Mascarade [Dr. Facilier x Reader]

-Chapitre Quatre-

The masquerade ball ended at midnight; Charlotte and Prince Naveen dancing together like a real fairytale couple. You were happy for her, but you were confused by her warning. Dr. Facilier was known as the Shadow Man? And why was Charlotte so serious about it? You'd never seen the ditzy southern girl that stern about something. After you'd fixed her hair and calmed Charlotte down you went back to your seat, picking up the card from the table.

Should you go to see him? Charlotte was known to overreact, but if he was called a con artist then perhaps you should avoid all contact. How did he read your hand then? Fakers can't do that kind of thing. Unless he'd heard about your family from somewhere else. They had been in the papers before...then again, how would he know about Alison? It didn't add up. So you held onto the business card, not telling Charlotte.

Big Daddy got servants to carry your suitcases from the car to the guest room; your chauffeur staying as well. It was just in case you needed a ride anywhere, and if you didn't want Charlotte's company. You stifled a sigh as you changed into a silk nightdress, trying to say goodnight to Charlotte at the door. She kept talking about her stupid time with the Prince - swooning over his looks and growing excited about marriage. You couldn't care less.

"Charlotte, I'm really tired. May we speak tomorrow?" You kept being polite, even though you were bored at this point.

"Why, of course! Prince Naveen is coming round for lunch tomorrow, so I was thinkin' you could help me decide what to wear...if you wouldn't mind." Charlotte acted rueful towards the end and you forced a smile, nodding.

"I don't mind. Now you'd better get some sleep or you won't be able to woo the Prince at lunch." You nudged her, being playful as you muffled a yawn.

"Aww you're right! Ahaha, see you in the mornin' sugar! G'night~" She gave you a warm hug before bounding off towards her bedroom, humming to herself. Same old Charlotte.

"Finally, some time to myself. Sure is good to be alone." You murmured to yourself, stretching whilst you leaned against the now-shut door.

A whooshing noise snapped you out of your tired mind, your thoughts turning suspicious as you went on high alert. Nothing in this room would make a whooshing sound like that. There wasn't a fan, nor was the window open. Something wasn't right here. Your head jerked to the other side of you when a shadowy thing leapt across the wall. It was so quick you scarcely caught it, making you unsure of what you saw. Was it a shadow of something in the room? But why would it move?

You watched for a few moments more, but it didn't appear again. Maybe you were just too tired to think properly...then again, you didn't like to sleep either. Nightmares usually plagued your thoughts, causing you to be sharper and colder towards people in the waking world. Would that witch doctor you met have a remedy for nightmares? Or was he nothing but a troublemaker? Hmm, who would know besides Charlotte? Oh, Tiana! She had common sense, and she knew what went on around town. You'd ask her tomorrow.

That night's sleep was a mixture of miserable memories and erratic events, your defensive nature getting absolutely destroyed by your own horrible dreamland. When you woke up, you felt even more drained than last night, uttering a soft good-morning to Big Daddy and Charlotte, the three of you going into the dining room. The maids and servants had arranged a large array of breakfast foods, but you weren't even hungry. In fact you felt defeated.

"Now (Y/n), you really should eat more than that. It's ain't healthy for a growing girl to have such a small portion, ain't that right Princess?" Big Daddy turned to his daughter and ruffled her hair affectionately, being worried about you.

"Daddy's right, (Y/n). You're lookin' as pale as a white daisy on a summer day." Charlotte looked concerned as well, which made you feel slightly comforted.

"I just need to wake up, that's all. I'll eat in a bit." You folded your napkin and then stood up, giving a gentle bow to them before going back to your room.

You wanted to go see the town, as well as ask Tiana about the supposed Shadow Man. So once you'd grabbed your purse and double-checked your appearance you left the estate, asking your chauffeur to drop you off at Duke's. It was a lovely little cafe, and you knew Tiana worked morning shifts there. Waving goodbye to the driver, you shut the door and entered the cafe - looking around for Tiana. Where was she? On her break? Or had you missed her shift?

"Excuse me, Sir, have you seen Tiana?" You asked the cook directly, only just being heard over the frying pans.

"Sorry girl, she didn't even make her shift today. I don't have a clue where that daydreamin' lass is." He yelled over the loud noise; trying to cook everything at once.

"Daydreaming?" You repeated in confusion.

"Just like I said, daydreamin'. She's always talkin' bout that dang restaurant! Tiana's got about as much chance of gettin' that restaurant as I do of winnin' the Kentucky Derby." The cook mocked her dream callously, causing you to snap.

"I'm actually looking for Tiana, because I want to give her the remaining expenses she needed for her restaurant. I'm (Y/n) of the (L/n) family, nice to meet you." After saying that, you flounced out, enjoying the shocked look on his face.

So Tiana wasn't at work...but she wasn't at home...Where was she? This was unlike the diligent girl. Thinking back to the frog fiasco, you remembered the two amphibians talking. One of them sounded like Tiana...no, there was no way she had turned into a frog! That wasn't even possible! Unless magic had been involved...dark magic. This would explain why you couldn't find her either. How on Earth had she transformed into a frog? What kind of voodoo-

"-You stay away from him now, ya hear? He's nothin' but trouble." The Shadow Man. Charlotte had warned you, but she hadn't warned Tiana. It was bewildering though, Tiana wouldn't just go knocking on someone's door, asking for help. Wasn't there another frog though? Maybe that frog had gone and gotten Tiana tangled up in all the chaos. Your theories were wild and farfetched, but it was better than any other answer you could come up with.

With determination you changed direction, asking people which way it was to the Shadow Man's house. Most people flashed you shifty looks and avoided your question - as if it could somewhat hurt them to interact with you. But finally someone answered your request; pointing you to a nearby alleyway. They told you it was a Voodoo Emporium, run by the infamous Shadow Man. You gave them a thankful reply and then headed off towards the alleyway, hoping to find Tiana or answers.

The whooshing sound happened again; the shadow shooting across the wall in a flash. You stopped to stare at it, both intrigued and intimidated by such a being. Was it supernatural? Or was it a light trick? A squeak escaped your mouth as it zoomed back down the wall - somehow knocking you over. You would've hit the ground too, if hands hadn't wrapped around your waist and held you securely. What had- Dr. Facilier.

"Well, well, well...What do we have here?"