Chapter V - Hostage Part One

While dubious of her sister’s warnings, Elisa hadn’t exactly expected to see that very man suddenly appear at the windowsill and chase her from her bedroom. Nay, she wouldn’t have even fathomed that a teacher on the first day of school would even come to her house, much less be perched upon her sill grinning like the Cheshire cat seeing a trapped Alice.

“This isn’t Wonderland, this is my house!” Elisa muttered as that derisive thought passed her mind.

Swinging around the corner and down the stairs she had only one secure image in her head---her sister’s study. Even though her sense screamed not to put her sister in danger as well, her mind told her otherwise. There was a reason why her sister said to be careful, right? Well she was about to find out.

“Esteire!”

Clutching the handle to anchor herself from her downstairs sprint and wrenching the door open, she tumbled into…the grass?! Stupefied, her brain fumbled for rational explanation as she sat cross-legged peering dazedly into the early afternoon sky, but the only pending thought was run.

Lurching from her seat she blindly ran, away from the confines of her room, that house, that man.

Neither knowing where, why, or ought, Elisa desperately floundered for a haven. In a normal circumstance a person might go to their friend’s house, but friends, she had none.

Bitterness stung at her eyes, why is this happening? was the only thought. Esteire, just what secrets are you keeping from me? How did you know-

Like a mulberry lavender blessing, her saviour appeared.

“Vivianne!” she called in relief as her one and only friend turned surprisedly at her.

“Elisabeth, what’re you doing here?” the girl replied curiously though with a tinge of concern as her personality often went to.

“Thank goodness you’re here! Is your house nearby?” Elisa asked breathlessly.

Vivianne slowly nodded and then gestured towards a fawn-shingled house a few buildings down the road.

Suddenly clasping Vivianne’s hands into hers with eyes glittering with hope, Elisabeth declared more than asked, “Let’s go have an early friend get together at your house!”

Vivianne’s mouth opened in confused wonder, but she hurriedly closed it and tugged her friend gently towards her home. Eyes glancing over the street as they went, Elisabeth searched for signs of her pursuer. Seeing none, she breathed another sigh of relief and entered Vivianne’s house.

Once behind closed doors her friend queried, “What’s wrong? You’re out of breath.”

Elisa waited a moment for her heart to pound into normality before answering.

“Someone is chasing me and I can’t return to my house. So-”

Vivianne’s eyebrows raised confusedly as she interjected, “Chasing you, your house, what do you mean? … A stalker?!”

“Wah-!!?” Elisa voiced, “No no, well yes, but now. I mean-!”

Seeing she didn’t quite understand the situation herself, Elisa wasn’t sure how to go about explaining it to her friend. As they were still by the doorway Elisabeth gestured a question to sit on the couch that peeked its way around the corner of what she supposed was the living room. Once Vivianne motioned her assurance the girls headed over until Vivianne suggested that they instead go into her bedroom.

“My father is home in his office, so I think it would be best to take this where he can’t overhear,” she explained.

Elisa nodded as they quietly went up the stairs. She’s rather tactful, Elisa observed, Despite only knowing each other a day she already seems to grasp the situation.

Settling on the edge of the bed the girls turned to each other as Elisa began her account. Even though Elisabeth didn’t know anything about this girl, something told her that she could be trusted. From a brief background of herself about her family and their time in the U.S., to the situation at hand starting from in the morning when she discovered Esteire’s note, Elisabeth described everything that could be important to understanding what was happening.

“I’m really sorry that I barged into your house like this when we only just met, but I really have no place to go…” Elisa uttered dejectedly, her knees drawn up to cover the bottom of her face.

Her friend gave a look of pity for the lost girl. At one time too Vivianne had experienced the feeling of having no one or a place to go to. Her father was always busy at work whether in his home office or at the firm, and her mother constantly traveled the world in pursuit of inspiration and knowledge of her career in art. They weren’t bad people, they were really kind parents in fact, but their occupations often left Vivianne in a lonely house. And being the shy girl she was it took a while before she made any friends, and even then just a few.

“Don’t worry; I don’t mind at all. And that would be mean of me to refuse you just on the basis of not knowing you long enough,” Vivianne replied empathetically.

“I really appreciate it,” mumbled Elisabeth embarrassedly though fully meaning it.

“But if he’s still chasing you then we have to do something about it!” Suddenly announced Vivianne with a look of determination.

Elisa looked up surprised. “But what?”

“Well,” Vivianne began, “From what it sounds like your sister knows something, but you couldn’t find her when you went into her study, right? That means you’ll have to stay here because that man could be still about.”

Elisabeth opened her mouth to protest, but her friend quickly added, “And no buts about it.”

Receiving a look of grateful reluctance the purple-haired girl smiled in satisfaction before setting up quarters for her to sleep.

Scanning the area with no signs of her the man stamped his foot in frustration.

“**** it! I almost had her! What kind of doorway was that anyway? Leading to no where…” he grumbled, “I almost broke a bone slamming onto that pavement.”

Trounced, the dark-haired man exited the neighborhood. Whipping his cell out he punched the speed dial angrily and demanded through gritted teeth to the other line, “361 West Mayfair Lane, NOW.”

Exhaling in an effort to relieve his exasperation he placed his hands at his hips and bent his head with his eyes closed. Just you wait, I’ll find you Andrews, and when that happens your sister will come running to save you. He scoffed haughtily into the air. But she’ll never make it off the plane.

The breeze ruffled his dark locks as the whisper of an engine grew louder. Moments later a dark silver van pulled alongside the man as he faced the passenger seat.

“Took you long enough,” he griped to the driver through the tinted windows.

Clasping the door handle he swung it forth and prepared to get in when he suddenly heard a familiar voice carry in the wind.

“I’m taking the trash and that’s that. Now go~”

His head craned forward as sought to pinpoint the source, the bang of a screen door indicating it was on the right side of the street. Quickly gesturing to the driver to wait he hurried toward the houses and padded softly along the sidewalk. Sounds of shuffling loudened as he approached a house with beige shingles. His brows lowered in concentration as he crept towards the door and slunk around the side. The muted crash of a large bag divulged their location as he spied around the bend and there---he had finally discovered her.

An inaudible sound of hauteur escaped his lips and he swept around the corner.

Pressing a cloth to the mouth from the back he whispered into the brunette’s ear, “You can run, but you can’t hide. Shouldn’t you know that by now?”

The girl’s head wrenched around to face her intruder, wide blue eyes meeting umber, and then black.