Chapter Three- Just Another Day

I awoke to the sound of more heavy rain fall and thunder. The house would creak loudly every time a gust of wind came by and I imagine I would be shivering if the circumstances were different. I would spend most of the day calling and looking for the girl.  Her body still laid lifeless at the base of the staircase but she looked peaceful.  Would it just stay there until it rotted away? Would it some how just disappear? It was difficult to see her now knowing she had died so violently.
 
  I walked up the staircase to the third floor as traced my fingers along the wall as I studied the paintings for the millionth time.  How many times have I wondered here and looked at them with envy.  They got to live nice full lives of luxury and happiness while I lived a short mediocre life that didn't really end, it continued into dark and cold sadness.

"I thought I'd find you here?" Called Louise from down the hall. He walked over and looked up at the picture I was envying.

"You did? Hmm." I gave him a small smile.

" Valentina Vega" He chuckled.

"Excuse me?" I pressed my eye brows together.

Louise walked closer and leaned up against the wall.

"Her name." he said pointing up to the painting.

"She was one of the most beautiful women to ever live in this country. She married Armando Vega at fourteen years old and became the wealthiest woman in Spain. Also as she aged she became one of the most sought after." He grinned from ear to ear.

"So did you come here for that?" I asked shyly.

"Oh no." he snorted.

  I looked away from him as I would have been blushing by now. He brushed his hair back and looked down at his feet.

"I never found love like she did with Armando. All the time I was running around on business I would have an encounter here and there with a beautiful willing body but I never wanted to settle quiet yet. It seemed like a waste of my youth." he gave me a half reluctant smile.

"I wish I could have known love. I'd give anything to even go through the heartbreak from a break up." I sighed and Louise gave me a worrisome look.

"No Isabella, you don't want that." he said as he pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the railing. He peered over the edge and gripped the railing with his hands so hard that I thought it would break.

"What's the matter?" I asked cautiously as I didn't want to pry.

"It's nothing really, I was just remembering something. I'm going to go for a walk."

  Louise left down the hall and disappeared beyond where the light from the widows could reach. After talking with him the rest of the day was silent.  It seemed nobody was here but me and my thoughts. I walked to my room and Laid across the bed and must have drifted off because suddenly I was in a open field surrounded by flowers and I could see a very young girl skipping along picking a flower here and there.  She was laughing and looking behind her.  I felt the warmth of the sun and just as a light breeze came by I could smell a hint of the yellow flowers. "Where did you go pumpkin? Daddies coming to find you!" I could hear a man's voice and the little girl was giggling as she saw the man come over the edge of the hill where the flowers met the open field. He picked her up and held her high up over his head and she was gleaming.  " I got you now!" They both laughed. He put her down and her long brown curls bounced as they took over back towards the hill.

"Isabella?" I heard someone call. "Isabella. Hello?" I was pulled out of my dream by Maria standing over my bed.

"Yes,  what? Whats wrong?" I asked as I set up.

"Well I haven't seen you. I was very worried my lady." She said pulling me up.

" Oh Maria,  please, I've asked you not to call me that.  I must have just drifted off, I'm fine really."
She gave me a troubled look.

"What is it? Don't you drift off sometimes as well?" I asked her as I smoothed out my dress.

She nodded as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"We need to get you out of this room and open some more windows. Come along dear."

Even in death you will get dragged along and made to do things you don't want to do.  I'd much rather sulk amongst myself in that dark bedroom.

"What's the point Maria?  It will be the same tomorrow and the next day and even the next.  Aren't you tired of this all." I asked as we walked into the big foyer where Louise and more people were setting.

" We have no choice dear. " she said as she ushered me to sit with the others.

   I looked over at Louise who was engaged in conversation with a man named Santiago and sighed.  He gave me a quick once over and a small wave of two fingers and went back to his conversation.
Santiago was an older gentlemen who was once a party planner of sorts.  He was always at any large social gathering or ball and he would check everything from the music they would play to the food served. Especially the sweets. Santiago loved sweets and it was very obvious. He was a large man who would hold his belly when he would laughed and he always had a chocolate in his hand, or so I heard.  One of the men working under him had somehow poisoned his chocolates and at one of the gatherings here he fell over dead. Believe it or not  the very thing he loved most killed him.

" You remember your death at least. I have absolutely no idea why I've been trapped here and to add too all of this I've seen someone murdered. It's haunting me Maria.  She's just gone and there's no explanation? Why do some of us get to go on to something better and the rest of us are forced to stay?" I ask her all these things and I feel as if I'm shacking now.  My heart aches.

"It's just the way things are Isabella. We are here and that's just it.  No changing it.  Trust me.  You mustn't make it harder." Louise adds in his opinion on things and I cross my arms and look towards the widow.  This place is beginning to feel like a prison. I feel bad for it,  there are people here who have been here since years and years before me and they still carry on as if it's just another day. I look around the room at their faces as they converse with each other and carry on. I stop on Louise and he's looking at me. He gives me a sympathetic smile and I can tell he just doesn't know what to say. I don't blame him, he's never been one to be very serious but he has seemed to change some in the past week.

