Chapter 9: Breaking Rules May Cause Death Part 1/2
A/N: Finally got around to updating this! I am busy with "Harbors of Our Own" but hopefully now I can give you guys more of this too! These updates will be slow, but I have planned this story, so you will get them when I finish them. I can't exactly tell you when I'll post them, but I will post them occasionally (or maybe more often, who knows).
Alexi tossed and turned. The discussion at dinner and the evidence the three had analyzed earlier left her feeling uneasy, confused, and nervous. They had been summoned by a confimred pyscho that was a cannibalistic, and emotionally unstabe murderer who thought that they were some kind of heroines, to a war-zone full of crazies, secret police and a 21st-century dictator that ruled the world.
She wanted to go home. She missed her own, normal world. She missed her cozy room in her parents house in Ontario. She missed her parents, her labradoodle, and her siblings and her family and other friends. God, I just want to go home...I want to get out of this terrible place and away from this pyscho Brit. I'm no heroine...what the h*ll does he expect from us!?
A draft passed through the room and she shivered, scooting closer to Anika. She pulled her bedcovers up to her nose. She felt totally exposed and completely unsafe. Another draft passed around her and she shuddered again. It was so cold in this room. She listened to the silence, and then realized the window was open.
Seriously, what the crap...this wasn't open when I went to bed. Did freakin' Oliver come in here while we were sleeping...creeper...
She folded the covers back and got out of bed, walking across the cold floor to the window. She started to pull it closed, when she heard a scream. She looked out the window. In the dim moonlight, she saw a hooded figure, and another one. The hooded figure stepped back, and the other one crumpled to the ground, next to another heap that could have only been another person. In the light she saw what looked like a glinting silver blade caked with blood.
"I said I am not housing any other nations. Why didn't you listen? Why did you have to go and press the matter and upset me? Now I've gotten my lawn dirty, and my hands too. Shame. You have paid the cosequence now. Maybe you should have read the "no trespassing" sign..." she recognized Ollie's chilling voice immediately. And it didn't take her long to realize she had just witnessed a murder.
"Secret police, you really are quite the nuisance aren't you..." the Brit tutted.
Too shocked, too terrified to make a sound, she quickly pulled the curtains over the window. Then, she curled up in a ball in the corner next to her bed. She was shaking. She rocked back and forth muttering, "This is not happening...this is not happening. I did not just witness this, I did not just witness this...this is all a dream...just a dream...just a crazy, bad dream. This is not happening, this is not happening...none of this is real...none of this is real...this is not happening...it's a dream, a dream, a dream...just a bad bad dream..." She was too shocked...too terrified...too paranoid...to sleep. But at the same time, she really wanted to sleep...to escape this H*ll. She would go to sleep and open her eyes, and everything would go back to normal. But there was no way in heck her paranoia and fear would let sleep happen. She pressed her eyelids together, trying to force the memory out of her head.
Suddenly, a voice cut in to her thoughts. "Alex?" It was a loud whisper, and it scared the crap out of her, and caused her to jump.
"Alex, are you okay, what are you doing in the corner?" It was just Aeris, she had gotten out of bed and walked over to her. Alexi let out a deep breath of relief. But when she started to talk she stuttered.
"I...I..."
"Calm, down." Aeris put her arms around her, "...Oh sweetie, you're shaking...are you okay?"
Alex shook her head and melted into Aeris's arms. Her presence and touch soothed the smaller girl. She stayed like that for a long while, and slowly began to calm down.
"What happened that scared you so bad?"
"Oliver. I saw him murder someone outside. I heard him say secret police. But it was terrifying."
"Oh darling, I can't imagine how awful that was. But you have to understand it was secret police. They murder innocent people. They deserve to die. You know how terrible they are, history major."
Alexi nodded slowly, forcing a ghost of a smile. But then she frowned. "But they were just doing their job though...they got murdered for doing what they were supposed to."
"But they're still secret police...who imprison and kill inocents, like I said. With them dead that's two less murderers in the world."
"That's true...except we're staying in the same house with a murderer!" Alexi replied, fear edged in her voice.
"He said he wouldn't hurt us if we don't upset him. You know, he probably killed those secret police to protect us."
"Maybe, but we upset him earlier when we asked him about the war. And he's insane! We're probably his next vict-"
"Shh, shh...you're gonna wake Anika, honey, look..." They turned and looked back at the bed. The heap that was Anika was sleeping soundly, breathing slowly, dead to the world. "Everything's fine, alright? I'm sure of it. But would it make you feel better if we went and talked to Ollie?'
