Chapter three

In the spring of Gillian's tenth year, she had begun to be used to Charlotte parading her friends around, a familiar smirk prickling her lips, the same smirk Gillian would see on the lips of Lady Regina. Charlotte had grown curler as she grew older, her bullying involving her maids and friends, who took great joy in Gillian's suffering. When she was forced to join Charlotte's playdates, the maids would not so slyly pour tea onto Gillian, or worse serve her food with bugs tucked inside. Gillian learned to to be submissive, dutifully taking their horrid jokes, eating cockroach filled sandwiches till her stomach rolled with nausea. Whenever it got too much she thought of her mother and her smile, the love she showed to Gillian and her father the lord. Gillian knew she didn't deserve a chance for that type of happiness, if any at all, and she definitely didn't wish to ruin her mothers as well. 

Whilst Charlotte, her friends and maids would play tricks, Thomas and his friends were violent in the most extreme ways. 

During later parts of spring a garden party for the children was thrown, many children had been invited, and was one of the rare occasions when the lord would make an appearance. He greeted Gillian with a coldness that would only be preserved for strangers yet he acted the same with Charlotte and Thomas, though he did not give them a greeting only a nod, which Gillian would later find fuelled their anger towards her. 

Gillian was no fool, she knew the extent that her father cared for her was only due to her mother, who was the only person able to bring about a dazzling grin from him, his eyes were always adorn with love and passion whilst staring down at Abbygale. She didn't know if it was intentional or pure denseness on his part but the snub to his wife, Lady Regina was clear, and the party knew only to gossip about it. 

Away from the prying eyes of adults Gillian took a moment for herself by the fountain, a favorite of hers. The water calmed her when she knew those moments of panic would consume her. A break from all the curious stares was needed, she knew what they all thought. The poor pitiful unwanted child. She wished for the party to end soon, so she could hide in her room and mend some of the gowns Charlotte had given her. 

Through the years Cat had shown to be a capable embroiderer and a master with a needle. Teaching Gillian was a way to keep her out of sight from Lady Regina and her spawn, but Cat had not anticipated that Gillian would have a love for it so much. It was not something Gillian ever enjoyed in her past life, but now, it brought her peace and studied her busy mind. 

Gillian smiled thinking of a new stitching pattern she wanted to try as a sound broke her from her thoughts. Her neck snapped round to see Thomas along with two boys behind him. He was grinning as he gazed at Gillian. Gillian felt herself pale at sight of him, her palms sweating, heart pounding, she stepped back but was stopped by the stone of the fountain. Gulping she looked around herself seeing if there was anyone nearby. He wouldn't attack her if there was someone in eyesight. 

"Why are you hiding dirt blood? Don't you want to play with me?" 

The two behind him giggled, "She's uglier than you said she is Tom," 

"I bet she'd look like a drown rat if we pushed her in that fountain," 

Thomas' smile widened at the second boy's words. Like a flame burning ever so bright, the idea planted in his mind, gazing deviously at Gillian. "What do you say, dirty blood, want to take a dip in the fountain?" 

Gillian was frozen, as they circled around her leaving her no room for escape. The two boys grabbed hold of her arms, with an iron grip,   their nails pinching into her skin. Thomas all too enthusiastically pulled her hair back so her chin craned painfully upward. 

"Lets see how long you can hold your breath," he chuckled close to her face, his breath tickling her skin, with the smell of chocolate on his breath, making Gillian feel sick with the smell, before forcing her head down into the water. She fought, pulling as she may away from the three boys, but they would not budge. No matter how she scratched at their arms, Thomas would only force her head harder into water. Gillian lungs filled with water, choking and gagging trying to catch a breath but finding none. Thomas would pull her up by her hair with a tug, her scalp burning with sensation, but all too grateful for the reprise of air. He’d held her there for a short few seconds before diving her head back in again, over and over till he grew bored. 

Dumping her by the foot of the fountain, like discard trash. One of the boys kicked her leg, leaning in close to Gillian's slumped body, inspecting her with squinted eyes. Gillian panted, willing herself to show no emotion, she wouldn’t cry. Quiet and still. Quiet and still, her mind echoed. 

“Thomas! Thomas!” a voice braged through, Gillian with her foggy vision, saw a silhouette of a girl, she knew immediately by the impatient voice it was Charlotte. Even with her eyes in a haze, she could make out her newest gown, a red silk gown, fashioned to be of the latest trends, golden trims lined the hems. It was prettier than anything Gillian could hope to ever wear herself.  She bit her lips, no, she couldn’t want anything as nice as that. 

Charlotte charged forwards, a frown etching her near face, “Thomas, mother is looking for you,” 

Thomas grunted, “Tell her I will be a minute.” 

“A minute?” she shook her head, “no, now thomas, you can play later.” 

Gillian felt Thomas’s eyes on her, searing into her head. She swallowed hoping he would walk away and listen to Charlotte, but Gillian knew that was unlikely, Thomas hated being told what to do. 

“Now Thomas,” Charlotte practically growled. 

“Fine,” 

Gillian sighed in relief, a mistake she regretted quickly, Thomas’s attention turned back to her, spying her hand resting neatly beside her legs. A grin Gillian dreaded entered his lips, as he lifted his foot up high, and stomped it hard onto her tender fingers. Gillian yelped like a scared puppy, as Thomas pressed harder down with more and more pressure. 

Charlotte sighed, “alright, just one more minute, but then we’re going to mother.” 

Thomas released his foot from Gillian's hand with a smile to his sister. “Get up, dirt blood, we’re going to play another game.” 

