By the time the body was disposed of, it was well into the night. Ian had
removed the man's wallet and had read the identification. It listed his
name, John King, his age, 27, and most importantly, where he had come from,
Portugal.
Now he knew why the man's accent sounded so familiar. It was the same kind of accent he heard Eli use when she went into what he guessed must be her native language, though she looked like she could be a mix of things.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Irons' number in. He had said to call him as soon as anything came up, and Ian was pretty sure this counted as something. No one picked up the cell phone, which meant one of two things: Irons was dead, which he knew it couldn't be, or something was going down that was important enough for even a billionaire to leave his prized cell phone behind. What could be important enough for that to Mr. Irons, he had no idea.
This whole situation involving Eli Carver was insane. At every turn, he had only half answers or nothing at all. The little that Eli told him about her family was horrifying, and the things she screamed out in her dreams were even worst. He passed by her room to make sure she wasn't having any nightmares again.
When he looked in, he saw that she had kicked her covers off again and that her pikachu doll had been knocked off the bed and was lying on the floor. 'She must have had nightmares while I was taking care of the body.' He sighed as he started picking her blankets up off the floor. He tucked them back in around her as he handed her back her overly adorable stuffed animal. 'Well, at least she has stopped for now. What kind of demons are you facing, little one?' He mused as he shut her door.
As he walked through the halls, he began to really think of all the things this little girl had brought with her.
'So far, I know for a fact her mother and brother are dead, and that her father remarried as soon as he could. She screams that she will never tell to her father, who obviously did something to her. The most likely thing is that he killed his wife and son, and Eli knows about it and he has frightened her into silence.
But also, I notice that she always says 'gone away' instead of dead or departed. It is like she either does not know they are dead or she is not yet old enough to understand it. But if that is not the reason she is so scared of her father, then what is?'
Everything was quiet in the mansion now, but he did not wish to retire. Besides, if tomorrow was anything like today, he would never have time to sort this out.
'She said her stepmother, Lily, was once her sister. It was also acknowledged in the files that she might be his daughter. What man, especially one with a reputation to uphold with the public, would marry his own daughter? Eli is too young to know that this was wrong, so I doubt that this is the truth she is so afraid of telling.
But the thing that is my concern is if he married Lily, despite her being his daughter, does that mean he would do the same to Eli?' Ian stopped and mentally shuttered. The thought was beyond disturbing. 'Hopefully, now that Eli is known to us, I doubt he will touch her, for fear of our knowledge.
But what of these men? Why are only they after her, and not the whole pack? He said that they would pick family over a friend. These men who took Lily, they must be her family! Her mother's side if they are from her native country. But why take Lily and not Eli? They would not even need to take her against the law; they could win over her custody. And I am sure after the whole ordeal with Lily, they would hand it over to them.'
Just then, he heard bitter screaming and moaning from the part of the house he had just passed. Eli was screaming once again. He returned to her room to find her kicking wildly again, still screaming for her father to stop. He quickly woke her up. She sat up in her bed, looking around frantically.
"I won't tell, I won't tell." She said in between her heavy breathing. She clung to him till she calmed down.
"What did you see?" He asked her quietly. She shook her head and didn't say a word.
Ian sighed and began to tuck her back in for the third time that night. He noticed her nightshirt was twisted into bunches behind her. He had her lean forward and he went to straighten it, when he stopped.
On her back were long slashes. They went in all directions and were numerous. He knew for a fact they were marks from a whip, single, no extra spikes and such. Not a horsewhip, but one designed for humans, one that you can control where the marks will be made.
Eli noticed his sudden interest in her back and pulled the back of her shirt down. She lied back down in her bed and started pretending to have fallen asleep. Ian knew he would not get an answer from her, but he knew already who had done this. He finished tucking her in and closed her door, trying very hard to keep his temper from slamming it.
'So that is why she screams out at night. There are close to fifty marks on that child's back. I am not quite sure on the whole story, but I do know this:
Eli Carver is not returning home with that man!'
Morning came quick enough. He sat on the edge of his bed, unable to sleep. Ian tried calling Irons cell phone many times, but no one picked up. He had also tried to call Jacob's cell phone, but their was also no answer. He knew Irons was still alive, but something must have happened to him. He sighed out of frustration. None of this made any sense.
Then, he heard the door open. He saw Eli peek in. "Ian, you awake?" She asked quietly.
He smiled. "Yes, I am. You may come in if you wish." He answered. Eli closed the door behind her and walked over to his bed. She crawled up onto it and looked at him curiously.
