All the Rules Rearranged, Chapter 4

I've been fiddling and fiddling with the important bits of this and then putting things back the way they were before, so I think this is probably as good as it's going to get...

"Je me voyais mal faire chanter à Raoul The beauty Underneath, mais le cœur y est !"

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Chapter 4: Dead Souls

Her aim shook so much that Raoul scarcely dared take his eyes off the weapon. But at that range she could hardly miss. For a moment they were a frozen tableau.

“Back.” She gestured with the gun, and Raoul obeyed, backing step by reluctant step away from the terrified betrayal in the child’s face.

“Papa...” It was barely a whisper, but Raoul’s heart clenched, helpless.

“Miss Giry—”

“It won’t be long, Vicomte. It won’t be long for any of us now. Just until he comes... and then it can all be over, all the hurt and all the wanting and all the shame. You feel it too, don’t you? You’ve wanted the same thing...”

The weaving mouth of the gun beckoned, mesmerising, like an endless tunnel into blackness spiralling down, and she laughed. ( Read more... )