Unwelcome Encounter

Daniella didn't stop running until she had reached the atrium. She shoved open the large glass doors and nearly fell to the floor, her lungs burning, heart pounding, lips parched, and gasping for breath. She'd never run so hard before, and just stood there doubled over for some time before she could stand back up. She looked out the glass doors worriedly. But she wasn't watching for the agent... she was watching for Poppy. She had been running as fast as possible, the bullet wound in her leg starting to bleed again, and had no time to check if the dog had been keeping up with her. She hoped nothing had happened to him...

But she did not dare go back out there. If he found her again... she might be dead. Daniella stood at the glass for a moment longer, but seeing nothing she turned sadly away. She looked out at the room... and suddenly realized she was not alone. Fendari was standing next to the pool of water, staring down at his own reflection. She knew he had noticed her, anyone would've... but he was not facing her. The gaze of his mask stayed fixed on the surface of the water, and he stood there, unmoving. Daniella didn't like him, didn't want him to be here... but she had no choice. She cleared her throat, calling to him.

"Fendari... what are you doing here?"

The man did not look away from the water, but replied to her in his deep, unnerving voice, which echoed around the spacious room.

"Waiting for you, milady."

Daniella shook her head in confusion. Why would he want to see her... and how did he know...

"Waiting... for me? ...Why? Are you going to explain to me what's going on around here?"

That last bit she didn't mean to say out loud, but she was almost glad she did. He was just becoming weirder and weirder, and it was beginning to scare her. She just wanted some answers. Finally, he turned his gaze on her, the black eye holes transfixing her.

"I assumed you were coming here to figure that question out for yourself. I see you already have another medallion."

She just stood there in silence. There was so much she didn't know about him... why was he doing this to her?

"Go ahead, put it in," he said finally, breaking the unbearable silence between them, otherwise broken only by the sound of the rushing water. "You're getting very close to completing it."

"Why?" She asked finally, getting frustrated. She couldn't take it anymore. "Why do you put me through these awful trials? Do you get some sick pleasure out of it or something? Why are these stupid puzzles here in the first place? And why is there a torture chamber in this house, anyway? Why don't you care about the fact that I'm being chased around your house? I could be killed, you know! I could be killed before your "master" ever has the chance to meet me! And who is he?" She took a deep breath, unable to keep the built-up confusion and rage out of her voice any longer. "Why do you keep giving me these cryptic messages, then disappearing? And what kind of servant wears such a ridiculous mask? Just who are you, anyway?

She stood there staring at him, shaking. She never meant to say anything to him, she just wanted him to stay away from her... but she just couldn't keep it inside any longer. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know now. He just stood there, leaving a long pause like he always did, then only managing to make her more angry with his simple answer.

"All the answers will be revealed to you, in time," he said flatly, as if he had no interest in her concerns. Each time Daniella met him, he grew more suspicious. She knew that he had all the answers... he just wasn't telling her. She shook her head and walked back toward the doors, looking out into the hall.

"Your dog was with me," she said, turning away from the glass. "I don't know what's happened to him. He protected me from that man... he could be dead."

He started walking toward her suddenly, causing her to step back against the glass. She almost told him not to come near her... though he'd never hurt her, he had only helped her... but her eyes still wandered to the sword at his belt, and now she saw that it was covered in dried blood. She knew there was some dark motive behind all this. He continued toward her, and her breath caught in her throat as he got close to her. Too close. He pressed her against the glass with his body, reaching out to touch her face, and a scream welled up inside of her, filling her with terror as she stared into his sick grinning white mask, any trace of a face invisible beneath a dark shadow... he leaned in close to her ear, and whispered to her.

"Watch this," he said quietly, and took a step back from her, but she remained there, plastered against the glass, her eyes wide, breathing rapid. She wanted to run... she knew now that he was not safe, she knew what he had been thinking... but he just opened the other door and whistled once out into the hall. A few seconds passed, and then Daniella heard the familiarly comforting sound of a dog's paws on the stone floor. Poppy bounded into sight, apparently unharmed, and stood by the man, who looked back at her.

"Will that be all, miss?" he asked in that same calm voice. She stepped quickly away from him, calling Poppy to her side. The dog ran to her happily, glad to see her again, but seemed to take note of the tension between the two, and looked back and forth between them worriedly. At least she felt a little better with him beside her. She backed slowly away from Fendari, the man watching her receding figure.

"Please... just go away. Leave me alone," she told him, the fear evident in her voice. He wanted her to be scared, didn't he? But why? What did he want with her?

And then she actually heard the man laugh. He was always speaking so seriously, and hearing the sardonic cackle was just that more unnerving. He was getting some twisted joy out of seeing her like this. She wanted to be out of his sight, far away from him... He turned away from her, opening one of the glass doors and exiting the room, but stopping and saying one last thing before the door shut.

"Do let me know if you're in need of further assistance, miss."

The door closed, and Fendari walked off down the hall. Daniella walked over and collapsed against one of the trees in the room, dropping the crest and clinging to Poppy, her head spinning. She wanted to leave. This place terrified her. And she knew that's exactly what he wanted.