"You look very tired. Didn't you sleep?" She asked. He shook his head. "Why not?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Night terrors." He told her. Eli pouted.
"Oh. Do you want pikachu to sleep with you?" She offered.
"No thank-you." He told her. He was not found of yellow over grown mice with red dots for cheeks.
"You sure? He can scare the night terrors away with his thunder bolt attack." She told him seriously.
He smirked. "That is alright, he can stay with you." He assured her. "I can not let you get any more night terrors, now can I?" Eli didn't answer. He looked at her confused. "What?"
"I was suppose to tell you something." She said quietly. "But I forgot what."
"Well, maybe you will remember it later. Now, why don't you go get dressed, and then you can have breakfast." He told her as he got up off the bed.
Eli snapped her fingers. "That's it. I don't have anymore clean clothes. I don't have anything to wear." She told him.
"Are you sure?"
"Uh huh. We gotta do laundry." She announced. He sighed.
"Alright, bring all your clothes then. I will take you to the laundry room." He told her. She nodded and jumped off the bed, going back to her room.
Ian had been waiting out side her room for twenty minutes, and still she had not come out. He knocked on her door. "Eli, Are you okay in there?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine!" She called back, followed by the sound of someone falling to the floor. He opened the door to find Eli sitting on the floor, her clothes all piled up on top of her. She looked up at him. "I tripped." She told him as she took a sock off her head.
He shook his head, amused. He grabbed her duffel bag and helped her stuff all her things in there. Then he lead her down stairs to the laundry room. Her nose cringed as they entered. "It smells like chemicals in here."
"There is a lab on the other side of that wall. That is where the smells are coming from." He told her.
"A lab?" She asked excitedly. "There's a lab? Is there a mad scientist who works in it, too?"
He had to fight back laughter. "No, not exactly. No mad scientist here." Her moan of disappointment was amusing.
Ian opened the washing machine and started piling her clothes in, not bothering to separate them. "Ian, can I play in the lab today?"
"No, you may not."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty, pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with sugar on top?"
"No, you shall not be entering the lab today. Please stop asking." He told her as he prepared to close up the washing machine.
"Wait, what about my P.J.'s? They are dirty, too." She told him.
"But then what will you wear all day?" He asked her. She shrugged as she proceeded to pull off her night shirt to go into the wash. Ian grabbed her arm and made her stop. "Do not do that. You need to wear something."
"I'll be in my tank top and panties. Isn't that something?" She asked, confused.
"It is not enough." He told her. "Here, go ahead and put those into the wash, I will try and find something for you to wear." He told her. She nodded and he left for a few minutes.
When he came back, he handed her a pair of shorts and an extremely long tank top. Eli looked at the shorts. "These are boy shorts."
"I know, but they will do for now. Just get dressed." He told her. She shrugged and pulled on the shorts. She picked up the tank top and pulled it over her head. She had it half way over her when she started swaying and fell onto her behind.
"Ian, it's too big. It trapped me." She mumbled out from behind the fabric. He helped her pull it down over her. She looked down at herself and frowned. The tank top's front was almost at her stomach. "Ian..." She complained. He sighed and tied straps of it in the back so that it wasn't so long.
"Thank you." She told him. They left the laundry room for the kitchen.
As he made her breakfast, Eli kept turning in circles, falling down dizzy afterwards.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"Spinning."
"I can see that, but why are you spinning?"
"Because I feel like I am wearing a dress and I'm making the skirt float up, see." She stood up and started spinning around as fast as she could, making the bottom part of the tank top rise a bit. He smiled as she fell back down onto the floor.
"Eli, get off the floor. Breakfast is ready." He told her. She smiled.
"Yay. Food." She practically gulped down her breakfast. She got upset when Ian wouldn't let her start spinning again.
"You will get sick." He told her.
"How do you know?" She asked him suspiciously.
"Because I know." That was all she got for an answer. After breakfast, he had her brush her teeth and her hair as he took a shower and washed away all the grime from yesterday. When he was all dressed again and went to check on her, he found that she wasn't in her room. Nor was she in the kitchen, living room, laundry room, or his room.
"Eli?" He called out, but he got no answer. He checked the front door to make sure it was locked. He checked all the rooms that were around hers. Nothing.
Ian was on the edge of going completely mental from not being able to find her. What if she was hurt? What if she was lying unconscious in one of the dozens of rooms in this mansion? What if there had been another man here that he had not seen and had taken her while he was in the shower. What if....
