Vegan meat balls, sushi rolls, chicken potpie, tomato soup, Potatoes, stuffed bell peppers and in the heart of the long rectangle table lays two stuffed turkeys. The dining table was lavishly crowded with assorted foods.
The silence was almost tangible as four eyes stared clueless at the table. Ola was collected as always as the maid took her time to arrange the cutleries on the white table napkins.
Ola contently guided the made on what to serve on his dish while Dian and Kinsley carefully watched as the made swiftly did as told. She could easily pass as a nurse with her white short dress which hugged her curves nicely. Apart from that, she totally passes as a robot with the way she gracefully maneuvered around the unbearably long table to serve what Ola demanded.
"Please feel free to tell her what you want." Ola said as he dug into his food gracefully.
Dian smiled shyly. "Don't worry, I will serve my brother and myself."
On hearing this, Ola busted out in a hearty loud laugh, which echoed around the spacious dining room white walls. "Please don't be ridiculous now, you are my guest. Not you too, my chocolate ice-cream friend. You are not shy now are you?"
"Of curse not!" Kinsley scuffed. "I'm just trying to be polite."
"Polite you say." Ola smiled. "You are ever so kind. Now be a dear and tell her what you pref..."
"Where is she?" Kinsley asked bluntly.
"Who?"
"The sick girl in the limo this evening, the one wrapped in a big nylon bag, remember?" The temperature of the room quickly dropped just as the clattering of Ola's cutleries as all head wiped to Kinsley's direction. Even the maid pursed on reflex.
Once again, Ola busted out into a hearty loud laugh. "You got me there. There was no sick girl in the limo."
"I was sure I saw some sick girl…"
"You must've been hallucinating. Now eat." He quickly signaled the maid to them.
The maid autonomously dished their dinner while Dian fidgeted with her fingers
"When are we going home?" Dian asked.
Ola huffed an indolent sigh. "As you must have already know, it is unsafe to drive this late at night." He signed to the maid to refill his cup of water. "Is there a way I can contact your parents?"
"I don't know my mother's number by heart."
"Father?"
"Neither."
"In that case I will have Sam drive you home in two hours time." He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I understand your parents must be worried by now and you, I can tell, are already home sick."
Dian smiled politely. "Thank you."
"You are yet to touch your dinner." Ola pointed out.
"I'm not really that hungry."
"Nonsense." Ola laughed. "Look at your brother, he sure is feeling at home. Trust me, you will need all the energy."
"But..."
"Eat." Without any more hesitation, Dian swallowed a spoon full of tomato sauce.
***-------------------------------------****---------------------------------------***
"Hello Sir." He spoke breathlessly into the phone.
"Where are they?" said a man at the other end of the line.
He audibly swallowed as sweat tricked down his exhausted face. "They escaped."
"Escaped!" He paused before continuing in a more low and threatening demeanor. "What do you mean they escaped?"
"I tried to speak to them, but they took off before I could get a chance."
"Where are they now?"
"They rode away with Mr. Bamuyiwa. I tried to follow them but the car was too fast I lost track..."
"Now you listen to me Mike. You either find those kids or consider yourself a walking dead. Understood?!" The line went dead at once.
"Y…Yes Sir." He said bewilderedly to the air.
***-------------------------------------------****-------------------------------------------***
The room is dimly lit and the floor is rid of all water droplets. Kinsley lazily slumped on the now smoothed out bed with an indolent groan.
"I feel heavy." He groaned once more.
"Obviously." Dian commented with a raise of her right eyebrow. She sat before the large mirror on a chair she dragged out of the corner next to the dresser. "You ate like a starved rhino."
"Don't blame me for being hungry."
"Just remember our plan. Don't drag me down." She turned to cast him a glare.
"Relax, I am still as fit as ever." He paused in thought. "Do you think they drugged me to shut me up from calling them out on that sick girl."
"I can't say. But, I don't want us to be part of whatever they are dealing with."
"Why did you insist I don't mention being drugged to Ola?"
"Its best we don't get their attention. Maybe that woman at the shop was right. We need to abstain from this man. I don't trust him."
"But why did he save us from that stranger?"
"I'm confused too. All I know is that we have to leave this place as soon as possible. We need to find Jazo."
Kinsley nods in agreement, he stared at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.
"I feel cold." He said breaking the dragging silence.
