---Chapter 29---
Kyle Valenti's father had said that Kyle had gone to some distant family members in Colorado for the Christmas holidays. It didn't really seem strange at the time, but when Kyle wasn't back after school resumed, Liz asked Kyle's father when he would be back.
"What did he say?" Max asks Liz as she walks up to him in the hall, after having briefly visited the ex-sheriff.
"He only said not to worry." -Liz.
"That doesn't sound right." Max frowned.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Max and Liz went to talk to Mr. Valenti.
"Hey Max, Liz. Come on in." He says as he answers the door. "This is kind of a surprise. Is something wrong?"
"Actually," Max says, glancing at Liz before looking back to him, "I think there is." Max continues, "It's about Kyle. We're worried about him."
"Why?" Kyle's father looks at both of them.
"He has been gone a while." -Max.
"As I told Liz, he's visiting family. No need to worry."
"But what about school? We started back a couple days ago." -Max.
"No need to worry. I told you. Now you two go have some fun." He says, almost herding them out the door.
Both were stunned at Mr. Valenti's unconcern!
Outside, Liz looked at Max. "Something's going on again."
"You're right." -Max says grimly.
"I don't know how, what yet - but all of this is going to stop." -Max.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--
Victoria had been thinking of Kyle Valenti lately. She had rather been rude at not contacting him at Christmas. She hadn't even talked to him for a few weeks now. But she did actually like him. He was good looking, witty at times with a certain charm. But she didn't feel anything romantic towards him, really. She had been thoughtless to him and she had planned on calling him that evening, but she was exhausted lately and fell asleep before doing so.
She dreamed of Kyle being confined some place. He was angry, confused and scared. She felt that. Then she saw him. And she awoke.
Victoria sat up. She would have thought it simply a dream, nothing more, nothing less- except that the surroundings had looked familiar. Maybe it was nothing- but then again, she had been thinking of him, so maybe she was attuned to him. - and just maybe he was here.
She threw on a robe and left her rooms. She knew where to find the room that she saw in her dream. It was a secret section in the lowest level of the mansion. It took a little while, creeping through the big, silent mansion to get to the panel that opened secretly to the secret rooms.
The door to the room she dreamed of Kyle being in, stood before her. No one guarded it. Victoria opened the heavy door and walked cautiously inside. Kyle, confined to a bizarre reclining chair in the middle of the room assailed her vision. It was true! He was here, but how long had he been here? More importantly - why? Adam had never said why he had this vendetta or interest or whatever one would call it - with Michael and his friends.
Victoria moved around the side of his chair when he didn't open his eyes and she noticed he was connected to machines.
She touched his shoulder and was almost surprised to see his eyes open.
"Kyle. are you---" She meant to ask him if he was okay, but she was surprised at the intensity of his anger directed towards her as soon as he focused his vision on her.
"Am I dead yet?" Kyle sneered. "No. Although maybe you've come to make sure of it."
"I was seeing if you were okay." Victoria said, surprised.
"What do you think, Victoria? No thanks to your dad." Kyle surveyed her with anger and something akin to disgust when he said, "And to you too obviously."
She started to say something when he continued, undeterred, "I know now that it was you two who did that to Isabel and to Jesse. And now me. And everything else that's been happening! You know, Max Evans, I should have paid more attention to his suspicions about you two. He was right!"
Kyle laughed bitterly. "He was so right. And I was so wrong about you. How could you do this to me - to anyone." -Kyle.
Victoria touched him again. She wanted to say that she didn't know about him, but when she touched him, he flinched away from her touch and glared at her with hatred. "I despise you Victoria Winthrop. And whether I get out of here alive or not - you both are going to pay for what you've done."
"Kyle, please, I---" Victoria started to say.
"Save it, Vic! You know what the pathetic part is - I actually thought I was falling for you. But I can't stand your presence now. You are both completely *insane*. Either kill me now or get out of here.."
She didn't know what to say, she didn't have time to respond anyway, because Adam came up behind her and pulled her out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
"I had no idea *he* was here." -Victoria.
"You had no need to know." -Adam.
"But why - Kyle Valenti?" -Victoria.
"Why not him? He's part of their little circle. It's as easy as getting information from anyone else. Besides he came here, uninvited. And you know how uninvited 'guests' can see or hear things that they're better off not seeing or hearing." -Adam.
"Don't kill him." - Victoria.
"Giving me orders now?" -Adam.
"No, Adam. Of course not. But he's -" Victoria stopped. "Just let him go. You know we can make him not remember."
"And where's the spirit in that? No, it's too risky, and besides, I may have further need of him." -Adam.
"Just don't kill him." -Victoria insisted again.
Maybe she said it a bit too forcefully, because Adam Winthrop took offense. Her gripped her shoulder hard. "Don't come down here again, Victoria. I better not hear of you trying to set him free, either. If you don't do as I've said . I may just have to kill Michael Guerin and a few of his friends for good measure. Do you really want that?
Victoria looked pale. "No."
"Good. Then get back above and be the obedient 'daughter' like you should." -Adam.
Victoria backed away from him a step and then turned and went back to her rooms.