Then he heard quiet singing as he passed the ballroom. He opened the door to find Eli jumping around the ballroom with her pikachu doll. She smiled as she saw him. "Hi Ian! We're dancing."
He sighed out of relief. "Eli, come here." He said sternly. She skipped over to him, pikachu in her arms. He kneeled down to her level.
"Yes, Ian?" She asked innocently.
"This mansion is rather large, Eli. You are here to be kept under my protection, but I can not complete my mission if you stray away from where I can find you. I am very upset that you went away from your room without telling me."
"But you were in the shower, and I was only..." She protested, but he cut her off.
"I know, but you can not just venture out on your own. There are many dangers in the house, and if I can not keep you from them, you may get hurt, like how you did with that sword. Please do not go off by yourself, all right?"
Eli nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry." She told him. "But look at this room, it's really really really big!"
"It is a ballroom. Mr. Irons has parties in here." He informed her.
"Ohh, parties. With dancing and music and lots and lots of food?" She asked. He smiled, amused.
"Yes, with dancing and music and lots and lots of food." He assured her. She brightened up and turned circles to see everything. She went up to Ian again and grabbed his hands.
"C'mon, we'll dance." She told him. He started backing off, telling her that he did no want to, but she insisted. "Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?" She begged. Ian sighed and gave in. Eli started singing so that there was music.
"Dancing bears,
Painted wings,
Things I almost remember,
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December.
Someone holds me safe and warm.
Horses prance through a silver storm.
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory..."
They were just turning circles, holding hands. She giggled as she hummed part of the tune in between lyrics. He liked hearing her laugh, so he spun her around a few times. She smiled and giggled even more.
"Someone holds me safe and warm.
Horses prance through a silver storm.
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory...
Far away, long ago,
Glowing dim as an ember,
Things my heart
Used to know,
Things it yearns to remember..."
'She is so happy. It is amazing. Her Father must have done terrible things to her. But here she is, content. As if nothing in the world is wrong. It is quite possible that her entire family is dead, but she is all smiles and sunshine. She is innocent, ignorant.
It would be a great sin to send her back to such a home when she is so happy here. There is more than enough money, there is room. Black hair, brown eyes. You would never believe she did not belong here.'
Unknown to what was going through Ian's head, she let go of his hands and curtseyed at the end of the dance, just like how it had happened in the movie, using the bottom of the tank top as a skirt. She smiled, which made him smile.
"And a song
Someone sings
Once upon a December"
Now he knew why the man's accent sounded so familiar. It was the same kind of accent he heard Eli use when she went into what he guessed must be her native language, though she looked like she could be a mix of things.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Irons' number in. He had said to call him as soon as anything came up, and Ian was pretty sure this counted as something. No one picked up the cell phone, which meant one of two things: Irons was dead, which he knew it couldn't be, or something was going down that was important enough for even a billionaire to leave his prized cell phone behind. What could be important enough for that to Mr. Irons, he had no idea.
This whole situation involving Eli Carver was insane. At every turn, he had only half answers or nothing at all. The little that Eli told him about her family was horrifying, and the things she screamed out in her dreams were even worst. He passed by her room to make sure she wasn't having any nightmares again.
When he looked in, he saw that she had kicked her covers off again and that her pikachu doll had been knocked off the bed and was lying on the floor. 'She must have had nightmares while I was taking care of the body.' He sighed as he started picking her blankets up off the floor. He tucked them back in around her as he handed her back her overly adorable stuffed animal. 'Well, at least she has stopped for now. What kind of demons are you facing, little one?' He mused as he shut her door.
As he walked through the halls, he began to really think of all the things this little girl had brought with her.
'So far, I know for a fact her mother and brother are dead, and that her father remarried as soon as he could. She screams that she will never tell to her father, who obviously did something to her. The most likely thing is that he killed his wife and son, and Eli knows about it and he has frightened her into silence.
But also, I notice that she always says 'gone away' instead of dead or departed. It is like she either does not know they are dead or she is not yet old enough to understand it. But if that is not the reason she is so scared of her father, then what is?'
Everything was quiet in the mansion now, but he did not wish to retire. Besides, if tomorrow was anything like today, he would never have time to sort this out.
'She said her stepmother, Lily, was once her sister. It was also acknowledged in the files that she might be his daughter. What man, especially one with a reputation to uphold with the public, would marry his own daughter? Eli is too young to know that this was wrong, so I doubt that this is the truth she is so afraid of telling.
But the thing that is my concern is if he married Lily, despite her being his daughter, does that mean he would do the same to Eli?' Ian stopped and mentally shuttered. The thought was beyond disturbing. 'Hopefully, now that Eli is known to us, I doubt he will touch her, for fear of our knowledge.
