Chapter 49


    29th August 2000


    It was one of the darkest nights, he was in his room, curled up in a ball while lying on his bed. The


    beads of sweat dripped down his forehead to his bedsheets. His body quivered and he found it difficult


    to open his eyes. He gasped for air.


    Another nightmare broke into another anarchical repose. The ticking of the clock stopped and was


    reced by the sound of the tintinnabtion. Lucifer''s eyes were wide open when his eyes heard the


    ding of the clock bell. His room was epassed by darkness. But that''s how he liked it. He liked


    being in the dark because the tenebrosity was the only thing that could perceive him and was parallel


    to him. He was not more than seven years old. But he understood the ndestine of the darkness.


    This time, his nightmare was more violent and brutal. The loud gaspsing out of him and the


    continuous flowing of the egestive on his body were the evidence. His hand reached for themp on his


    bedside and switched it on, defeating the darkness and escting its light on a small portion of his


    room.


    At the same time, one of the maids of the Knights was walking in the hallway when her eyesnded on


    Lucifer''s room. The door was slightly opened and the light could be seen by her. She pushed it farther


    and knocked on the door.


    "Are you okay, young master?" She asked gently. Lucifer''s eyesnded on the maid and he swiftly got


    out of his bed, running to her. His little arms were wrapped around the maid as he sobbed onto her


    ck maid dress. The maid felt pity for him and put her hand on his head.


    "You can talk to me, honey." She whispered to him.


    "I-I have n-nothing. I ha-have no f-family." The maid hugged him tighter and kneeled to him. "That''s not


    true, honey. You have a family, even though they are your foster parents. They both love you and your


    brother." He shook his head violently.


    "They are n-not my real p-parents. They will never be!" His voice suddenly got louder. He refused to


    ept them as his parents. Arabelle loved him and his brother, but she could never rece his


    biological mother.


    She inhaled sharply and responded, "sometimes there are people in our lives whoe at the right


    time to extricate us. And these are the people who will be with you till the end of the day, Lucas. Maybe


    Lucian and Arabelle are not one of those individuals, but there will be someone..." It had been long


    since someone called him Lucas. She paused to break the hug and cupped his wet-red cheeks and


    said, "Who will salvage you from the depth of the sea of mncholy. There is someone for you. One


    day, you will find what is rightfully yours."


    ****


    She winced when the cold water from the shower touched her body. She had countless bruises all over


    her body. She gritted her teeth together as she scrubbed her body with the soap. It hurt. It hurt so much


    she wanted to cry. Her body was screaming at her to stop but all she wanted was to get rid of his touch,


    it disgusted her. She almost poured all the liquid soap from the bottle and began scrubbing her body.


    Each part of it.


    Her hands.


    Her shoulders.


    Her neck.


    Everywhere her hand could reach, she scrubbed it all. She cursed her life, she cursed for being an


    orphan, she cursed her foster parents to treat her like crap. She cursed her bullies from her old school


    that made her so infirm. She cursed for working at the Knights. If only she would have looked for a


    better job...she would not have to work for Knights. It was her biggest mistake, Caroline warned her


    several times but she never listened.


    Why did I not listen?!


    Her eyes began to tear and her movements slowed down. A loud sob escaped her mouth and she felt


    as if she would fall anytime if she did not grip on something. The water was still running on muffling the


    sound of her loud sobs. She turned around to face the opposite side of the shower and involuntarily her


    back rested on the wall behind her. The soap was washed away from her body as she glided down and


    her bottom touched the cold-hard floor. Why was that happening to her? She wanted to escape! She


    wanted to run away. But, there was no escape, she knew it.


    After she came out of the bathroom, she got dressed and sat on her bed. August looked to her bedside


    and saw her bags on the floor. Her hands clenched tightly onto the bedsheet. Was it fear she felt? Or


    was it the anger? The emotions were so intense she could notprehend. With her shaky legs, she


    got up from the bed and walked towards her belongings. All of her clothes were somehow tugged


    inside the bag, her small pouch was lying beside it on the floor. She picked up her pouch and found it


    open, but what surprised her was a decent amount of cash sticking out of the half-opened zipline of the


    pouch. She frowned. She did not remember putting an amount this big in her pouch. She opened the


    zipline and was beyond shocked. She counted it after pulling out the money.


