Disclaimer: Still no closer to owning this.
A/N: Sorry I took so long updating, but I went off to Austria for two weeks and also I've been trying to get through a heap of course work before the new school year starts. Thanks for all who reviewed the last chapter: raina Elizibeth and Dream Writer 4 Life. Reviews mean a lot, so please keep them coming. Also special thanks as usual to my wonderful beta, Dream Writer 4 Life. Well on with the plot. R&R and Enjoy!! - Bex
She sat staring aimlessly through the glass at the bleak white snow that hugged the ground outside. Bleak like her future. Bleak like her life. Irina had ordered that she should remain confined to her room, but the bolted door changed nothing; knowledge of what fate held for her trapped her in a cage, which - no matter where she went - she could never escape. Bound by unseen shackles weighing her down.
The meals came as usual, but she didn't even glance at them, let alone eat. Her hair clung to her face in mattered tangles that tumbled rebelliously down. Her face remained expressionless, untouched by emotions; almost resembling a living corpse. But it wasn't she who was dead: it was her faith. The cross still clung to her neck, but its shine had faded. Just like the last of her hope that used to gleam in her eyes, now snuffed out, allowing the darkness to close in.
And as the darkness consumed the last struggling rays of light outside, she let herself fall backwards on the bed, curling up into a tight ball and hugging her knees to her chest in hope of feeble comfort. She lay there perfectly still until sleep finally found her, supplying restless dreams.
Her gentle rhythmic breathing was suddenly interrupted and her emerald eyes shot wide open. She tried desperately to scream, but the noise that fled her lips was stifled by the palm clamped around her mouth. The pressure of the hand pinned her head to the pillow.
Kate began to struggle, until Natalya's face appeared in front of her eyes with a finger raised to her lips in signal for her to remain silent. Kate nodded in understanding and Natalya removed her hand from her mouth. The fragmented moonlight that had forced itself into the room made the maid's skin glow an eerie white. Kate watched in confusion as she made her way over to the grand wardrobe and pull out a black pair of pants, along with a dark top and black fleece jacket. "Put them on," She ordered in a whisper so quiet that Kate could barely hear it as she handed them to her.
Kate did as she was told, watching Natalya out of the corner of her eye as she pulled another set of clothes out and shoved them hurriedly into a small leather bag that she was carrying. "Natalya," Kate said a little too loudly and the maid shot her a warning glance. She swallowed and lowered her voice before continuing, "What's going on?"
"We're getting out of here," She announced in the same hushed tone as before. "Now, I already have a change of clothes and some food and water for both of us in here." She patted the leather bag. "Is there anything else of importance that we need? Remember that we need to travel light."
Without a second thought, Kate grabbed the mysterious book from the library from where it lay on the bedside table. Natalya eyed the book hesitantly, then looked up into Kate's pleading expression. "Please. Trust me it's important," Kate begged.
After a short pause, Natalya gave in and reluctantly opened the bag to allow Kate to place the book in. Kate smiled gratefully at her as Natalya swung the bag onto her back. "Do you know European Sign Language?" Natalya inquired urgently.
Kate shook her head. "No, but I can lip read."
Natalya gave a relieved nod. "Good. As soon as I open that door there must be absolute silence," She commanded. "Most of the guards are eating, but there are still a few on watch. The only way we're getting out of here is by not being caught. Just follow me, stay silent and if you need to speak to me: mouth. Understand?"
"I understand," Kate confirmed. Natalya loosely grabbed her forearm and led her to the door. She held up her hand in a silent order to wait and gently opened the door. After cautiously checking the corridor, she pressed her finger to her lips and nodded at Kate to follow.
Something about the combination of the pitch-black night outside and the disjointed moonlight that cast looming shadows against the walls made the mansion seem even more sinister than in daytime. The silence that filled ever corner like gas was worse: it was so quiet that it screamed. Without realising it, Kate held her breath 'til her lungs gasped for oxygen as she warily followed Natalya, her footsteps as soft as feathers falling to the ground.
It must have been from years of staying here; but the maid had somehow memorised the right pathway through the labyrinth of halls, knowing every complicated twist and turn by heart. Even thought Kate had faith in where she was being guided, she couldn't help but think, 'What if we get caught? What then?'
Her heart pounded rapidly as one of her worse fears came true: they'd reached a dead end. All that lay at the bottom of the corridor was a large intricately-woven tapestry almost covering the entire wall. She was just about to seize Natalya's arm and ask her what they were going to do when her guide carried on walking up to the wall. The maid lifted up a corner and slid behind, vanishing. Kate sprinted up and had to suppress a startled gasp when Natalya's head popped around the side of the wall hanging. "Come on. Follow me and keep up." She mouthed slowly and disappeared behind the material again.
