A Broken Truth

16: Tea Party

I walked up to the front of Edward's mansion and kicked the door, "Hey! I know you're in there! Your no good leader told you to let me pass!"

Isaac laughed, "Wow, I didn't expect that. Then again, he's not very respectful, so it's nice to see him get a taste of his own medicine."

The guards grabbed my arms and pulled me away from the door, but they let go when they heard Edward's voice, "Release her! What she says is true!"

Edward stood on the balcony, looking down at me.

He smirked, "Well, look at what we have here. I don't appreciate you kicking my door. If I wasn't told to let you pass, then I would've had you killed in no time."

I glared at him. The front doors opened. I walked in and the doors closed behind me. I heard footsteps walking down the stairs, along with a voice.

It was Edward, of course, who was as confident as ever, "You really had the nerve to come back here? What a courageous, yet stupid soul. What do you want?"

I walked passed Edward without saying a word. Suddenly, I felt a heavy pressure pushing me down. It was as if the air slowly faded away. It became difficult to breathe. My legs trembled and I kneeled down to keep my balance.

Edward glared at me, "If there's one thing I hate more than our terrible leader, it's being ignored. Answer me, peasant, or I'll make it worse."

Wait, so he hates Arthur too? Then, why won't he let me leave?

I struggled to speak, "I-I just want to get out of here, so that I can get to Arthur..."

He smirked, "Oh, is that what you call him? Tell me, do you hate him as much as I do?"

I nodded, "Yes, maybe even more than you do..."

"Then, I should be the new leader because I'm the only one that's truly worthy. Wouldn't you agree?" Edward laughed.

I glared at him, "No...you're just as bad as he is..." I paused to take a small breath, "Is that why you're keeping me here...and not letting me leave? To get an opinion? You're full of yourself..."

Edward's eyes widened and he looked away. The heavy feeling disappeared and I could breathe again.

"Get out..." He said quietly.

I looked at him with a confused look, "What?"

Did I hurt his pride? That easily? How vulnerable is this guy? 

"I said, get out!" Edward shouted.

I quickly stood up and left the mansion. I noticed that it was colder. I walked in knee-deep snow as Isaac told me where the High Tier was.

I made it to the entrance, where two giant doors stood tall. It looked like an entrance to a kingdom. I was surprised that it was dead quiet, considering what kind of person Victoria was. I knocked on one of the doors and they both creaked open.

I walked in to find a long, narrow table. The only light in the room was the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were tea cups, sugar cubes, a tea pot, and spoons on the table. Everything on the table looked like it was placed in a sloppy manner.

Well, this isn't organized very well.

I fixed the table and made it look neat. The moment I was finished, I noticed the chair across from me had been turned around.

I didn't move that. Is this place haunted?

"Nope! It's just me! :)" The chair turned back around with Victoria sitting in it, as if it was her throne. She had the tea pot in her hand and a tea cup in the other. She poured herself a cup of tea and set the tea pot on the table.

I sighed, "How did you show up? I didn't see you walk in here."

She giggled, "I can teleport, sweetie. I can also tell what people are thinking because I have fantastic intuition! Anyway, thank you very much for making the table look so nice! Care for some tea?"

I looked around and found a door behind Victoria.

That's probably the exit. I should get going.

"Um, actually, I have to go-"

One of the chairs moved behind me and pushed the back of my knees, forcing me to sit down.

I looked at Victoria and she smiled, "Please, I insist. There's plenty to go around." She took a sip from her teacup.

Slowly, each candle in the room lit up, revealing the rest of the environment. The room was Victorian style.

As I looked around more closely, I realized the "Victorian room" was just a set on a large stage. The curtains opened, revealing an auditorium with a full house. I assumed the audience were the Entities who followed Victoria.

She stood up and bowed, "Welcome, everyone! We have a special guest with us tonight!"

The audience cheered for Victoria, as if she was a celebrity. As for me, I just wanted to leave.

Does Victoria see life as one big show? Why is she so interested in humans anyway?

"She's always been like that. She discovered drama through humans, so it's no surprise that she's interested in them." Isaac explained in an annoyed tone.

I see...weren't you in this Tier before you ran away?

He sighed, "Yeah, she's annoying though. I'm not one who cares about what other people do. Drama is meaningless to me. I suggest you leave while she's distracted."

I nodded and stood up. I ran towards the door I saw earlier. The door lead me into a hallway. Ahead, I found an exit door that was wide open. Before I could get to it, the door slammed shut and I heard it lock.

She caught on! We'll have to find another way!

I heard Victoria's voice from the speakers that hung on the walls. She kept her cheerful tone. Even so, I could tell she was angry.

"Oh, Finley. Where do you think you're going? My show just started! Aren't you just dying to see every. Single. Detail?"