The Sinners Who Eat Her Heart (Complete)

CHAPTER 17✧˖°✧˖°✧˖°

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Rio was awakened by some crashing beyond his room, he quickly got up in panic to check. He insisted that Christie stayed with him for the time being and also because he wanted to spend more time with her, reasons beyond platonic.

The store was a mess, his blue eyes darted left to right–each shelves were broken, books scattered and some were torn. Crumpled pages loitering the floor. There was also this pungent-smelling black liquid staining the carpet.

"Christie? Is something wrong?" Rio didn't care about the books but his concern was directed to the young woman who had her back on him, she was standing near a particular shelf labeled "Fiction and Fairytales" while swaying her arms. She was humming.

Christie reached out for a hardbound book, its cover has engraved details of thorny vines with blooming roses and a castle. "I know her...I met her once upon a dream" She spoke in a singsong voice.

A frown sculpted on Rio's face, "Something wrong with your throat? I knew a few homemade remedies..." Why did his close friend sound different? It made him shudder.

"Fairytales are meant to end with a happy tone, right, Rio?" Her tone was enthusiastic and delighted, flipping through the pages. "It is intended to give moral lessons to readers and to show how good can triumph over evil..."

Rio was getting none of this through his head, so he slowly stepped forward. "Christie, what are you talking about? Maybe you should go back to bed, get more rest..." He reached out a hand on her shoulder but stopped halfway.

The short-haired brunette spun around, her lips curled into a wide cheery smile but held no warmth in it. His onyx eyes gleamed with malice and in her ears trickled black liquid. "The fairytale I am hoping to witness in person will happen soon" Her voice became more warped.

"W-Who are you?! What did you do to Christie?!" Rio realized this was not his sweet and kind Christie talking, whoever this was, he felt the menacing aura from her!

An exhale from Christie, "You have no idea what I've gone through to finally get out of that space Vernie placed me in. That little reaper and Inkwell are the main cause of my headache years ago, I will not make it easy for them" She chuckled, the ideas in her head were enough to get the excitement rushing in. "Why not settle in one world when I can have three or more? You all combined are ants against me" With a wave of hand, even without a wand, she pushed Rio against the wall after uttering a foreign language.

Rio groaned in pain as his back made rough contact with the wall and he fell, wincing. He couldn't follow whatever she was saying, something must have happened in Twisted Wonderland before he came here. Prince Leon and Chevalier already went here before, right? Would they know? "Christie, don't let her take over..." He tried calling out.

"It's too late for that" Christie walked closer, she didn't hesitate kicking him on the side multiple times. "Your Christie's purpose is only to serve as my instrument, my marionette. A pathetic and frustrated artist rejected by the Kingdom she hailed from."

–

Mary was thrown to the side, Ellis didn't mean it but he wanted to get her out of the way just as Ace suddenly became the metaphor of a rampaging bull who didn't think twice about tackling him and they ended up crashing into the window, and falling outside.

"Ace! Ellis!" Mary scrambled up to peek out of the broken window, she frowned as the two were engaged in a brawl and both were engulfed by the intensity of their fits of anger. "Stop it! Stop fighting you two!" She sped out of the room quickly to mediate between them but her running skidded to a stop. Her mouth dropped open, "Oh no..."