Mascarade [Dr. Facilier x Reader]

-Chapitre Six-

When you woke up your body was lying across the scarlet sofa, a mauve blanket draped over your disorientated form. You didn't remember sleeping here by choice...oh goodness, the tea. Who had-? The Shadow Man! Did he drug you?! Now panicking, you pushed the blanket away from you and sat up - a little afraid. What had he done? It had to be something shady... something worthy of being suspicious. There's no way it could be anything good-

"Ah, good evening chèrie. Did you have a good sleep?" Dr. Facilier was sitting on one of the wooden chairs, resting his feet on the other one as he held a glass of wine; his eyes now on you.

"What did you do? You can't just drug me like that! That's...That's illegal!" You exclaimed in anger, pushing the beads out of your way whilst you stood up.

"You told me you wanted the nightmares to stop and that's jus' what I did." He smoothly responded to your complaint, swirling the wine around the glass.

"But-"

"The potion knocked you out whilst fixin' the problem, so I do apologise for that." Dr. Facilier swallowed the rest of the wine and then moved his feet off the chair; swivelling round to face you completely.

"Where's Tiana?" You asked him anxiously.

"I imagine she's havin' the time of her life, hoppin' from place to place and being free." He drawled out, acting devious as he watched for your reaction.

Was that him confessing to it? Admitting that he turned Tiana into a frog? You took a step back... then another... and another. Fear and adrenaline forced you to spin around and run out of the place, his dark laughter ringing in your ears. What kind of psychopath laughs like that? What kind of...What kind of maniac enjoys messing with magic, people, and their emotions? Uneasiness flickered through your veins as you hurried through town, looking for your chauffeur and car.

"(Y/n)? Whatcha doin' in town at this time, darlin'?" Oh thank goodness, it was Big Daddy.

"I...I was visiting a friend. I accidentally fell asleep and didn't realise how late it had gotten." You panted breathlessly, hating that you had to call him a friend. Dr. Facilier was not to be trusted. You had to tell Charlotte about the frog thing, and quick.

"We were mighty worried about ya, sugar. Charlotte was in hysterics the last I saw. Why don't you hop in and I'll give ya a ride back?" Eli La Bouff kindly offered.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this." You nodded and climbed into the backseat of his yellow-coloured car.

"Don't mention it, hun." He chuckled, ruffling your hair before he told the driver to go.

The drive back to the La Bouff Estate was a quiet one, you feeling too on-edge to keep up a proper conversation with the wealthy businessman. You moved your arm to lean on your elbow and jumped, seeing a trickle of black run down your veins. As soon as you saw it you blacked out again, only waking up when the car stopped. You had to... tell Charlotte... about the... dark magic... It was like the shadowy-being could sense what you were going to do, because it purposely made you weaker.

"You alright, (Y/n)? You're lookin' worse than this mornin'." Big Daddy looked at you in concern, seeing you stumble out of the car.

"Get Charlotte...I need to tell her... something." You pleaded wearily.

"Helena! Get (Y/n) to her room. Charlotte! Where are ya?" Eli La Bouff took action immediately - seeing you collapse on the house steps. When you next awoke, you were in your room again - Charlotte clasping one of your hands nervously.

"Oh sugar, we were so worried about you! What happened? Daddy said he found you in town - and you promised you'd help me dress for my lunch with the Prince!" Charlotte spurted out in a panic, going from upset to slightly miffed.

"Charlotte, it's...it's..." You tried to tell her about Tiana and the twisted magic, but something was blocking your throat - causing you to cough and choke.

"(Y-Y/n)-?" The southern girl eyes widened at your sudden coughing fit, covering her mouth in shock.

How did this happen? The Shadow Man was lying about the sleeping thing, he had to be. You didn't have black magic in your body before, and it was preventing you from telling Charlotte the truth. Tiana had been turned into a frog, along with that other person. Dr. Facilier was doing something shady. New Orleans might even be in danger... So why couldn't you say anything? In defeat, you stopped trying to tell her and slumped back against the pillows, the clump in your throat fading.

"I-It's nothing. I met up with a friend in town because they needed my help, that's why I couldn't help you. Sorry Charlotte." You apologised quietly.

"D-Don't worry about it, honey. You just feel better, okay? Helena and the other maids will cater to your every need. Get some rest, (Y/n)." She accepted the apology in relief and patted your head, walking towards the door a second later. You felt oddly alone, upset that for some reason you couldn't tell anyone.

Well you could always see if your nightmares had truly stopped. Maybe the Shadow Man had done something helpful. Letting out a soft yawn, you snuggled down and shut your eyes; feeling very stressed out. You could feel the strange shadows running through your body, like some sort of erratic energy. Would it attack or assist you? Maybe you were going crazy... you certainly felt like it. Once you'd rolled onto your side you drifted off to sleep, going into the realms of dreams.

You were in the town of New Orleans, wandering the streets and seeing the citizens mill about, a few of them playing jazzy music whilst the others danced and clapped. This didn't seem like a nightmare. A shy smile slid across your face as you joined in the dancing, the lively songs brightening up your dreams to no end. But the cheering turned to screaming when shadows infiltrated the happy scene; shooting across the walls and turning the people into smoke. No...No!

"No! Stop it! Leave them alone!" You shouted in horror, trying to save the people. Yet you stopped and stiffened once you saw the Shadow Man, seeing a cruel smirk across his face.

"Enjoyin' the show, darlin'? This is what the future holds." He grinned and dramatically flung his hands out, gesturing around him.

"How could this happen? What have you done?!" You snapped in alarm, backing away from him like a wounded animal.

"I'm simply helpin' my friends on the other side. Because when I have New Orleans in the palm of my hand...I'll be running this town." The Shadow Man chuckled evilly.

"You're crazy! What makes you think you'll get away with all of this? I won't let that happen!" You argued with him and stood your ground - not liking how smug he was.

"Who'll believe you? You can't tell anyone sugar. The moment you try the shadows will stop you." He clicked his fingers and you felt lightheaded, falling to your knees instantly.

"That's not gonna stop me." You retorted tiredly, holding the ground in exhaustion.

The Shadow Man chuckled again and approached your weak body, going down on one knee as he took ahold of your chin. "You can't beat me, darlin' - I'm always one step ahead. Then again your feisty spirit is extremely seductive."

"H-Huh-?" Your eyes widened in confusion, not understanding what he meant. With another one of his amused smiles, Dr. Facilier tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips against yours, the jaunty kiss shocking you as it jolted you out of the dream world completely.