The Countess' Courage

As she looked at her hands, the red oozing substance made her realize she was falling back into her old ways. She grimaced and wiped her hands against her jeans staining her pants red in the process. This woman was no ordinary lady that graced the streets with her presence every day. Her name was Eliza Nádasdy. She was more commonly known as “The Blood Countess.” Well, her grandmother was the countess, but she was groomed to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps as well as adopting her nickname to continue the horrifying legacy. ‘The Blood Countess’ drained the remaining blood from the deceased young girl lying on the floor. She proceeded to contain the girl’s blood in a cup and down it in one smooth gulp. There were many wonderful ways to consume human flesh, but Eliza preferred grilled meat strictly from the leg along with a hefty serving of potatoes infused with human blood and finally, a hearty glass of chilled human blood. Every day she would lure a poor young unsuspecting girl to the castle, which was left in her possession after her grandmother was arrested and died in prison, and offer them a bountiful pay as a maid as well as receiving training to become a proper lady. This ruse worked and as soon as the young lady stepped into the castle, she was tortured and then devoured as her meal. However, Eliza was always curious on how life would be if she left her normal killing life and participated in life as an outstanding member of society. She was tired of this tiring gruesome life. After searching for countless hours, Eliza stumbled upon a website that advertised former individuals with twisted histories being introduced back into society properly. She decided she will no longer be pressured to continue her mother’s work and be a contributing member of her community. After a good night’s sleep, Eliza packed her bag and made her way to “Hell to Heaven Rehab.” Upon arrival, it was a beautiful building bustling with seemingly harmless people. She swung the front doors open and approached the front desk. An over-enthusiastic young man checked her in, and she was whisked away to the small but comforting room down the hall. She could not help but smile as this was her chance to repair her past and amend her mistakes. After a 7 AM wake up call, they were called to the dinning room. The room was filled to capacity. After a few minutes, a bell rung and a hush fell over the room. A tall slender woman entered. When she spoke, her voice was high and sweet.

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to ‘Hell to Heaven Rehab,’ my name is Belle and I run this facility. I hope you find your peace here.”

She nodded and left the room. Eliza quickly scarfed down her food and returned to her room. The day was filled with lectures and etiquette lessons on how to blend in with others and how to act. This strict routine was completed every day. Everything seemed to be going well until one day another young lady was checked in. She was roommates with Eliza. Her name was Mary-Anna Margaret. She was beautiful. They became quick friends and soon they spent every minute of the day together. Eliza had noticed Mary- Anna captured the attention of every man in the room. This did not bother Eliza because she acknowledged just how beautiful Mary-Anna was. She also noticed Mary-anna did not seem phased by the attention. They continued their rehab happily and eager to be relocated into a community. A few days later, before breakfast Eliza laid in her bed and realized Mary-Anna’s bed left un-made and empty. Eliza sat up and went to find her friend. She checked everywhere: the common room, the shared restrooms, and the other halls. Nonetheless, Mary-anna was nowhere to be found. Eliza wondered into the kitchen and found her. She held a small box and was leaning over the stove.

“Mary-Anna?” Eliza questioned coming closer.

Mary-anna squeaked in surprise and dropped the box which spilled a powdery substance.

“Eliza, Good morning! I was just helping the cooks make breakfast.” Mary-anna smiled and kicked the box behind the counter.

Eliza looked at her questioningly but Mary-anna kept her smile. Eliza decided to not upset their friendship and went along with it.

“Oh, okay. That is nice of you. I will wait in the dining room to try it!” Eliza grinned and went find a seat in the dining room which was becoming more and more crowded since breakfast time was drawing near.

Approximately 15 minutes went by and breakfast began to be served. Mary-Anna appeared from the kitchen and took a seat next to Eliza. Today’s breakfast was oatmeal. Everyone happily ate their breakfast and the rest of the day continued as normal. Later that evening, Eliza heard some commotion coming from the other hall. Sounds of groaning and throwing up became louder as Eliza approached. A young man was laying curled up in the hall.

“Help me, my stomach hurts so bad!” He cried with his hand clutched to his stomach.

Eliza rushed over and helped him up. She walked him to the medical wing. To her surprise, it was already filled with every young man in the facility.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many people here?’ Eliza asked and turned to the front desk assistant.

“Apparently something was wrong with the food. Probably food poising.” The front desk lady said nonchalantly and shrugged.

