Chapter 10-Isabelle

"Oh, my! I didn't know Nicholas had company," said a woman in alarm. Isabelle turned and hid the spoon behind her back.  She faced a slender woman in a black bodysuit, who had to be about nineteen or twenty, although she seemed much older.

"Are you the maid?" Isabelle was incredulous.

"The what? Oh, yes. I'm the maid. I just came to, uh, take his sheets." The woman picked up a pillow off the bed. She wasn't convincing.

"What is it with people around here and lying? Is every little thing so importantly secret that no one gets to know anything ever? How does anything get done?" Isabelle threw her hands up in mock despair. The spoon clanked to the ground, unnoticed. The woman pressed her hand to ear, as if listening. Isabelle stared to protest about being ignored.

"I'm sorry, Isa. Things will be explained in due time. Patience is key. Now if you'll please come with me--"

"Oh no I won't. I have had too many people say 'come with me, come with me' and I'm just being ushered here and there and no explains anything.  Who are you, anyway? Where do you want to take me?"

"Isa, stop. You need to calm down." The woman protested.

"I am calm! You need to answer my questions! And stop calling me Isa!"

"Isa, please. I'm authorized to withhold all information from you unless absolutely necessary. The less you know the better."

"Absolutely necessary? Absolutely necessary. Well, unless you plan on chasing me down and dragging me out of here unconscious, I'd say it's absolutely necessary that I get some answers!"

"Isabelle. Calm. I'll answer three reasonable questions, and then you'll come with me. Deal?" Isabelle flushed, and her anger was gone. She wasn't expecting a compromise. Good thing she already knew her questions.

"Deal. Who are you, where are you taking me, and why?"

"My name is not important. I'm Nicholas's old keeper, and his most trusted advisor. He told me to bring you to room two-twenty, so he could operate on your arm. This is confidential information, all of it. If anyone stops and asks you, say nothing of this. Tell them you have confidential orders, or, as you are quite accustomed to doing, throw a fit. They'll leave you alone."

Isabelle considered this information. Nick was going to operate on her arm? Nick was fifteen! And all this about a 'keeper'? Her name's not important. Who is she to decide what's important and what's not? 'Most trusted advisor' sounds elusive, like she has more secrets than she does friends, and 'advisors' must have lots of 'friends'. Warily, Isabelle watched the woman, who watched her.

"Your name is important to me," she tested. "If someone asks who you are, I can't just say 'most trusted advisor'."

"You can call me Joanne, but, like I said, it's really not important. No one's going to ask you who I am," Joanne emphasized the "you" with disgust as she disappeared down the hall. Isabelle, nearly slipping on the spoon, was too hurried to catch up to bother being insulted. Joanne walked quickly through the maze of winding corridors, closed doors, and steep staircases. It didn't take long for Isabelle to tire of this chase, but she trotted silently nonetheless. When Joanne finally stopped, after climbing three stairs, descending five, and climbing another two, with much walking in between, Isabelle nearly bumped into her. They stood before the door to room two-twenty.

"Give me a moment." Isabelle panted, but Joanne opened the door.

"This way please, don't touch anything, say anything, do anything but walk forward. Nicholas will tell you what he wants you to do. No complaints, no argues, just be quiet and do as your told." Joanne sounded like she repeated that a hundred times a day. Isabelle stepped inside.

"Oh! And Isa," she called. Just as Isabelle turned around Joanne pulled out a gun and shot her in the forehead.

Reviews

[Rhea752]

OMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!!! YOU MUST WRITE MORE!!!!!!!!

[Dominique]

What's next? I am hooked and that cliff hanger is just enough to make me want to read more. The Story book is amazing. the caractars are easy to relate to and the story is easy to follow. I love tis book so far, but I want to know more. I hope you continue this because it is an amazing thriller/mystery to me. I don't know how you do it but this is so far the best book I have seen in a long while. Keep on writting!