Novels by Chi Chi

Elisa…Days passed.Days that dragged on like decades, and it was during that time that I realized why many of them were quiet, while others forced me to remain quiet.It was due to hunger, and the strong sea wind that sometimes swept into the darkness and swallowed away every last drop of energy in our bodies as it tossed lifeless forms left and right in the room.I sat at the same corner of the room where I had been since the first day I was brought in, with my head hanging weakly against the wooden wall.It was the safest place to be, at least.Each time the wind came, I only had to hold on to a hanging chain from the wall until the wind stopped.Once, my hand had slipped from the slimy chain, but was held back from flying to the other end of the room by the young girl who remained close to me.Her weak frame had held on tightly to my hands until the wind subsided, and in between that moment, tears had slipped from her eyes, from the unbearable pain of holding on to me.One woman b

ELISA…Someone was pounding something too loudly beside me.Like a bunch of women beating rice.I tried to tell them to stop, but my mouth would not move, nor would my eyes even open to see who was making all the noise.I slowly moved my body, and the little movement brought my face closer to a smell that made my insides explode with disgust, and my body shook violently with pain.And then I realized.There was really no pounding; it was my own head beating the drums.I tried to convince myself that it was only one of those nightmares that shook me, but when I tried to breathe again, the air refused me.It was thick, sour, clotted with decay and salt, and it scraped my lungs raw as I dragged it in.My chest seized, and my throat tightened with each breath I took.The smell hit me like a blow.It smelled of rot, unwashed human waste, dried up blood, and salt water.And something else beneath it all—something sweet and wrong, like flesh left too long under the sun.And when my body conv

Lucien…“Elisa”My name on her lips had never sounded so strained and weak before.Unless, for the time, I had heard her call for me while I was in the desert.But I had only come back then to find her in the company of another man.I didn’t let the thought of the delivery boy linger in my mind for too long, for fear of what I might do to him if he did anything at all to her.I was on my feet before my mind could catch up, the sheets slipping from my body as I crossed the room in long strides, my bare feet barely registering the cold stone beneath them.“Elisa!” I called, throwing the door open.The corridor beyond my chambers lay dim and still, lit only by the pale glow of the awakening sun outside.For a moment, there was nothing—no sound, no movement.Then I felt a slight shift in my body, and immediately, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I saw the path before me through dim red eyes.I hurried towards the staircase that led down to the servant quarters.I should have taken he

Elisa - (Lord Edric’s court…)“So we meet again, my child,” a familiar voice, laden with the thick smell of rich wine and food, filtered through my ear.My body remained weak and unmoving on the icy stone floor beneath me, my eyes still heavily shut.But my body was alert, my ears sharper than my vision, and I was capturing even the slightest whisper.I knew I was far from the manor.Everything smelled different.Not just rich and expensive, but powerful, dangerous, and unfamiliar, far from the familiar scent of rich but empty hallways lined with flowers and old curtains that still breathed life even after many years.It didn’t smell like Lucien.Lucien…I thought to myself, and my chest began a steady pounding inside me.Lucien.“I underestimated your strength from the first day I saw you and your wretched mother in that godforsaken trench.” his voice was close to me - too close- and I from the gentle pull of my hair, I knew he was playing with my hair between his fingers.It repulse

Elisa…Should I read it now, or keep it aside until I was ready to handle whatever truth he claimed was in it?Will I ever be ready for whatever was in the leaves?I stared at it for a while, trying hard to still my hands and just focus.What was this truth?Was Lucien really a murderer?Did he lie to me?But why will he? His eyes were so honest and sincere.‘It does not matter anymore, Elisa, it is too late.’ Lalora whispered again, but remained in the shadows.I ignored what she was saying.It was not making any sense, and most of the time, it vexed me just how much they kept from me and expected me to understand it.I was just a poor daughter of a widowed farmer who did not know anything outside the church hymns and the bible verses.I was only fortunate enough to learn to read and write because of the nuns in the convent who made sure we, the young altar girls and boys, learned under their care.I opened the sheets in my hands and looked with creased brows at the different handwri

ELISA“Rowan,” I whispered through the halls of the manor as I followed the trails of his damp fish scent, even though the light from the lamp he was holding had disappeared.I was careful not to wake Yennefer or attract her attention.I didn’t just want anything to get worse for me than it already was.The shadow of light from the rising sun outside did a little to light my part as I walked down the hallways and towards my chambers.If he had not already left the manor, then he would definitely be waiting in front of my room or somewhere else in the manor where I know he only dared to reach until whatever pulled him to Lucien’s room.He was not supposed to be there - no one was.Where did he get so much confidence to come up there, by the way?“Rowan?” I whispered again as I reached the foot of the stairs.But there was no shadow of him in front of my room.He had never gone into my room, but went ahead to make sure he had not also breached that gap and maybe waited in there for me.