Gillian didn’t move, too busy twitching her fingers despite the pain. The boy frowned, pulling her up by her hair once more, “are you too stupid to listen? I said, `Get up.’” He pushed her forward far from him, “now i want you to stand there, right there,” he pointed to a spot. “And let's see if i can hit you,” 

He crouched down to the ground to pick up a rock, closing one eye, he aimed, holding his hand up, till squaring onto his target. He threw the row, hitting Gillian on the shoulder. He picked up another rock, in which after he turned to Charlotte and his two friends, grinning like a child who has a new toy. “Pick up rocks too, it's no fun to play by myself.” 

Gillian's feet falter on her spot, watching in horror as the four children eagerly collect stones around their feet. 

She did not think, her feet moving before she could realize what she was doing. She ran. Ran as fast as she could into the trees. She could hear Thomas and his friends calling for her, all running in pursuit. They launched rocks at her as she ran, some hitting her with vicious pain. She didn’t know where she was going, only to find a way to get away from thomas. 

Soon enough the sounds of their pounding feet on the ground grew quiet and distant, till she could not hear them at all. 

Taking in breath after breath, pushing her wet hair away from her face, Gillian looked beyond her, not recognizing a tree. She must have wandered off her fathers land and into the surrounding forest. For a moment she thought the mark on her wrist glowed, but it was gone as soon as she noticed. She frowned. The mark that had been there since her birth. She shuddered when she thought of what the countess had taught Charlotte and her about it. 

Soulmates unlike in past life, were real in the present world, and each person was born with a unique mark only identical to one other, their fated partner. Gillian hadn’t been much for romance, she had been courted by a boy in teenage years, but that had not lasted, hgim moving on to another girl. A soulmate was not something Gillian wanted, it would make her hell manageable, easier even. She couldn’t want that, she was beginning to be punished, and if the gods were real they had chosen someone who would catch Gillian aside at the first glance. She didn’t deserve a loving soulmate pair like her mother and father. 

Exhaling Gillian turned back to the way she came, she couldn’t hide forever, not from Thomas, not from Charlotte and certainly not from lady Regina. But as Gillian traveled on, she found herself even more lost, worse yet, her skin was beginning to bruise and the sharp edged rocks that had hit her were beginning to make her cuts burn. 

It was growing dark, the sun dimming in the sky, Gillian's legs were sore and tired, aching with the need for rest. Cat would be getting worried, she would surely begin searching the estate, certainly gaining the attention of Gillian's mother, further ensuring more worry. Gillian knew the lord would be waiting for her, with that disapproving stare, making her feel as unimportant and a waste she felt. 

Gillian's steps faltered, a noise like rustling came up from behind an approaching bush. Cautiously she stepped forward, thinking it only to be a rabbit. Arms reaching out she swiped the small branches away only to be welcomed by the sight of a creature Gillian had never seen before, but only in books. 

A pegasus, a young pegasus, no taller than Gillian's shoulder, sat gazing with large curious eyes. It sneezed, a squeal of a sound, what had Gillian's lips prickerling up. It sniffed up at her, pushing up onto its legs, shakily making its way to her. Its coat was a shade of lilac, a texture between fur and feathers, its wings tucked neatly to its side. It grabbed Gillian's grass stained skirt by its teeth tugging her forward, it huffed with effort, as Gillian tried to resist its pulling, her brows scrunched together in perplexion. 

Following the small foal, through foliage, snapping and striking at her face, arms and gown. Stray leaves, snagging onto her curls. Gillians eyes wandered up watching as the sky turned to night, the stars twinkling, as if winking a secret to Gillian. Perhaps the stars were the gods watching her in her divine punishment.   It was not long till the pegasus finally led her to a clearing. A meadow hidden among trees, and a herd of pegasus. 

The creatures immediately grew arlert at their entrance, heads craning over, eyes that seemed all knowing gazing at Gillian down to her very soul. She heaved a heavy breath, taking a step back. The pegasus looked as if they were ready to charge at, to deal with the threat. The foal happily galivated towards a pegasus with a light shade of blue on its coat, Gillian assuming that it was the foal's parent. 

The pegasus nuzzled down to their foal, greeting its child back, they gazed at each other for a moment till the adult pegasus turned back to look at Gillian. Eyes narrowing. 

‘Do you wish no harm on my herd little human?’

A voice penetrated into Gillian's mind, it was angelic, musical. 

“N-no,” she shook her head furiously, she trembled, never feeling such a power as the pegasus speaking to her in her mind. 

‘Come then,’ it turned its back on Gillian, the small pegasus gave a small bah beckoning her to follow them. 

Gillian gulped, clenching her fists, as her legs ran to catch up. 

She walked by the side of the pegasus and foal, glancing around her at the groups of pegasus standing idly by. They made it to the middle of the meadow where the pegasus croached to lay down, resting on its legs, the foal followed suit. Gillian motionlessly, the two animals sat comfortable preferring for rest. The Pegasus’s head turned up to Gillian. 

‘Lay and rest little human, I can keep you and foal warm for the night.’ 

Gillian twisted to look back to the tree line and forest. She was far from her fathers territory, it would be hours to finally find her way back to the house, and that was only if she managed not to lose herself in the woods. But would it be worth it, what would she be returning to?  Thomas would certainly find a way to get her back for running from his ‘game’. But her mother, her mother would be worried and the longer she stayed the longer the harsher punishment would be. But she would not make it back that night. 

She kneeled, crawling, laying on her side, shuffling close to the warmth of the pegasus, its wings fluttered up, landing on top of the foal and Gillian's body.