Stella stammered, "We-well...I-I...."
Den's face darkened further as he very carefully wiped off Stella's tear from the frame of the painting.
Stella looked dumbfounded at Den, suddenly feeling an ache in her chest. She felt like she was having trouble breathing. Stella took a few noisy deep breaths which led Den's attention back to her.
He went and carefully kept the painting back from where Stella had picked it up before he walked over and stood towering before the sitting Stella.
Stella spoke, "I'm sorry. I didn't know what was in here..."
Her voice trailed off as Den squatted down beside her. Den looked into Stella's amber eyes with his dark red ones. "His eyes are dark. Maybe he went off...AAHHHHH..!!?!!!"
Stella's thoughts turned into shocked exclamations as Den picked her off the floor grabbing her by the collar of her shirt.
Before Stella could register what was happening, she was dumped onto Den's bedroom floor, landing on her buttocks.
Stella winced as she turned around to look at Den, who right now looked like he hated her more than anything in the world.
Stella's breathing suddenly became difficult again as the ache in her chest returned. Den said in an icy cold voice, "Don't ever try to go anywhere you're not asked to."
And then he slammed the door in her face.
Stella's tears began to roll down her cheeks at the sight of Den's expression and the tone of his voice. But Stella did not notice her tears as the ache in her chest became more prominent and her lungs felt like they would give out any second. Stella clutched at her chest and curled herself into a ball on the floor of Den's room, right where she had been dropped.
After who knows how long, after a whole lot of time which Stella had focused upon keeping her breathing normal and trying to ease the pain in her chest, someone touched her shoulder. Stella looked up from between her hairs to see Simon bending over her, very worried. "Oh my god!?!? What happened?! What hurts??"
He exclaimed as Stella blinked to clear her head. When finally she was clear-headed, Stella pointed to her chest. Simon looked worriedly at her, "Your chest hurts? How can that be? Did you catch a cold or something?" It was then that he caught a clear look at Stella's face and exclaimed, "What the hell!?!?? What's wrong Stella? Where is Den? Has someone hurt you?"
Stella shook her head and clutched at Simon's shirt as she said, "Take me away from here."
Simon at once scooped up the little Stella in his arms and walked out of the room. He took her into her own room and laid her on the bed before saying, "What's wrong Stella? Who hurt you? Where's Den? He went looking up for you, but never returned."
Stella did not say anything. She only shook her head and clutched at her chest. Simon groaned as he took out a bottle from his suitcase, "You're not allowed to drink. But we need to calm you down first."
He said as he poured the liquid in a glass and helped Stella gulp it down.
After drinking the whole glass, Stella seemed to have calmed down and Simon repeated his question.