A MAZE OF GREED

In the late hour of the night, Ruth was in Florence's home to settle their dispute. She removed the shawl she had used to cover herself from not only the nights' cold but also from giving out her identity as a maid of the O'Dells.

Florence watched her squinting her cat-like eyes.

"Florence we can not go on like this forever. We need to setle down this issue now." Ruth told confidently.

Florence observed her for a few more minutes. The woman in front of her looked different than the Ruth she knew.

Florence smirked. "I am glad at last you came to a realisation that you can not win over me, Ruth. I am ready to accept your apology."

Florence said, stretching her legs forward.

Ruth clenched her jaw. How dare she?

Ruth could not help but let out a spurt of laughter. Florence's arrogance quivered for a moment, and she retreated her legs.

"What is so funny about it?" She could not wait for Ruth to sober up and asked instantly.

"Oh, Florence. You have not changed a bit. You really thought that I am here for apologising to you?" Now it was Ruth's turn to wear that mocking smirk.

Florence's eyelashes fluttered in uncertainty.

"Why should I apologise to you, Florence? I have done no wrong here. It is you who is trying to snatch something that does not belong to you. If anything, it should be you feeling remorseful here."

Florence scoffed.

"Why would I? I found Edwin O'Dell first. We used to be together and then I do not know from where you came in between. By the way, tell me one thing Ruth. Why you suddenly get interested in him?" Florence was confused.

She had tried finding that questions' answer but did not uncover anything.

"I have already told you Florence. You are lost in that puddle of the world of yours to see the vast undiscovered territory out of that puddle. Forget about all of this.

Let me clear something to you. I am not interested in Edwin O'Dell."

'Really?' Ruth's heart questioned her, but she ignored it and kept ongoing.

"You do not need to know about my business. All I want you to do is stay out of it. Stop pestering me because I am not going to confess anything to the world regarding my identity.

You or anyone else can not snatch away my friends from me because they will never know who I really am. I am here to warn you for the final time. If I see you anywhere near me, or people around me, I swear I will not be very kind then." Ruth glared at Florence in the challenge.

She hoped this would be enough to make Florence stop. Unfortunately, Florence was asking for more.

Florence jumped out of the bed and launched at Ruth.

"You bitch!"

She slapped Ruth across her face. Its sound ringed in Ruth's ear for the next minute. Florence did not give Ruth any time to recover from the shock and grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"You are threatening me?! What will you do, huh? Tell me, what can you do if I do not stop? You think I am stupid enough to get frightened of your shallow warnings?"

"FLORENCE!"

Ruth pushed the other woman with such force that she stumbled back on her feet.

"You want to see what can I do, right?" Ruth's expressions changed dramatically.

She could feel a surge of some deviant energy coursing throughout her body. Her body turned hot, her pulse beating faster.

"Yes! Show me what can you do. Show me why should I be scared of you!" Florence accepted the challenge.

She saw Ruth's lips stretching in a cold and wicked smirk. As if she had something powerful that Florence did not.

Florence waited with a thumping heart. Her unsure eyes moved from Ruth's lips to her eyes. And that was her mistake.

Her eyes widened in realisation, but it was too late to mend her mistake. She tried tearing her gaze from Ruth's but, something magnetic kept her shackled.

She had experienced this before. Her whole body began trembling as sweat dripped from the side of her face in droplets.

"Wh-what are you d-doing?" Florence fought hard to not surrender to that unexplainable phenomenon.

She saw Ruth's lips split into a full smile, showing her white teeth. But there was no trace of innocence that her smile usually held.

"You are very beautiful Florence!"

Florence stopped breathing for a second, trying to make sense out of Ruth's words. She tried moving, but it was like her body had been paralyzed.

Ruth was doing the same trick again. Florence was sure about it.

Before she could think of anything more, Ruth took the mirror on the table, which was to her right. She was careful to not break her concentration as well as her eye contact with Florence.

Ruth held the mirror in line with her eyes. Florence could not move her body, but she now could move her eyes. And yet she remained under that dangerous spell of Ruth.

All this time, Ruth was carefully studying and practising using her powers. And she was glad that she had stepped ahead in the progress.

"Are not you?" Ruth smiled again, but her eyes spit fury and something dark that Florence had never experienced before.

Florence dared to shift her eyes to look in the mirror. And the moment she saw her reflection in the mirror, her whole body began shaking violently. A loud scream tried pushing its way out of her throat, but it failed miserably.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the woman in the mirror. She looked like Florence, yet she looked nothing like her.

That woman in the mirror had ugly wrinkles on her face and neck, covering every inch of her bare skin. Her hair was a mixture of grey and white. Her hairline was receded back to show her scalp at places.

Florence found it hard to breathe. She could not see the woman in the mirror, who looked like a 90-year-old woman. She had dark circles under her eyes, her eyes not strong enough to open wide.

Her eyes shifted again towards Ruth questioningly and beggingly.

"You have such a perfect body too Florence!"

With another shuddering breath, Florence forced herself to raise her hands in front of her face. Her chest shook rapidly as more tears streamed down her face.

Her hands were also covered in wrinkles with white and grey patches on them. Her nails had lost all their shine, turning bluish-black in colour. All the veins in her hands peeked out of her wrinkly skin to the extent that she feared a slight touch also could burst them.

"P-please..." Florence managed to whisper in pleading.

"What? You do not find yourself beautiful Florence?" Ruth asked, feigning innocence.

She knew what was Florence's greatest insecurity. She was very proud of her body and her beauty. They were her assets. She had exploited them to her best of capabilities all over the years.

"R-ruth... please s-stop!" Florence cried, not able to face her worst of insecurities.

"But Florence, I am not doing anything here. You yourself said that I can not do anything to stop you." Ruth said with a puppy face.

Florence watched that woman who once was the kindest soul she had ever met in her life. She could not believe it and wondered what happened that brought such a drastic change in her?

"S-stop!" Florence begged again.

Ruth took two steps ahead to intimidate her. "I will if only you will. I am dead serious here, Florence. I am not that old Ruth who would tolerate your bullshit and keep mum about it.

This new Ruth is very dangerous. She is the kind of person you should stay away from. I have tried words, but they did not work. You pushed me to this extent."

Florence was scared. She was more scared than the last time.

"You are right about my father being a thief and a killer. I know everything. You may know such things about him, but you do not know what kind of a person he was. He was a man with a genuine heart. He was not perfect, he was not an idol.

But he was not a bad person either. However, and whatever he was, he was and is my father! And I will not tolerate you or anyone at that matter, bad-mouthing about him. Do you understand it?" Ruth's voice was firm and commanding.

Florence tried nodding her head, but it did not move.

"Y-yes. I am s-sorry. Please stop this." Florence cried more.

"Now be a good woman for at least once in your lifetime and stay out of my business. Edwin O'Dell is mine! Only I can get him and that too only for myself." Ruth declared.

Florence was shocked. As far as she knew, Ruth did not like that man one bit.

"D-do you... do you l-love him?"

Florence asked the same question that Ruth had asked her once.

She observed Ruth curiously. She saw something change in her eyes, but it passed too quickly that she doubted it was her imagination or reality.

"I hope to not see you again Florence! Be careful when it comes to me and keep your mouth sealed. Or the next time, it will not be only your body at stake!"

Ruth blinked, and Florence slumped on the floor as if her body had forgotten to stand on its feet. Florence caught up her breath, and when she looked up again, she saw no one ahead of her.

The door of her room was open, and the mirror remained on the table.