Bride of the moonlight

CHAPTER 4 ✓

"Lanz, you stay and keep this girl company. 0K?"

He looked taken-aback as he stared at Charlotte in horror. "Wh-what? No, I can't. My brother killed her friend, and it's my fault for not stopping him."

"Well it wasn't you after all. Besides, you couldn't have stopped him either, so deal with it."Charlotte laughed as she exited

I watched as they left and the door left a ring of sudden tension. She laughed! This wasn't funny! I couldn't move my body. I felt like I was paralyze which would now not listen to me. If I could, I'd run and slap her!

How could she be laughing and how could she just leave me with this person? Now my eyes were locked on to him. I didn't have a chance to save my best friend earlier! I can't believe this! Maybe this is just a dream. A BIG NIGHTMARE.

I want to fight back, but I'm too terrified. Celine had her throat ripped open when she ran off. Who is to say he wouldn't do the same to me, or worse? I felt clammy in the white t-shirt I was in. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand up when he locked eyes with me, just like in the park.

"I'm sorry, you know," said Lanz slowly.

I eyed him, not trusting him at all. I didn't know if he was just like his brother: heartless, smug, and a murderer.

There was no way his apology could be genuine when his face had no expression on. It couldn't be genuine after what he did. I will never accept apologize to someone like him. He has no mercy!

I didn't reply, leaving the situation even more tense. I was seething.

"You think I'm like my brother. It's understandable, we're twins, that's the

usual preconception," he added after a few moments of silence.

"She was my best friend...why did he just- why did he have to kill her? What about me? What do you want? Do… Do you want to kill me? Then do it now! Do it now!" I finally croaked out. I had to get answers, even if it was the last thing I did.

"My brother, he's, uh.." He ran through his hair with his fingers and finally looked at me longer than a few seconds.

"He's angry. Whatever he can kill, he'll kill it."

"He should have killed me too. Killing Celine in front of me brutally is hard to accept. It's better to kill me too..." I stated harshly. I kind of wished he did, because now I had been kidnapped by some King, my friend was dead and I was in a bed somewhere far away and helpless.

"He wanted to, but he knew he couldn't. The second your friend died, it was. our duty to protect you."

"Protect? For pate’s sake! She's my best friend, she's just a lovely human! Not like you and your brother who ripped her throat! I… I can't accept this! Tell me! This is just a dream! Tell me!" I shout and cry. This is not me. I'm brave, strong, and always tried to fight. But all I can do now is… shout… cry...

"She didn't just die, she was murdered!" spat started to get angry again.

"What do you guys want with me, anyway?"

"No one told you?" I shook my head.

"Then never mind. I've already said too much."

"Yeah, you have. Can you leave for a bit, Lanz?" Another guy walked in and placed his hand firmly on Lanz's shoulder.

"Uh, yeah sure Alex...." Lanz took off speedily, not even looking back.

"So. Which one are you? Hera or Celine?" He asked, sitting down on the end of my bed. This guy had light brown hair and bright purple eyes, which seemed to slowly alternate to a light blue colour.

"Why do I have to tell you, huh?" I raised my left eyebrow to him. Yes, I'm scared but I don't care.

"Look, sorry about your friend. I didn't order him to kill her." He said almost, nonchalantly.

"Anything I can do?"

Why the hell was everyone so casual about the fact Celine was murdered? They all made it seem like it was just a pet that passed, not considering that she was an actual human being! No one seemed to care, it was just basic apologies, smiles and excuses. I couldn't just let this pass; I wanted an explanation.

I couldn't quite remember why I was there, or how long it had been. But something felt off. There was a strange notion of dread hovering in my gut. Something was wrong.

"We changed your clothes. You were covered in blood, so we took it upon ourselves to help you out." they smiled at me warmly.

"Obviously, I'm covered with blood. Blood from my friend…"

" Blood?' The nightmarish events of last night flooded through my brain. The

gruesome images of Celine's body. Those evil eyes watching us in the park. Where were the two men who were there? Where exactly was l?" the blonde girl sighed.

"Hanz killed your friend." My eyes welled up and tears flooded.

One of the girl tried to reach out for me, but I shrugged them away, opting to hug myself and shield myself from the outside world. It couldn't have been real.

There had to have been some kind of explanation for what was happening. But my heart was hollow. Whatever was left of Celine in there was gone.

