"He hasn't changed at all." Isabelle said serving the coffee in her room.
Anna smiled and said, "Yeah. Thankfully."
"Have some rest Madam." said Isabelle closing the door while leaving.
Anna is sitting in her room checking her mails and schedule for tomorrow. Jim has asked her to take a day off for the trip and she is excited for it too but looking at her schedule it seems impossible for next two weeks.
"Jim is not going to accept it at all." she said to herself.
While she is going through her schedule over and over again to find some loophole out of it her phone buzzes with the message from an unknown number, assuming it to be Jim she open it and it says,
"Be prepared for out trip. And I will not take a No this time." it surely was Jim so she feed his number and kept the phone aside hoping to discuss the schedule tomorrow with her secretary. Tucking herself inside her blanket she dozed off without even having a sip of her coffee as she was too tired off the day.
A continuous buzzing sound wake her up but it was hard for her to open her eyes and she don't want to even check who it was. With sleepy eyes and have working mind she picked up her phone to check the time and it's not even morning yet. The clock shows 3:45am and her screen displays 20 missed calls again from an unknown number. Recalling from past night she surely did save Jim's number then who the hell is this. Also Jim would never call him at this hour except for an emergency.
"Should I call back or just wait for another call? What is there's some emergency somewhere? What if it's Marcel again and if it is him then what could be the matter?" all these thoughts flashed through her mind but still she cannot decide what to do. Sitting up in her bed she pick up the phone and redial the number but it was busy on another call. Holding the phone in her hand she again spaced out in her thoughts when it started buzzing again with that same number. This time she answers it immediately but the voice from the other side was not clearly audible, it was continuously cracking and it become hard to catch what the other person was saying. And within a few seconds it was disconnected, leaving her more anxious and puzzled.
One new message flashed on her screen saying, "Open the door I'm on my way"
With a raised eyebrow and confused expression she stares at the screen as to whom it was addressed to? Maybe some one had mistaken her number to be of someone else's otherwise who would come at her place this late also with a new number. While she was thinking all this the door bell rang and it send a chill through her spine.
She is not easily scared but today she surely is afraid out of the blue.
Getting down from her bed she wear her cardigan and scarf as the temperature is nearly about below 0° and the snowfall has added more icing to it. Although she knows that Isabelle will get to the door as always but considering the time she herself do not want her to go out so she went out of her room and as she reach downstairs Isabelle was looking in the screen to recognise who is at the door at this hour but because of heavy snowfall the camera outside the house seems to be out of working condition and hence she decide to go iut herself. The door bell is continuously ringing after few seconds and it is making the scenario more scary. They both are scared but also curious about the person outside in this harsh weather.
Watching her going outside Anna called out, "Isabelle wait ! I'll accompany you." and they went outside with an umbrella to cover from snow.
"Do you have any update regarding the arrival of someone, Madam?" Isabelle asked with a shaky voice and rubbing her arm with one hand.
"No not at all. But I do receive a call few minutes back though the voice was night clear and the number was unknown. So I'm not pretty sure as to who it might be." She replies.
"Let's hurry then and pray for things to be good and fine." Isabelle said and they rushed towards the door.
The doorbell is continuously ringing and upon reaching the door Isabelle looked through the second camera and ask, "Who is this at this hour?" with a stern voice.
"Open the door for God's sake." a girl's voice came over from outside but it seems someone had covered her mouth.
"Speak clearly your name." Anna speak up.
"Sister it's me Lisa."
They both looking at each other puzzled and then Isabelle rushed to open the door and there she is covered in ice, shivering like a phone on vibration with her suitcase. A scarf covering her mouth which make her voice like someone was covering her mouth.
Isabelle take her bag and Anna embraced her arms around Lisa and rushed her inside. The house is much warmer than the lawn, but still Lisa cannot stop shivering. Isabelle rushed to bring blankets while Anna lighted up the fireplace. Wrapping up Lisa in 2 blankets she gave her your chocolate and they both sat in front of her looking at her puzzled. Sipping on her hot chocolate, they both were sitting in front of her with their palms on their left cheek, a raised eyebrow and we're about to burst up with their questions. When she raised her head up she jumped back in her place.
"You both looks scary !" she said adjusting her blankets.
"We are waiting for you to start chirping out your explanation about this kind of arrival." Anna said clenching her teeth.
Isabelle is yawning and looking at Anna she says, "Let's go sleep for now and keep this discussion for tomorrow." in a low voice.
