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It was a dark and stormy night and something was standing outside my door, well I didn't actually see what was outside my door, since it was closed..it was more of a sudden feeling...a premonition you could say that something was out there, and it was waiting for something.
I shuddered in my wool pajamas, and shoved the dog off the bed in hopes he'd investigate what was on the other side of the door and start barking if he sensed something bad on the other side. Unfortunately my huge sheepdog just plopped to the floor and began to snore, not moving a muscle. A crow cawed outside my window and I jumped, startled at the noise.
I warily nagged myself for doing what I swore I would never do, me (a city girl) moving into a secluded part of the country where the nearest neighbor was 5 miles away and didn't have a phone.
Trying to contain the rising terror and fear that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach I rose to my feet, strode over to the door and swung it open ready to confront whatever terror was darkening the threshold of my small cabin. My eyes widened at the visage that came into sight and a scream erupted from my throat breaking the eerie silence of the night.
It was my AUNT!
"What the hell are you doing here Aunt Frankie?" I demanded, gasping on air that my lungs were begging for, as I stared back at her drawn worn face which was now a ghastly white and a very stunned and shocked expression gaping back at me. "and what happened to your face?"
"Oh, you mean this?" She asked fingering the long scar running down the left side of her face. "I don't know it just showed up one morning...I can't for the life of me remember where I got it from.
The man, suddenly spoke up in a deep lulling tone.
"Francine, don't remember? That scar is from a burn..you walked under your land lady's balcony when she was dumping a vat of hot oil. Be a dear and let us in will you, Stephany? We've come a long way and your aunt really needs some rest."
The tone of his voice was so melodic and hypnotizing that I barely heard what he had said, but when he had said my name I had snapped out of my trance and had backed into the cabin leaving the door open for them to come in.
"Please do come in...Mr....?"
"I'm Viktor Vanjouer." He replied, as he helped Aunt Frankie into my small cabin, glancing around the room.
That's when Chance chose to wake up and growl so deeply and loudly that the hair on the back of my neck rose in response. Aunt Frankie gasped and backed away, to fall into the arms of Viktor.
Viktor frowned, with a rather perturbed look on his face.
"Does your dog usually do this to strangers?"
"Uh, no. Usually he loves everyone...he's a horrible watchdog. And his name is Chance." I replied, glancing at Viktor wondering what had raised Chance's hackles at the man. He didn't look like he was any sort of a menace, he looked...well sophisticated and rather refined. As though he were from a very high collar society.
It made me wonder why Viktor Vanjouer was with my Aunt Frankie...her being in her late 50's she had to be way too old for a man like him to be interested in romantically.
"So, how do you know my Aunt Frankie?" I asked Viktor later when we had gotten Aunt Frankie settled in my bed in her pajamas for the night. I was now sitting with Viktor on the porch wrapped in a large fluffy afghan that my mother had made for me years ago.
"We have a mutual acquaintance, who asked me to accompany her on her trip so she'd feel safe and so no one would target her. Also because if you didn't realize, your Aunt Francine is losing her memory, it's gotten a lot worse than it was earlier this year. I'm afraid to tell you this but you're sisters want nothing to do with her, you're her last hope."
"Wait a minute," I sputtered in protest, turning to stare at him comprehension finally hitting me.
"you're going to leave her here? Wouldn't she be better off in a place where doctors can take care of her?"
"I think you of all people would know she doesn't like doctors." He frowned, disapprovement plain on his face and in his inflection.
"I know that, but why are my sisters so set to not doing anything for her?"
"I have no clue Ms. Heller, I suppose that's a family matter and has nothing to do with me. Perhaps you should talk to your sisters and find out."
I groaned, and buried my face in the palms of my hands, experiencing the old familiar feeling of tension and stress start to tighten up the muscles of my neck and shoulders. This was exactly what I was trying to get away from, stress and tension. I had quit my job two months earlier because I had started to get really bad panic attacks as well as stress that had started to make me completely unable to function in the business world. I had been the best candidate for the up and coming CEO position until the stress and tension had become too much.
Now my body was starting to act up once more.
Viktor must have noticed something was wrong, or seen that my body was reacting differently because he reached over, slightly turned me so my back and neck were closer to him. Then he started kneading the sore muscles, causing a grateful purr to escape from my mouth as I succumbed to his strong yet gentle fingers. He certainly knew how to use his hands, in another moment I knew I'd be mere putty in his hands. He could have gotten me to do anything for him.
 Minyaagar · Tue Sep 09, 2008 @ 07:51pm · 0 Comments |
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