Chapter 177

Chapter 177
Mercedes sat in the dark room, with her knees up to her chest, rocking her body back and forth. She was lost and exhausted. It's been a long time yet nothing changes. She had been trapped in a maze-like house. No matter what she did, she couldn't get out of the house. Each time she spotted a door and tried to get to it, the door would either vanish or she would never get to it as it seemed to be further away each time she got closer. It was a nightmare. She didn't know who she was or where she was. Her mind was like a blank paper.

The first time she woke up in that place was the hardest day of her life. Waking up in an unfamiliar place all by yourself and not being able to make out was terrifying. The house was not ordinary and strange things were happening. She couldn't understand it, but she came to the conclusion that it was some sort of sorcery. She tried all that she could to make it out but nothing gave in. She cried out for someone to save her, but her voice just echoed back to her. After a while, it occurred to her that she was neither going anywhere and no one was coming to her rescue.

Even though the house was strange and creepy, it started to feel familiar. She would hear voices as if there were people taking all of a sudden. When she went to check, she would find that she was all alone. It didn't seem like she was hallucinating at all. But the situation she was in felt unreal. Every time she would close her eyes to go to sleep, she thought she would be able to wake up and realize that was all nothing but a weird dream. Unfortunately, that never happened. Things would move and disappear. Nothing would stay the same. Mercedes felt like she was trapped in some kind of illusion.

Through the mirrors in the room she could see herself. She was with people she couldn't remember. She felt a sharp pain shoot through her head when she tried to remember who they were. Visions of herself and a man kept playing in the mirrors. It looked like she and that man loved each other. Her heart fluttered as she witnessed the love they shared, and her heart fluttered with yearning.

It felt like his name was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say it. She touched his image in the mirror and a feeling of longing washed over her. Her eyes were filled with tears and her heart ached. She wanted to reach out through the mirror and touch him, but that wasn't possible. She gasped and removed her hand from the mirror once she snapped back to her senses. Her face was wet with tears she shed for a man she couldn't recognize. Mercedes was confused by the emotions she was expressing towards an unknown man. Well, she didn't remember him, but a part of her heart seemed like it did. She didn't realize that what she was seeing through the mirror was her memories.

Mercedes had nothing to do, so she would sleep or roam around in the hopes that she'd get lucky and find the exit.

So far she hasn't been lucky. Her will to live was slowly fading away without knowing how much time had gone by since she had been trapped. Was she even alive? That thought tormented her every day she wakes up in that place. It was like it was her own personal hell which she couldn't escape.

Mercedes closed her eyes to sleep. This time she had a strange dream that felt a little too real. She woke with the sunlight hitting her face. She tried to suit up, but a large arm was wrapped around her waist, pinning her down. Mercedes turned her head to see who it was. Next to her, sleeping peacefully with his face crooked in her shoulder, feeling his warm breath on her skin, was Felix. Mercedes smiled and reached her hand to run her fingers through his messy hair.

There was a ring on her finger. A princess cut a diamond ring on her slim finger that shined when it came in contact with the sunlight. Mercedes was trying to wake him up, shaking him gently, but he didn't even stir. Mercedes smiled, knowing he was only pretending to be asleep and just didn't want to let go of her. Felix pulled her even closer to him, holding her tightly.

Mercedes smirked mischievously. She knew what would make him wake up immediately.

“ I'll count to 3. If you don't let go of me, you will be sleeping with Horace in his room for the whole week,” she said with a sly smile on her face, looking at his face. She saw his face contort in a displeased manner before his eyes shot open in panic.

“ Okay, fine!” he exclaimed in defeat, loosening his hold on her waist. Mercedes laughed at him. It worked on him all the time. Mercedes once got angry at him and made him spend the whole week with Horace. It was the worst for Felix. A week without feeling his wife's touch and presence next to him when he was sleeping was torture. He never wanted to experience that again. He loved Horace, but he would trade him for his wife anytime.

“ Yes. You should know what is good for you, so don't dare try and play games,” Mercedes said to him as he sulked like a little baby.

“ Why do we have to get out of bed so early? Let's just stay for a few more minutes. No, make it an hour. I promise an hour is enough,” he pleaded with his wife, tracing his fingers on her shoulders in an attempt to seduce her. Mercedes would have loved to spend time with Felix, but there was no time. They had to get ready and go help Horace get ready for school. Knowing him, he was still sleeping like a dead log, hoping his parents could forget he existed and doesn't get to go to school.

Mercedes wouldn't allow that, so she had to be strict.

“ No,” she replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

“ I think you have had enough of me after keeping me awake through half of the night. That's enough now. Get your butt out of bed and go get Horace ready. I'll be right behind you.”

She got up and put on her robe, heading for the bathroom. Mercedes caught a reflection of herself in the mirror and her head was like a bird's nest. She remembered that she wanted to cut her hair short so it'd be easy for her to do her chores and take care of the kids. She quickly freshened up as she thought of going to check on her little girl, Celine. She was 4 months old and a fussy baby. Once she gets up, the house will be in upheaval. Luckily, she was a deep and long sleeper. They had to take advantage of the time she was still asleep to get things done.