SCOTTSeconds passed by, and to me it felt like hours, it felt like ages.'How can you even say something like that? She was the love of your life for how many-' 'And she went ahead and slept with my own little cousin just a week or two after I got hospitalized? Tell me Scott, how long did you both know each other, tell me how long you guys had been fooling me for''But you can't just take her life for that mistake, what if she is happy? What if-''I do not want to remind you again Scott, I still hold the gun' he wiggled the gun in front of me to proof his point and I raised my hands in surrender, and all the time I just tried to keep my anger at bay and not end up doing something we were all going to regret.But I had to do something either way. There were not more than seven steps between us at that moment, and if I took very slow steps towards him I was sure he was not going to notice.'I am sorry about your pa and your wife. Damn, I didn't know there was some level of hate moving

CAMILLEI didn't understand anything that was going on , but I was damn sure that whatever it was was taking a hard toll on Scott.I watched him recoil when the blindfold was taken out of his eyes, and no expression or reaction of his missed my notice.I just wished I could hold him, I could at least get close enough to him and feel what he was feeling then. But then I already had a lot to deal with to worry about what someone else felt.But still.I was trying to make sense of their discussion, of what Maya was trying to say to him, but it all seemed fucked up and each revelation only made him even more withdrawn and definitely furious.And then his father.Okay, well, technically not his father, but how could he do such a thing to a son he raised as his all these years.I was trying to figure out how all that had anything to do with me until she called the name “Lucille”. I knew I had heard that name, somewhere, probably from...Yes, from Scott.That asshole, that was the name he ke

SCOTTI just sat there on the floor and watched her pace the room with the gun in one hand and a baseball bat in the other. She looked just like I always knew her to be – the real thug.'You know you all kept tossing me around and making me look like a messed up shit''That's because you are Maya, you are a crazy woman''No I am not Scott. You are the one who is crazy, you are the one who keeps thinking I am the evil one who killed my own sister and who still tried to come for your family. I am not crazy, but trust me you are such a foolish asshole,' she screamed and I couldn't help but laugh at her craziness.'I have known you well and I know you love to manipulate people into falling into your plans. Is that what you did to my dad too? Is that how you got him to get you pregnant and put it on me?''Well I am glad he is here and you will find out everything Scott''And you think I will be too foolish as to believe whatever you are going to say now when you have got us all under ropes

CAMILLEI had never experienced a lot of things in my life, and one of them was having a gun being pointed at me.And not just from anyone, but from a woman who looked like a mess.‘Of course I knew he would be here with your sorry ass' I heard her say, above the thumping in my ears. I could not think of anything else but the kids just in the next room.What if they got tired and just decided to come out?Oh God, I just wish they didn't. I can be the reason they have to deal with another trauma.'Hey, hello, h-h-how are you doing?' I stammered as I took several steps backwards until I hit the kitchen sofa.'How am I doing? Bitch I should be asking you that. Because you don't seem to be holding your shit together''Maya, just let her go, she has nothing to do with this' I heard Scott struggle to say while trying to get up from the floor. There was blood on his face, and it wasn't just blood from wherever he had gotten it from before.He was hurt, and it scared the shit out of me.She

CAMILLE'What the hell are you doing here? I thought we were done for good?' I stared at him with all the hate in my chest, one that melted as quickly as it tried to surface. There was no way I could ever be that mad at him, but I wish I could, at least this one time.I was really surprised to see him at my doorstep, especially since he was supposed to be enjoying his honeymoon with his new bride in London or wherever.He looked really bad with the blood on his hands and the bruises on his face and I was worried that the cobs might trace him down to my house and get me in the open as well.'Please can I come in at least?''The hell no, as a matter of fact I need you to leave' I said but I knew if he turned his back at that moment I would be on my knees begging him to come back.I didn't know how I got there but I knew for sure that was so so fucking in love with that guy. I couldn't stand him walking away yet again, and he didn't look like he was trying to either.'Please Camille, jus

SCOTTI sat back in the car for more than an hour, just watching her front lawn and wondering if I should go in – but then I had James to worry about.Everything looked as peaceful as it always used to be when James was in the hospital. I just wish he was never in the picture in the first place, then I would not have made a wrong choice in the woman I walked down the aisle with.I was just about to step out of the car when two men walked out of the house and they both left in a car. One of them was James and the other looked familiar, like I had seen him somewhere.Well, I didn't have enough time to think about that, I had to seize the opportunity and talk to Camille before James returned.I hurried over to the door and rang the doorbell, but no one opened up even after the third ring, and I was getting a little bit tensed up.What if she was out as well? What if she didn't even come back home with James after the wedding?How will you even think that James? She loves that man and tha