As I look at them; I don't know why the hell they were the same color. Same as white I am. People tell me I look so pale. Pale like snow. Even my classmates. Mom and dad are white but not like this. But forget about my skin color. The most important is. Let myself wake up to this nightmare that I'm not sure if this is called a nightmare or an unlucky night.

As much as Celine would've been moaning at me for crying for her, I couldn't help myself. I'd known her all my life. We did everything together, shared everything. And she was taken right from me. Taking in the two girls' appearances while tried to make sense of my surroundings, realised. Neither looked related to the other nor the two murderers. Maybe they wouldn't try to kill me. My tears continued to flow.

They remained silent and ignored my wails for them to let me leave. It wasn't too long before my body was weak with exhaustion again and I laid my head back unwillingly, unable to do much else. My body was numb.

There was a knock on the door.

"Charlotte, Lemeila. King wishes to see you."

It was Lanz. Our eyes met for a brief second before he averted his gaze back to the girls.

"Now." he said.

He was the guy who stopped me from getting to Celine in time. I clenched and unclenched my fists under the blanket, glaring at him. He was part of the reason I'd lost her! His soft expression made it seem like butter wouldn't melt, but I knew what he and his brother were capable of.

"Oh yeah, that's Lemeila, and I'm Charlotte." said the blonde, pointing at Lemeila, then herself.

"This is green-eyed Lanz and his twin brother is blue-eyed Hanz."

I didn't respond. Instead, I watched as the girls hovered at the doorway waiting for me to say something. I didn't even see them walk there. These girls were calm, like nothing had even happened. I didn't like them. They had no right behaving like everything was fine when it was not. It was the worst it's even been for me and didn't know what to do, or where I was. This wasn't a hospital, and it wasn't home. I was in a house full of strangers who acted like they belonged there and like nothing had happened.

" I want to know why I'm here," I demanded, "and I want to know why you all act like this is normal."

"This is normal, it's not the first time. But, as you wish," he smirked and muttered something along the lines of: 'We finally have a feisty one.'

I watched as the man briefly checked his watch, "l am Prince Phoveous of Caspian. I recently turned 18, and I needed a bride. So I made a list of girls from all around the world that could choose to marry. Most ended up dead: suicide or killed, or just died. Others didn't like, so I had their memories cleared and sent back home. You are the last on the list."

Was he declaring that I was last on the list supposed to make me feel better? That still didn't explain why Celine had to die, and in such an inhumane way.

"Wait. he said some of them died! Some were killed, but how and why? Wouldn't their families miss them? Was that going to be my fate, too? How could he get away with just k********g people?" He smirked.

"You are going to marry me. Advantages: you get to marry a good looking prince, and you'll be rich beyond belief. Disadvantages: you'll never see your family again."

My parents wouldn't care if they never saw me again. They curse me. They didn't want me. I felt that I'm not their real daughter. It's like they just have a responsibility to me, that's all. They'd be too high on drugs to remember they even had a child like me, and with me gone, there'd be more money for themselves to buy those drugs. I spent a lot of my time living at Celine's house with her parents, who treated me just like one of their own children. They even took me on holiday with them and paid for it all. Now couldn't even tell them goodbye; both of their girls were gone… One missing. One dead.

"I do not want to get married, don't even know you," I muttered.

"Yeah me neither. We're on the same page. Look, you can do whatever you want whenever you want. But you may not leave this castle without someone with you." As he was talking, I noticed something else that was peculiar about him. His canines were abnormally long and sharp. They seemed to visibly sit right on his lower lip when he wasn't talking.

"What's wrong with your canines?" I questioned.

"My fangs?"

"Your canines."

"No, my fangs. They're fangs. Fangs different from canines. You have canines, I have fangs." He explained monotonously.

"So what's wrong with your ' fangs'?" I asked.

"I'm a vampire. What do you expect?" He tossed me.

I simply watched the two battle it out in front of me. I had no intentions to 3 top them, it wasn't any of my business. I'd be glad to see Hanz beaten senseless; I wouldn't feel a single ounce of sympathy for him. I 'd give him the same cocky smile he gave me for what he did. I'd join in too, I wish I could've inedible in. But my body just wasn't with me.

"You stay away from my sister you dickl I'm warming you!" Phoveous threatened.

"Maybe I won't," Hanz smirked and shrugged Lemeila off him before casually walking OH. The Prince moved away from my bed. He cursed to himself and then left hastily. Lemeila flashed me a sympathetic look and then took off after the prince. I was alone again.