Part 21

[Present]

"Are you cold, little girl?" he asked the girl sitting on his doorstep, freezing and shivering. She nodded and he opened the door wide for her. "Get in, I will warm you up."

She hesitantly but happily walked in and he took her to the living room where a bright furnace burnt.

Lara woke up only to find herself alone in bed.

Lara walked in to find Lucien holding a little girl by the arm and pushing her towards the furnace. She panicked and quickly grabbed the child from him and asked what the matter was.

"She said she was cold but when I told her to get inside she says she doesn't want to. I want to warm her up but since she won't get inside the fire maybe I will... " he reached inside the furnace and picked up a burning coal. I seized the opportunity and pushed the girl towards the back door and told her to run and never look back and she did as I told her. By the time he turned back with the burning coal in his hand, she was gone.

"Where did she go?" he looked around him as if he expected to see her lurking in the corners. "I-"

"She... She left." Lara's voice shook but he sounded disappointed. She waited for his next action but he just stood there saying nothing. He finally dropped the coal.

"Your hand has burnt, let me treat that," she said and was beginning to turn away when he pulled her to him with his unburnt hand. She looked at him with nothing but pure horror in her eyes and he traced her face with his fingers and smiled. "Do you know why I like you so much?"

"Why?" she asked in a tiny voice, expecting the worst.

"Because you look like my mother. Your face, your laugh - everything is the same as her." She was taken aback by the response and was beginning to even think that's a good thing when he spoke again. "I hated her. She was always so noisy and loud and... And... She said I disgusted her."

"Why did she say that?" Lara asked, looking away.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is I killed her. She was annoying she deserved to die. I wanted to make it so painful for her but just cutting her hands off the trick, kinda sad really... her bleeding out on the floor..." he closed his eyes as if he was reliving that scene.

Lara's expression turned into a terrified one and when Lucien noticed it, he started laughing. "Chill Lara, you really thought that I would do such a thing?" and just as she had begun to hope he clarified. "I just pushed her off and she split her head on the pavement with her unborn baby. Not too painful if you ask me. Want to experience her pain?"

"No," Lara said too quickly and tried to hide her horror. She could not believe that even for one moment she had actually begun to believe this sick minded guy she was stuck with would be sane. "But unlike my mother you care for me. And so I love you," he singsonged and leaned forward to hug her. She didn't pull away fearing he might be offended of she did so. She hugged him back and stood there with a blank mind.

"What kind of a person was she?" she asked slowly and heard Lucien's breath hitch.

"She was pretty and cruel, emotionless and selfish... and she used to look exactly the way you do now." He skimmed her neck with the bridge of his nose. "I wanted to turn you into her but you've turned out way better."

"What did you say?" her eyes widened and Lucien felt her go stiff.

"You think the the two years I spent in school scaring you into submission was because I was simply a sadist?" he mocked her. "While that might be true my main goal was to turn you into my mother so I can feel satisfied when I see you crying. I loved her..."

His voice choked. Lara stood unmoving - she couldn't believe her ears. What?

Lucien's body shook as teardrops rolled down his cheeks. "No way..." she trailed off. There was no way the Lucien Lethar she knew was crying over someone.

Then suddenly something occurred to her. But as soon as that thought came into her head she mentally slapped herself. There was no way-

"Lucien... is that the whole reason..." she couldn't ask him completely. Her body violently shook as she realized what she was thinking might be too horrifying and maybe... just maybe... even Lucien wouldn't stoop that low.

"I loved her Lara," he replied solemnly. "But she didn't love me back. Isn't that reason enough to kill her?"

No. It was not.

"What kind of love?" Lara spit out the words with as much disgust as she could muster, hoping he would prove her wrong.

"The kind of love I have for you," he smiled at her with tears in his eyes and goosebumps broke across Lara's skin. A tear rolled down her own cheek as Lucien pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't cry... I love you so much more than I ever did her."

"I don't want to know," tear after tear rolled down her cheeks, blurring her vision. "I don't want to know how much you love me... it hurts."

You're so fucking sick that it hurts.