The Lone Alpha

Four

PAIGE

I watched as my hands were tied to the pillar so that I couldn't move or run away from my punishment, a fate that was bestowed on me for a crime I didn't commit. I wonder deep down why the alpha hated me so much and why he would punish me for something I didn't do.

I thought it was because I was labeled a murderer, but this was far from it, this was pure evil on an innocent girl. I tried to think about what could have resulted in this hate but I found none.

I slowly lifted my head to look at my environment. I could see Carla and her brother standing close to the alpha with an evil smile on their faces. I shook my head in disgust and averted my gaze from them to the alpha son who was in tears and his face forcefully turned to watch me. I saw him mumble the word 'sorry' to me and I smiled. He shouldn't be sorry. 

I was grateful to him for saving me from being raped by Raymond. If anyone was to be sorry, it should be Raymond, Carla, and the alpha. I prayed to the moon goddess to grant me the strength to make them pay for all this atrocity they were doing to me.

I shrieked in pain when the first whip landed on my bareback. I knew it was going to be painful, but nobody told me it would be this horrible. I gritted my teeth as another whip landed on my back. I lost count at twenty when I felt my eyes were blurry and slowly I welcomed the darkness that took over me.

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I woke up to the feel of cold wind gushing through my body. I slowly opened my eyes and I was shocked that it was slightly dark and I was still on the punishment ground alone, with nobody in sight. 

My body ached all over, especially my back where I was flogged. I lifted my body from the ground and I was glad someone had used a jacket to cover my body. Putting on the jacket properly, I walked towards the direction of my hut, staggering most of the time, because I  had lost every ounce of strength I had.

When I got into my hut, I was already on my little bed, when I noticed something on the floor. It was a flask with a note on it and an ointment. The note was from Orion.

‘I'm sorry for what I caused you to go through in the hands of my dad. I know you'd hate me so much, but please eat this meal. I asked them to deliver it to you. Make sure you use this ointment for the wound. Once again, forgive me.’

‘It wasn't your fault I got hurt,' I said to myself, picking the flask from the floor. I opened it and it was filled with garnished rice, and smiled. 

Without waiting for anybody's approval, I dived into the food, eating it with so much delight. It's been so long since I tasted something so good like this that I didn't care if it was poisoned or not. When I was done, I applied the ointment on my bruised skin and lay on my bed to rest.

“Kill him…. kill him now, I want his blood…..kill him.!” 

I screamed, as my eyes flung open. I sprang up from my bed. I couldn't understand the voice that was calling out to me to kill him, or who I was supposed to kill.

I was confused as to why it was happening to me and why that strange voice came whenever someone did something wrong to me.

“Kill him, you want your revenge, don't you? I want it too… let's make them pay!” I heard the voice again, 

I stood up from the bed, searching around if there was someone in my room, but I saw no one, I was all alone. 

“I can help you with the revenge that you seek, make them pay.”

“STOP!!!!” I yelled at the top of my voice, “Who are you?” I asked the unknown voice and all I could hear was laughter.

“I'm someone that can make your pains go away,” the voice said, and this time it was my turn to laugh.

“Make my pains go away? How? If it was possible, wouldn't I have done it before now? It's impossible, my pains are here to stay,” I replied. 

I must be insane. Yes it's obvious, I'm now talking to myself. Maybe I'm hallucinating, or my imagination is running wild.

“I'm no hallucination and I'm not some part of your imagination. We have done it before and we can do it again. All I need for you is for you to trust me.”

“Trust you, someone that I can't see. Yeah right. Paige Calvin, you are going insane. The pain and torment are definitely making you go insane. Here I am talking to myself. Hahaha haha, crazy right?” I asked myself, but I was met with silence. 

I knew I was going crazy and this just confirmed it. If anyone finds out I now talk to myself, they will add it to the list of things to mock me with.

Just then I felt a chill breeze flowing through my body and I gasped in fear, holding my body tightly.

“Do you think all this is a joke? Go look in the mirror, now!!” the voice ordered, and without giving it a second thought, I walked towards the broken mirror in my room.

 I came across the broken mirror in a trash can when I went for my morning duties, and since I didn't have any in my room, I gladly took it and that has been my source of checking my reflection daily.

