Chapter 7: A hopeless situation

Zhalia's basement

Dante

I had lost all track of time, and it annoyed the hell out of me that it I couldn't see the hands of my watch. It had been pitch- dark for god knows how long now. It felt like an eternity, because I couldn't get to sleep. I just couldn't stop thinking about my brothers, about what they were doing to find me, and Zhalia… Again my thought s drifted to her, her smile, her lips, her kiss… It all seemed ages ago, and I slowly started to doubt whether it had even happened at all.

Suddenly I heard footsteps on the stairs. I sat up and heard the door opening. Zhalia entered, holding a plate with breakfast in her one hand (so it was probably morning), and a glass jar with a candle in it, in her other hand. The flickering warm orange light softly lightened up the room.
Without saying a word she put the candle on the floor, and the breakfast on the bed.
There was a moment of silence. She seemed to doubt whether she should stay here with me, or leave.

"What happened to the light?" I asked, to break the silence and prevent her from leaving.

"Oh the electricity company has shut me down because I haven't paid the bill for a few weeks." She answered with a blank face.

I gave her a questioning glance, and she smiled lightly.
"I don't want the organization to find us."

"Wait a second… I've only been here for a few days, were they already looking for you before all this?"

She bit on her lip and remained silent, but I knew it was true.

"Why are they searching for you?" I asked.

She sighted and sat down next to me.
"I was an organization agent once, but I quit. My… boss didn't accepted that, and that's all you need to know."

"You were an organization agent?"
I was stunned, I really hadn't expected this.

"Does it matter?" She said, a bit irritated.

"Well… not really, you quit." I said, and smiled comforting. I wasn't lying, it really didn't mattered to me, though it did made me quite curious, I really wanted to know what had happened.

"Why'd you quit?" I asked.

"That's not important."

I felt she didn't wanted to talk about it anymore, though I still hoped she would.
"That's okay, you've already told me more than you should."

She smiled, and seemed relieved the topic was closed.
"Are you bored?" She suddenly asked.

"Ehm.. .well yeah, a little bit, staring to the ceiling isn't as much fun anymore as it was in the beginning. " I joked

"Me to, I'm also stuck here, and now I even can't watch tv anymore."
She stood up.
"Wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

"I can't really go anywhere." I said, and I held up my still chained left hand.

Zhalia smiled apologetically and walked upstairs, to return after a few minutes with a little white pack in her hand.

"Is that a pack of cards?" I asked surprised.

"Yes, you like playing cards?"

"Sure, what you want to do?"

She thought for a second.
"You know crazy eights?"

"Great, prepare to be beaten." She said when I nodded, and she started to deal the cards.

"Oh I think it's going to be the other way round." I said teasing.

Sophie's house, Venice, 14 hours later

Sophie

"God I'm tired!" Michael said, and he plumped down stretched out on the green couch in my living room.
I was too tired to tell him to take his shoes of first. It was two o'clock in the morning, and we'd just came home from Prague. After we had found out Dante wasn't there, we had taken the first flight back to Venice.

I sat down on Lok's lap and laid my head on his shoulder.

"What should we do now?" I asked after a few minutes.

Lok nor Michael answered, and they both looked at me with a slightly desperate glance.
'This really is a hopeless situation…' I thought. That woman and Dante could be anywhere, and to make it even worse organization was probably looking for them to, so time was running out.

"I've got an idea!" Michael said suddenly, and he stood up enthusiastically.
"We send that Zhalia an email, going by the name of the Professor, in which we offer her five million Euros for Dante!"

"That's the most stupid idea I've ever heard, in the first place because we don't know her email address, second because she probably doesn't checks her email, the organization is looking for her remember?, and finally because we don't have five million Euros!" I said.

"I thought you were the rich Casterwell heiress?"

"Yes but I'm not thát rich, you fool!" I yelled irritated.

"Okay, that was uncalled for, at least I try to think up something!"

"I'm thinking of a plan to! But when I get an idea, I first consider if it isn't complete nonsense!"

"My plan isn't complete nonsense, you're just bad tempered!"

"Guys, guys, stop arguing! Look, we're all tired, so let's go to bed, I'm sure we'll think up a plan tomorrow." Lok said, when I stood up to throw a pillow to Michael's head.

