Wattpad Block Party - Winter Edition II

NatashaPreston Presents: The Cellar Alternative Ending

The Cellar Alternative Ending

Hey, everyone. I'm so excited to be a part of the Wattpad Block Party. I was asked to write a blog post and immediately knew I wanted an alternative ending for The Cellar. I often wonder what would happen if Rose and Clover escaped. So, here it is!

CLOVER

I lifted my fist and brought it down on Lily.

They're coming for you.

They'll be here soon.

You've failed.

Gritting my teeth, I slammed my fist down on her temple.

"Clover, Clover, no!" Rose screamed. She tugged at my arm but I whipped it away and rose to my feet. Poppy cowered in the corner, whimpering. Her lip was bleeding and her right eye was already starting to swell.

"They're coming for us. I won't be separated, Rose," I said, gasping for breath. Adrenaline seared through my body so hard and so fast I felt lightheaded.

She gripped my hands tightly in hers. "I understand, and that's why we need to go. Please, don't do this. We can get out. We still have time, but you have to stop and come with me now. Come on, please."

With the cellar door open I could hear outside clearly. My home was surrounded by miles of open fields that carried sound. The distant wail of sirens had my heart beating rapid, uneven beats.

"We have to go, Clover, please," she begged, her eyes bulging. Tears ran down her cheeks and her hands shook. "Leave them. Let's go!"

Shaking my head, I muttered, "I..."

"Clover, now! Come on."

ONE WEEK LATER

We had made it to a remote village in Northern Scotland. I had holidayed nearby with my parents as a child and never forgot the remoteness. Rose and I had our photographs in the media. They had been splashed all over the television and newspapers. They had turned the world against me, made it seem like I was something I am not.

Rose has been perceived as my victim. Lily and Poppy have turned against me, telling everyone who will listen that I am some sort of evil monster. I thought they understood it. I thought they understood what I – we – were trying to create.

I gripped the mug of tea Rose had placed before me and sighed. The control I had on my life was slipping. "Are you alright, Clover?" Rose asked.

"I am, Rose. Soon everything will be back to how it should be."

She sat down on the old wooden chair and leant over the rustic table between us. "Are you sure that is a good idea? Is it not too risky for us to return for them?"

The very idea of not having my family complete makes me feel like I am an alien. The world is wrong without us being together. But I do not know how to get Lily and Poppy back. Not after the things they have said about Rose and myself.

"What choice do we have, Rose?" I asked. She bit her lip and lowered her head, concealing something. A light blush tinted her cheeks. "Rose, what is it?"

"I thought...I-I," she muttered.

My breath caught and my stomach twisted. "Say it, Rose," I snapped.

Her thin frame jumped. "Sorry. What I want to say, to suggest...is that we stay here. Nobody knows who we are. They believe what we've told them. We could start again, Clover. Maybe this is an opportunity for us to have a different life...one we both know we should have had."

"Rose," I hushed, my muscles locking in shock at her words.

She's trying to control you. You're weak, and you'll let her. You'll abandon everything you know is right.

"I understand this is a lot for you to take in, Clover. I know I'm asking for so much, but we could be happy. Imagine it, we could make a life here. Do you want that with me?"

She sounded nervous. It is as if she had forgotten how we met and what I wanted. Rose was never supposed to be one of my flowers. Here she was offering me everything I had wanted with her, and I wasn't sure if I could do it.

Every cell in my body screamed at me to go back for Poppy and Lily and me begged to continue the imperative work I had started.

"Rose... I cannot be that selfish."

"It is not selfish. You are allowed to live your life the way you want to. I believe we deserve happiness. We can be happy here."

She is trying to control you. If you listen to her, you will never be a real man.

Scrubbing my hand over my face, I took a deep breath.

I wanted what she was offering so much. She was the woman I wanted to be with, to build something with.

We had found refuge in a small Bed and Breakfast, we liked the area, and I was confident we could find work. There were plenty of nearby cottages to rent. We could make a life here.

But I was not sure if I could do that. I had morals and beliefs.

I had a responsibility, an enormous one, to my flowers and myself. How could I live here knowing what I had left behind?

You need to go home, get your girls and rid the whores! But you are probably too weak for that.

I was not too weak.

Yes, you are.

I gripped my hair and closed my eyes as the voice pierced through my mind, leaving behind a throbbing headache.

Did I not deserve happiness of my own by now? I had done more for society than anyone else. I had lived my entire life for others. Why could I not have something for myself? Rose was offering me a life I had yearned for as far back as I could remember.

I wanted it so badly saying yes would be simple.

But she would not let me have this so easily. No, not my mother. She may be gone but her voice is not. It will never leave, and I do not know if I could handle hearing the disappointment day in and day out if I accept Rose's offer.

"Please, Clover," Rose said, playing her warm hand over my clenched fist. I let go of my hair and looked up. Her beautiful face stared back at me with hope and longing.

"I would like to but..."

"I understand that this is difficult for you and I am asking a lot but couldn't we try? It is too dangerous to go back so soon anyway. Could we try until then?" She dipped her eyes so I would not see the weakness. This was something she wanted as much as I did. I could give it to her, to us both. "Please? I would love to know what a real, traditional life with you is like."

I took a breath that almost knocked me off my seat. She was not alone in that wish. Since the day I met her I had wanted so much more. Rose was always supposed to be a spouse.

You will never be able to do it.

You need all the girls.

You're weak.

"Yes, Rose," I hushed as my heart started to thud. I would not be weak. This was something I could do. I was sure I would be able to restrain myself from reverting to my old ways. "We will stay here together."

She had asked for a trial run until it was safe enough to return but accepting her offer had I already made me feel like a new man. This was the man I wanted to be. I wanted a wife and a pretty little house and a happy family. We would never return, I was positive. Almost.

Maybe Rose could be my salvation?