Mercedes was on her way to Celine’s room when she heard a commotion in Horace’s bathroom. She opened the door and what she saw made her fume. Not again. Father and son were having a blast, splashing each other with foam bath water. Mercedes couldn't believe her eyes. Both of them froze like deers caught in headlights.

Felix tried to explain, but Mercedes raised her and had to stop him.

“ I don't want to hear it. Sort this mess out and make sure he is at the breakfast table in 15 minutes” snapped and walked out of the bathroom in a huff.

Those two were going to be the death of her. Especially Felix. That man was such a sucker for his kids he would indulge them in whatever mischief they did. It was so annoying but he kind of loved that about him. He has changed a lot over the years. He was happier and present for his family. He was managing his pack life and private life properly. Unlike the time he used to drown himself in his work. They have been through a lot to be where they are now and Mercedes would not change a thing if it meant having her family. Even if they got on her nerves a lot, they were her life.

Mercedes woke up drenched in her own sweat, breathing heavily. She was, once again, all alone, but this time, she was outside, and it looked like she was sleeping on the grass. The weather was very nice, and she could hear the birds chirping. Her head was hurting, and her body ached from sleeping on the ground. She didn't know how she got there, but it was not a surprise to her. Strange things happened. But now something felt different about her. Mercedes got up from the floor and looked around. There was a double-story house in front of her. Mercedes wondered if it was the house she was trapped in. But it looked too nice to be the house. The house she was in was like a creepy prison.

Her head kept hurting painfully. That was until her desk started coming back to her. This time, she was no longer confused. With every scene, she started remembering who she was and what those people meant to her. She held her head in her hands as those scenes played in her mind.

" Felix," she uttered, breathlessly and fell to her knees.

" Oh, dear God. Felix!" she exclaimed, hot tears falling from her eyes. She finally recollected everything and the pain intensified the more she remembered. It was too much at the same time. Mercedes felt like her head would explode. After a while, the pain was unbearable and she ended up falling unconscious.

" Horace, my son.." she whispered, losing her consciousness completely. The illusion that her mind was trapped in started to shatter like broken glass. Everything was over. She had broken free from her cage. The next time she woke up, Mercedes was surrounded by darkness. She panicked, thinking that she was still trapped in that creepy house. Her head snapped side to side, frantically trying to make out her surroundings. Then, she saw the full moon in the sky through the window. Only then could she notice the moonlight that was illuminating part of the room close to the window. She was in a warm bed. Mercedes sighed and began relaxing a little. She couldn't be comfortable until she was certain of her whereabouts. So far, she was still alone and, because of the darkness in the room, she couldn't see where she was. When she tried to raise her arm she felt a sting, and she winced in pain. Checking to see what it was, she saw that it was an IV.

Mercedes was awake, but her mind was still muddled up a little bit from all the sleeping. She gritted her teeth and pulled out the IV, lacking the patience to be gentle. Mercedes attempted to get out of bed, but her legs felt heavy and numb, making it hard for her to move. She struggled to get out of bed as she felt every muscle in her body was stiff. It didn't occur to her to try and call out for help since she was used to being alone. All she knew was that she had to figure out where she was and try to get back to Felix and Horace. She needed to see them and make sure both of them were alright. She wouldn't be able to rest without getting to see the in front of her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was her fight with Drakoen. She thought for sure she would die but was still alive, and she couldn't be more than grateful. Her narrow escape from death gave her a new hope. Now all she needed was to reunite with her family. Mercedes managed to make her feet touch the ground. The old sensation sent tingles through her feet. She took a minute to catch her breath before attempting to stand up. It was hard, but she ended up standing on her feet, breathing heavily, as if she had run a race. She was happy that she was on her feet, but that didn't last long. Her feet gave out, and she let out a scream as she collapsed on the cold floor.

Felix was on his way to see Mercedes after a long time. It was the night of the Moon Festival and a moment for the pack to celebrate and forget their troubles and all that they have lost. He wasn't in the mood to celebrate anything but for his pack, he went outside for some time and had a few drinks with Crystal and Jake. He spent only an hour before escaping while everyone else was distracted and having fun while dancing under the moonlight. He was glad that everyone else was enjoying themselves, but he couldn't stay with them. He had decided to call it a night, but something stopped him. He had been avoiding going to his room for a while. But tonight was a special night and everyone was with their loved ones. If he didn't go to see Mercedes, not only would he remain lonely, Mercedes would be lonely as well. He didn't love that he was avoiding her either, so it was time to break out of his mood and see Mercedes. He wanted to spend some time with her. Felix didn't want Mercedes to feel like he was neglecting her. That's the last thing he would want to do.

On his way up the stairs to their room, he heard a sound. He thought he had misheard since there was no one but an unconscious Mercedes, but he could swear he heard someone let out a soft scream. He froze in the middle of the staircase. What he was thinking couldn't possibly be. It's been so long and nothing has happened. He just doesn't want to get his hopes up. That would be horrible. So he chose to pretend that he didn't hear anything, so if what he heard was not true, he would be less disappointed. He continued walking to his room. He opened the door and turned on the light. His eyes widened in shock, as he eyes landed on the empty bed. His heart started beating fast, in fear and anticipation.