Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter :) Sorry the second one has taken so long, I was really nervous about writing Gertie's personality and apologise if she seems a little OOC in this chapter. So here is chapter two, thank you for reading.
Helga looked up at the old Boarding house and resisted the urge to gasp. The place looked…old and lifeless. She sighed, remembering all the years she'd spent outside watching this door, waiting for the object of her affection, her angel, her sun to appear. It all seemed a blurred memory within the past now, she hadn't seen Arnold in years and more importantly she had changed. She pushed the memories of the past aside and began to walk up the stairs, she had barely reached the front door, when it swung open to reveal Lila.
The red haired girl flung her arms around Helga and held her tightly. 'Oh Helga, it is ever so good to see you!' she exclaimed.
Helga stood there stiffly, not enjoying the close contact with Lila. Normally people who invaded her personal space like this didn't wake up until the next day with a large lump on their head, but she needed the money and allowed Lila to hug her tightly for a moment more, before pulling away.
'Helga, you look lovely.'
She wondered briefly if Lila was trying to be ironic, as Helga appraised the girl in front of her. The girl as always was beautiful, dressed in a forest green silk shirt and a black skirt that reached her knee, to reveal stylish and obviously expensive boots. Helga in comparison knew she looked a mess, in jeans that were ripped at the knees, a baggy pink jumper and her long blonde hair that was curled messily at the ends.
'Please come in,' gushed Lila, she pointed towards the kitchen and Helga stepped through the door. She concealed the gasp upon entering the hallway, no animals rushed out and it was now stylishly decorated like something from a magazine, again it just looked wrong. The kitchen was also transformed, and Helga felt a pang of nostalgia for the house of the past that now only seemed to live in her memory.
'What does Arnold think to these improvements?' the question slipped from her lips before she had a chance to stop it.
The smile on Lila's face dimmed a little. 'He and the other residents at the time were not very impressed, but don't you think change is good Helga?'
She scowled at Lila's choice of words. 'Sometimes'
'May I offer you some coffee Helga?' Lila seemed slightly disappointed by Helga's response to her improvements.
'No, I'd rather not.' She replied, deliberately being defiant.
'Well perhaps it's time you met Gertrude.'
Helga sighed, beginning to tire of Lila's company. She had nothing against the girl, just never had much time for her. She looked at her watch, wishing that she was at home right now.
'If you'd like to follow me Helga, I'm ever so certain that you and Gertrude will hit it off.' She smiled and began to walk out of the kitchen towards the stairs. Helga followed her scowling at the noise Lila's spiky high heeled boots made on each step. She felt a pang of annoyance as she watched the back of Lila walk gracefully up the stairs, and noticed her hair was tied back in a bun in which did not even have one single hair was loose; perfect as always. Perhaps that's what Arnold always saw in her. She scowled again trying to shake away the old memories and the image of the boy she had loved so long ago.
'Well this is it' Lila smiled at Helga, before knocking on an old dusty door. 'Gertrude, you have a visitor.' Lila paused before turning the door handle and letting herself into the room.
Helga followed her and gasped. Arnold's grandmother who used to look so full of life lay in the middle of the bed asleep; she swallowed hard, all thoughts of money and Lila evaporating. She looked so old, so frail, and so vulnerable; Helga felt tears beginning to form at her eyes. Why was she putting herself through this? A painful trip down memory lane, for what? A few measly dollars. She looked at the door wanting to escape, Lila could keep her job! She couldn't do this.
'Why don't you just sit down there on that chair, I'll be back in a moment.'
Before Helga could even answer she was practically shoved into a chair, and Lila had left the room closing the door behind her. She stared at the wall, at the ceiling, anywhere but at form of the sleeping woman in front of her. Helga swallowed heavily again, realising that she was terrified of this woman. The strong woman who had practically raised Arnold and lived so wildly now looked so old and lifeless.
She looked over to Arnold's grandmother and realised with a start that she didn't seem to be breathing or even moving. For a second she was frozen in place. What if she was dead? Perhaps Lila had killed her and now was framing Helga for it. 'Snap out of it Pataki' she told herself harshly.
The floor creaked and Helga almost jumped up from the shock of it. She clenched her fists; she was Helga G Pataki for goodness sake! She was made of stronger stuff than this! She stood up and made her way over to the bed, she leaned over Arnold's grandmother's face, looking for any sign of life, not noticing a certain locket of hers slipping out from beneath her jumper.
