Author Topic: Divine Deception -- S4E24: Series Finale  (Read 76857 times)

Offline LivvieLove

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E10: Imperfect Tomorrow
« Reply #135 on: June 07, 2016, 11:42:24 AM »
I'm so sorry! I read this a few days ago and totally forgot to respond!
This chapter was so intense. I really liked getting to read the extended version. Ugh. I have a hatred for this organization. I feel terribly for Sadie, but you've done an amazing job really helping to build up her character. I just want to punch someone FOR her.

I'll be reading with baited breath, silently rooting for Sadie and Delilah to be reunited and have a happy ending because I'm mushy like that.




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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E10: Imperfect Tomorrow
« Reply #137 on: June 08, 2016, 02:53:12 PM »
It's so great to hear that you guys went on over and read the extended version. I know it can be a bit of an inconvenience so I didn't know who would venture over to it. Thanks guys! :)

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E10: Imperfect Tomorrow
« Reply #138 on: June 18, 2016, 12:25:48 PM »
Update!

Sorry that I wasn't able to post last week guys. Computer started to go down hill and my sims wouldn't boot. On the good side, I have all the way until the mid season of season 3 "filmed". On the bad side, I have to recreate all sims again. :(

Anyway, I am all up and running again. I will try and get the next episode up tonight.

Offline LivvieLove

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E10: Imperfect Tomorrow
« Reply #139 on: June 18, 2016, 08:40:22 PM »
Sorry to hear about your computer troubles! Good luck with getting it put back together! I'll be waiting here for as long as it takes for a new update!

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E11: The Cursed Child
« Reply #140 on: June 19, 2016, 07:38:54 PM »
Divine Deception
"The Cursed Child"



I wake to the sound of tree branches snapping, crackling. The ice melts off of the damp bark and hits the deck outside and the sun pours through the window, hitting my face and warming me instantly. I stretch out, my fingers searching for my mother. Vita. Instead, they find the cold cotton surface of the sheets I've slept under for the past twelve hours. Then everything comes back and I find it difficult to leave this fortress I can kind of call my own. 

As I pull myself to a sitting position, I can see through the windows of the doors that lead to the deck. The snow has finally stopped and the sun is beaming. It almost looks happy outside and for that reason, and that reason alone, I pull the blankets off of me and get to my feet. As I open my knapsack and pull out my spare clothes, I notice two sets of tire tracks in the driveway. If I had to guess, both Jim and his brother went to work. I give them respect for attempting it. The snowplow hasn't cleared the streets yet and because of the location, I think it's safe to assume that it won't be coming anytime soon. And that means I may be stuck here for another day. A day of doing absolutely nothing. That is, of course, if Jim decides my time here isn't wasted.

Pulling on my clothes, I close up my knapsack and slide it under the bed. As I do I catch a glimmer from the open side pocket. It's a gold bracelet. Vita bought it for me a year ago for my sixteenth birthday. These gold bracelets are worth a fortune if you can find them. They were a limited edition and only those who paid top dollar were able to purchase one. I hesitate and decide to put it on my wrist. As much as I wanted to strip away my past life as an Alto, it seems it's going to be more difficult than I believed. Maybe it isn't such a bad thing. I could really use Vita being around right now.

I open the door and step outside. The cold air is both brisk and hard on my lungs. It hits the back of my throat with force that leaves me with a constant tickle. It's still a bit too cold for my likes, but at least I can see what's in front of me. I carefully take the stairs and head back to the main house. Before I can knock, the door is opened and Lily stands before me.

"Good morning," she says with a bit of an edge. Not rude, exactly. Just a hint of uncertainty. She's wearing a fluffy white robe tied in the front with a matching sash. From the looks of it, she just got out of bed too. "You must be hungry."

"I was just hoping that I could use the washroom." 

Lily sighs. "Well, you know where it is. I'm sure I can whip something up for you to eat in that time."

"You don't have to," I try to say, although she's already gone, back to the kitchen, pulling things from the cupboards.

When I return, she's already made a spot for me at the table. There's a glass of orange juice and a plate with toast and eggs. Just as I step inside, Lily's dropping some bacon on and returning to cleaning up.