---End of Chapter 29---
Kyle Valenti's father had said that Kyle had gone to some distant family members in Colorado for the Christmas holidays. It didn't really seem strange at the time, but when Kyle wasn't back after school resumed, Liz asked Kyle's father when he would be back.
"What did he say?" Max asks Liz as she walks up to him in the hall, after having briefly visited the ex-sheriff.
"He only said not to worry." -Liz.
"That doesn't sound right." Max frowned.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Max and Liz went to talk to Mr. Valenti.
"Hey Max, Liz. Come on in." He says as he answers the door. "This is kind of a surprise. Is something wrong?"
"Actually," Max says, glancing at Liz before looking back to him, "I think there is." Max continues, "It's about Kyle. We're worried about him."
"Why?" Kyle's father looks at both of them.
"He has been gone a while." -Max.
"As I told Liz, he's visiting family. No need to worry."
"But what about school? We started back a couple days ago." -Max.
"No need to worry. I told you. Now you two go have some fun." He says, almost herding them out the door.
Both were stunned at Mr. Valenti's unconcern!
Outside, Liz looked at Max. "Something's going on again."
"You're right." -Max says grimly.
"I don't know how, what yet - but all of this is going to stop." -Max.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--
Victoria had been thinking of Kyle Valenti lately. She had rather been rude at not contacting him at Christmas. She hadn't even talked to him for a few weeks now. But she did actually like him. He was good looking, witty at times with a certain charm. But she didn't feel anything romantic towards him, really. She had been thoughtless to him and she had planned on calling him that evening, but she was exhausted lately and fell asleep before doing so.
She dreamed of Kyle being confined some place. He was angry, confused and scared. She felt that. Then she saw him. And she awoke.
Victoria sat up. She would have thought it simply a dream, nothing more, nothing less- except that the surroundings had looked familiar. Maybe it was nothing- but then again, she had been thinking of him, so maybe she was attuned to him. - and just maybe he was here.
She threw on a robe and left her rooms. She knew where to find the room that she saw in her dream. It was a secret section in the lowest level of the mansion. It took a little while, creeping through the big, silent mansion to get to the panel that opened secretly to the secret rooms.
The door to the room she dreamed of Kyle being in, stood before her. No one guarded it. Victoria opened the heavy door and walked cautiously inside. Kyle, confined to a bizarre reclining chair in the middle of the room assailed her vision. It was true! He was here, but how long had he been here? More importantly - why? Adam had never said why he had this vendetta or interest or whatever one would call it - with Michael and his friends.
Victoria moved around the side of his chair when he didn't open his eyes and she noticed he was connected to machines.
She touched his shoulder and was almost surprised to see his eyes open.
"Kyle. are you---" She meant to ask him if he was okay, but she was surprised at the intensity of his anger directed towards her as soon as he focused his vision on her.
"Am I dead yet?" Kyle sneered. "No. Although maybe you've come to make sure of it."
"I was seeing if you were okay." Victoria said, surprised.
"What do you think, Victoria? No thanks to your dad." Kyle surveyed her with anger and something akin to disgust when he said, "And to you too obviously."
She started to say something when he continued, undeterred, "I know now that it was you two who did that to Isabel and to Jesse. And now me. And everything else that's been happening! You know, Max Evans, I should have paid more attention to his suspicions about you two. He was right!"
Kyle laughed bitterly. "He was so right. And I was so wrong about you. How could you do this to me - to anyone." -Kyle.
Victoria touched him again. She wanted to say that she didn't know about him, but when she touched him, he flinched away from her touch and glared at her with hatred. "I despise you Victoria Winthrop. And whether I get out of here alive or not - you both are going to pay for what you've done."
"Kyle, please, I---" Victoria started to say.
"Save it, Vic! You know what the pathetic part is - I actually thought I was falling for you. But I can't stand your presence now. You are both completely *insane*. Either kill me now or get out of here.."
She didn't know what to say, she didn't have time to respond anyway, because Adam came up behind her and pulled her out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
"I had no idea *he* was here." -Victoria.
"You had no need to know." -Adam.
"But why - Kyle Valenti?" -Victoria.
"Why not him? He's part of their little circle. It's as easy as getting information from anyone else. Besides he came here, uninvited. And you know how uninvited 'guests' can see or hear things that they're better off not seeing or hearing." -Adam.
"Don't kill him." - Victoria.
"Giving me orders now?" -Adam.
"No, Adam. Of course not. But he's -" Victoria stopped. "Just let him go. You know we can make him not remember."
"And where's the spirit in that? No, it's too risky, and besides, I may have further need of him." -Adam.
"Just don't kill him." -Victoria insisted again.
Maybe she said it a bit too forcefully, because Adam Winthrop took offense. Her gripped her shoulder hard. "Don't come down here again, Victoria. I better not hear of you trying to set him free, either. If you don't do as I've said . I may just have to kill Michael Guerin and a few of his friends for good measure. Do you really want that?
Victoria looked pale. "No."
"Good. Then get back above and be the obedient 'daughter' like you should." -Adam.
Victoria backed away from him a step and then turned and went back to her rooms.
---End of Chapter 29---