"What, no! He might still be upset! We don't want to catch him when he's upset!"
They heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and heard quiet singing.
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back...
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane
"He sounds sane right now. If talking to him will make you feel better, then we should."
"But what if he gets upset that I saw and kills me next!?"
"Darling, I'm sure it's fine."
Suddenly, they heard the sound of the doorknob turning. They froze. Ollie peeked in.
"Oh, my dears...why are you up? It's quite late don't you think?" He asked.
"Alex just got spooked, that's all." Aeris quickly explained.
"She did? Poor thing. Alexi, darling, what scared you?"
"Umm...uhh..."
"As you can see, she's still pretty frazzled." Aeris justified.
"Hmm, I see. Well, love, you don't have to talk about it. But I assure you, there isn't anything to be afraid of. I'm headed off to bed, I'm quite tired. No secret police or anyone else will try to bother you tonight, I promise. You're safe. Goodnight now, my dears, sweet dreams." And with that, he closed the door and started down the hall still singing:
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane...
As she listened to him leave, Alexi couldn't help but think to herself that that was too happy of a song for such a dark, chilling individual like Oliver Kirkland.
-xXx-
The next morning dawned grim and grey. Chill came in through the window, and the scent of rain filled the outside world. It was foggy, and it gave the war-torn London an ominous, depressive look. Anika sighed as she peered out the glass. As usual, she was the first of the trio up. It was quiet this morning. She wanted to sit down and write but she had no inspiration or motivation at the moment. So instead, she quietly opened the bedroom door, and walked to the restroom. She did what she needed to, and took a warm cloth to her face, before she walked back out and headed down the creaky stairs.
Oliver looked up from the couch. "Good morning, poppet." He said.
"Good morning," Anika replied.
"Here," he patted the spot on the couch beside him, "Why don't you come join me?"
Okay." She cautiously sat down beside him, being sure to leave space in between the two of them.
He set his teacup down on the table, "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"N-no, I'm okay right now. You don't have to get up, thank you though."
"Of course. Just let me know if you would like anything. I was going to make breakfast, if you have a preference for something?"
"Pancakes?" Anika asked.
"Sounds good to me."
"Do you want any help with them?"
"Oh, no, no." Oliver answered swiftly, "You just sit here. I don't want to put you to work, you're my guest."
"Okay. Are you sure?"
"Positive. I insist that you stay here."
"Okay."
"Oh, I just remembered...before I forget again, I have something for you. Stay here." He got up and walked over to a wooden drawer piece in the hall, with a plant on it. He opened the drawer and took something out. He returned with it and handed it to her. It was a dagger.
"Wh-what's this for?"
"When I met you on the street two days ago, I couldn't help but notice you were the only one without some sort of weapon. So you can use this."
Thank you." Anika blushed.
"Of course. You have to have a weapon on you in a world like this. Also, do you know if Alexi has a preferance of weapon, I need to find her a better one. Pepper spray is only effective for defense, not killing."
"Killing...?" Anika asked worriedly.
"Oh, don't worry darling! You shouldn't have to kill someone but there's still a chance you might."
"I uh...okay..."
"Anyway, ignore that...does she have a preference of weapon?"
"She seems to like using things she can stab or hit people with."
"So a sword, knife, club, bat, or hammer or something then. I have plenty of those, however, my swords are all heavy and rusted. I do happen to have a sledgehammer though...Anyway, I'm off to make breakfast, just shout if you need anything." And with that, he was gone.
-xXx-
"Girls, I have to go out again today. I have a few more errands to run. I didn't quite finish with them yesterday because I had to take care of Francois. I'll be out this morning, though I shouldn't be gone much longer than that. Francois will probably sleep for most of the day. He's in my room, just to let you know. Anyway, the same
rules apply, you're allowed anywhere but the locked room and my bedroom." Ollie announced this whilst the girls were eating berry pancakes after finishing his own. "I'm going to leave in a bit but i'm going to put in a load of laundry first. Do you want me to wash your clothes hanging in the bathroom?"
"Yes please!" Alexi replied quickly, "Not that I don't love wearing your old clothes, but I would like my own back."
"Of course, who wouldn't?" Oliver giggled, "Anyway, I'm going to go take care of that now." With that, he departed from the kitchen. Alexi glared after him.
"Why are you glaring?" Anika asked.
