"Damn, you really think it's okay to knock Zoey down the stairs? You've got some nerve! You deserve whatever's coming to ya."
By the poolside, a group of folks had trapped a frail-looking gal who was as white as a sheet. "It wasn’t me, I swear!" she pleaded, fear etched all over her face.
"Listen up, Lucille Jules. You might be the little princess of the Jules family, but Zoey ain't a doormat for ya. We're her pals, and we've got her back. You won't walk away from this unscathed!"
A quick-witted dame narrowed her eyes and smirked, "Our friend Lucille can't swim, huh? Let's see how she likes a quick dip!"
In an instant, a crowd of young hotshots closed in on Lucille, their expressions twisted with cruelty. With a hefty shove, they pushed her straight into the pool.
Splash!
She flailed in the water, scrambling for air, like a bird with a broken wing.
They circled the pool, watching her like a pack of wolves. "You still trying to get out, huh?" one of them taunted. "Push her back in!"
They were ruthless, pushing the struggling Lucille back into the water. She fought back with all she had, but to no avail.
Her resistance dwindled until she finally slipped beneath the surface…
"There’s no movement. Holy shit, did we just off her?" someone blurted in shock.
"Get her out, quick!" another shouted.
They yanked the drowned Lucille to the shore. To their surprise, she shot her eyes open, latching onto the neck of the guy who pulled her out.
She looked just as helpless as before, but a chilling glint of raw rage resided in her eyes.
"Get off me!" the guy hollered, his neck gripped by Lucille.
The main girl, her face white with fury, rushed over, screaming, "Now you've really done it, Lucille!"
But before she could get another word out, Lucille spun and landed a flawless kick, sending her crashing to the ground.
The onlookers watched in complete shock.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Is Lucille off her rocker?"
Jenny Zanes was seething, shouting, "What are you waiting for? Give her hell!"
As the crowd moved in, Lucille took them all down one by one, tossing them into the pool as easy as pie.
When the gang was all sprawled out in the water, she looked around a little dazed, then stumbled a couple steps forward before collapsing, her eyes rolling back in her head.
...
The darkness had swallowed a lone wolf of a woman. She dashed as fast as her legs could carry her, in a slick black suit.
Suddenly, a haunting voice echoed from above, "Lucille, run like hell. Stay alive!"
Lucille halted, spun around, and was met face-on with a wall of fire. The flames spread towards her, ready to swallow her whole.
Yet, Lucille was unmovable. She stared blankly ahead and murmured a single word, "Mother..."
The woman's mournful voice came again, filled with sadness and regret.
"Lucille, remember our ancestors. They were brave and loyal, fought tooth and nail, and your dad always trod the straight and narrow. He died an innocent man, so you must live to clear his name!"
"Lucille, as the last of the Jules bloodline in Dilsburg, you must survive! Bring justice for our family's wrongly executed ancestors."
"Get out! Hurry!"
Desperation clawed at the woman's voice, becoming frantic, almost shrill.
With watery eyes, Lucille watched as the woman was swallowed by the flames, and she screamed out, "Mama!"
Lying on a hospital bed...
Lucille's eyes shot open.
Everything was a bright white.
What was happening?
Wasn’t she dead?
The previous night had been a top secret mission gone wrong. The plans had been leaked. Surrounded by enemies, after a bloody fight, she dodged death by a hair.
Yet, meeting her companions in a back alley, she was hit with a nerve toxin from behind and dropped dead on the spot.
She died not knowing who had betrayed her.
Now why was she lying in a hospital?
Could it be that she hadn’t really died?
Suddenly, the memory of going ballistic on a group of snooty girls at the pool came back to her... She’d actually been given a second chance!
With a loud bang, the doors of the hospital were thrown open.
Two nurses came in, ignoring Lucille.
"Did you catch the news? Last night, the Jules family’s daughter, Lucille, was executed for treason!"
“What? But she was a war hero like her father. She had countless victories under her belt. Why the hell would she betray her folks?"
"I don't have a clue, but her story is everywhere. After her death, the Jules family in Dilsburg is basically extinct."