HELENThe room looked just like I had left it - a dark cage.It slowly sipped into my soul and consumed the confidence and energy I had gained in Chief’s house.It attacked my defenses and threatened to pull me back into the hole I had thought I had escaped.But I should have realized that that hole had always been there. It never left. It had only been momentarily shielded by the light that blanketed it for a little while.Even in my discomfort, I felt satisfied.The ache in my head was from the blood rush I felt when I saw Lucio again, but it had nothing to do with how merry my heart felt in all the chaos.I didn’t want to think about that just yet. About how my legs got weak immediately I worked into his office and saw him bare-chested by his desk, even after I had paused a couple of minutes outside the door to gather every last ounce of strength I needed to face him again.I put all the trashy thoughts that were forming in my mind away and walked briskly to the edge of the bed, wh

LUCIOI strained my eyes on the files in front of me, even though my brain was no longer making any sense of the jumbled letters scribbled on the papers.I had a deadline. I had severe consequences staring back at me if I dared not fulfil my duties by the end of the day.But my mind and brain chose to betray me just when I needed them.Instead, they worried about something that wasn’t there, something not worth worrying over - or maybe it was worth it, but not at that time.I loosened the first button on my shirt that seemed to be on a mission to snuff out the last breathe of air from my lungs - or was it just my anxiety choking at my throat?I wonder why I have to keep up with this charade of looking responsible even while I was at the brink of losing everything - including my power. My appearing responsible wouldn’t make any sense, then would it?I freed the rest of the buttons on the t-shirt and slowly peeled the fabric out of my body, wishing the world would slow down to my own pa

HELEN‘Don’t you dare do anything stupid,’ He warned me, just some minutes before Alex walked in, and with one of his men following closely behind.He was getting out of his coat when he noticed the man standing beside me and paused in his action. He looked at me with curiosity and concern in his eyes before staring back at Parker.‘Hey, seemed like you got a visitor today. I didn’t know about that’ He finally said as he pulled the last sleeve of the coat from his left hand and handed it to the man standing beside him. Then slowly walked towards us, waiting for one of us to explain what was going on.To my surprise, Parker walked towards him with an extended hand and a smile on his face like a businessman trying to close a deal.‘It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Chief. I am Parker, and I have heard so much about you.Alex looked at me again, and when I said nothing, he took Parker’s hands in his and they shook hands like old buddies.‘It’s unfortunate, I have never heard anything

CHAPTER 33HELENMaybe my head has been submerged in whatever for too long, or maybe the muffled sounds I heard were of someone else in the bathroom who was trying to say something to me.I raised my head above water level and waited a few seconds until my eyes and heartbeat adjusted to normal, and then I saw the matron standing over me and looking at me with a queer look that said more than words could tell.‘Urrhm, good morning?’ I said, and it sounded more like a question.‘There is someone downstairs to see you,’ she said and turned to leave, but I still had questions I needed to be answered.‘Me?’ I asked and waited for her to turn her back. ‘Who?’ I added quickly before her neck turned to face me.But she didn’t say anything. She merely just gave me a, I-guess-you-are-not-especting-me-to-answer-that look and walked away.‘Fuck’ I said aloud to myself and got off the tub.I was as surprised and curious as I was worried.Someone is here to see me?I hope to God that it’s not Lucio

CHAPTER 32LUCIOAll through the ride home, I was dreading the myriad of questions Parker was going to have waiting for me while he sat in my study or even stood by the door, waiting for me by the time I got back home.But to my surprise, he was nowhere in sight as I trudged into the house and to my room.I had left earlier with so much annoyance and had hoped I would at least get something done.But I only just realized that I had made a very stupid mistake, as Parker had foreseen in sending her away.I looked around my room for anything worthwhile, for anything at all that made sense, but it was just my bed and a closet filled with suits and shoes. Apart from that, my life was empty, and unlike my father, I was going to die with no glory and no honour.I reached for the closest thing to my arm - the bottle of cognac by my dresser - and flung it as hard as my anger could carry against the wall above my bed, and listened to it shatter like the pain in my heart.I wasn’t even sure what

CHAPTER 31HELENWhy is he not here yet?What is going on out there? I kept asking myself as I shot up from the bed and paced the room again like a lunatic.I was losing my mind. Fear and anxiety was crippling my mind and I wished there was something I could do.It had been a while since I heard the noise from downstairs, and it had been exactly three long hours since I had walked out on both men. I had been waiting since then for that gentle knock on the door that would decide my fate.I wanted to be mad at him for keeping something like that from me. For treating me so right, even when I was just a gift bait for a business exchange. But it felt like he had made up for all the wrong, and it was not like I had any other choice.I looked through the window of my room towards the darkening garden, and I wondered for the umpteenth time if I should try my luck and run off. I might be really lucky now since every employee in the house whom I have met treats me with as much respect as their