| Chapter 10 Sniffle. Sniffle. Sniffle. Alexis sat straight up. Not her favorite way to awaken. She stared at the little figure sitting curled up at the foot of her bed. �Who are you?� They said it in unison and then���nothing else. Alexis shook her head and blinked her eyes several times, maybe she was still dreaming. Sniffle. Sniffle. Maybe not. The little girl was watching her carefully. She wasn�t afraid, her gaze was more curious and suspicious. She couldn�t have been more than 5 or 6. Alexis wasn�t sure, she was never sure about the age of a child. Her only real measure was that she appeared about the same size as Brooke Lynn the last time she�d seen her. She was around Michael�s size. Michael was 5,6 ,7�.busy with the math. The little girl sniffed again and drug the back of her arm under her nose in a large, awkward gesture. Alexis instinctively reached for the box of tissues on her bedside table but they weren�t there. Because this wasn�t her bedroom. she tried to remember his age the last time she�d had to back AJ down. Her mind was She was on the island. The little girl blinked. Her eyes were clear, her nose wasn�t running because she was crying. Alexis was relieved. She had no idea what she would do with a hysterical child. Mental note. Maybe aught to plan on a way to handle that in the future. The little girl let out a heavy sigh. Her entire rib cage moved up and down with it. She was very skinny. She wore a black leotard, pink tights and shiny black shoes. She had thick glasses and terribly pale skin except for a slightly pink nose. Her eyes were large, sad, and very curious. Her stick straight brown hair was pulled back into a sloppy, but tight, pony tail. There was a bulge on one side where her hair hadn�t been combed properly and the pony tail was off center. �Why are you here?� the girl asked, more than a little annoyed. Good question. I�ll let you know as soon as I figure it out myself. �Um. This is my room.� Alexis offered. This news seemed to distress her more than Alexis intended. �Are you��..are you staying here long?� She asked anxiously, her eyes welled up a bit. And I thought I was the only one who hated me being here! Don�t cry, don�t cry. I�ll give you anything if you just DON�T cry. I got a Palm Pilot. You want my shiny new Palm Pilot? Where the hell is that thing? Alexis threw the cover off and stood up. There was a knock on the door. The little girl squeaked, jumped off the bed and scrambled underneath it. �Don�t tell him I�m here.� Alexis pulled back the bed skirt and looked underneath the bed. �Who?� �He�ll make me take them off and he�ll tell Papa.� �What?� They both heard the knock again and the little girl let out another squeak. Alexis grabbed her robe and answered the door. �Yes?� She blew her bangs back. �Begging your pardon Miss. Have you by chance seen a little girl?� Williams. Still torturing small children I see. Bastard. Why aren�t you dead yet? �I was asleep.� Williams tried to look over her shoulder. �Did you look around? She likes this room.� �No one here but me.� �Yes, but she is a small child and very sneaky. Was your door locked?� �Of course not.� �She�s ruining the floors.� �So replace the floors.� Williams huffed. �She�s been told not to wear those shoes on the marble.� �What does this have to do with me?� �I was only looking for the child.� �And didn�t care if you woke me up in the process.� Williams didn�t even acknowledge the statement. He only continued to stare at her in that cold, formal, snotty manner that got underneath her skin and made her want to scream! �Look, I�m a grown up now and I sleep in. Meaning���I sleep as late as I bloody well please. That means, this room is off limits until 10:00.� �Ten?� �Yes. Ten! No staff, no wake up call, no tray for breakfast. I�ll call Adonia when I�m hungry. And I don�t care if you are searching for a mass murderer. STAY OUT OF MY ROOM!� Williams tried not to glare. �As you wish.� He bowed and Alexis slammed the door. Damn, that felt good. �You sure told him!� The little girl peeked out from under the bed. �I did, didn�t I?