"I should hope this is enough," Lily says, her back facing me.

"You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble." I know that I should be grateful, thank her up and down for her hospitality, but there is something inside of me that makes it difficult. I've intruded on this woman's space and now she feels obligated to take care of me. I slip into my chair and begin to eat.

I don't dawdle. Actually I ram as much down my throat at once so that I can go back to the apartment and wait for tomorrow. Being in Lily's spotlight brings on a chilling aura. I've felt it before, a long time ago, but I can't seem to recall what from. The more I struggle to understand it, the more it fades away. So I decide to ignore it, finishing off my plate within minutes.

"That was lovely, Lily," I tell her as I get to my feet. "Thank you so much. I'm sure you'd like time to yourself, so I'll just head back to the apartment." I start toward the door when she verbally stops me.

"You can stay if you'd like. The buses at the station won't be up and running until all this snow is moved and being stuck up in that hole of an apartment..." Her voice trails off. "I used to live in there a few months ago until my daughter moved out. I know how stuffy and cold it can be." Before I can say anything, she adds, "Do you enjoy hot tubs? I was just heading out, but I don't mind waiting for you to get changed."

"I didn't pack a swimsuit."

"Nonsense. You can borrow one of my daughter's. You two are roughly the same size."

Watching Lily gather a swimsuit from her bedroom, I can't help but feel like I am living back in Alto Manor. That feeling I had gotten earlier returns and finally I remember what it's from. Getting changed and making my way outside to the hot tub, everything comes back in one clear stream.

We used to have a manservant who doted on Vita and me constantly. His name was Grady. He loved Vita, anyone could see it, and that was the reason he did his darnedest when she was around. It always seemed as if with me he felt he had to. Now, I don't even know where he is. The last I saw of him was during an argument between him and Vita. He was going on about some cursed child and that he'd had enough wasting time raising something that came from "that retched woman" as he called her. Back then I didn't know who he was talking about. I had been five or six and could hardly tie my own shoes, let alone understand why a pair of grown ups, who seemed to love one another, were fighting. Knowing what I do now, I've come to the realization that the cursed child was me and the retched woman was my mother, Sadie Lawrence.

I follow Lily back into the house and help her with dinner. The name Sadie Lawrence bounces around the walls of my skull as I say it inwardly. Sadie Lawrence is my mother. It's almost as if two cords in my head can't connect and make me realize that it could very well be the truth, that it makes sense. Alecia making the comments regarding the family name and how little I know about it. That Sadie destroyed the two people I trusted to be my real mother and father. Sure, Nick was my father, but I never saw him in the light that I do now. I always thought that he was a good man, the perfect superhero caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Alecia was right. I don't know much about this family name that I proudly flaunted around just days ago. In reality, Nick wasn't a superman. He swindled and scorned the ignorant to the point of hurting those around him. He wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just another day, dipping his toes in the waters as red as rubies.

While we wait for the men to come home, Lily tells me she needs to do some paperwork, so I should make myself at home. I go into the living room. There's a fire on and while Lily tells me that I am more than free to watch some tv, I refuse it. Instead I take a seat in a nearby armchair, close to the window and stare into the flames. They dance to the song of spitting and crackling. They draw me into it. I wonder where Grady is now. Did he hear about Vita's passing? Does he even know where we'd lived for the past multiple years?

After Grady moved out, it was just me and Vita. The money was ever being thrown into the hole that was the manor, Vita was forced into early retirement and the Alto name began to sink. Maybe that's why I snapped at Alecia when she brought up the reality that Alto wasn't anything to be proud of anymore. It may have been a line everybody wanted at one point in time, yet now, while it may still be something of glory, it isn't that big in comparison to the Landgraabs and even the Goths. When somebody insulted it, I was the first to defend because nobody else would. It's simple. I was holding onto something everybody else had let go of. Even Vita. She sold Alto Manor to the town as a piece to attract travellers after nobody could afford the price. It wasn't the amount upfront that made it a difficult buy. It was the bills that came after it. We left shortly after and headed to one of my grandmother's properties. If Grady ever wanted to see Vita again, it wouldn't have been easy.

