Secrets

Selene has just married her husband, a marriage arranged by her father, and they have moved into a cottage in the town. The year is 1649 and crime is rife amongst the villages, towns and cities. The King is coming down hard, trying to stamp out this crime wave. Selene however, is beginning to have suspicions about her husband, who has been becoming increasingly violent each time the King imposed a new law.

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Name: Selene (Enter husbands second name here!)
Age: 21
Description:


Selene sat at the kitchen table, nursing a bruise to her arm. Her husband was due home any moment and she had his tea on for him.

Name : Christopher Harding
Age : 26
Description : Married to Selene. Christopher, or Chris for short, has always been a bit shady. At first, it was only a means to keep his mother and father comfortable, he'd steal and gamble to get money for them. But this kind-hearted reason soon turned to selfishness. He bagen to get the thrill of it. Now, at 16, he's addicted to gambling and thieving, but he's taking the new laws out on his wife, Selene.

He does love her, dearly, but his mind keeps blanking out. He turns on her, he resents her, he hates her. But then, he regrets it.

******

Chris walked in from gathering wood for the fire, and grimaced. He was starving, it was cold out, and the King had just passed yet another law. Dammit, couldn't a man play cards, or bet on anything, in peace?

Selene stood up, sighing sadly. Ever since the King had started laying down laws she lived in fear of her life - she never knew when Christopher would lose it completely and take the last step. So far, the worst he had done was push her hard against the wall and make her crack her head, leavig her stunned and sore. He had threatened her with things, but so far hadn't acted out his threats.

She walked over to the pot, and her eyes widened when she saw his dinner was burnt. She let out a roar of despair and smacked the pot, sending both it and its contents flying. The fire blew up to heights previously unreached, then died. Selene sunk to her knees and sobbed.

Christopher walked into the house just as Selene made a cry of despair. At first, he wanted to rush over and check she was alright, but a sudden wave of red-hot anger washed across him.

"Selene, you stupid woman! What have you done?" he roared, dropping the firewood and striding towards her.

Selene looked up as he entered, and catching sight of the murderous look upon his face, she scrambled backwards on to her feet, edging into the corner. "Keep away from me!" She said, still sobbing, barely glancing at the burnt and spilt dinner which still was strewn across the floor.

Christopher lifted his hand to strike her acroos the face, but faltered. He felt a pang of remorse when he saw the frightened look on her face, but kept his scowl.

"Make something quick then, I'm hungry." he growled, and walked back over to where the firewood was, picking it up and placing it beside the fire.

Selene breathed a sigh of barely concealed relief, going outside to the trap and finding a rabbit in there. With the same feeling of regret she always had, she twisted it and broke its neck, whispering a gentle apology, before returning to the house and beginning to skin it. "Uh...good day?" she dared to ask.

Chris grunted in reply, and sat down by the table. "have you kept busy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded, finishing the rabbit and putting it in the pot, then sitting at the other end of the table, the furthest she could sit from him. "Went to the farmers land and led the cows out for grazing, got something for it, not a lot but enough to put towards buying something nice to eat for once." she replied.

Chris nodded. He felt he should say something now, but couldn't exactly think of what. His mind turned over and over, and as it did, he got annoyed. Why couldn't he act normally?

He needed to gamble that money, thats right. He needed that money, that would ease these feelings. "I think I shall take the money into the village tomorrow, I'll try and get us something if you like." he said, as nicely as he could.

Selene looked at him nervously, knowing vaguely what he would actually do with the money. "I..was going to take it tonight." She murmured, hoping he wouldnt see it as her defying him.

Chris felt his chest and face grow hot with anger. He needed that money. "Well it will be getting to dark later, it will be very unsafe to walk into town. I shall take it tomorrow." he said slowly, his fingers grasping the edge of the table tightly.

"I-I would rather take it myself" she replied, biting her lip hard. She hated arguing with him but they really needed that money for food, and she knew he would waste it. She didn't know what he did but she knew it would go mysteriously missing or he would say he had been mugged. The lies came thick and fast from him nowadays.