"I really don't like him." she replied bitterly.
"He's gonna lend you a sledgehammer..." Anika said.
"Really?" Her face lit up for a second before resuming it's normal frown, "Well, I'd prefer a sword."
Anika and Aeris chuckled, amused.
-xXx-
Oliver left around eleven o'clock. After seeing him out the door and ensuring he was gone, Aeris turned to her friends, "So we found out a lot about this world and the war yesterday, but I'm still curious about Ollie and the personified nations. I know there's quite a bit of information about himself that he's not telling us, and i'd like to find out what it is. Additionally, as you know, I think I've found our ticket back home, but I would like to search around more. I haven't gotten the amount of information I am satisfied with."
"So, what are you proposing?" Alexi asked.
A mischevious grin curled across Aeris's mouth.
"No...you're not thinking that..."
"That we go in the locked room? Of course thar's what I'm thinking. Think about how much evidence and vital information could actually be behind that door!"
"B-but Ollie said not to..." Anika said softly.
"That's a terrible idea! It's gonna get us all killed!" Alex yelped.
"Only if he finds out."
"Wh-what if Francois wakes up, finds out, and tells him!?" Anika fretted.
"He won't because he doesn't care about anything." Aeris replied.
"No. H*ll no! This is a stupid idea! There is no way in h*ll I am going in there!" Alex exclaimed.
"It'll be fine." Aeris reassured, "We'll get in and get out before he gets home, then we'll close and lock it again and he'll never know. We'll just keep what we find to ourselves."
"I don't think it's a good idea," Anika said, "We're taking advantage of Ollie's hospitality by doing that..."
Aeris shrugged, "He won't ever know. But whatever, if you don't wanna go then don't, but I'm still going to."
"There is no way I'm letting go in there alone! Who knows what's in there." Anika said.
Alex huffed, "Well, if you're both going on this suicide mission so am I. But if Ollie kills us, it's your fault Aeris."
"Fair. But I doubt that's gonna happen."
"Okay..." Alex replied, uncertainty prominent in her voice. One of the smartest people I know just came up with the dumbest idea in the history of dumb ideas.
-xXx-
The girls made their way back upstairs. They changed into some comfortable day clothes that they found in England's nerd closet, and crept passed Ollie's room, where they heard the sound of soft snoring.
"Good, he's still asleep." Alex said, "But I'm still really scared about this. It's a really dumb idea Aeris."
"It'll be fine." she reassured, seeming matter-of-fact, but Alex thought she sensed a slight bit of fear in her voice.
Aeris examined the lock. "Okay, this should not be too hard. Do either of you have a bobby pin?"
Alex begrudingly took out the pin that was holding back her loose fringe.
"Here."
"Thank ya'." she pulled it apart, and started working the lock. After a few minutes, the door unlocked, "Come on guys." she said. Anika and Alex squeezed each others' hands before following after an eager Aeris. After entering, Anika shut the door behind them.
"It's hecka dark," Alex commented, "I can't see anything."
"One sec." Aeris turned on the flashlight on her phone.
"Stairs?" Anika observed, "This must be the attic then. Gosh...I hope this doesn't end up like Sleeping Beauty."
"I highly doubt we're gonna prick our finger on a spindle and fall into an eternal sleep." Alex said, "Though I'd rather die pricking my finger instead of being stabbed or poisoned by a crazy Englishman though."
"Alex, we'll be in and out before he's even home, don't worry." Aeris reassured for about the fourth time, "Come on." With that, she started up the creaking wooden stairs, leading the way into the unknown.
"Now I wish I would have brought something to hit things with..." Alex said as her and Anika followed Aeris.
The pink-haired girl stopped at the top of the staircase. "There's another locked door here." She worked the bobby bed into the dusty lock, "Alright, got it. Here's your bobby pin, Alex." the girl took the bobby pin and put it in her pocket.
"Alright, let's see what's behind this door." Aeris took a deep breath before shining her light into the room.
"Well?" Alex pressed.
"This room hasn't been used in several months. It looks like there's just a bunch of furniture and mirrors."
"So coming up here was a waste of time?"
"I don't think so," Aeris replied, "We haven't looked around, come on. We might be able to find clues in here." She walked into the room, followed by the other two girls.
"It's really dark, we should be careful we don't-whoa!" THUMP. Alexi was cut off when she fell over something.
"Darling, if you let yourself get hurt, I'm going to punch you." Aeris said.