But what of these men? Why are only they after her, and not the whole pack? He said that they would pick family over a friend. These men who took Lily, they must be her family! Her mother's side if they are from her native country. But why take Lily and not Eli? They would not even need to take her against the law; they could win over her custody. And I am sure after the whole ordeal with Lily, they would hand it over to them.'
Just then, he heard bitter screaming and moaning from the part of the house he had just passed. Eli was screaming once again. He returned to her room to find her kicking wildly again, still screaming for her father to stop. He quickly woke her up. She sat up in her bed, looking around frantically.
"I won't tell, I won't tell." She said in between her heavy breathing. She clung to him till she calmed down.
"What did you see?" He asked her quietly. She shook her head and didn't say a word.
Ian sighed and began to tuck her back in for the third time that night. He noticed her nightshirt was twisted into bunches behind her. He had her lean forward and he went to straighten it, when he stopped.
On her back were long slashes. They went in all directions and were numerous. He knew for a fact they were marks from a whip, single, no extra spikes and such. Not a horsewhip, but one designed for humans, one that you can control where the marks will be made.
Eli noticed his sudden interest in her back and pulled the back of her shirt down. She lied back down in her bed and started pretending to have fallen asleep. Ian knew he would not get an answer from her, but he knew already who had done this. He finished tucking her in and closed her door, trying very hard to keep his temper from slamming it.
'So that is why she screams out at night. There are close to fifty marks on that child's back. I am not quite sure on the whole story, but I do know this:
Eli Carver is not returning home with that man!'
Morning came quick enough. He sat on the edge of his bed, unable to sleep. Ian tried calling Irons cell phone many times, but no one picked up. He had also tried to call Jacob's cell phone, but their was also no answer. He knew Irons was still alive, but something must have happened to him. He sighed out of frustration. None of this made any sense.
Then, he heard the door open. He saw Eli peek in. "Ian, you awake?" She asked quietly.
He smiled. "Yes, I am. You may come in if you wish." He answered. Eli closed the door behind her and walked over to his bed. She crawled up onto it and looked at him curiously.
"You look very tired. Didn't you sleep?" She asked. He shook his head. "Why not?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Night terrors." He told her. Eli pouted.
"Oh. Do you want pikachu to sleep with you?" She offered.
"No thank-you." He told her. He was not found of yellow over grown mice with red dots for cheeks.
"You sure? He can scare the night terrors away with his thunder bolt attack." She told him seriously.
He smirked. "That is alright, he can stay with you." He assured her. "I can not let you get any more night terrors, now can I?" Eli didn't answer. He looked at her confused. "What?"
"I was suppose to tell you something." She said quietly. "But I forgot what."
"Well, maybe you will remember it later. Now, why don't you go get dressed, and then you can have breakfast." He told her as he got up off the bed.
Eli snapped her fingers. "That's it. I don't have anymore clean clothes. I don't have anything to wear." She told him.
"Are you sure?"
"Uh huh. We gotta do laundry." She announced. He sighed.
"Alright, bring all your clothes then. I will take you to the laundry room." He told her. She nodded and jumped off the bed, going back to her room.
Ian had been waiting out side her room for twenty minutes, and still she had not come out. He knocked on her door. "Eli, Are you okay in there?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine!" She called back, followed by the sound of someone falling to the floor. He opened the door to find Eli sitting on the floor, her clothes all piled up on top of her. She looked up at him. "I tripped." She told him as she took a sock off her head.
He shook his head, amused. He grabbed her duffel bag and helped her stuff all her things in there. Then he lead her down stairs to the laundry room. Her nose cringed as they entered. "It smells like chemicals in here."
"There is a lab on the other side of that wall. That is where the smells are coming from." He told her.
"A lab?" She asked excitedly. "There's a lab? Is there a mad scientist who works in it, too?"
He had to fight back laughter. "No, not exactly. No mad scientist here." Her moan of disappointment was amusing.
Ian opened the washing machine and started piling her clothes in, not bothering to separate them. "Ian, can I play in the lab today?"
"No, you may not."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty, pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with sugar on top?"
"No, you shall not be entering the lab today. Please stop asking." He told her as he prepared to close up the washing machine.
"Wait, what about my P.J.'s? They are dirty, too." She told him.
"But then what will you wear all day?" He asked her. She shrugged as she proceeded to pull off her night shirt to go into the wash. Ian grabbed her arm and made her stop. "Do not do that. You need to wear something."