Lucille's eyes widened and her hand tightened into a fist under the covers.
The Jules family was known for their bravery and fidelity, but who would've thought they'd end up like this? Lucille bit down hard on her lip, tears welling up before she forced them back down.No crying over spilled milk!
She wouldn't overlook anyone who’d ever wronged her or her kin.
With this shot at a new life, she'd get to the root of things and repay her family's enemies in their own coin - blood for blood.
The hospital gals were yammering about the latest buzz when one of them noticed Lucille, lying in bed. Her eyes were bloodshot - helluva shocker.
Why were the eyes of the mute dame bloodshot?
The fierce glare knocked the wind out of her, and she frozen, her eyes glued to Lucille
"Wh...wh..." The nurse with long hair stammered, a look of bug-eyed horror had taken over her face.
The nurse with the short haircut, a bit peeved, turned and caught Lucille staring at the ceiling with a wave of aloofness over her face.
She jeered, "She’s nothing but a dummy."
The long-haired nurse exhaled, feeling a sense of relief course through her. She figured that it was all in her head.
"By the way, this lass from the Jules family is also named Lucille," she piped up.
The short-haired nurse snorted. "Huh! How can she stand a chance against the War Goddess? She’s a no-good, just knows how to push Miss Johnson around. She's not even fit to be her shoe shiner!"
Lucille’s eyes flashed with a streak of iciness.
Suddenly, the door to the room swung open again.
A delicate gal was being wheeled in.
Upon seeing Lucille, her brows knit together in worry. "Lucille, you're finally back in the pink! Feel any better?"
Lucille slowly swiveled to face the stranger, and a wave of loathing welled up in her.
This hate was bone-deep, making her heart pound and her breath hitch.
Then, a tidal wave of memories that were alien to her flooded her mind.
Turns out, she had been reincarnated into this same-named gal: Lucille Jules, the youngest spawn of the Jules family in Shein City.
She used to be the apple of her parents' eyes but everything went sideways when Zoey Johnson rolled into her life at the age of ten.
Zoey was the daughter of one of Howard Jules' buddies. When Lucille was ten, Zoey was taken in by the Jules family.
Zoey's dad had died saving Howard which left him feeling guilty as hell and Zoey became his protected little princess.
However, Zoey’s arrival plunged Lucille into hellhole.
With her trickster traits concealed behind an endearing smile, Zoey was no less than a silver-tongued devil. Every thing that Lucille cares for, Zoey stole.
Whether it was Lucille's beloved doll or her pals, Zoey always scored them away.
In time, Zoey won over Howard's affection as well as the unconditional love and trust of Lucille's three elder brothers.
In the eyes of the Jules clan, Lucille - Howard's own daughter and her brothers' sister - progressively was a sight for sore eyes.
Whenever Lucille tried to unmask Zoey's dirty deeds, she was smacked with names like ‘ungrateful’ and ‘bully’.
As for Zoey, she was living up, dabbling in everything that was once Lucille’s.
She even blamed Lucille for stealing at school, leading Howard to reprimand Lucille severely - came close to beating the lights out of her.
After this fiasco, Lucille was gutted, turning into a doormat.
Her grades sank and she got labeled the "mute and dunce".
Lucille figured she would stay stuck in this rut, but boy, was she wrong.
On her 19th birthday party, she accidentally came across her fiancé and Zoey locking lips in some corner.
Overwhelmed with sorrow and fury, Lucille lashed out and unintentionally pushed Zoey down the stairs.
While the rest were all worked up about Zoey's well-being, nobody noticed that Lucille was given a good kick in the ribs by Zoey's allies, to the point that she ended up at the bottom of a pool.
All these memories had the hate searing in her, choking her.
Taking a deep breath, she whispered under her breath, "Let it go. Revenge will be served."
With that, the rising dread and turmoil dissipated.
Zoey glared at Lucille’s ashen face, feeling a growing unease. She felt a chill run down her spine - Lucille seemed to have changed.
She looked colder, and her stare was sharper.