Kate copied her actions and to her surprise found herself in a hidden passage, at the end of which was a winding staircase. The steps spiralled downwards, until they finally stopped beside a worn oak door. Natalya removed a set of keys from the bag and unlocked the door with a hushed click.
They stepped into the next room that turned out - to Kate's relief - to be the laundry. Chattering flittered in from the adjacent kitchen and Natalya watched the guards who were stealing extra food from the cupboards through a crack in the wall. After what seemed like hours - but couldn't have been more then five minutes - they left. The pair seized their chance; dashing over to the back kitchen door and out into the freezing night.
The snow crunched under Kate's feet; it was the only thing she could make out in the weak light. It spread across the ground like a glittering blanket that stretched for miles. Yet Natalya still knew where to go.
Finally they reached the high metal fence that marked the boundaries. A fresh hole had been cut out at the bottom and the two women crawled through, one after the other. Now they stood in the thick forest, planted especially to keep people out. "We can talk now," Natalya announced in a whisper. "But we must keep our noise to a minimum."
Kate nodded. "Natalya, how are we going to get out of here?"
A cryptic smile graced the lady's face. "Don't you worry about a thing, miss; it's all sorted." And with that, she began to walk off again as Kate trudged along behind. After battling for a time through the overgrown branches, the wood finally began less dense. And right before them stood a car.
The door opened and Kate was shocked when Nikoli got out. He smiled mysteriously at her and began to speak to Natalya in Russia. He placed the bag in the trunk and turned his attention to Kate. "Your chariot awaits," He quipped and gained a small smile from Kate.
"Thank you, Nikoli," Natalya said as she embraced him.
Then it was Kate's turn. The hug started out awkwardly, but soon she relaxed. They broke apart and he swept a renegade piece of hair behind her ear. "Maybe one day we'll meet again," He whispered.
"Maybe."
"It was nice to meet you, Miss Vaughn." Nikoli smiled bitter-sweetly and held the door opened for her. Natalya and she slid inside and he shut the door behind. "Good luck," He wished them before Natalya turned on the ignition and they zoomed off.
Kate watched the shrubbery scrape across the windows as they travelled along a bumpy mud track. She let her head loll against the headrest and somehow sleep claimed her once more.
Her eyes opened with a start as the car jerked to a halt. Cruel anxiety gripped her as she saw Natalya staring straight ahead: exactly like 'Emma' did when she betrayed her. "Natalya? Natalya what's going on? Why have we stopped?"
Her companion gave no reply; instead she flickered the headlights on and off. There was a pause, then two quick flashes of light responded. Natalya smiled. "They're here."
"Who's here?" Kate demanded. When Natalya didn't answer, she followed her gaze - and when her eyes came accustomed to the gloom - she spotted another car. A man got out of the diver's side and she recognised him instantly as her uncle. Then the back door opened and she froze.
Standing by the car was a woman she remembered from some forgotten dream. Despite the years, she had aged gracefully - hardly showing the decade from when Kate last saw her. It was almost as if she was looking at a vision of her future self. In a daze, Kate got out the car and meandered closer. The woman's face was lit up with a joyful smile despite the tears. "Mom?" Kate managed numbly.
The woman nodded and Kate rushed over to be swept into a tight embrace. They stood there holding each other, as if afraid that if they let go then the other would disappear. So many emotions ran through them that everything became a jumble, laughing and crying as they shared their first contact in ten years.
Sark leaned against the vehicle, fondly watching the reunion of his sister and niece. And looking at them he knew his sister was right: a part of Liam O'Rourke still existed. Natalya strode over, her eyes flickering worriedly around. "Sir, we should go," She stated nervously.
He sighed, not wanting to break the moment, but knew he had to. "Okay, Syd, Kate. We've got to-" The last of his words were cut off by a bang. An ear- splitting scream replaced the night's stillness and it took Kate a moment to realise that it had erupted from her throat. She clung desperately to her mother as she stared horrified at Natalya.
The maid's eyes and mouth were wide in a mixture of pain and shock. Slowly, her gaze travelled downwards to where her hand clasped her chest, failing to stop the scarlet liquid that seeped between her fingers. She looked wildly at the others and then - as if in slow motion - fell lifelessly to the ground. Startled, Sark's alertness kicked in and he rushed to protect his family. Then suddenly the whole forlorn clearing was flooded with blinding white light.
A/N: What do you think? Go on, hit that button now!
