Chapter 1 - The Velvet Cage
The crystal chandelier hummed with a low, electric buzz.
Warm, amber light spilled across the grand banquet hall.
It bounced off the polished mirrors lining the walls.
It shattered into a thousand tiny prisms on the silver cutlery.
A five-year-old boy stood near the edge of a long dining table.
His name was Leo.
His light blue dress shirt was slightly untucked at the side.
The fabric was stiff, smelling faintly of dry-cleaning chemicals and old lavender.
He stared at a white porcelain plate.
His tiny fingers gripped the edge of the heavy linen tablecloth.
The knuckles were white.
Around him, towering figures in dark suits and silk dresses clinked champagne glasses.
No one looked down.
To them, the space near the floor was entirely empty.
A heavy footstep landed on the thick Persian rug.
Then another.
The clinking of ice against crystal stopped abruptly.
A shadow fell over the porcelain plate.
Leo’s fingers let go of the tablecloth.
His hand instinctively reached for the empty space by his side.
The space where a larger hand usually rested.
A young man in a sharp, dark blue suit stepped into the light.
His leather shoes squeaked slightly against the hardwood border of the room.
He smelled of peppermint breath mints and expensive whiskey.
He leaned down.
The fabric of his suit creaked.
His hand, adorned with a heavy gold signet ring, shot forward.
It clamped around the collar of Leo’s light blue shirt.
The knuckles ground against the boy’s collarbone.
Leo’s heels lifted off the floor.
His toes barely scraped the thick wool of the rug.
The collar dug into his neck, tight and scratching.
The young man’s face twisted.
His teeth bared, the lips curling back into a tight, wet grimace.
The warm chandelier light caught the sweat forming on the man's forehead.
Leo did not scream.
His breathing turned into rapid, shallow hiccups.
His small chest heaved against the tight grip of the blue suit.
Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes, magnifying the blurred lights of the ceiling.
He blinked, and the hot water spilled over his eyelashes.
It ran down his cheeks, leaving a cold trail on his skin.
He looked up.
The man’s eyes were bloodshot, pupils dilated with a sudden, ugly thrill.
The music in the background seemed to slow down.
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The low hum of the cello faded into a dull ringing in Leo's ears.
The heavy gold ring pressed harder into his skin.
