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Continued…

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Who was this unknown lady, and why didn’t anybody stop her? The brightness of the portal and all the walls of light made it difficult to see. But after looking long enough, I soon saw who it was. The angry lady from the market. The one I mistook as Julie. 

“You throw a big party and don’t decide to call me?” the lady spoke out. 

“What have you done, Lily!” Barber spat. 

Lily. The daughter. Barber and Hannah’s very daughter. 

“What have I done?” Lily laughed. “I am not the one who has opened the gates of hell.” 

The gates of hell? 

“We had no choice, Lily.” Barber cried out. “We have the Julietta!” 

“The Julietta?” Lily looked about the ballroom until she finally noticed me, and Belle fallen in my arms. 

The manager’s men then drew their swords, but the manager raised a hand to halt them all. 

Lily stepped a bit closer to have a look at me and Belle. “Ohh…” she nodded to herself. “So, that man was enchanted by the Julietta. Now it makes sense. How interesting.” 

Lily then approached me. She looked up and saw who else was about. 

“Bon Jean” she bowed to the manager. Then she looked down at me and Belle. “I knew something was wrong with this one.” Lily then reached down and took Belle’s hand. 

“Hey!” I yelled. But as Lily pulled Belle’s hand, Belle stood up at her pull. And she walked as Lily pulled her along. 

Belle was still alive! I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t want to acknowledge the possibility. My biggest fear. 

Lily tried to drag Belle along. I gripped Belle’s other hand to hold her back. 

“Dallas.” Belle looked me in the eyes for help as Lily tried to pull her along. She was alive! Blood seeped down from her neck. A clear fatal wound, and yet Belle was live and standing. 

I didn’t want to accept it. But it was already clear. Belle truly was the Julietta. But still, I couldn’t just let them take her. 

“Stop!” I held Belle firmly by the hand and waist. 

Lily rolled her eyes, then in the air, clicked her fingers. At that, she easily pulled me and Belle along. It was as if all my strength to resist had disappeared. 

As we got pulled closer to the portal, I got to see everything up close. The four giant figures trying to fight against their imprisoning forcefields was a horrifying sight. These were other worldly entities, grand and mighty. And Barber and Hannah’s daughter just walked around all of this like it was nothing. She truly was a great worry. 

“I can see why she’s taken away so many men in the past” Lily examined Belle up and down. “This old thing is quite pretty.” 

I was standing there, wanting to defend Belle’s honour, but I felt powerless. Everybody and everything around me felt completely beyond my capabilities. Even Belle, and finally understand what she was, made me feel powerless. All I knew I could do was keep hold of Belle’s hand. 

“Lily,” Barber spoke out, now seemingly exhausted from his efforts. “That man with her is innocent. This must be done properly.” 

Lily then then looked back and forth to me and Belle. 

“I suspect she can escape when there isn’t some sort of present containment, given her long track record.” Lily then circled us both. “How were you expecting to not sacrifice him?” 

“We originally were entrancing her” Barber explained. “But our dance was sadly interrupted too early. And we had to open the passage while we still had her here.” 

“Well,” Lily crossed her arms. “Looks like there’s no other way now.” 

“Your mother was going to shut the gate as soon as the Julietta was latched. This can still be done properly.” 

Lily looked Belle up and down, then shook her head. “All this risk taken just to put you away.” She stared Belle in the eye. “But you’ve corrupted too many souls. Don’t think I’ll let you get away!” 

In fright, Belle tried to run off. But Lily grabbed her shoulder and again clicked her finger. I felt my will to resist fall away again as I was still holding Belle’s hand. 

Suddenly that same sinking feeling I felt when the giant figures appeared took over me again, only this time, a thousand times worse. Something horrible was going to happen. I could sense it. No. Everybody could sense it. Everybody, even the giant figures, peered at the portal. Something was coming.

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To be continued…

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(Part 19-20) Hotel Mysteria 016 – Forgotten