    $2000.


    She did not earn this much. Why would Lucifer give her an early sry which was double the normal


    amount? She took the pouch with her and went downstairs. She noticed the golden walls as she


    walked down the staircase, all of the furniture was shining bright for Christmas. But she was not sure if


    she would be there during Christmas. Although she would hate to be in this big house all alone during


    her favorite holiday, she could not imagine spending it with Lucifer at his penthouse. She bit her bottom


    lip to suppress the sob begging to leave her mouth. She had to be stronger than this. She could not just


    let him take her away! But what would stop him?


    "What are you doing here?"  asked her. She just came out of the kitchen and made her way to the


    living room where August was standing unknowingly. Her question brought her back to reality. August


    was not dressed in her regr maid outfit, instead, she wore simple white pants and a red half-sleeved


    t-shirt. Her hair was still wet from her shower and her t-shirt was wet from the droplets of her drenched


    hair. ''s eyes shifted to her hand and saw August holding her pouch. That did not go unnoticed by


    August, she assumed  had understood why she was down there.


    "Master gave it to you. He said it is a Christmas bonus. All of the maids got it before they left." Oh, she


    was aware that they were given a bonus, but they were not given twice their sry for the bonus. Alexa


    and Ruby had been working for longer than other girls, so they were given the highest amount of $300


    extra as the bonus. August only earned not more than $600. There was no way Lucifer would give her


    $1400 more as a bonus. August timidly nodded her head even though she did not believe a word


    had said, or maybe Lucifer did not tell her the actual reason. Nevertheless,  was aware of


    everything that happened in the house.


    She turned to leave for her room.


    "August,"  called her out. She stopped in her tracks but did not turn around. "You will be leaving with


    him tonight." A grievous feeling passed her heart that juddered her entire body. A low wheeze left her


    mouth. Her eyelids seized against one another, she did not respond to her


    and ran to her bedroom, closing the door behind her and carefully locking it.


    No, I cannot let it happen. I need to do something. I need to escape!


    Lucifer was yet toe home. She thought it would be perfect timing for her to leave the house. She


    walked to the window and looked outside, thankfully there were not many guards. It would be easier for


    her to leave. She quickly dried her hair with the towel and brushed it. Suddenly, her phone rang. She


    picked it up and the soft voice of Caroline was heard from the opposite side of the phone.


    "Hello sweetie, how are you?" August''s throat dried in poignant. She had never hide anything from


    Caroline. Caroline always taught August to share her every sorrow with her no matter how painful it


    would be for Caroline. But that time August could not do it. She could not hurt her only family. Caroline


    would be devastated.


    "H-hello Caroline, I-I am good, and you?"


    "I am fine honey, but are you sure you are alright? You sound distressed. Are you sick?" August bit on


    her bottom lip. Her eyes began to water. She gulped down her sorrow and responded. "No, I am fine


    Caroline. I-I just can''t wait to see you."


    Caroline''s face light up by her response. "I am looking forward to meeting you during Christmas honey.


    I am nning to prepare your favorite chicken roast and baked potatoes!" Listening to her excitement


    in Caroline''s voice, August''s knees gave up on her shivering body. She fell onto her bed and clenched


    her fist tightly.


    "You will being for the holiday, won''t you?" There was a sudden sincere and worry in her voice.


    August immediately spoke up.


    "Of course! I will being, Caroline. But I need to go now. I will call youter." She was thankful her


    voice did not break that time.


    "Okay sweetie, Take care." She politely responded and ended the call. Throwing her phone on the bed,


    she rested her hands on her legs and touched her forehead with her palm. She was sweating badly.


    She wanted to tell Caroline everything, but she was too scared. Her anxiety was killing her. She


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    decided she would leave.


    August lifted her bag and her small pouch in her other hand. She looked around the room onest time.


    She could not say that she would miss that bedroom because even those walls held a bad memory,


    those walls also echoed her cries of agony.


    She wiped a drop of tear that glided down her cheek to her neck and twisted the doorknob to open it.


    The opened with a cracking voice of the wood and she took a step ahead in the hope to search for a


    new life, a life full of freedom.


    "Going somewhere, butterfly?"


    That voice.


    The familiar ridiculing voice.


    She looked up and wished she never did.