She kept on staring down at her looking for any sigh of life, wondering how Arnold was going to react to the death of his beloved grandmother. Helga suddenly screamed, as Gertrude's eyes shot open, and her arm reached out and grabbed her necklace. Within a moment Helga was pulled onto the bed and her right hand wrist was handcuffed to the bed frame. She groaned, feeling dazed and confusion.
Gertie grinned, now standing next to the bed looking down at Helga how she had been minutes before. 'Sorry about that doll face, but little Boo Peep will only be gone for short amount of time and by that time I will no longer be one of her sheep.'
Helga stared up still dazed, looking up at the woman she had considered so frail minutes before. How stupid had she been! Arnold's grandmother looked as strong as ever! She was dressed in a black suit and tie, and was now pushing sunglasses up her nose and wiping off the white make-up she'd applied to make herself look so pale.
She watched as the woman flung open the curtains, to reveal a window that was blocked by bars. Bars! Suddenly she realised she was not dealing with a sweet little old lady, but a raging psychopath!
'Listen Bucko! Do you realise who you're dealing with?' Helga felt her anger rising to the surface.
Arnold's grandmother continued to ignore her and had now brought out a nail file from nowhere and was trying to saw into the bars.
Helga's mouth fell open, as the nail file was flung across the room and a hand saw was ripped out of a nearby teddy.
The door to the room was suddenly flung open and Lila stood there in shock. 'Oh my!' she exclaimed seeing Helga handcuffed to the bed and Gertrude frozen in mid-saw. 'Gertrude unlock Helga this instant!'
The life seemed to drain from Arnold's grandmother, as her shoulders slumped as she shuffled over to Helga and set her free while continuing to look down at the floor. Helga sat up quickly, and suddenly felt her anger directed towards Lila instead of Gertrude. Helga frowned realising with a start that she liked this woman; the woman who had handcuffed her to the bed and kept a handsaw in a teddy bear.
Helga shook herself and stood up, realising that Lila was now babbling on, using the words 'sorry' and 'unstable'.
'Lila, do me a favour and please just shut up for one second.'
Lila's mouth fell open, and even though the boots made her taller than Helga, she took a step back feeling slightly nervous of the other girl's stronger personality. She regained her composure and focused again upon Gertrude Shortman; the woman who made Lila's life at the boarding house unbearable. 'Get back into bed Gertrude, and once Helga's gone please take off those clothes and put back on your night gown, you know what the doctor would say.'
Helga's eyes darkened as she felt a strange urge to protect Arnold's grandmother.
'I'll do what you say this time Blanche, but next time Johnny Red shoes will be waiting for me outside when I finally spring this joint.' With that she took of the glasses and her eyes met Helga's. A flash of understanding passed between the two, before Helga broke the gaze.
'Well Helga, Thank you for coming today,' Lila smiled loosely. 'I guess after that we won't be seeing you again.'
Helga looked over at Gertie, who was now climbing back into bed, trying to hide the victory within her eyes.
'Why not? Don't you want me to work for you any more?'
Lila's eyes lit up, 'Oh Helga! Thank you, thank you, thank you!'
'I like a challenge and nobody gets the better of Helga G Pataki.' She looked over at Gertie as she said this.
A smirked stretched across the other woman's thin lips. 'Oh look Phil,' she said to the air 'I think Medusa has finally brought us a challenge.'
Helga inwardly groaned, realising she'd accepted her hardest challenge yet. If it wasn't for her stubbornness she would have left a long time ago. But there was something about the older lady that intrigued and challenged Helga. She wanted to get to know Gertie regardless of her relationship with Arnold; she wanted to get to know her.
She was brought out of her thoughts by Lila directing her out the room; she was almost out the room when a voice stopped her.
'Eleanor?'
Helga turned and realised that the older woman was addressing her.
'I'll be waiting for you.'
Helga tried to come up with a witty response, but was taken aback by the glint within Gertie's eyes that told her this job would be far from boring. She hardly had time to think if the older woman had meant her comment pleasantly or rather it was a threat as to what was to come. She took one last look at the woman, before she was ushered out of the room by Lila.