"I'll be in my tank top and panties. Isn't that something?" She asked, confused.
"It is not enough." He told her. "Here, go ahead and put those into the wash, I will try and find something for you to wear." He told her. She nodded and he left for a few minutes.
When he came back, he handed her a pair of shorts and an extremely long tank top. Eli looked at the shorts. "These are boy shorts."
"I know, but they will do for now. Just get dressed." He told her. She shrugged and pulled on the shorts. She picked up the tank top and pulled it over her head. She had it half way over her when she started swaying and fell onto her behind.
"Ian, it's too big. It trapped me." She mumbled out from behind the fabric. He helped her pull it down over her. She looked down at herself and frowned. The tank top's front was almost at her stomach. "Ian..." She complained. He sighed and tied straps of it in the back so that it wasn't so long.
"Thank you." She told him. They left the laundry room for the kitchen.
As he made her breakfast, Eli kept turning in circles, falling down dizzy afterwards.
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"Spinning."
"I can see that, but why are you spinning?"
"Because I feel like I am wearing a dress and I'm making the skirt float up, see." She stood up and started spinning around as fast as she could, making the bottom part of the tank top rise a bit. He smiled as she fell back down onto the floor.
"Eli, get off the floor. Breakfast is ready." He told her. She smiled.
"Yay. Food." She practically gulped down her breakfast. She got upset when Ian wouldn't let her start spinning again.
"You will get sick." He told her.
"How do you know?" She asked him suspiciously.
"Because I know." That was all she got for an answer. After breakfast, he had her brush her teeth and her hair as he took a shower and washed away all the grime from yesterday. When he was all dressed again and went to check on her, he found that she wasn't in her room. Nor was she in the kitchen, living room, laundry room, or his room.
"Eli?" He called out, but he got no answer. He checked the front door to make sure it was locked. He checked all the rooms that were around hers. Nothing.
Ian was on the edge of going completely mental from not being able to find her. What if she was hurt? What if she was lying unconscious in one of the dozens of rooms in this mansion? What if there had been another man here that he had not seen and had taken her while he was in the shower. What if....
Then he heard quiet singing as he passed the ballroom. He opened the door to find Eli jumping around the ballroom with her pikachu doll. She smiled as she saw him. "Hi Ian! We're dancing."
He sighed out of relief. "Eli, come here." He said sternly. She skipped over to him, pikachu in her arms. He kneeled down to her level.
"Yes, Ian?" She asked innocently.
"This mansion is rather large, Eli. You are here to be kept under my protection, but I can not complete my mission if you stray away from where I can find you. I am very upset that you went away from your room without telling me."
"But you were in the shower, and I was only..." She protested, but he cut her off.
"I know, but you can not just venture out on your own. There are many dangers in the house, and if I can not keep you from them, you may get hurt, like how you did with that sword. Please do not go off by yourself, all right?"
Eli nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry." She told him. "But look at this room, it's really really really big!"
"It is a ballroom. Mr. Irons has parties in here." He informed her.
"Ohh, parties. With dancing and music and lots and lots of food?" She asked. He smiled, amused.
"Yes, with dancing and music and lots and lots of food." He assured her. She brightened up and turned circles to see everything. She went up to Ian again and grabbed his hands.
"C'mon, we'll dance." She told him. He started backing off, telling her that he did no want to, but she insisted. "Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?" She begged. Ian sighed and gave in. Eli started singing so that there was music.
"Dancing bears,
Painted wings,
Things I almost remember,
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December.
Someone holds me safe and warm.
Horses prance through a silver storm.
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory..."
They were just turning circles, holding hands. She giggled as she hummed part of the tune in between lyrics. He liked hearing her laugh, so he spun her around a few times. She smiled and giggled even more.
"Someone holds me safe and warm.
Horses prance through a silver storm.
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory...
Far away, long ago,
Glowing dim as an ember,
Things my heart
Used to know,
Things it yearns to remember..."
'She is so happy. It is amazing. Her Father must have done terrible things to her. But here she is, content. As if nothing in the world is wrong. It is quite possible that her entire family is dead, but she is all smiles and sunshine. She is innocent, ignorant.
It would be a great sin to send her back to such a home when she is so happy here. There is more than enough money, there is room. Black hair, brown eyes. You would never believe she did not belong here.'
Unknown to what was going through Ian's head, she let go of his hands and curtseyed at the end of the dance, just like how it had happened in the movie, using the bottom of the tank top as a skirt. She smiled, which made him smile.
"And a song
Someone sings
Once upon a December"