“Andrew, please. I beg you, don’t let Leilani catch the snake,” Gabrielle continues, “I’m willing to take her place. I’ll do anything if you let her go. I’ll serve you and behave well.”
“Gabby, toughen up!” Leilani snaps, “Don’t beg!”
“Leilani, it’s all over if you’re bitten,” Gabrielle said between sobs.
“Don’t cry!” Leilani yells.
She doesn’t know how to console her sister, but she needs her to stop making distracting noises. Gabrielle stops crying but her body shakes with muffled sobs. The audience is begging for a show. They heckle her as they would a comedian; they don’t care that she may die.
“Will you just start already?” one guest jeers, “If you’re afraid, just quit. It’s satisfying enough to watch you become Andrew’s mistress.”
“Yes,” a woman seconds, “Andrew is known for his s.e.x.u.a.l prowess. Even if you and your sister have a threesome with him, I guarantee we’ll all enjoy it.”
Leilani glares viciously at the audience, and her look is so intimidating they all fall silent.
“Leilani, last chance to beg,” Andrew says from behind her.
“If you consider what I’ve said, then I’ll accept your offer,” Leilani replies.
“Taking a step away from the abyss would be good for you,” Andrew counsels, gesturing at the glass box.
“You’re worse than an abyss to me,” Leilani replies, “If I take a step forward and go through with this, I face certain death, but you’re worse than death to me.”
“What a woman!” Andrew chuckles, “If you survive this, I’ll wait eagerly until you and Waylen get divorced.”
Leilani imitates his laugh.
“Well, you’ve just robbed me of my last desire to live,” she says.
Then she copies what Andrew did. First, she slips a hand into the box to capture the snake’s attention, but she’s not as lucky as Andrew. Instead of attracting the attention of the coral snake, several snakes lift their heads and look at her hand. The King Cobra seems especially interested in her fingers.
Sweat dampens Leilani’s forehead and she jerks her arm away just as the King Cobra lunges. She narrowly misses its sharp fangs.
“Afraid now?” Andrew asks seductively, “It isn’t too late to beg me to call off the bet.”
“Cut your crap,” Leilani snaps, irritated by the tone of his voice.
“Fine, I won’t talk,” Andrew says.
He puts his hands in his pocket in a casual way and begins to whistle. As soon as the sound leaves Andrew’s lips the snakes begin to sway. Slowly they relax onto the bottom of the box and lie there motionless. Only the coral snake continues to swivel its head and flicks its tongue, looking for something to attack.
“Look, it’s just like you,” Andrew teases, “You’re both completely indocile.”
“It’s your problem if it’s not tamed,” Leilani sneers, “If you really know what you’re doing, why wouldn’t it obey you?”
Though she’s irritated with Andrew, she wants to seize the chance to grab the coral snake before the others wake up. She slips her hand into the box and imitates Andrew. She wiggles one finger in front of the snake to draw its attention. At the same time, she keeps her hand at a careful distance. Then she slowly slides another hand into the box to grab its head.
To everyone’s surprise, the coral snake suddenly turns around and viciously bites the hand that’s about to grab it.
“She’s been bitten!” someone screams.
“Leilani!” Gabrielle cries.
“That’s crazy!” a guest shouts, “She won’t let go of the snake’s head!”
Everyone looks at Leilani with sheer horror. Andrew wants to help her, but he’s scared to provoke the snake even more.
“Leilani, let go of the head,” he screams.
Leilani seems to lose hearing. She wraps her hand even more tightly around the snake. It squirms and she tightens her grip into she rips the head from the body. Blood gushes into her hands and spills on the floor. Leilani smiles faintly.
She always knew she never have much luck, and tonight was no exception. She lifts her hands to stop Andrew from approaching her. She doesn’t want him to touch her, even though the situation is critical.
“Leilani!” Gabrielle cries out desperately as she squirms on the floor.
Her heart is in so much pain that she almost can’t breathe. She wonders why no one is moving to save her beloved sister. Gabrielle hates herself for being too weak to protect Leilani. She bangs her head on the ground and the floor shakes. Her miserable screams echo disturbingly through the quiet room.
The sound of a slammed door breaks the silence, and hurried footsteps slam onto the stage. Waylen runs to Leilani’s rescue like a god of the night. He almost jumps from the stairs behind the stage when he hears Gabrielle’s screaming. As Gabrielle shouts Leilani’s name over and over he feels as if he’s been sent straight to purgatory. Purgatory quickly turns into hell when he sees Leilani lying in a pool of blood on the stage.
“Leilani, are you hurt?” he shouts, “Where?”
Waylen can’t help but wonder why Leilani’s always hurt whenever he sees her.
“What are you doing here?” Leilani asks “Is it a delusion?”
She realizes she has been thinking of him.
“Is God taking pity on me and making my last wish come true?” she wonders.
“Where are you hurt?” Waylen asks again.
Leilani’s hands are covered in blood, and he wants to examine them. Then the beheaded snake catches his eye. He knows it’s a venomous snake.
“Give me your hand,” Waylen orders.
Leilani’s breath is faint and shallow. In spite of her weakness, she finds the strength to scream when Waylen lowers his mouth to her hand.
“Waylen, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind? It’s poison. Don’t do that!”
Disregarding her protests, he places his lips around the snakebite. He knows it’s dangerous, but he also knows that he can’t live if something happens to her.
“Waylen, leave me alone,” Leilani protests, “I don’t want you to do this. It’s too dangerous. Please, don’t do it.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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