The front door opens and both Jim and Nathan come on through, kicking off handfuls of snow from the tracks of their boots. Lily calls everyone for dinner and I take a seat across from Nathan. Dinner is quiet. Jim lets me know that the roads should be cleared tomorrow and that the buses should be operating. When I ask him where the station is in relation to the house, he tells me it's a twenty minute drive into town and that tomorrow morning Nathan wouldn't mind giving me a ride there. From the look Nathan gives his brother, I can see that he never volunteered such a thing.

Dinner ends shortly after. I offer to help clean up, but Lily tells me that I'm the guest and that I should make myself comfortable in the living room. The moment I take a seat, Nathan walks through the door, closing it behind him. He doesn't say a word to me. He hadn't said anything to me since last night when he showed me to my room. Now, he walks over to the fireplace and pokes it a bit. I take a deep breath. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot--"

"What did you say your name was again?"

I pull back instantly. "What?"

He glances over his right shoulder. "Your name?"

"Deli," I answer.

"And your last?"

I feel as my eyebrows come together on their own. "Does it matter?"

"I asked for your last name," Nathan tells me sharply.

"Why does it matter?" The palms of my hands begin to sweat and the room feels as if the temperature has gone up by hundreds.

"It's just that we hardly know anything about you and you're living in this house."

Apartment. I am living in the apartment above the barn, how many yards from the actual house. And it's been just for two nights. I don't say such a thing, though. "Do you have a problem with me staying here?"

"Of course not." Nathan takes a seat in the chair next to mine. "I'd just like to know who is staying is all. You come here with barely any belongs, telling some stupid story about how you missed your bus and are trying to make it to Twinbrook. You haven't said much about where you're from and when I ask a simple question about your last name, your full name, you don't dare answer it."

I shake my head in irritation and look away. "I am just trying to get to Twinbrook--"

"And you're getting twisted up in your own story. I thought you were going to Bridgeport." He smirks. "See, you may be fooling the two in there but not me. I know I know you from somewhere and everything you've said since you stepped foot in this house I know has been a lie."

"You seem to know a lot," I retort. "But tell me how you can be so sure."

Nathan cocks an eyebrow. "That bracelet you have there." He motions to my wrist. "Those go for almost five thousand. That is, of course, if you can find them. They're so rare any girl wearing one wouldn't be caught dead using private transportation. They have private drivers and limousines to move them from point A to point B. So why do you have one? Steal it? Take some other rich girl down for it?" 

"I don't need to take this," I say as I get to my feet. My sweaty hands have turned to fists and I can't bare being in this man's presence anymore. Actually man is a bit of an overstatement. This is a boy, a spoiled brat who gets angry when he doesn't get what he wants. He wants my name? He wants to know who I am? Guess what? He isn't getting any of it.

I storm for the front door and whip it open. It's started snowing again to the point where I can't see in front of me again. It's just like last night, but instead of trying to follow Nathan through the blizzard, I am hoping to use the constant snowfall to separate from him. I step into the blanket and follow what I think is the right direction to the apartment. Nathan isn't far behind me and even though I have a quite a bit of space between the two of us, I can still here him.

"While I may not know who you are right now, I can guarantee you that I will figure it out. I will know who you are!"

Offline LivvieLove

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E11: The Cursed Child
« Reply #141 on: June 20, 2016, 01:30:40 AM »
Oh, and the story intensifies!
The question is - is Nathan a good person, or a bad person?
I'm not sure how I feel about Deli's personality just yet. I feel undecided about her. I feel bad for her, but at the same point I'm not sure if she'll turn into something... something else.
I still will hope for their happy ending!