"Fine." I said, and I dropped the pillow down on the coffee table.

"Yeah good idea Lok." Michael said, and he walked towards the door.
"Oh yeah, and Sophie, please go sleep really long because you've got rings under your from here to Tokio."

He laughed and closed the door just in time to not get hit by the pillow I furiously threw at him as hard as I could.
I swear, that idiot was really getting on my nerves sometimes.

Zhalia's basement, 13 and a half hours earlier

Dante

"Ha! I've won!" I said.

"Dammit, I want a revenge…" Zhalia said, and put her cards down on the bed.

The past half hour we had been talking and playing cards like… normal people and for a moment I'd totally forgotten I was her hostage. Now remembered I was, I wished that it had been different. That we had met in a bar or the supermarket or something like that, that we were normal people. But we weren't. She was an ex- organization agent who had abducted me for unknown (but probably complex) reasons, and I was a top- foundation agent with many enemies whose life was probably in great danger.

"Dante? Why are you staring like that?" She asked.

I snapped out of my pondering.
"It's nothing…" I said, and I looked into her gold- brown eyes. They sparkled in the candle- light and her skin scaled. It seemed warm and soft and I wanted to feel that warmth. Without really realizing what a was doing I stretched my hand and touched her cheek lightly.

"What are you doing?" She said, but put her hand on mine like she knew exactly what I was doing.

I slowly moved forward towards her, and she didn't flinched. Lightly I touched her lips with mine.
First she didn't react, but then her lips caught mine in a kiss, and she put her hands on my back. I gently pushed her down, while her one hand caressed the bare skin under my shirt, and the other tossed my hear.
Suddenly she broke the kiss. "This is so wrong." She said panting.
"I know." I whispered in her ear, and started kissing her neck passionately. She moaned softly and I pulled out her shirt, then continued kissing her warm body.

Suddenly a phone rang and startled we sat up. Zhalia quickly took her mobile phone out her pocket and looked who was calling. Her eyes widened and quickly jumped of the bed.
"Sorry I- I have to answer this…" She said with a trembling voice, and walked upstairs, leaving me alone in the basement. Again.

'Electronics have a really bad timing lately …' I thought, and I sighted. I desperately wanted to know who had called. It had to be someone important because Zhalia really seemed upset, and somehow I felt it had something to do with me.
I laid down and stared to the ominous flickering gleam of the candlelight. All of the sudden I felt a bit afraid, I really had a bad feeling about this.

Zhalia

"Klaus." I said while I walked upstairs.

"Zhalia… you sound surprised… you've forgotten about me?"

"No of course not."

"Good, because I've made a decision… you win, I'll trade your brother for Mr. Vale."

My heart skipped a beat, I hadn't thought he'd actually agree. But he did, I was supposed to be happy now, but all I felt was fear and suspicion. And grief. The thought of handing Dante to Klaus' mercy made my eyes fill with tears.

"Zhalia?"

I forced myself to calm down, and think rational.

"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know this isn't a trap? I don't even know if my brother has survived all your experimenting."

"He is okay, physically, I promise."

"I know you're promises aren't worth a thing. I want proof."

"You know I can't give you any proof. Now give me a location and come there with Mr. Vale, then I'll bring your brother and we'll switch. There will be no suits, just us, and I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life, I promise."

"Give a moment to think about it."

Was I willing to take this risk? Take the risk my brother had died, and that Klaus would bring suits? I couldn't think of a reason why Klaus would keep his promise. After all I was still a part of his experiments.
'But eventually he'll find me anyway. I can't hide forever. Now there is a little chance he'll leave me alone… A little chance I'll get my brother back.' I thought.

'But Dante… Then I'll lose Dante.' The thought of that hurt my heart. I couldn't believe how important he'd became for me in such a short period of time. I wished we had met under different circumstances. But it was as it was, I had to make a choice. Dante or my brother?

-
Jeej, I'm back from Italy, and after I've slept more than the whole past week, I immediately started writing this new chap… et voila, here it is! XD
I Hope you liked it, and that it didn't was confusing (if it was let me know, then I'll try to adapt it!)

Next chap Zhalia makes a decision, and S, L and M think up a plan to find Zhalia and Dante.

Feel free to review! ^^