Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

The Red House

The house was beautiful inside, but there was something undeniably eerie about it. Every corner seemed to hum with an uneasy chill.

Warren, who was used to being waited on hand and foot, had only left two maids to look after Fiona.

Sylvia was sent upstairs to a room.

When she opened the door, the room was pitch black. Before her eyes could even adjust, someone shoved her hard, and she tumbled to the floor.

She scrambled up, desperate to escape, but the door slammed shut and locked behind her.

The darkness was suffocating, bottomless, like she'd been dropped into a well. Fumbling along the wall, Sylvia finally found the switch and flicked on the light.

When she saw the room, she froze, her face draining of color.

Before her brain could even process it, her body reacted first. "Urgh-"

She bolted into the bathroom, retching violently until there was nothing left. Leaning over the sink, she finally caught her breath.

When she looked up into the mirror, her own pale, numb face was slowly merging with another-one she didn't recognize. It was as if a shadow was leaning over her shoulder.

Sylvia spun around, heart pounding.

just a stark

fled the bathroom and looked around at the bizarre, almost indecent furnishings. She felt

of the room, a mirror mounted above it. The cabinets lining the wall

looked like anything you could sit in, or lie on. Even the window seat was covered in some kind of waterbed pad, and she

oddly shaped, and there were inexplicable rings bolted to

head, yanked the comforter off the bed, and wrapped herself in

had no idea how much time passed before the door opened and Warren walked in, holding

I asked the maid to make you some

to make sense of

steam curling up from the surface. Her voice was

mug

spilled over her

alive, but her eyes

the kind of woman any man could lose himself in-just

hair gently. "Sylvia, you're beautiful," he said

reason, that single sentence sent a chill down Sylvia's spine. She shifted away from

crossed Warren's face. Suddenly, he grabbed

any idea how much

Please. Even if I'd thrown myself at Uncle Rupert, he wouldn't care

you know how many women have tried to trap Rupert? None of them made it