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Offline experience

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E11: The Cursed Child
« Reply #142 on: June 21, 2016, 04:25:48 PM »
Don't give up hope, Liv lol. There are still four episodes left until the season finale. Maybe it will happen ;)

So had anybody else had to recreate sims again? Anyone else get upset that they can't recreate them exactly like before? I've remade four and I am not 100% happy with them. That will teach me not to export my sims. Thankfully I had Delilah saved. One less :P

Offline mpart

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E11: The Cursed Child
« Reply #143 on: June 21, 2016, 04:46:59 PM »
So had anybody else had to recreate sims again? Anyone else get upset that they can't recreate them exactly like before? I've remade four and I am not 100% happy with them. That will teach me not to export my sims. Thankfully I had Delilah saved. One less :P

I have been reading this story for awhile now and I love it. I hope Deliah can find happiness. Yes. I have had to recreate my sims and I'm in the process of doing so again. I understand your pain, but I'm sure they will be amazing. :)

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E11: The Cursed Child
« Reply #144 on: June 23, 2016, 01:30:52 PM »
I am happy to know that I am not the only one. They haven't turned out too poorly. Sadie's been the real struggle. She needs to look a bit older but if I add age detail she looks too old. Oi! Finicky stuff. Funnily enough, after getting her pretty decent, I left her alone for a bit (to take pictures of Deli) and I got the notification that she drowned. Good thing I saved her this time though.

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E12: Masquerade
« Reply #145 on: June 29, 2016, 07:12:41 PM »
Divine Deception
"Masquerade"


When I was young, I never would have believed that I would mask my true identity in a simple attempt at keeping my own name hidden. The Alto name was something I believed would take me places, push past lines and through the common folk that crowd the streets. To use everything it had to levitate me off the ground as if I was something special. I thought I was somebody. A young girl with the power over the men decked out in shirts and ties. And all too often, I fell victim to not being able to see reality. I was left in a wonderland where I once believed my life was paved out of golden brick from point A to point B. To happily ever after. And at the end, I would be able to touch the edge of greatness. Yet now I conceal myself behind the mask for fear of losing whatever little bit I still have. So as to not raise questions and be pulled back into the life in the spotlight. I am but a mere stand-in in a play meant for somebody else. This mask will tie to the back of my head and prolong the deception for those I pass by. It will be my comfort, my rock. Save me from the pain and sadness, and whatever else comes straight my way.

I glance to the driver's side of the truck where Nathan sits. He hasn't spoken to me since our argument last night. When I had gotten ready this morning, it was Jim who told me that Nathan was waiting to take me to the bus station. By the time I made it to the driveway, the truck was already started and warm, Nathan behind the wheel waiting. I climbed in and without another word we were driving out from the driveway and down this road and that.

I can't say that I blame him for questioning me. I'd do the same thing if the places were turned. Wasn't it I who lashed out at Alecia for keeping what I had believed to be a hidden agenda? I shake my head. It's a good thing I'm leaving his presence today. His threat of figuring out who I am hasn't been forgotten and I highly doubt they were just words to Nathan. He meant every last one of them last night and for how persistent he is, I don't doubt he'd find a trail and follow it just to prove a point. He's stubborn and annoying and I don't think I am any different. Opposites will always attract and those who are the same will continue to clash.

"This is it," Nathan says as he pulls into a spot and puts the truck in park. He gets out of the truck and I follow. "Through there," he points at the stone building, "will take you into the train station and over is where you catch a bus. "Make sure you buy a ticket before you board and enjoy your life in Bridgeport."

As he goes to head back to the truck, I call out to him, "Thank you... for everything. I'm sorry that I was such an inconvenience." I see him stall for a moment. His back is facing me and from the white air that rises into the air, I know that he's taken a deep breath. A part of me wants to believe that he's going to turn around, apologize to me too. There are enough people on my enemy list right now that I'd rather not add another one even if we don't completely see eye to eye. But instead, Nathan pushes forward again and before I know it, he's in the truck and driving off.

There is a group of people hanging out in front of the place, crowding the doors and making it difficult to use the doors. As I try and pass through, a woman with blonde hair stops me and tells me that the station is closed for the time being.

"Are you sure?" is the first thing that springs past my lips. The woman's eyebrows come together concerned. I clear my throat immediately. "I mean, I thought it was open today."

"It was until some idiot threw himself in front of one of the trains." The woman rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Some people have no decency."

My own eyes narrow at the woman in front of me. I have a sudden urge to grab my knapsack and pummel her with it. Somebody had just died and there she is upset that she has to wait. That the world isn't revolving around her and that other things happen. The fact that this woman, and probably countless others standing out there, doesn't care about the person on the tracks. Or the family that won't be setting that extra spot at the dining room table.

