Wayward Favor || ONC 2024

Chapter 18: Mayhem

Father holds May's black leather collar, his pale fingers curling through her thick fur as he pulls her away from the door so Count Drewmond can open it. May fights, bucking her head and whimpering as her claws scrape against the floor, rippling the rug. 

"Hold!" Father commands. May refuses. She barks, showing her teeth, brown eyes rolling. "Mayhem! Sit!" She lowers herself onto her haunches, still squirming like a worm in a robin's beak. 

The hinges squeal open and May launches herself at the doorway like a racehorse at the sound of the bell. She pulls my father from his feet; he lands on his stomach. May drags him until he wisely let's go. Barking, May charges down the hall. The rug gives her traction, but as she crosses the marble tiles, she skids out, falling onto her side. 

My father clambers back to his feet. "May! Hold," he commands again, but the only command May recognizes is the call of Celine's scent. I've never seen her this crazed. 

We chase the dog down the hall. The men have an advantage over me as I lag behind the group. Sir Bellizario is at my side – he doesn't seem keen on running. Somehow, Lennette outpaces all of us, climbing the stairs after the dog – I don't know where she gets the energy. I'm already out of breath. 

Bellizario and I catch up with the rest of the group on the fourth floor. May spins about in confused circles outside the open door to my sister's room. My father grabs ahold of her collar, and he lets her pull him down the hallway, controlling her pace. Her paws slip on the tiles as she tugs my father along, giving him an urgent snarl whenever he slows. 

May yanks my father through a doorway. Count Drewmond and I bump into each other as we go through at the same time, stepping out onto a spiral staircase. The stairs slow May. She never struggles going upstairs, but going down can give her pause, and this staircase is extremely steep. It must be meant for staff usage only. 

May whines as she stumbles down the stairs sideways. Her legs tangle with my father as the two dance on the narrow steps. May freezes, going rigid. She whimpers, tucking her tail between her legs as my father urges her down another step. 

Lennette goes on ahead, squeezing past my father and the dog. "Lennette, be careful. Wait for us," Count Drewmond orders. "Don't run." I place my feet sideways on the steps, not wanting to take a tumble in my heels. 

Lennette scoffs at her father's advice. "I'm not running –" 

Her feet slip out from under her and she falls backwards, landing butt-first on the steps with a meaty slap. "Ow!" she cries, trailing off into a nasally whine that harmonizes with May's bellyaching. 

"See!" Count Drewmond barks as Magnus pushes past my father, wrestling with May to get to his sister. "If you hadn't been rushing, you wouldn't have fallen." 

"I wasn't rushing," Lennette complains, tears building in her eyes. Magnus slips on the same step his sister did, but instead of fall, he catches his balance by grabbing a window frame. "See!" Lennette cries. "It's the stupid steps, they're all wet." 

"Language, young lady," Count Drewmond chides. 

"Someone left a window open." Magnus grunts, grabbing the window's handle. He yanks on the narrow rectangular glass, but it won't budge. "It's stuck." 

"The rust has gotten to it, I have workers coming out next week to repair all the overwinter damage," Count Drewmond says as Magnus holds out his hand and helps Lennette to her feet. She rubs at her bottom. I'm surprised she didn't burst into blubbering tears; she's surprisingly mature for her age – I would have bawled my eyes out if I slipped on the stairs like that. 

My heart stutters in my chest. Slip down the stairs... it is as if the stairs give out underneath me as I push past Bellizario and Count Drewmond. Taking the stairs two at a time, I careen past my father. "Estella!" Magnus yells, making a grab for me as I jump over the wet steps. I almost tumble down the stairs head first as I double down on my momentum. I lift my dress, smacking into the curved wall as I take the turn recklessly. 

A small pink slipper with flower embroidery lays alone on the grey stone steps. 

Celine. 

My legs go weak. I cling to the brick wall. She's splayed out on the third-floor landing, white nightgown pooled around her, black hair and tangled pink ribbons cast outwards like a spray of wilted flowers. Facedown. 

"Celine!" I scream, staggering down the last few steps. I collapse to my knees beside her; the shockwave travels through my body. My teeth clack together. I reach out, hands hovering over her, too afraid to touch her still form. What if...what if...I can't...I can't! Everything blurs in a surge of tears, darkness encroaching my vision from all sides. 

Father's broken cry shatters my ears, leaving them ringing. A hand grabs ahold of my shoulder. No words escape my mouth, just confused babbling. 

Magnus? His large hand is firm as he bends to one knee. His other hand brushes the hair from Celine's face. I snap my eyes shut. I can't look. My father screams her name as he steps over my dress, crushing my fingers underfoot. The pain doesn't register. May yelps in the distance. 

"She's alive!" Magnus shouts. "We need a doctor." 

I open my eyes. A relieved sob shakes my chest. Celine lays before us like she's just sleeping, eyes closed with her little hand tucked under her face. My father reaches out for her with shaking hands. 

"No," Magnus says, holding my father back from Celine. "Don't move her, she might have broken something." My father hyperventilates, wild eyes roving. I wrap my arms around him. 

"The curse," he murmurs, collapsing into my embrace. 

"Lennette, Dr. Sadler is in attendance, second floor," Count Drewmond says. "Find Gilda, she knows which room he's in. Hurry." Lennette nods and runs back up the stairs. The pounding of her boots echoes along the staircase. 

We really are cursed with misfortune. Is this our fault for messing with the curse? Was there another fail-safe Orion hadn't noticed? 

This is my fault. I should never have run. I should never have left my room last night. I should have just married Count Drewmond without a fight. This is what my father and the count were afraid of. I've been so stupid and selfish and stubborn! If I hadn't, Celine wouldn't be... 

I can't breathe. I wrap a hand around my throat as if strangling myself might let me breathe easier than the guilt does. This is my fault! Magnus checks her pulse again, fingers against her throat. Father's hand clenches mine so hard, my bones grind together. I bury my face in his shoulder. 

Something cold brushes against my cheek. May's nose, letting me know she's here. She made it down the rest of the stairs on her own. With a sorrowful whimper, she lays down, stretching her paws out in front of her. She presses her heart-shaped nose to the sole of Celine's bare foot and whines with her entire soul. Her ears fall flat and her tail wags weakly. May waits for Celine to open her eyes, throw her hands around her neck, and call her a good girl so she can shower her with slobbery kisses. 

Celine has to live. She has to be alright. If she's not...I'll never forgive myself. 

CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 1280

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 26260