The Pawn and The Puppet (The Pawn and The Puppet #1)

by Brandi Elise Szeker

Dressed. Makeup. All according to the theme that is so delicately placed around the oh-so-perfect city surrounding the asylum.

Our small country, Dementia, is run by an invented vision of the perfect society.

The physical appearance of a woman is the gospel. They go by The Lady Doll Regimen. It’s a long nightly routine—hours of soaking in herbal water, a vigorous process to moisturize the skin and hair while also following the strictest dieting standards. Eat if you feel as though you might faint, she’d say. And topping it all off with their attire—dresses for every time of the day; tea time, household work, and evening gowns.

Scarlett told me that if Demechnef—our government that so keenly values a pristine presentation—were to observe a slipup such as gaining a couple of pounds, or God forbid, developing an outbreak of unwanted blemishes—they would discreetly be swept away from their day-to-day lives. Away from their families and friends, and as far as anyone knew—they’d simply disappear until they came back with knobby joints, slight hair loss, prominently outlined rib cages and gaunt facial features.

The thought of meeting people like this turns my bowels watery.

Feyre?

When we spoke about our mother, Violet Ambrose, she would express her anger and hatred toward her—how she shouldn’t be allowed to be called Mother. How if she ever saw Violet again, she would probably kill her. How could a mother let men touch her daughter? How could she hear my cries and collect her coin as I suffered?

If more people with compassion chose to see the ugly and not turn a blind eye, maybe this world would be a better place.

“Those aren’t the rules we agreed on, love.”

Nervous that aside from these feelings, I have one hiding deeper inside of me that I am trying to keep undetectable.

No, Skylenna. But I think you should make one more stop before going back into the arms of the devil.”

“She died that day, Jack… And it was not a peaceful way of parting this world. It was ugly and sad and unnatural.”

Im starting to believe she is the one with DID

My eldest knows to never abandon the key to that puzzle. He has learned quickly and will come to you when that evil knocks on my door, and only then may I finally rest.

Definately talking about Dessin and Skylenna

“This is why daily discipline for young women is prudent. Their hormones and monthly cycles make them most similar to wild animals.”

Scarlett, if you’re listening, please protect me. I won’t survive another man like Jack.

Scarlett is her other personality!

But I stare a moment too long, and there’s a question that sings like a violin between us. The one neither of us wants to acknowledge, but it’s here, all the same, waiting to be noticed.

For reasons unknown, he has a fixation with Aurick.

But someone—it was never discovered who—saved me and slit his throat with his own knife.

“Because this is where I buried her—where I tossed her ashes—or what I told myself was her ashes because I couldn’t identify the body!”

No body.....