I stood in front of the mirror and what I saw scared me so much that I almost screamed, but my hands were faster than my mouth as they clasped it shut. Swallowing my scream back into my throat, I checked my reflection once again and it was the same thing. I cleaned my eyes severely, thinking I was mistaken, but hell no it was still the same. I raised my hands but my reflection hands were still down and it had this ‘what are you doing’ expression on its face.

I was seeing myself in the mirror, but it wasn't me, it was like another image of myself reflecting before me in the mirror. I decided to try so many things to see if my reflections would reflect what I was doing, but it stood still, giving me that same look.

“When will you stop this foolishness?” it asked, and I froze. 

My reflection spoke to me, it has

 a voice of its own? Am I dreaming or am I already insane? “

How many times do I have to tell you that you are not insane or dreaming, this is real? Now snap out of it,” it ordered.

”W - W - Who are you?” I stammered, I was trembling, my hands and feet were shaking and I could see myself passing out any moment if this continued.

It rolled its eyes before answering my question, “I'm you and you are me. Well, technically, I'm the better version of you,” it replied, confusing me the more.

“H - H - How can y - y - you be me? This is confusing. It's all in my head, all of this, it's all in my head.” I pulled at my hair, staring at my reflection.

“Look here human,” my reflection said, hitting the mirror with a loud bang which startled me, “This is not in your head. I have been yearning to meet you all this while, but you are too weak to hear my voice. It's been a long time since I have been called out like this. Thanks to you, I have woken up after sleeping for about fifteen years. My muscles are all sore and weak” my reflection said as she cracked her bones.

"Sleeping? Call you? Wait, how did I call you, and what happened fifteen years ago?” I asked her and she smiled.

“How could you have forgotten the little fun we had together? I would have loved to reminisce on our past experiences, but now I have something to do since you have woken me up from my long nap. I might as well get on with what I was summoned for.”

“Summoned for, like what the hell!!! Dude, I literally don't know you, you are like a glimpse of my dream or something. Probably I'm dreaming about this and I'm on my bed or something and you are going on about carrying out a task I called you out for?  What task and who is summoning you and from where? You or I; either one of us is insane.” This time I was screaming, because everything was driving me crazy already.

“Hmmm...” Was it's only response. 

It turned around like it was searching for something, and with a smile on its face, it walked out of the mirror, leaving an empty space. Now it was getting scarier, and I was freaking out. I wanted to run but my legs wouldn't move, it felt like they were glued to that spot.

How would I explain to anyone that I was speaking to my reflection in the mirror, and my reflection walked out of the mirror leaving an empty space, while I was still looking at it?

I was lost in thoughts when the sound of footsteps approaching drew me out of my thoughts and I saw my reflection with a knife in its hand and a smile on its face.

“W - W - What are you d - d - doing with t - t - that?” I stammered.

“Just a little practice to see if this is real or a dream.”

“Don't play any silly jokes on me right now, and drop the kni… ouch!!! That hurts,” I cried as I felt prickled on my leg, bending my head, I saw a cut on my lap which was bringing out blood, and turning to my reflection I could see the knife was stained with blood and my reflection was smiling at me, “you son of a b***h!” I growled.

“Do you still think all this is a dream?” it asked, “now that I have got your attention, I will be needing your body to carry out the reason you called me.” my reflection said, swinging the knife in its hand.

“Get away from me, no hell on earth will make me give a monster like you my body.”

“I wasn't asking for your permission,” my reflection said.

With a snap of its fingers, I found myself inside the mirror and my reflection was in my room with a smile on its face as it stared at me. It happened so fast that I couldn't comprehend what was going on, or how I was trapped in here, without knowing what it would do with my face. 

I needed to find a way out, to know how my reflection did it and why I was trapped here?

“What have you done to me? Get me out of here right now!!, get me out of here.” I screamed, slamming my hands against the mirror.

“Shhhh,” my reflection said, placing its index finger on its lips, “you don't need to know everything that is happening around you, just be a good girl and wait for me, I will be back when I'm done,” my reflection said, waving at me.

My reflection was about to leave when it stopped at the entrance of the door and turned around to me one last time.

“My name is Sasha, don't forget the name love,” she smiled and walked out of the room, leaving me trapped inside the mirror with no clue of how to come out.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Good evening Diamonds,

As promised, here is the chapter for Thursday.

I'm not so confident about this chapter, but please tell me what you think about this chapter.

Thank you