Darkness. Cold,endless darkness.
Isabelle floated in the void her body weightless,her thoughts scattered. Pain echoed in her bones,the memory of flames licking her skin,the sharp sting of betrayal carved carved deep into her soul.
Alex.... Ruth.....you monsters....
My last breath had been filled with smoke,my vision blurred by blood and tears. I had prayed and begged for a second chance. Just one.
Then....
A blinding flash tore through the darkness.
Isabelle jolted upright,gasping, drenched in sweat. My chest heaved with ragged breaths as I clutched the soft sheets around me.
Sheets?
Frantic I looked around.
Golden sunlight streamed through the windows of the oh-so familiar room. White curtains danced in the morning breeze. The familiar rose scent lingered in the air.
I was...in my old bedroom.
Everything looked like it did four years ago.
Then a knock on the door startled me. "Miss isabelle! Miss Ruth is down stairs. She said she'd help you choose your engagement gown today"
The maid's voice echoed.
Engagement.... Gown...
My blood ran cold.
"No!," I whispered, flinging the bed covers aside and stumbling towards the vanity. My hands trembeled as I stared into the mirror.
The reflection staring back at me had no scar, no bruises, no burn marks. My face was untouched, beautiful as ever.
Then I backed away,my heart thumping hard in my chest. "This isn't real".
I remembered everything,the betrayal, the torture,the fire. I had died.
And yet,here am I ,four years before it all happened. This had to be a cruel dream.But when I dug my fingernails into my palm the stinging pain made me realize.
This was real.
I had been sent back.
My desperate second chance prayers were answered.
Minutes later, I sat numbly at the edge of the bed,wrapped in my robe after a prolonged time of drenching myself in the shower. Slowly,the chaos in my mind settled into clarity.
They had played me like a fool.
My stepsister... My fiance...my so called"family". The people I trusted the most were the ones who had caused my death.
But not this time.
This time I'll destroy them first.
I vowed,"I don't know how or why I'm alive, but I remember everything,and I won't be the same woman I was. Ruth, Alex this time I'll be the one smiling while you burn."
Downstairs,Ruth waited in the parlour with a smile plastered on her face,flipping through wedding magazines. She looked up as Isabelle entered.
"There you are! Finally awake. We have so much to do. Did you sleep okay?"
I looked at her- really looked-and saw it all now. The flicker of resentment beneath her smile. And the hidden smugness.
"I slept great", I said with a calm smile.
"Like I had a dream where everything became clear and made sense"
Ruth blinked"uh...okay?"
"I think I'll be changing the engagement plans,something simpler. Less... vulnerable"
Ruth tilted her head,"vulnerable?"
As Ruth stared in confusion, Isabelle turned and walked away,back straight, lips curled in a subtle smile.
This time she wasn't a pawn.
This time, she was the game master.