Page 65 of Madness

That was supposed to come later.

I get to the corridor she’s kept in, and her agonised screams pierce the silence. The sound is filled with terror and pain, echoing off the cold, unforgiving walls.

Each scream twists my insides, and I quicken my pace, my bare feet slapping against the floor as Irush to her.

Flinging open the door to the room, my steps falter as I watch her body convulse. White looms above her, the ECT machine in her hands, and both prongs pressed harshly into either side of Red’s forehead.

I grab White, not caring about the consequences that may come from my actions, and pin her against the wall.

The prongs fall from her hands, clattering against the floor, and Red’s body slumps against the mattress.

“I’ll fucking kill you!” I scream into White’s face as she flinches back.

Her mouth opens and closes, her face turning a harsh red colour as I constrict my hand tighter around her throat.

“Bander?” Red’s voice rasps out, “Don’t.”

“She hurt you,” I whisper, my voice broken from seeing how defeated my Atropa looks, but I loosen my grip enough for White to breathe.

My arm stings from where her nails dug into my skin in a feeble attempt to get me to let go, and my fingers twitch against her skin. The urge to tighten them more, to rid my girl of her tormentor, is too much, but they would take me from her, and I can’t break Red’s heart like that.

The door to the room slams open, hitting the wall behind it, and Jameson stands there, his eyes filled with panic and fury, his chest heaving.

“I’ll end you, White, if you ever come near her again,” he grits out. “I warned you. I told you what would happen should you attempt to mess with Red again, but you couldn’t help yourself.”

The room falls into an uneasy silence as Jameson’s words hang in the air.

White nods as much as she can, and I let my arm fall limply to my side and back up until I’m standing next to Red should White try to make another move against her.

“Jameson,” White begins, her voice a little hoarse from the pressure I put on her windpipes but still trying to sound sickly sweet, “You’re letting your emotions get the better of you. This is about power, about owning Wonderland and everyone in it, and one day, you’ll belong to me just like all my other pets do.”

“Leave Nurse, or I’ll make sure you lose your licence and any chance you’ll ever have of inheriting Wonderland,” Jameson growls.

“You can’t touch me,Wocky,and you know it. It’s empty threats, and I’ll have my own way eventually. I always do – just ask my dear little sister.”

White slips past us, hurrying from the room, and we both descend on Red, unchaining her from the bed, and I gather her in my arms, needing her close to me.

I take her to her room, instructing Jameson to let the others know that she’s safe and make them leave solitary.

Hare will spend time with Yasmine, who stays in the room next to mine as he always does when I’m not around, and Jameson will make sure he’s okay before he comes up to Red’s room.

He tried to insist we put her in his office, but she refused, saying she needed the comfort of her own space to be able to recover.

She hasn’t said another word since, and I’m concerned. I can see the weight of what’s just happened to her in her eyes, and it aches to think that this is just another thing she needs to deal with as her mind slowly fractures from the games her sister tries to play with her.

Her silence is deafening, a stark contrast to what she’s usually like, and her red hair, which is typically bright and vibrant, seems limp and lifeless against her pillow.

We’ve been here for a day now, and she’s barely moved.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Bander. I’m tired of constantly looking over my shoulder for when she’ll strike next,” Red sighs into my chest, my arm wrapped around her protectively like I could shield her from whatever wants to harm her.

“I know, Red,” I murmur, smoothing her hair as she leans into me. “You can’t let her win. You have to stay strong and let Jameson take care of it. You’re not alone in this. In fact, I had four angry men in my room earlier demanding I come to look for you.”

This seems to get her attention, and she props herself up on her elbows as she looks at me, “Why?”

“You missed therapy, and they were concerned. If it weren’t for them worrying, I would have never known what was happening.”

Red’s eyes widen slightly, a mixture of surprise and gratitude flickering across her face. “They were worried about me?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

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