A/N: Sorry I took so long updating, but I went off to Austria for two weeks and also I've been trying to get through a heap of course work before the new school year starts. Thanks for all who reviewed the last chapter: raina Elizibeth and Dream Writer 4 Life. Reviews mean a lot, so please keep them coming. Also special thanks as usual to my wonderful beta, Dream Writer 4 Life. Well on with the plot. R&R and Enjoy!! - Bex
She sat staring aimlessly through the glass at the bleak white snow that hugged the ground outside. Bleak like her future. Bleak like her life. Irina had ordered that she should remain confined to her room, but the bolted door changed nothing; knowledge of what fate held for her trapped her in a cage, which - no matter where she went - she could never escape. Bound by unseen shackles weighing her down.
The meals came as usual, but she didn't even glance at them, let alone eat. Her hair clung to her face in mattered tangles that tumbled rebelliously down. Her face remained expressionless, untouched by emotions; almost resembling a living corpse. But it wasn't she who was dead: it was her faith. The cross still clung to her neck, but its shine had faded. Just like the last of her hope that used to gleam in her eyes, now snuffed out, allowing the darkness to close in.
And as the darkness consumed the last struggling rays of light outside, she let herself fall backwards on the bed, curling up into a tight ball and hugging her knees to her chest in hope of feeble comfort. She lay there perfectly still until sleep finally found her, supplying restless dreams.
Her gentle rhythmic breathing was suddenly interrupted and her emerald eyes shot wide open. She tried desperately to scream, but the noise that fled her lips was stifled by the palm clamped around her mouth. The pressure of the hand pinned her head to the pillow.
Kate began to struggle, until Natalya's face appeared in front of her eyes with a finger raised to her lips in signal for her to remain silent. Kate nodded in understanding and Natalya removed her hand from her mouth. The fragmented moonlight that had forced itself into the room made the maid's skin glow an eerie white. Kate watched in confusion as she made her way over to the grand wardrobe and pull out a black pair of pants, along with a dark top and black fleece jacket. "Put them on," She ordered in a whisper so quiet that Kate could barely hear it as she handed them to her.
Kate did as she was told, watching Natalya out of the corner of her eye as she pulled another set of clothes out and shoved them hurriedly into a small leather bag that she was carrying. "Natalya," Kate said a little too loudly and the maid shot her a warning glance. She swallowed and lowered her voice before continuing, "What's going on?"
"We're getting out of here," She announced in the same hushed tone as before. "Now, I already have a change of clothes and some food and water for both of us in here." She patted the leather bag. "Is there anything else of importance that we need? Remember that we need to travel light."
Without a second thought, Kate grabbed the mysterious book from the library from where it lay on the bedside table. Natalya eyed the book hesitantly, then looked up into Kate's pleading expression. "Please. Trust me it's important," Kate begged.
After a short pause, Natalya gave in and reluctantly opened the bag to allow Kate to place the book in. Kate smiled gratefully at her as Natalya swung the bag onto her back. "Do you know European Sign Language?" Natalya inquired urgently.
Kate shook her head. "No, but I can lip read."
Natalya gave a relieved nod. "Good. As soon as I open that door there must be absolute silence," She commanded. "Most of the guards are eating, but there are still a few on watch. The only way we're getting out of here is by not being caught. Just follow me, stay silent and if you need to speak to me: mouth. Understand?"
"I understand," Kate confirmed. Natalya loosely grabbed her forearm and led her to the door. She held up her hand in a silent order to wait and gently opened the door. After cautiously checking the corridor, she pressed her finger to her lips and nodded at Kate to follow.
Something about the combination of the pitch-black night outside and the disjointed moonlight that cast looming shadows against the walls made the mansion seem even more sinister than in daytime. The silence that filled ever corner like gas was worse: it was so quiet that it screamed. Without realising it, Kate held her breath 'til her lungs gasped for oxygen as she warily followed Natalya, her footsteps as soft as feathers falling to the ground.
It must have been from years of staying here; but the maid had somehow memorised the right pathway through the labyrinth of halls, knowing every complicated twist and turn by heart. Even thought Kate had faith in where she was being guided, she couldn't help but think, 'What if we get caught? What then?'
Her heart pounded rapidly as one of her worse fears came true: they'd reached a dead end. All that lay at the bottom of the corridor was a large intricately-woven tapestry almost covering the entire wall. She was just about to seize Natalya's arm and ask her what they were going to do when her guide carried on walking up to the wall. The maid lifted up a corner and slid behind, vanishing. Kate sprinted up and had to suppress a startled gasp when Natalya's head popped around the side of the wall hanging. "Come on. Follow me and keep up." She mouthed slowly and disappeared behind the material again.