Eliza nodded and walked back towards her hall. As she was walking, she could not help but think of Mary-Anna this morning and that powder. Eliza slipped down the hall quietly and went into the dining room. She knew she was not allowed in the kitchen after hours, but something was telling her to go look. The kitchen was dimly lit by the candles that lined the wall. She went to the stove and saw there were still traces of the powder. She reached behind the counter and found the box. The box was for baking soda, but Eliza could tell it was not baking soda in the box. She took the box with her and snuck back down the hall. She crept past the halls and went to the offices. She rattled each door until she found one that was unlocked. She went to the drawers and pulled them open. She flipped through the alphabetically organized files until she came to the letter M. She pulled out the file labeled “Mary-Anna Margaret” and opened it. As Eliza read the file, she became horrified at what she just discovered. Mary-Anna Margaret was the granddaughter of Mary-Ann Cotton, who was a serial killer that poisoned her multiple husbands with Arsenic. Mary-Anna was killing again. Eliza dropped the file and ran out of the office. She was determined to not let Mary-Anna get drawn back into her old life. Eliza quietly went into her and Mary-Anna’s room. She would wait until morning to confront her. The next morning Eliza woke up and shuffled to Mary-Anna’s side of the room.

“Mary-Anna.” She whispered.

Mary-Anna stirred for a few minutes and her eyelids fluttered open.

“Eliza?” She questioned softly still being drowsy from her deep sleep.

“I know what you did.” Eliza stated.

Mary-Anna was silent for a few seconds then sat up.

“You can’t tell them it was me. Please.” Mary-Anna begged.

“I’m sorry, I have no choice. If I want a chance at a normal life, I must turn you in. I have to be a good person.” Eliza said slowly still unsure of what she would say even as the words left her mouth.

Eliza, then, turned and left the room to get breakfast. Mary-Anna was left fear-stricken in her bed.

Eliza ate alone. Mary-Anna did not join her for breakfast. In the middle of an etiquette lesson, a loud voice screeched through a speaker.

“Will Eliza Nádasdy please come to the office hall.”

Eliza looked up quickly unsure of what was going on. She stood up slowly and walked down to the office hall. She went into Mrs. Belle’s office. The office room had Mrs. Belle and a few strange people she had never seen before.

“You asked to see me?” Eliza’s voice shook and she looked down at her feet.

“We have reason to believe that the sudden illness that happened last night was not an accident.” Mrs. Belle stated looking harshly at Eliza.

“Okay… What do I have to do with this?” Eliza gulped looking up.

“We found Arsenic was smuggled in our facility and placed in the food. We think you know who did this.”

Eliza stayed quiet for a few minutes and sighed.

“I do know who did it.”

“Who?” Mrs. Belle inquired.

“I did it.” Eliza said confidently.

Mrs. Belle looked surprised but nodded at the guards. The guards immediately seized Eliza. She was escorted to the prison cell that was located behind the facility. They left her there for a few days. Mrs. Belle came to visit her and asked if she could ask Eliza some questions. They were moved to an interrogation room.

“Eliza, I am going to ask you one more time. Did you put the poison in the food?”

Eliza nodded.

“Yes, I did.”

“Are you sure?” Mrs. Belle prodded.

“I am sure.” Eliza said without any hesitation apparent in her voice.

Mrs. Belle sighed.

“We know you did not do it, Eliza.”

Eliza’s face twisted.

“What? You do? How?” She asked.

“Your roommate Mary-Anna came forward and confessed.”

Eliza looked at Mrs. Belle confusion covering her face.

“You must have been awfully close friends for you to take the blame for her. You also must have said something to her that would make her confess.”

Eliza smiled.

“We were good friends. I just told her that as someone who wanted a chance to live normally, I had to do the right thing. I guess she did too.”

“You are being assigned a community. It is time for your time here at rehab to be finished. We have already got your things packed.” Mrs. Belle smiled and stood up.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Belle!” Eliza shouted with a huge grin on her face.

They walked to the front of the prison and a car pulled up.

“This car is here to take you to the community. I trust you learned everything you needed and more.” Mrs. Belle said.

Eliza got into the back of the car and rolled down her window to thank Mrs. Belle one more time.

“Oh, also Eliza. We also have cameras inside, we reviewed everything.” Mrs. Belle said quietly.

Eliza nodded and the car pulled out of the drive beginning towards the direction of the community.

As the rehabilitation building faded from view, Eliza released her breath and smiled. She was finally going to live a normal life and she was never going to be held back by her mistakes again. She was a new person. This was her chance at a new life. This was her second chance.