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"I am telling you this because you deserve to know. I have played this game for a long time, Delilah, and I have hurt a lot of people, but what I've learned is that the only people who get hurt are the players."

"This is complete bull."


The memory of the last argument between Vita and me casts a sickening spell comes over my head. The woman in front of me continues to complain to her friend next to her, going on and on about how she was going to be late for her mani-pedi and my head begins to feel as if it is about to explode.

"I know this is a lot, Delilah, and I am so sorry for all of it."

I wipe the line of sweat on the sides of my head and then cover my face with my hands.

"I know your father loved you, and as much as I don't want to say it, I know Sadie loves you too."

As I pull my hands away and take a deep breath, I catch a glimpse of her. In the distance I can see her white hair. It's pulled into that tight bun she always wore with elegance. "Vita?" I whisper to myself. I step past the woman complaining next to me to get a better look. Vita's talking with somebody wearing a purple hat and jacket. Vita's still alive? A tingling courses through my veins the closer I get to her. I could go back home. I could continue on with life how it was before. Just the thought of it makes my stomach churn. Back to Sunset Valley where everything fell apart?

And suddenly I hate this imaginary woman I know deep down isn't Vita. If Vita was alive, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have left and why would she be here at this bus station anyway? I take a better look at the woman as I pass her to a police officer. It isn't Vita, just another woman who looks similar to her. I ask the police officer when he believed everything would be functional again and he lets me know that it won't be for a few hours. Just my luck. Now I just have to waste some time. "Thank you," I tell him and wander on down the road to see what I can do until everything is back and running.

I wander for a few hours, looking over the little places that I'll probably never see again. There's a park that looks tiny in comparison to the one in Sunset Valley that I went to festivals as a kid. There's only a small pond here and a couple of chess tables under a roof. A man and a woman who I guess is his wife skate on top of it, their eyes locked in one another's gaze as they glide effortlessly across the solid ice. I can't help but think of my parents... My real parents and wonder if they ever had this kind of love between them. When I think back on it, Vita never had anything around the house that showcased any affection toward my father. Now, it seems appalling to the point of being contradictory. If they loved each other as much as Vita said they did, why wasn't there anything to show for it? A photograph. A letter. Something! Of course, maybe she'd gotten rid of everything once Sadie stepped on board. The more I think about it, the more I realize that it is a far greater situation than I am capable of understanding.

There's a small pub down the way. The lights on the sign out front has seen better days. Many of the bulbs have burnt out, though I can still read what it says: JJ's Bar. I open the door and step inside. It's like any pub one can find in a small town if they look hard enough. Cheap lines of wood run along the floor, chipped from many years of traffic and wear. Photographs of athletes with their signature litter the walls, framed in gold rimmed cases make it seem like they have actually dined here before and there's a oily smell in the air that reminds me of the diner back home.

I take a seat at the bar and place my knapsack on the bar stool next to me. The bartender asks what he can get me and I simply ask for a water. Within seconds I get one. He moves to attend a group of other thirty patrons and I pull out my laptop. I charged it before I left this morning. I've got some time to waste and, oh all right, I admit that I am just a little curious of what's going on with the world I left behind. The night I left I closed down all of my accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I've been gone for days and by now the lawyers have been to my house and gone. Hopefully nothing's gone haywire because of my leave. It's a silly thing to hope, especially when deep down I know my absence has raised some red flags somewhere.

And I'm right. There's a video online. I plug in my earphones and play it.

"... an amber alert issued overnight in Sunset Valley." A tall, thin man is on screen. His hair is dark brown, almost black, pasted to his skull with what looks like cheap grease. "The FBI has now joined the search for seventeen-year-old Delilah Alto, last seen leaving her mother's funeral two nights ago. SVN's Gwen Abernathy has more on this breaking story. Gwen."

"Good evening to you, Stan. At least fifty police officers, including FBI agents, are searching overnight using search hounds for the heiress of the Alto's estates."


The clips change to an image of me, taken from a few days back. I'm all dressed up in black, my hair curled and loose, held back from my face by a headband. It was taken back at the funeral. It's a bit grainy, but I'm unmistakable. A voice over has been added behind the video. "A desperate search is underway for a seventeen-year-old that hasn't been seen in days. The last anybody had seen Delilah was late after Vita Alto's funeral. She'd left the service and drove home alone. The following morning she was scheduled for an appointment with her family lawyer where she was supposed to go over her late mother's personal belongings. But she never showed up."