� Alexis smiled. How long had she wanted to do that? She�d had nightmares, for years. Nightmares about a butler, how humiliating. He�d report each and every little thing she did to Helena. If she left a towel on the floor, forgot to turn in her laundry, tracked dirt into the foyer, Williams reported every detail until she�d become so paranoid that to this day, she would take her clothes to the cleaners every Tuesday, whether she really had the time or not. She never left clothes on floor, coffee cups in the sink, the front mat had to be arranged just so. She didn�t even NEED a front mat, she lived in an apartment building. But she had one and it was because of Williams. He haunted her every bit as much as Helena, her father, Stavros�� �You shouldn�t let him scare you, he�s only the butler.� �He�s mean.� �He�s very mean. Next time he is mean, come tell me.� The little girl�s eyes were very wide, �What will you do?� �Hmmmm. What should we do to a wicked old man who gets his kicks out of picking on little kids?� �We could push him off the cliffs!� She climbed up out of the floor and back onto the bed. �We could boil him in oil!� �We could cook him in the oven like the witch in Hansel and Gretal!� She stood up and started bouncing on the bed. �I think Adonia would like to cook him up for us.� The little girl giggled with delight and continued to bounce. �I�m Alexis, what�s your name.� The little girl stopped bouncing. �Lydia Constance Marie Isabel Le Blanc Cassadine. I�m 6. How old are you?� �I�m very old.� �Are you 12?� �No, older.� �You are very, very old then.� �Yes, I am. Now why is Williams trying to find you?� The little girl looked at the clock next to the bed. �Oh, oh, I�m gonna miss it.� She scrambled down and ran to the french doors leading to the terrace. She pushed them open, stepped back inside and became very still. She hooked her right leg just behind her left. She placed her hands behind her back and tilted her head down and just stood there. Alexis didn�t know what to do. She looked like a soldier at ease. No, not at ease. She was waiting for something. A grandfather clock in the hall struck 7:00 AM and then, from the cliffs, Alexis heard it, the first strangled notes of the bag pipe. She groaned. Lydia didn�t seem to notice, she smiled with delight and Alexis finally realized what she had been waiting for. Clapity, clap, clap. Tap shoes, making a horrible racket on the marble floor. Between Hamish Duncan�s bag pipes and Lydia�s tapping Alexis began to wonder if she should search for ear plugs or aspirin first. Hamish Duncan was yet another prisoner on the island. Not the �honored� kind like the professor, but the dangerous kind kept under lock and key. About the only privilege he�d been granted was his morning ritual of playing the bag pipes on the cliffs every morning. Every morning. Rain or shine. 7:00 sharp! Worse than any alarm clock. Mikkos had liked it, apparently so did Lydia. Alexis sat down at the vanity to take in the little show. The girl was wild, Alexis actually saw sparks a few times. Perhaps they should be less worried about her ruining the floors and a little more concerned with her burning down the house. Lydia finished with a flourish and waited. Alexis began to clap politely. �Very good.� �A-ah-chew!� �Bless you.� Lydia sniffled and closed the french doors. �So, do you do this every morning?� Alexis asked. �Well�..you said this is your room.� �Yes.� Lydia pouted. �But�.but this is the only place with enough room for me to dance and hear the music.� �Well, maybe we could find you another place.� �Williams will find me.� �What about the terrace off the library. It�s closer to the cliffs and the floor is marble.� �Outside is marble, inside it�s wood and there is a rug.� �So tap outside.� �Can�t.� �Why not.� �I�m lergic.� �Lergic?� �Yes, I�m lergic.� �To outside?� Lydia sighed and slapped her little foot down to show her frustration. �No, no. I�m lergic to pollen. To mold. The sun makes my skin itchy.� �Oh.� �I�m lergic to lots of things.� She started counting them off on her fingers. �Shell fish, peanut butter, bee stings���..� �You�ve been stung by a bee?� �No, but I bet I�m lergic.� �Ah, I see.� �There is dander and wheat ���� �Lima beans? I was always allergic to lima beans and beets.� Lydia stared at her and blinked. Kids never did get her sense of humor. �So you don�t go outside at all?� Lydia shook her head. �What do you do all day?� �I dance and study.� �You take tap lessons?� �Oh no. Papa would skin me if he caught me in my tap shoes. I do ballet.� �Where did you get the tap shoes?� Lydia looked down at the floor and her voice became very soft. �Mama gave �em to me last time I saw her.� �Your Mother doesn�t live here, does she?� Lydia shook her head, �Only me and Papa.� �How long since you�ve seen your Mama?