Military Base in North Yorkshire:... aack ... haackk ... hak ...Desperately gasping for air. Kenny is struggling to free himself. He is aware of the strength of his opponent. Wishing he didn't finish that drink before going to bed then he would be able to defend himself. Silently vowing that if he survive this then he will never drink again. "Come on Kenny, just die already, why is it so hard to get rid of you!!?" hissed the perpetrator. "I know him! I would recognise this voice anywhere. But ... Why ... Why him!?"The shocking revelation made him slacken to fight back. He could not comprehend what is happening.The ropes are getting tighter and tighter, and the ragged gasps can no longer be heard. Grayer Hospital, Devon: At the hospital, the staff are busy with Marianne. She was just brought in by the ambulance; she had a fall at the cliffs, suicide, but of course, it's not yet certain. Luckily, she was seen by tourists that are passing by, otherwise, it wou
At Catterick Garrison, the largest British Army base, Major General Francois Davidson had just gone through with the formalities of his retirement. His action of leaving the army had caused a ruckus to the higher ups. It is something that no one would have perceived, hence the effect is a shock to them. Due to his outstanding and intellectual mind, at a young age of 30, he was promoted as Major General, which is an uncommon practice, at that age, in that field. He is considered as an asset of the government and expected to bring more fruitful outcomes with his brilliant mind of decision making in the future. Of course, his unprecedented retirement brought discontent to many; some had expressed their concerns and had given some persuasive advices hoping that it would change his mind, but they knew of his character - that once he made a decision then he wouldn't change it as he would have methodically considered the pros and cons, and so whatever he decided would be the best
Kenny had been staring at the face of a woman who was staring right back at him. He touched his face and the woman in the mirror had done the same. He feels like he is watching one of those horror movies but it is even worse as he is in it. He had been a doctor for years and had never encountered nor studied anything like this before. But he did watch a movie where the mother and daughter’s bodies had switched. Wondering if this could be happening to him too, he thought of his body. He has kind of an understanding of his situation, though it is still hard for him to process and accept it, what more is this body belongs to a woman and the inconvenience of not being able to walk would be an everyday hassle for him. “I can’t believe that this is really happening! And why me?” Kenny muttered with frustrations. “I must go back to the barracks as the owner of this body could be occupying mine too," he thought. He was about to go out from the toilet when he suddenly realized that he a
Kenny feels like he is falling apart. He can sense his body shaking or rather Marianne's body shaking. His mind is in chaos. “Steven ... Did Steven ... ?“Am I dead because of him?”Kenny’s breathing became ragged. The pain in his chest is just too much to endure. “How could he do this to me?”“I would give him my everything”Annie was alarmed after seeing Marianne in a state. “Breathe!” a loud voice came from Francois which startled Annie. Kenny came around after the loud sound, wondering what it was, but his breathing had regulated. Remembering the night that he had assumed it was just a nightmare...It’s like he is facing Steven’s handsome face and is turning ugly. “I never would have thought that you would be able to do this to me.”“I had cared and loved you for years.” “My parents had treated you like their own son. They even gave you the house, which was my brother’s. It’s because you are a member of the family.”He thought of the night prior to his death.“We were drinkin
Marianne is in a shambles again. Her built up positivity is crumbling down. “Co-could you say that again?” she stammered.“Is it not your wish to go?” asked Francois.“Do forgive me, I thought you would like to attend his funeral.” Francois thought about the books that he read before signing the marriage contract. “Women are truly hard to understand,” he thought.Francois, the perfectionist that he is, must know and learn how to be a good husband even though the relationship would be platonic.He bought some books: To understand the rules of husband to his wife, How to be good to your wife, and, How to pick up the moods of women.Also, before he agreed to be a member of Williams Family, his requests are for “no romantic involvement'' and “no heir”, which the other party had gladly accepted.For a man who was rammed in to be a honourable and dignified person, Francois had already programmed into his mind to fulfill his wife's wishes as long as it is within his capability and also not
