."

I was shaken by his words. I knew what was coming or so I thought.

"I had been dead for a century or so." Began Marcos as he pulled a chair close. He positioned himself and continued as if he were telling children a story.

"You see, I built this place. I built each little hidden room and secret hatch because they had a purpose. I had fantasies about it since I was a young boy." Said Marcos as he gleamed.

"I had no intention of this place being what it is now. I was murdered too. I was murdered by a townsman who somehow discovered that I had taken his daughter. I remember her very clearly because she was the only one to have ever gotten away. Out of all the dark haired beauty's she was the only one with green eyes." Marcos shook his head.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My stomach felt twisted and I could have vomited right then.

"I took my time with her, I wanted to enjoy her for a while before I took her to be freed but I couldn't stop. One night her father had come here and was let in by some of the help and I don't know how but he knew. I had just came from the wardrobe and there he was and I could still hear her screaming from the hatch. Her father knew it was her and after a brawl he got the better of me with a small knife." Marcos chuckled now.

"Stupid mistakes." He sighed

I was disgusted. I had let him show me these rooms and the torture room and he acted as if he was oblivious to who's it was. It was a sick game to him?

"Louise, I believe since we are sharing, this is your turn." Marcos said calmly.

He sighed and turned to me. I knew he didn't want to tell me what he was about to but he had to.

"I'm warning you, you don't want to know." Louise said shyly.

He was right I didn't.

"I don't, but I need to know." I replied as calmly as I could.

" The truth is when I came here to meet that girl I told you about it wasn't my first time here." He began but was hesitant.

"My first time here was when I was twenty five. This was at the time Maria served here. She didn't know me at that time but I remembered seeing her at all the balls and special occasions catering to her Count. During one ball I had curiously followed a woman who had been eyeing me all night and as she seduced me in the room with the wardrobe I just wasn't aroused. She had laughed and told me how it would be the newest gossip at morning tea with the other woman. I was furious and didn't realize what was going on until her screams stopped. I had this awful anger and desire all at once. I know it's awful but seeing her laying there under my complete control, knowing her life was in my hands had aroused me." Louise was pouring it all out now and Marcos grinned wide at me as he nodded while Louise spoke.

"Afterwards I was going to kill her, I had no choice, I had to save myself. Then out of nowhere was Marcos, standing by the wardrobe.

"I saw so much potential in Louise right then. I knew what he was." Smirked Marcos.

Louise sighed again and looked down at the ground.

"Marcos showed me the wardrobe and the room underneath the carriage house. That feeling I had was suddenly an addiction and I couldn't stop. Marcos told me where to take that girl so that she wouldn't be stuck here like we are." Louise continued.

I stood in complete disbelief, not only did I love this man but I had also had feelings towards Marcos. Both horrendous monsters.

"The next few years passed quickly. Every time I'd come in for a social event I'd take a girl to the wardrobe. It was so easy to sneak in with Marcos help." Said Louise.

" I helped because I enjoyed the show." Laughed Marcos with a devilish smile.

Louise shot him a warning look.

"I'm sorry but the girl I told you I came to meet was the girl from before. I instantly knew I had to have her when I saw her. I saw her innocence and she was so willing to please me that she followed me down the hatch like a lost dog. I completely lost all control with her and the more she screamed the more I enjoyed it. I didn't stop until she was dead." Said Louise trailing off.

"Biggest mistake." Scoffed Marcos.

"It was all your fault." Said Louise accusing Marcos.

"No, it was your fault for not being smart enough to cover your tracks." Hissed Marcos.

"I went back to the party going on at the time and I didn't know that the girl was promised to a man that was there that night. When I had returned he confronted me, he asked me where she was and said that he had seen me leave with her. Eventually the fight broke out and the next thing I knew I was dead.

"I greeted him and pronounced his death." Chuckled Marcos.

I felt a sudden wave of dizziness and my head was spinning. You know it's strange all the things you still feel in death. I wished we couldn't feel a damn thing but wishing doesn't help. Louise had lied to me and my heart was shattered.

"It's over dear Isabella, now you know." Marcos said sympathetically.

"You happy now?" Asked Louise as he glared at Marcos.

"Quite." Said Marcos as he winked at me.

"Her name's Anna Maria." Said Louise as he looked down at the ground.

"Just leave me alone. Please." I cried as I backed away from them both.

Marcos turned and headed towards the open hallway and Louise slowly followed.

I let out a gasp and finally cried. I cried all the tears I had help in for so long from everything I have heard and witnessed.

I curled myself up on the floor and didn't seem to notice that Anna Maria had come beside me. She was on her hands and knees and brought her face to mine and peered into my eyes with her big doe eyes.

"He knew. " She whispered.

Finally I realized she wasn't talking about Louise. She was talking about Marcos the whole time. Louise had killed her and Marcos knew. Marcos helped him.

" I am free now." She smiled and she kissed my cheek.

I closed my eyes and I felt her brush the loose strands of hair from my face. I was so tired from everything that I just drifted off to sleep.

I dreamed again. This time I saw the girl from the stairs. She was getting ready in her room and ran obediently to her father as he called her.

"It's time to get you fitted for your wedding gown." Said her father cheerfully.

The girl gave her father a small smile.

"If that's what will make you happy father."

They loaded up in their carriage and went to the fitting shop.

"I am going to meet some gentlemen on business while you get fitted. I will see you at home this evening for supper." nodded her father before a man joined him on the carriage bench.

The girl watched her father pull away and just as he was lost in the crowd of people Castile grabbed her hand out of nowhere and ran with her. The girl giggled and ran with him. Finally he pulled her around a corner where his carriage awaited.

"I have a special surprise for you!" He exclaimed as he jumped onto the bench of the carriage and pulled her up. She giggled as the horses took off.

I was awoken by Maria who was gently pulling me up from the floor.

"What in heavens sake are you doing on the floor?" She asked with worry in her eyes.

"I was tired." I whispered looking down.

I wasn't ready to tell Maria about what had happened before.

"I'm going to go to my room." I said.

"If you need me dear I'll be around." Called Maria.

I headed for my room when I heard horses. I ran to the window closest in the hallway and peered outside through the rain. There across the property was a carriage headed straight towards the manor!