Another man appears onscreen. "The amount of time between Delilah leaving the funeral and being contacted about her absence is huge. There's no telling how far she's gone whether she'd gone on her own or been taken."

"Delilah Alto is the daughter of Vita Alto, Sunset Valley's very own mayor of eight years before she joined retirement,"
the voice over returned. "Delilah's father, Nickolas Alto, past away sixteen years ago, leaving her to everything the family owns. While no fowl play is believed to have taken place, officers aren't ruling anything out."

The man from previously has appeared again. "We don't have a person of interest, but we are looking at every angle and we will look at every angle multiple times."

"A beer, man," I hear next to me and I immediately close my laptop and pull the earphones from my ears. I spot the young man as I shove the laptop back into my knapsack. He sees me too. "Hey," he says while he pushes his long and straight hair from his sight, revealing his beetle-like eyes. "Can I buy you a drink?"

I shake my head. "No, thank you." I notice his eyebrows crease with confusion.

"Have I seen you before?"

"I don't think so."

He squints at me. "You around here?"

"No, from out of town. Heading back to Bridgeport." I take a sip from my water in hopes that he'll back off and walk away. He does no such thing. He takes the seat next to me once his drink comes.

"You sure?" He takes a sip of his own beverage. "You look familiar."

"As I say, all redheads look the same."

He smirks. "Do I look familiar to you?"

"I can't say that you do."

"Yuri Ivanov?" He motions with his free hand as if I'm expected to know who he is.

"I'm sorry."

"You aren't from around here, are you?" He doesn't let me answer. "Third Smis Pistols? Really?"

Now I smirk. "You're not going to let me leave until you tell me who the Third Smis Pistols are, right?"

"It's the name of my band. We're really big. I can't believe you haven't heard of us. Maybe if I play something, you'll recognize it. Come on."

He leads me to his table and tells me to take a front row seat. The people in front of the stage scream and yell for him, cheering as he makes his way on stage. Stage may too big of a name for it. Small platform with a guitar on it is better suited. Still, I can't deny that the people are excited for his arrival. He plays a song. He isn't half bad. Actually, he sounds very similar to Nickelback or maybe even Foo Fighters. When he's finished, Yuri comes and takes a seat by me. Girl's throw their books, pictures and tee shirts in front of him, asking him for his autograph. Some even expose some skin for him to sign.

"You have quite the following," I say once the crowd weeds out and everybody goes back to their business, order drinks and eat good food at a cheap price. "But tell me, if you're so big, how come you're here? Of all places, why Riverview?"

"This is where I grew up. This is home." He pauses. "And where are you from? You said Bridgeport, right?" I nod in response. "How are the upside down ducks?"

My brows fuse together. "What do you mean?"

"The duck joke," he answers me. "You know, why do ducks fly upside down? Because there's nothing worth crapping on? No?" When he sees me shake my head, he says, "Man, I thought everybody from Bridgeport knew that joke."

I look down at my hands. "Apparently not."

"Eer, don't worry about it." He nudges me in the arm. "Maybe you're just too young."

The hours wear on. We talk about mundane things. Yuri challenges me to a few games and I learn how much of a party animal he really is. He's had quite a few drinks and I have to be the one to tell the bartender to stop serving him. It's obvious Yuri can't handle anything more. Before he can say anything about my interference, he's dashing across the floor to the men's washroom. I try and speak with some of the other band members, yet they shrug and push me away. Supposedly it's normal for Yuri to drink his face off and pass out by the end of the night. Nobody seems very worried about him. So I take it upon myself to call him a cab.

Once I have set everything up and hang up my phone, I hear it. The audio that makes my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.

"A desperate search is underway for a seventeen-year-old that hasn't been seen in days. The last anybody had seen Delilah was late after Vita Alto's funeral. She'd left the service and drove home alone. The following morning she was scheduled for an appointment with her family lawyer where she was supposed to go over her late mother's personal belongings. But she never showed up."