Marianne was awed and amazed at the view of the castle earlier, but had lost interest in her surroundings after hearing what Francois’ secretary had just said. The tour guide voice of Annie is just like a muffled sound to her ears, her mind is elsewhere. “Annie, why would the Queen invite me? I'm puzzled as to why I am having an invite from the Queen? Is it because I’m Francois’ wife? I wouldn’t even know how to act in front of the Queen!” said Marianne anxiously. “Marianne, come on, you of all people shouldn’t be saying that! You’ve been groomed to be a proper lady ever since young. Also, you’ve met the Queen already. You were bragging about it at school and I was jealous. I even asked you to bring me next time you went there and then you said that you would ask your mum, of course thinking about that now, we were just young then ...” “Annie!” a loud voice coming Marianne interrupted Annie. She has to do this or Annie could go on and on.“Did you say that I’v
In England, the weather is one of the common topics to most, especially to the locals. It can also be used as a casual topic to start a conversation with a stranger. In a distant view, there is a tall handsome man approaching a beautiful lady on a wheelchair. The man got close to her and they seemed to be in a conversation. The woman stemmed to be saying something while looking up, appreciating the clear blue skies. It’s sunny and Marianne should be enjoying the warmth of the sun, but here she is mad at herself for being impulsive and not acting ladylike. How could she let herself be in this disgusting predicament? She caught sight of the dog owner who is leaving the park with his dog on a lead. She can't help but feel sorry that she made his job harder. “I’m so bad,” she thought.Francois stares at Marianne, checks the mess she is in then takes out his phone. “Lana, could you bring a dress for Mrs Davidson and bring another wheelchair...” Francois didn’t finish what
The huge room seems to be a very small space for Marianne. She is holding her breath which makes her face like a ripen plump tomato. The embarrassment that she is feeling after her unladylike behavior of inviting him to sleep with her, which is not really what she wants to say or meant to be, is nothing compared to what Francois had just said!!
Francois lightly touches his neck. His thoughts were on last night, on how he got those marks. He frowned.There was an uncertain look on Francois’ face that made Marianne worries. She wants to reach out to him. ‘I wonder what has happened. This is the first time that I have ever seen him look like this. He seems unsure. He is certainly not himself. Is he perhaps ill?’ thought Marianne, more concerned and with determination to find out what the mark is on his neck. Francois sees Marianne slowly getting up off her chair. He became stiff as he felt her nearness. He would have stepped backwards if he could, but he felt pinned to his spot. He could not move. Moreso when his nostrils were hit with her fragrance. Marianne steadies herself, and then takes a closer look at his neck. “Oh, it’s more than I thought, and it looks bad!” she exclaimed, showing a displeased look as she inspected the marks on his neck. Her eyes focused on the worst part. ‘I’m sure I’ve seen something like this befo
The next day, the ringing of her phone made Marianne groan as she grabbed her phone. She squinted her eyes at the clock table. ‘It’s past 7, already!?’ “Hello, Marianne! Oh I’m so sorry, did I just wake you up? I only called cause I thought you would be awake by now,” said Annie, as she listened to the moaning sound of her friend from the other line. “Hey… Annie. No, no it’s okay. I’m actually glad that you called. I think my alarm clock is not working. I don’t know how long I would sleep if you didn’t call. You saved me from facing another wrath from Mrs Smith.” “Are you still not getting along? I think that’s been a while now, don’t you think?
Realising that Francois would not help her, that she has to deal with Steven herself. She turns to face Steven. She sees his smiling face. The face that Kenny had once liked. She looks closely and studies his face. ‘Hmm he does have a handsome face but he is nothing compared to Francois. Not even to John, Michael and Carl… Why the heck did I think before that he is above all men when it comes to looks? Gah… And if you look more closely… there are blackheads on his nose! What a turn off! Oh, there are even more lines under his eyes and some pigmentation on his skin. He has become old now.”The scrutinising ways of Marianne made Steven uncomfortable. He looks at Francois, but he seems to be unaware of what his wife is doing or does not care. He cleared his throat. “Uhm, Lady Marianne.”