Kate copied her actions and to her surprise found herself in a hidden passage, at the end of which was a winding staircase. The steps spiralled downwards, until they finally stopped beside a worn oak door. Natalya removed a set of keys from the bag and unlocked the door with a hushed click.
They stepped into the next room that turned out - to Kate's relief - to be the laundry. Chattering flittered in from the adjacent kitchen and Natalya watched the guards who were stealing extra food from the cupboards through a crack in the wall. After what seemed like hours - but couldn't have been more then five minutes - they left. The pair seized their chance; dashing over to the back kitchen door and out into the freezing night.
The snow crunched under Kate's feet; it was the only thing she could make out in the weak light. It spread across the ground like a glittering blanket that stretched for miles. Yet Natalya still knew where to go.
Finally they reached the high metal fence that marked the boundaries. A fresh hole had been cut out at the bottom and the two women crawled through, one after the other. Now they stood in the thick forest, planted especially to keep people out. "We can talk now," Natalya announced in a whisper. "But we must keep our noise to a minimum."
Kate nodded. "Natalya, how are we going to get out of here?"
A cryptic smile graced the lady's face. "Don't you worry about a thing, miss; it's all sorted." And with that, she began to walk off again as Kate trudged along behind. After battling for a time through the overgrown branches, the wood finally began less dense. And right before them stood a car.
The door opened and Kate was shocked when Nikoli got out. He smiled mysteriously at her and began to speak to Natalya in Russia. He placed the bag in the trunk and turned his attention to Kate. "Your chariot awaits," He quipped and gained a small smile from Kate.
"Thank you, Nikoli," Natalya said as she embraced him.
Then it was Kate's turn. The hug started out awkwardly, but soon she relaxed. They broke apart and he swept a renegade piece of hair behind her ear. "Maybe one day we'll meet again," He whispered.
"Maybe."
"It was nice to meet you, Miss Vaughn." Nikoli smiled bitter-sweetly and held the door opened for her. Natalya and she slid inside and he shut the door behind. "Good luck," He wished them before Natalya turned on the ignition and they zoomed off.
Kate watched the shrubbery scrape across the windows as they travelled along a bumpy mud track. She let her head loll against the headrest and somehow sleep claimed her once more.
Her eyes opened with a start as the car jerked to a halt. Cruel anxiety gripped her as she saw Natalya staring straight ahead: exactly like 'Emma' did when she betrayed her. "Natalya? Natalya what's going on? Why have we stopped?"
Her companion gave no reply; instead she flickered the headlights on and off. There was a pause, then two quick flashes of light responded. Natalya smiled. "They're here."
"Who's here?" Kate demanded. When Natalya didn't answer, she followed her gaze - and when her eyes came accustomed to the gloom - she spotted another car. A man got out of the diver's side and she recognised him instantly as her uncle. Then the back door opened and she froze.
Standing by the car was a woman she remembered from some forgotten dream. Despite the years, she had aged gracefully - hardly showing the decade from when Kate last saw her. It was almost as if she was looking at a vision of her future self. In a daze, Kate got out the car and meandered closer. The woman's face was lit up with a joyful smile despite the tears. "Mom?" Kate managed numbly.
The woman nodded and Kate rushed over to be swept into a tight embrace. They stood there holding each other, as if afraid that if they let go then the other would disappear. So many emotions ran through them that everything became a jumble, laughing and crying as they shared their first contact in ten years.
Sark leaned against the vehicle, fondly watching the reunion of his sister and niece. And looking at them he knew his sister was right: a part of Liam O'Rourke still existed. Natalya strode over, her eyes flickering worriedly around. "Sir, we should go," She stated nervously.
He sighed, not wanting to break the moment, but knew he had to. "Okay, Syd, Kate. We've got to-" The last of his words were cut off by a bang. An ear- splitting scream replaced the night's stillness and it took Kate a moment to realise that it had erupted from her throat. She clung desperately to her mother as she stared horrified at Natalya.
The maid's eyes and mouth were wide in a mixture of pain and shock. Slowly, her gaze travelled downwards to where her hand clasped her chest, failing to stop the scarlet liquid that seeped between her fingers. She looked wildly at the others and then - as if in slow motion - fell lifelessly to the ground. Startled, Sark's alertness kicked in and he rushed to protect his family. Then suddenly the whole forlorn clearing was flooded with blinding white light.
A/N: What do you think? Go on, hit that button now!