� �A long time.� She sighed. �The shoes are too small now. I can barely get them on anymore.� �Honey, are they hurting your feet?� �I don�t care.� �Well you should take them off.� �No! I don�t wanna.� Lydia panicked and raced over to her. �Oh please, please don�t tell Papa. Williams has been trying to catch me for months so he can tell him. He almost caught me today, I know he will soon and Papa will take my shoes away. Please, please.� �I won�t tell.� �Oh thank you!� �But we will have to find another place for you to tap. Have you tried the attic?� �I�m lergic to dust too.� Alexis sighed, �Well, I like to sleep late and my baby is asleep too.� �You have a baby?� �Yes, she�s in the nursery.� �Oh, oh can I see her?� �I guess she must be awake now.� Lydia sniffled again as Alexis led her to the door that separated her room from the nursery. Kristina�s immune system still wasn�t quite what it should be. The kid looked like a walking petrie dish. �Are you sure you don�t have a cold.� �No, just lergic. Are you wearing perfume? I�m lergic to perfume too and���..� She started on her list again as Alexis led her in to the nursery. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ �Stop, stop.� Jason heaved in a big breath. �We can�t.� �I have to or I�m going to collapse.� Brenda bent over and sucked in air, blessed air. �Brenda! We can�t stop.� �Fine! Leave me here then.� �No, come on!� �I can�t.� They�d made it up the beach and were now in an open field. Brenda knew they were exposed but she also knew that if she continued to run without stopping she�d have a heart attack. �There are woods just over the next hill.� �Over? We have to run up? I can�t.� �Yes you can.� �Just leave me.� �Danm it! Will you come on?� �I told you, I CAN�T!� Jason wished he�d had the strength to carry her but he was breathing just as hard as she was. �Fine! Down!� �What?� He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the ground. �The grass is high, maybe they won�t see us if they pass.� Brenda lay flat on the ground next to Jason. They could hear the horses again, shouts, but it was difficult to tell where it was coming from. �Sonny.� Brenda breathed. �Sonny will be fine.� �You don�t know that.� �Catch your breath so we can run again.� �You should just leave me.� �I told you I wouldn�t.� Jason snapped. �Guess you didn�t plan on getting stuck with me!� �I�ve been stuck with you for months, why should this be any different.� �I should have tried to climb with Sonny. I should have stayed on the boat. I should have gone to Lisbon!� �I told you so.� �Just been dying to get that out, haven�t you?� Brenda glared. �I think you�ve caught your breath. When I say go, head for those woods.� �I should just stay here.� �Fine, you want to get caught?� �We can�t run forever!� Jason looked back toward the beach when he heard the shouts again. �If the woods are as deep as I think they are, we should be able to rest for awhile.� �Then what?� �We find Alexis, find Sony, get the hell off this rock, get an annulment, get on with our lives.� �And I thought you didn�t have a plan. My hero.� Brenda batted her eye lashes and then rolled her eyes. �Like it�s going to be that simple!� �You have another idea?� Brenda stared at him blankly. �Ya, I didn�t think so.� He grabbed her hand. �Ready, set, go!� They made for the forest. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The hunting party split. Half went West, half East. Dante was headed East with two guards and a group of annoying old ladies. Like he stood a chance in hell of catching anyone with this group. Even if he did, he was sure the guards would get the credit. He saw a movement out of his left eye, someone on foot, on the edge of the forest. He stopped. One of the guards looked back at him. �What is it?� Dante dismounted and picked up his horses left front hoof, �Damn it! She�s thrown a shoe.� �She�ll be fine.� The guard shrugged. �No, no. I need to get her back.� Dante huffed. �You need an escort?� �I know my way back to the stables!� Dante was fuming. �These men could be armed. The Prince told us to stay together.� �I think I can manage. You two stay with the ladies.� The guards seemed to agree. The party moved on as Dante walked his horse over the hill toward the woods. He was careful to make sure they were all out of sight before he even thought of getting in the saddle again. But once he did, whoever was in the woods didn�t stand a chance. |