Narrowing her eyes she says, "You go. I'll not leave her today because she always make such a mess."
"What have I done now?" Liz said innocently.
She glares her fiercely. "You go Isabelle." she tells her again.
Nodding in agreement Isabelle left for her room while here in the living room the glaring scene continues unless the hot chocolate finishes and the cup is kept aside.
"Now will you speak or should I ground you for one month?" said Anna angrily but in a low voice.
Swallowing the gulp of fear Lisa said, "You were not picking up the phone."
"And when did you called me?" said Anna with a head tilt and eyebrow raised higher.
"I've been calling you for hours and almost to be exact I called you 22 times." said Liz checking through her call logs.
Anna's expression ease out with her words but still the call was from unknown number and if that was her then what is it about this number so she asked, " Where is your number? I do received call bht that was from an unknown number." and with this her phone buzzed again with that same number.
" Is it that same number?" asked Lisa.
She nodded and continued, "And why are you having another number?"
"Because my phone feel in the middle of the road and for crushed under a car. Thankfully I recovered my data and contacts from previous number. I was calling you to tell all this the entire evening neither you answered the call mode did you called back."
" Ohhh ! Then it was you not him." she mumbles to herself.
" Who was who and who was not who?" Lisa asked confused in her own way.
" No. Nothing. But how come your phone got crushed? After you hurt too?" asked Anna touching her head and face, with concerns.
" Yes, I'm hurt." said Liz sheepishly.
This worries Anna more, " How? Where? Did you get medicine? Do you want me to take you to the hospital or should I call the doctor here?" she says all this in one go.
" No this is nothing to be treated by medicine. You scolded me and only your love can heal it." said Liz with a wide smile and choose innocent eyes.
This makes Anna smile a bit and she started hitting on Lisa's back saying, " You deserve a good beating this time. Stop creating scenes here in real life picking it from the dramas you watch."
" Stop stop sissy..... I won't do it again."
Giving a hard pat on her head Anna sat beside her and asks, " You were scheduled to return by Sunday then how come you arrived three days days earlier? Also where and how you lost your phone? Were you again being irresponsible on the road or elsewhere?"
" I want being irresponsible, it's just I was running through to cross the road before light changes, and was holding my phone in my hand and as I rescued the other side I bumped into a guy and was about to fell off but he caught hold of me. Unfortunately my phone slipped off my hand towards the roadside at the moment the light changed. Before I could stop the card or rush towards the road it was already in pieces." taking a deep breath she continues, " Then with my buddies I went to purchase a new phone but was expecting to get the same number issued but then again it was not possible at that instant so I took a new number. I immediately called you to inform you but as I told earlier you didn't received."
" Okay. And now your early arrival?"
She sighs and continues her story, " Well about that . I got bored there and the temperature was falling and you know I don't like winters. So I just packed my stuff and took the first flight here. Then also I do called you after I landed but I guess this time you were asleep so I decided to come here by myself. After all I'm a big girl now I can manage things on my own." she finishes with a shrug.
Hitting her head Anna smile and says, " Yeah a big girl who can't handle cold weather !" in a sarcastic way and got up to leave for her room.
" Yes everyone can not be like you ice queen !" Liza says throwing the blankets on the couch and left too for her room.
" Hey you bug girl ! Clean this place first. Pick this blanket fold it and take your bag with you." says Anna with a bit manipulative way.
" I'm tired." Lisa says throwing her hands in air.
" You know I'll not let you leave like this. So better not to waste time as we both want to sleep."
Liza comes to clean up with a frown while Anna left with a smirk saying, "It is for ruining our sleep Big Girl !"
"I hope you have nightmares today." says Liza loudly as Anna left.
Anna chuckles at her closing the door behind and laying in her bed she closes her eyes.
While in the living room after folding the blankets, Liza picks her cup and putting it in the dishwasher she rolled her suitcase towards her room which is just at the end of the corridor on the left of living room.
Leaving the suitcase in the corner she changes into her favourite minion t-shirt and loose lowers she tucks herself in her bed and within a minute she's off with her sleep. She surely is a fast sleeper.
But Anna being tired both mentally and physically is struggling to sleep even after am hour has passed since she laid in her bed. Though she is asleep but is not sleeping at the same moment. Maybe she surely is having a nightmare. Her pupils are moving left to right but her eyes are closed. Her forehead is covered with sweat in this cold weather and she is breathing heavily.