Chapter 16 - Someone Unexpected
The first door wasn't locked.
Neither was the second.
Nor the third, or any on this floor, it seemed.
All Idalia had to do was press down the doorknob, and the doors would push open.
Well, that was terrifying.
As her pulse quickened, while Coin's crackles echoed against the walls of this empty and dimly-lit hallway, Idalia couldn't help but feel like this might just be a trap.
It felt too easy.
Too convenient.
Tick Tock.
Or maybe it wasn't a trap.
Maybe the doors weren't locked because Mr. Lythoryn had never seen any reason to lock them in the first place. Everyone around him seemed to blindly obey his orders.
Why?
That thought did nothing to make her feel at ease. For someone to have his orders so blindly followed, there must be a reason, and that reason would certainly not be a kind one.
Tick tock.
Her heart slammed with every beat of the second as she paced around in the hallway. By Argon, time wasn't on her side.
Yet, she couldn't be stupid!
She had to think!
She could still go back now, and no one would ever know that she was here.
Go back and do what exactly?
It took her only a moment to answer herself.
Nothing.
If she didn't do this there was no other thing she could do.
So nothing?
Impossible!
Tick Tock.
Her hand quivered around the doorknob to the first room.
Trap or not, orders or not, it was this or nothing.
And she couldn't do nothing!
Idalia pushed the door open, bracing herself for any consequences that she might face.
However, there was nothing behind that terrifying door but a large empty room.
Thick gray curtains prevented the sunlight from coming in, which in turn left the room at the mercy of the dim white light provided by the fancy small bulbs attached to the walls. The air smelt of cedarwood, and everything felt still.
Orderly.
Too orderly.
She sensed that if she were to move something, he would notice.
Idalia sucked in a breath, satisfied after scanning the room for danger.
No threats here.
In and out.
Then was the plan.
Quickly, she began her search.
But her heart was drumming too loudly in her ears, her hands shaky as they moved around things, taking the pain to leave them right where they had been found.
That act took too much of her time, which she didn't even have to begin with, but it wasn't something she could avoid.
She continued her search; her eyes aching as she scanned through different places in hunt of a metal object with the needed imprints, her chest tightening from how uneven she was breathing in this stiff air in this room.
This suffocating, tight space.
How could somewhere be so big and feel so small at the same time?
Oh, she knew how. She had been through worse displays of 'how'.
She banished the thoughts from her mind quickly, continuing in her frantic search.
No baby crying.
No Louie approaching.
Tick…
Tick.
The drawers.
The Table.
The bed and all its side compartments.
No key!
She moved to the wardrobe.
Then searched everywhere.
But still, there was no key!
To his clothes, then.
Maybe he had made the key into a button? A cufflink, perhaps?
Or maybe it was with him?!
By Argon!
Yes, of course it would be.
Did that mean that she was searching for nothing?
No!
He would have a spare.
They always had a spare.
Only one spare.
But only one was all she needed.
Idalia froze as a sound moved through her ears. She turned back to see the raven fly into the room, and her breath hitched. The bird circled her, and her nails dug into her palms as fear collided in her veins. Then just as quickly, the raven flew out of the room, as if he were bored of her.
Idalia let out a breath of relief.
Good.
She hated that raven's presence anyway.
She continued her search, but shortly after, her bracelet began to vibrate.
Fear ran through her, as she brought the bracelet within sight.
What did this mean? What was she supposed to do? She couldn't remember if Louie had told her. All she knew was that if she needed him, she could ring him by pressing the bracelet. She had been so angry about the bracelet's permanence around her wrist that she hadn't paid much attention to what he had said that night.
If she were to press it now, would that be a good response to make him stay away, or would that make him hurry back? She dreaded his presence right now.
By Argon, what was she supposed to do?!
The bracelet stopped vibrating soon enough, and before she could even recover from that experience, she heard it.
Footsteps.
Someone was coming!
Her hands trembled as she hastily tried to arrange Mr. Lythoryn's clothes back into the wardrobe.
She raced up to her feet, trying to hurry out of the room, but as she held the doorknob, a gun pressed against her chest through the gap in the door… one she couldn't see past.
A gloved hand.
Her heart dropped.
Mr. Lythoryn?
Or maybe it wasn't.
It couldn't be Louie, though. Louie wouldn't attack her this way?
Who was this?
Air vanished from her lungs as she backed away into the room at the silent order of the gun, different thoughts running through her mind.
By Argon, Arik.
Her son was alone.
She hoped he was.
This was an attack.
She hoped there was the only attacker.
That no one had gotten to her son.
Goodness, where was Louie?
The masked man stepped into the room, looking around quickly, and before he returned her attention back to her, she swiftly rushed in, angled his hand upwards and slammed him against the wall.
But he recovered quickly.
Switching places and yanking off his mask.
"Louie?" She asked, breathless. Relief rushed into her veins.
Thank goodness it was just him.
But then he brought his hand to his lips, signaling her to stay silent.
What?!
Were they really under attack?
Was that why he had sent that signal to his bracelet?
Idalia tried to pull away from him, remembering her son once again, but Louie kept her pinned to the wall, his gaze intent as if to ask if there was anyone else here.
Realizing that, Idalia shook her head.
What she saw next on his face was pure rage.
"So you came here willingly?" His voice was consumed with fury, his grip tightening on her shoulder. "After I warned you not to?"
It was only then that she realized that she had been caught, just as she had feared she would be—- just as she had tried so hard not to be.
"I—-I—- I'm sorry. I got curious. I was just bored and I—-"
"Shut the fuck up. What kind of fool do you take me for, Miss Julie Summers?" He pressed the gun to her forehead. "Exactly, what kind of fool?"