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....
Her last breath had been filled with smoke,her vision blurred by blood and tears. She prayed and begged for a second chance. Just one.
Then....
A blinding flash tore through the darkness.
Isabelle jolted upright,gasping, drenched in sweat. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths as she clutched the soft sheets around her.
Sheets?
Frantic she 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.
She was...in her old bedroom.
Everything looked like it did four years ago.
A knock on the door started her. "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...
Isabelle's blood ran cold.
"No," she whispered, flinging the bed covers aside and stumbling towards the vanity. Her hands trembeled as she stared into the mirror.
The reflection staring back at her had no scar, no bruises, no burn marks. Her face was untouched, beautiful as ever.
She backed away,her heart thumping hard in her chest. "This isn't real".
She remembered everything,the betrayal, the torture,the fire. She had died.
And yet,here she was,four years before it all happened. This had to be a cruel dream.But when she dug her fingernails into her palm the stinging pain made her realize.
This was real.
She had been sent back.
Her desperate second chance prayers was answered.
Minutes later, Isabelle sat numbly on the edge of the bed,wrapped in her robe after a prolonged time of drenching herself in the shower. Slowly,the chaos in her mind settled into clarity.
They had played her like a fool.
Her stepsister... Her fiance...her so called"family". The people she trusted the most were the ones who had caused her death.
But not this time.
This time I'll destroy you first.
She 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?"
Isabelle looked at her- really looked-and saw it all now. The flicker of resentment beneath her smile. And the hidden smugness.
"I slept great",Isabelle 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.