A few people stop and look my way and I immediately grab my bag and sling it over my shoulders. To try and convince everybody that all redheads look the same would take a lot of work and waste too much time. Too much of my valuable time. So, instead, I make my way through the aisle and head through the door. I swing around the back of the building in case anybody decides following me is a smart idea. There's a man in the dumpster looking for whatever he can salvage, though neither of us give each other more than a quick glance before returning to our business.

"Hey!" somebody calls at me from behind. "Hey, Bridgeport girl!"

It's Yuri. I know it is. He's slurring his words. But even so, I don't look back. I just keep moving. Suddenly I hear him yelp and a thump behind me. When I glance over my shoulder, he's tripped and fallen in the snow. He's now mumbling something and a part of me feels a need to get him back to his feet. If his band inside thinks this is normal behaviour of him, what's to push them to go find him? He might stay out in the cold for who knows how long. I grit my teeth and saunter back over to the man.

"Why did you lie to me?" he mumbles again. His eyes meet mine, blood shot and wavering. As we get him to his feet, it hits me before I can even see it coming. Both of his palms meet my chest and push me to the ground. "Why did you lie to me?!!"

I try to get up, but Yuri kicks snow in my face. My hands come to protect it. "What are you talking about?"

"I knew something was off when I mentioned the Bridgeport joke. I knew it!" Yuri tips from side to side slightly. "And then I saw you... on the tv... You're an Alto."

"Listen..." I start even if I haven't a clue where I'm going. Yuri's staggering towards me and even for how drunk he is, I don't know if I can get away from him. His blocky body seems to grow before my eyes and his gaze has torn through the mask I had hoped to keep on at least until the end of the night. "Yuri, listen to me--"

"An Alto?" he repeats. "You'd be worth a lot if I took you back." Yuri hiccoughs. "Or maybe I can get more for you in a different way."

"Yuri, get away from me!" I yell as he quickens his pace forward. He's not listening and as fast as I can I crawl backwards, trying to put as much space between the two of us. But I can't. The ground is slippery and it's as if the snow under me is trying to encase me for Yuri. Giving him easy access to me. I scream out right before he jumps on top of me. Sooner than I can yell again, his hand is over my mouth.

"Lie still!" he says under his breath. I twist my head instinctively, biting the side of his hand. When I think I've got one over on him, I am slapped across the side of the face so hard that I can barely keep the struggle. Everything around me is tilting from side to side and the sound of Yuri's voice has an echo to it. I swallow hard to keep my breakfast from making a reappearance and my body instantly goes limp. I can't move. Like a marionette whose strings have been cut. Yuri breathes heavily in my ear. I attempt again to call for help, but my voice is so hoarse that it barely makes it out. Yuri's weight digs my back into the cold earth... until it's gone almost instantly. I hear ruckus and then as I turn my head, I see Yuri hit the ground next to me. Somebody's yelling his head off, cursing and saying things I can't interpret. I stumble to my feet as fast as I can. The world is still turning this way and that, but I can see his face. I can see the man I thought I would never see again before I collapse into his arms and everything goes black.

Offline LivvieLove

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E12: Masquerade
« Reply #146 on: June 29, 2016, 07:40:47 PM »
Poor Deli... life certainly hasn't been easy for her.
I'm curious to know who the mystery man is and how he helped save her. Yuri is slimy and perhaps he should be the one to jump in front of the next train.
Anyways, what a very sad and moving chapter. I really hope Deli can find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Offline chetanhaobijam

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E12: Masquerade
« Reply #147 on: June 29, 2016, 09:52:59 PM »
Nice plot. Poor Delilah, things getting worse for her. Can't stop wondering what will happen to her. Looking forward for next update.
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Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E12: Masquerade
« Reply #148 on: June 29, 2016, 10:21:25 PM »
Ooooh! I think I know who it is, but I'm not sure. I really love reading this story. It's so compelling!


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Offline Magz from Oz

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Re: Divine Deception -- S2E12: Masquerade
« Reply #149 on: June 30, 2016, 04:24:57 AM »
I'm hoping Deli's saviour is Nathan.  Fingers crossed.  I can't wait for the next episode.
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