  He really is very handsome I think to myself as he takes a moment to push his dark hair back. His green eyes dart to me and back to Santiago. I could tell he was getting impatient with their conversation. I sit silently watching everyone as I try to be social for Maria's peace of mind.  I look over by the fire place to see little Sebastian playing with a few small wooden blocks and he occasionally looks over at his mother Amelia who sits just to the left of him.  Such a sad story really. Amelia said she had been promised to the Marquis, Alejandro Alancio when she was sixteen.  She was brought here a month later,  married and immediately regretted it. Alejandro wanted a child badly and treated Amelia terribly trying to make that dream a reality every single night.  Finally they grew distant and they believed she would not be able to carry a child.  One night Alejandro came in drunk and tried once more for a child but after that he wouldn't even look at her. Later she found out she was with child but Alejandro was sceptical,  he didn't remember his drunken night with her and claimed he hadn't touched her for months prior. She must have had a lover, someone close to them both.  The next months were awful for her she said. She would plead and argue with Alejandro about that night they did the deed and he claimed she was lying to cover the fact that she had been unfaithful.
  Finally little Sebastian was born and he looked just like his father and everyone could see that but him.  He was overcome with what he believed and that the boy was not his. He kept his distance for years and the child barely knew him.  He wouldn't so much as look at Amelia and had her treated like a commoner if not a prisoner.  The years past and the allegations didn't fade, if any man so much as spoke to Amelia, Alejandro would accuse the two of adultery.  Eventually Amelia did find love in someone and he was very close to Alejandro, he was one of his right hand men. Alejandro found out and in rage he claimed he knew they were together since the very beginning and when Amelia pleaded with him to just let them leave he ordered them to be executed.  Amelia and her lover were forced down into the courtyard and executed but not before Alejandro had Sebastian killed in front of them.

I sighed and watched Sebastian play before looking around again.  Louise and Santiago are still talking and Louise looks as if he may die again but of boredom.  On the other side of the room I see Marcos. That's the only name anyone knows him by and I've never heard his story.  I don't know anything about him other than he's a very quiet man in his thirties maybe. He's slender  and has dark hair and eyes that look empty.

I get up and walk over to him slowly playing with my fingers.  Louise darts his eyes in my direction then back to Santiago.  I sit in the chair next to Marcos and his eyes raise from the floor and up to meet mine.

"Hello." he says shyly.

" Hello.  I noticed you sitting alone.  I'm Isabella,  I just wanted to come introduce myself and see how you were." I replied.

  He sat up a bit and had his elbows on his legs now. 

" I'm fine and I know who you are. Doesn't everyone know everyone's name?" he said with no emotion.

"Well yes,  I just wasn't sure."

Louise is watching us now and Santiago follows his gaze.

" I was actually quiet curious really.  I know it's not very nice to pry but-"

"But you want to know why I'm here?" he asked cutting me off.

"Well yes,  I've heard of everyone else's story.  I want to know yours." I was curious as I asked him and I know he could see that.

"Aren't you a very straight forward women." He scoffed.

" I'll tell you what I've told anyone else,  I don't remember. Now why don't you tell me your story. Hmm?" His eyes held nothing but darkness now.

" I don't know either. I just know one day I was here and I do not remember anything." I answered but felt uneasy.

" Ah,  I see. Well let me ask you then.  Have you had any dreams lately?" He was sitting up now.

"Yes,  actually I had but it was of some little girl and a man.  I haven't seen them before." I replied.

"Interesting." He said as he sat back.

"Why?" He had my fun attention now.

"No,  reason.  I have had a few dreams too but not in a while."

He was silent after that and I sat there wondering about the past now.  I felt someone looking at me and when I looked up Louise was giving me a cold look.  I drew my eyebrows together in question and Louise looked from me to Marcos and back at me before getting up and walking over.

"Isabella,  could I speak with you a moment?" He asked as he held his hand out for me.  I took it and he pulled me out into the hallway.

" What did Marcos have to say?" He asked not missing a beat.

" Well it's none of your business but I was curious about what happened to him and I asked.  He told me he didn't remember and asked me the same. That is all." I pulled my hand from his and crossed my arms.

" Just stay away from him. He's not who he claims to be and there's something off about him." Louise was peering around the corner into the foyer and Marcos waved to him.

"What are you talking about? Louise?" I asked and grabbed his arm.

" I know he knows what happened to him.  He's just hiding it for some reason. He's always disappearing and is gone for long periods of time." Louise had a serious look on his face when he spoke.

I sighed and looked away.  All the things going on and now Louise is being like this.

" Alright,  I'll keep my distance." I said and Louise had relief written all over his face.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

" I- I just want to make sure you're safe." He said before turning and walking away.  He disappeared around a corner and I walked into the foyer and headed for my room.  Marcos gave me a coy smile before I was out of the room.  He really doesn't even seem that bad.

Today was just another day and tomorrow will be just another day too.