"Are you okay?" Anika asked.
"I'm fine, it's nothing, I tripped over an old chair and fell on the floor." She got up, "I'm okay. Uggh. If it wasn't so freaking dark I could actually see where I'm going."
"Hmm, I doubt the light works since this house is so old, but maybe there's a window?" Anika said. She turned on her own phone flashlight, "Oh, there's one over there." she carefully maneuvered her way through the clutter and walked across to the window. She opened the old, dusty curtains, coughing as the particles went into the air, and bright sunlight began to stream in through the window.
"Well I was right," Alexi said, looking around. They looked around them, there were old mirrors and furniture all around them.
"Come on," Aeris said, "Let's look around."
They split up in three different parts of the room.
Anika was drawn to a painting on one of the walls. It was a dusty, faded, old painting, that looked like it was from the seventeenth or eighteenth century. The glass on the frame had been broken, and there was a huge hole where glass had previously been. The painting itself had been slashed down the middle, and the canvas hung loosely. Anika reached caustiously and held the torn piece back up. It was a portrait that depicted two men, and two young boys. The shorter man had messy blonde hair, and green eyes, he was standing next to the other man, who was a bit taller, with shoulder-length blonde hair pulled back in a pontytail. They were dressed nicely, the taller one in light blue, and the shorter one in deep read. They were each holding a blonde child, who were obviously brothers, both wearing white gowns with big red bows.
"This looks like Arthur and Francis." she said to herself.
Then she remembered. This must have been slashed after one of the wars during the colonization period...of course. That means the children must be America and Canada. And they were a family at one point. But then the wars broke them up. Of course. That's so sad...
-xXx-
Alexi examined the pile of mirrors. There were different types, of all shapes and sizes. And every single one of them was broken. Broken the same way as the one she had seen in the bathroom. It honestly creeped her out.
"Jeez, this guy has a problem with mirrors. They either creep him out, or he just hates his reflection. Either of those make sense."
"Hey, come check this out!" Aeris called from a corner of the room."
Alex got up from the pile of mirrors, and sidestepped around the furniture, making her way over to where Aeris was.
-xXx-
"What is it?"
"An old trunk."
Anika and Alex bent down beside her as she opened it. Inside were letters and old papers, a parasol, and old clothes.
Alexi took out a pile of letters, and started to look at dates, whilst Aeris examined clothing, which consisted mostly of children's clothes, minus the long red coat that could fit Oliver. Anika dug through it. Then she pulled something out of the chest. It was a tiny, old nightgown that had once been white, sporting a large red bow.
"This looks just like the one in that painting on the wall." she said. That was when her eyes noticed something else. An old wooden soldier. She also found a book of bedtime stories.
"This stuff must have belonged to America." she said.
"Huh?" Alex questioned.
"Alfred F. Jones."
"Oh, that's right." Alex replied.
"Well, clearly, England, Oliver, Arthur-whatever you wanna call him, clearly he is a sentimental person. Why else would he keep all this stuff? This room is full of reminents of history."
"Yes, I noticed that too." Alex emphasized.
"That's probably why he doesn't want us in here." Anika said, "Because the past hurts. That old broken, ripped painting is of him, France, America and Canada. They were a family, but then the wars broke them apart."
"And all these letters...most of them are love letters. From people that are gone and dead. Like Queen Elizabeth I. I also saw a couple that were addressed to him from Francis. They're all reminents of things and people he's lost...some how or another."
"Well crap." Anika said.
"Crap is right." Alex added.
"Okay, this was a dumb idea." Aeris said, "Let's get out. Now." They started to scramble and put everything back, and then nearly fell over each other and the furniture, trying to get out as quickly as possible. They ran down the stairs, closing the door behind them. When they reached the bottom, they through the door open and froze.
There was Ollie, standing in front of them, hands behind his back.
"Well, well, well. Look who it is. The brats who can't follow my simple rules. You know I...I...I honestly feel so bretrayed right now...heehee..." He was choking back tears, and his eyes were beginning to change colors, "I granted you my hospitality...I saved you from the streets...I even trusted you for a while there...and this...this is how you thank me..." tears were springing from his eyes, "By breaking the simple rules I laid out for you? I can't believe this... Well, a crime like this simply can't go unpunished." He slowly pulled his left hand from behind his back. There was a butcher knife in it. "I'm so sorry...but now you have to pay the price." He moved forward to strike them, and they veered out of the way and took off running.