Sarah’s watchful eyes become sharp as she stares at Marianne. “You know, I had years of study and practice to know when someone is lying. And right now, your face is telling me differently than earlier.” Sarah moves closer to Marianne. She bends down, and with her face close to Marianne, she looks straight into Marianne’s eyes. “So, what are you hiding? What are you guilty of?” said Sarah, with a very intimidating tone.Marianne catches her breath, and on guard of what the woman in front of her is going to do next. ‘Oh My God! I hope she is not going to hit me!’ she thought. She quickly side glances to where Lana is. She sees her talking on the phone as Lana meets her eyes very briefly. ‘I hope she called Francois. I hope it’s him on the other line,’ prayed Marianne.
Sarah gives Marianne a quizzing look because of her reaction. Aware of her carelessness, Marianne says to her “Well, I’ve not met Kenny before so I don’t really know what he’s like, but you said he is not one to just take his own life. It’s also what others say about him. So, I believe you. And thank you for telling me about the study under Dr Keis. I’ll see if I can find some useful information from his old stuff. But… I’m sure this is not the important thing that you wanted to tell me for seeking me here.”Sarah nodded. “Well, after you left that day. I had an uncomfortable feeling like I had missed something. I couldn’t sleep. So, that night I went to check on Kenny's body again. At first, everything was the same as how I'd written it on the report. But when I checked the ligature on his neck, I found a very thin dark
Returning to their table, Marianne gives Francois a hateful accusation look of a 'How could you!?' flaring in her eyes. Anyone who would look at Marianne’s face would be able to tell how angry she is, but Francois did not seem to take any notice of her state. His relaxed manner of how he is enjoying himself made Marianne more annoyed at him. ‘Hateful Bastard!’ she thought as she threw him one more hateful glance. To put her composure back, Marianne tries to think of positive thoughts. ‘Good thing everyone wasn’t so brazen to accept his abrupt invitation. Even Steven just gave him a salute. Hopefully no one will come as I don’t want to prepare an abrupt party... Oh, wait! Does Francois want me to throw a party for Carl?’ The thought made Marianne look alarmed and suddenly feeling guilty that it never occurred to her to throw a party for Carl.&nb
Whatever was on Dr Eli’s face expression is now gone. She is now wearing her usual friendly smiles. She gets up and greets Francois and Marianne. “Hello. I didn’t expect to see you both here," she said, smilingly. Marianne thought that she detected nervousness in her voice. She smiles back at Dr Eli. The question that she wanted to ask earlier (to ask her why she had left her profession), she does not dare to ask anymore. Marianne secretly observes Dr Eli. ‘I’m sure I wasn’t mistaken when she looked at me. There was hatred in her eyes which was directed at me. But why…? I’ve known her before, and she is not to hold grudges. Perhaps she has mistaken me for someone else? Hmm… no, I’m with Francois so she knows who I am. So, why does she hate me?... Ah... this feels worse than when Leonna was giving me those hateful stares with her matching acid tongue. But, at least with Leonna, I know why sh
Marianne tries to sort out her thoughts by accepting her sad fate tonight. Yet, she still cannot let go of the niggling feeling inside her. With a disregard to modesty, she said “I have to say this for the peace of my mind. You know, I thought that this was going to be a ‘date’. A proper date. I did not expect it to be like this. And I was really ecstatic then to the idea that I am going out on a date with you. In fact, I even requested help from the ladies which I kinda regret as they have different ideas. They only caused me more stress, and not to mention my extended endurance for tolerating the constant nagging of Mrs Smith. I do feel sorry for myself.” Then, Marianne thought that her words came out wrong that it had made her look more pathetic than she wanted it to be. So, to justify her words, she said “Well, you know that I have been cooped up inside the castle most of the time, so a da
“Cole is one of those narcissistic people, but he is also intelligent. He knows how to placate himself and bide his time to get what he wants. He would have not felt remorse after killing his best friend. However, the admiration or he might have thought that was more like a Godlike idolisation from Kenny, he doesn’t get it anymore.” Marianne continuously stares at Francois. “I’ve had this thought of what Kenny's situation was, but after you said it… Although, a tiny bit inside me doesn’t want to admit it, still I have to accept the fact that I was manipulated. I was a doctor, Kenny was an exemplary doctor. He should have known. Kenny should have seen the signs.” Marianne covers her face, feeling dejected. Francois pats her back. “You were very young then, and you have lost your parents. It’s understa