Chris felt his anger rising, his face grew hotter and he felt livid. "Selen, please don't make me take it from you." he said angrily, although there was a hint of a plea in his voice. He didn't want to hurt her, this was his way of trying to warn her off him. He knew when he was getting too angry, and he would try his hardest to stop it - if he could.

Selene's eyes widened in fear, and she stood rather reluctantly as though her body was doing what her brain screamed not to. "You're not taking it, Chris, Why wont you let us eat properly for once! You and your damn addictions! Why are you doing this to us! Get rid of the demons in your head!" Her hands shook with fear as she bit her lip, silently vowing that she would not tell him where the money was no matter what he did to her.

(Back soz, been mega busy!)

Chris stood up slowly, his face had turned a dark shade of red, his hands a bright white from gripping the table.

"Fine, have it your way Selene." he said quietly. "But you don't know what you've done." and suddenly, he snapped. He pushed his chair back violently, and walked towards his wife, slapping her hard across the face. "You know not to cross me, damn it!" he screamed, and walked out of the house.

He walked for a few minutes, his head pounding, his face burning with anger. But then, he fell to his knees in the dark, cold wood and cried, sobbing like a child.

Selene staggered backwards, her hands grasping for anything, everything, before she hit the wooden table behind her. Winded, she slumped to the floor, her face throbbing with a burning, unending pain. As he slammed the door, she crawled under the table, clutching her legs to herself and rocked back and forwards, the tears falling silently from her tightly closed eyes. Not a sound escaped her apart from her own shuddering breaths.

Chris' tear-stained face contorted with pain. Why was he such a beast? What had turned him into this? It was that damn drink and gambling. He was a good husband before that - wasn't he?

How could he go back to the house? She'd either be so scared of him she wouldn't speak, or so angry she'd lash out.

He stood up very slowly, after what seemed like a lifetime, and turned. He walked slowly towards the house. Oh, how he loved Selene. But how he hated her too. Right now, he'd do anything for her, he just wanted to lie on their bed and wrap her in his arms all night.

But when she kept money from him - he wanted her dead. He hated her, he felt like hurting her.

What a monster he had become

Selene crawled out from the table in her own good time, wandering into the rain-sodden grassland they called their yard. Crouching on her knees, she began to dig with her bare hands. He would not have another penny to waste, even if it meant burying the coins so that she couldnt use it either. They would be rich when he was over his addiction, and could move on. If he didn't kill her first.

Chris made it back to the front door, falling against the door frame in exhaustion. He didn't notice Selene digging, his eyes were filled with tears.

He walked back into the house, feeling like a rabbit going into a fox hole. "Selene?" he called gently, moving towards the fire to keep his hands warm - they felt numb. He felt numb all over.

Hearing her name being called, Selene stuffed the coins into a fabric pouch and pushed them into the ground, pulling the sodden earth over the bag. "Coming" she stuttered, too scared of him to object. She hurried back into the house and shut the door in time for him entering the kitchen.

Chris turned and faced the fire, his eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Selene. I am, I never meant to hurt you...does it still hurt?" he asked, gently.

Selene looked at him, not speaking at first. She then went to the kitchen bowl and began to wash the mud from her hands, murmuring very quietly; "What do you think, Alex?" her voice bitter and full of pain.

Chris felt a feeling like a hot rod piercing his heart. The bitterness in her voice stung him to the core.

"I'm so sorry...I don't know what I've become. I love you so much, Selene, I really do. I just...something takes over me."

"I'm not quite sure I want to hear it this time" she said softly, as though scared he would hurt her again. She dried her hands on a strip of fabric, and walked to the pot which was still simmering away like nothing had happened. She ladled the rabbit broth into bowls and put them on the table, fetching bread and cider for him to drink. "It's all we have" she said almost accusingly, sitting down to the once again pitiful meal. It would be all they had for quite a while now, too - he would not have that money.