"Ike promised to get us sweaters." She mused as she stared at the landline before her blankly. "I guess I have to go and search for him in person." She sighed as she made her way to the door. "I will be back in a jiffy." She announced before locking the door behind her.
She descended the stairs, trying to remember how they maneuvered their way to the dining room. At least that will be a head start to finding Ola. It would have been more helpful if there were not so many identical doors every corner she turns. As she could tell, she can easily get lost in this impressive mansion if she dares wonder around too much.
She sighed in defeat when the last door she could open leads to the kitchen. To her surprise, not even a maid was found. Not even the sweet robotic maid.
Feeling disappointed, she retraced her steps. At least she believed she did, until she realized that the corner she turned is a dead end. She couldn't help but groan.
'Now I am officially lost.' She thought as she attempted once more to retrace her steps, now looking about for anything familiar to aid her back.
Nope. Nothing rings a bell.
"Relax Dian, you will be fine" she said to herself. "You are just lost in an endless mansion which belongs to a stranger who doesn't realize that an 11 years old girl could be lost and dead at some corner in his luxurious abode." She face palmed.
"Make it snappy Ryan!" a voice whisper-screamed.
She could easily recognize Ola's rumbling yet smooth voice. She gently tiptoed closer and lean he ear to the door where the sound seems to be coming from.
"Yes, I still have the three kids." He paused to listen to the man at the other end of the line. "We need to ship them over-sea all before midnight. Just hurry up before they come asking me when they are goin home!"
A click of an object behind her got Dian's attention now as she slowly turned to be met face to face with the muzzle of a gun.
"Please remain still, Miss Dian." Ike said monotonously.
"What is going on, Ike?" She asked frozen in place with her hands raised high in reflex.
"I apologies Miss Dian, but you are trespassing."
"No I'm not. I actually came looking for you. You promised to get us a sweater." She glared straight at him. "Now will you please get this death machine off my face?"
"Unfortunately not, Miss Dian." Ike declined just as polite. "Now move." He opened the door behind her and gestured with the small pistol.
Ola paused mid-conversation with the telephone glued to his ear.
"She overheard your telephone conversation, Sir." Ike clarified Ola's raised eyebrows.
Ola smiled politely as he returned the telephone to the table. "Now Dian dear, did your mom never warn you about eavesdropping?"
"You liar!"
"Liar? Come on, be nice." Ola snared "Please have a sit."
Of course she should have known it wasn't a polite request as Ike poked her with the cold pistol ushering her to the sit with a jab of his head to the left. She helplessly did as told.
"Now where were we? Ah, do you know what will make this more interesting?"
"You wouldn't dare." Dian growled as Ike roughly tied her hands behind the chair causing her to flinch in pain.
"Please go get the boy." He said to Ike. Ike nod his head in understanding before exiting the room to do as told.
'…and remember, whatever you do, stay away from that man.' The lady had said.
"Please stop crying." Ola sighed, as he made his way to wipe her tears with a tissue. Dian flinched as she cast him the harshest glare she could muster.
Ignoring her glares, Ola squatted down to meet her eye level. "Dian you are a strong girl. Luckily for you, you came to the right pace." He quickly tossed the tissue into a closest trashcan that is situated beside the telephone table. "This planet as we know it is full of corruption and broken system, you see. Moreover, the consequences it has instigated in the society is unbearable; pain, poverty, stagnancy, global warming, war, death even things worse and unimaginable. It's time we put an end to this repugnance. It's time we make things right. And that, Dian, is where people like you come in. We are trying to make the world a better place for the future generation and to accomplish that a price must be paid. A tooth for a tooth."
"Nonsense! You are just a sick maniac." Dian seethed. Ola laughed.
The door opened and in came Ike and a wide-eyed duck taped Kinsley on his shoulder.
"Put me down!" Kinsley bawled.
"Sorry for taking so long, sir. The boy wouldn't comply." Ike apologized as he situated Kinsley on a sit next to Dian. He quickly wiped his bleeding nose and smoothened out his now torn shirt.
"Settle down folks!" Ola announced with a clap of his hands.
"What is going on?" Kinsley asked, more to Dian who stared steadily at the floor as tears trail down her cheeks.
"What is going on is that you will be on your way to Egypt in like…" Ola checked his watch. "Ten minutes."
"You!" Kinsley growled. "Let us go this instant!"
"I could let you walk away now. Unfortunately, we need to recruit more armies. We need you, Kinsley. We need your guts."
"You must be sick!"
"Hardy ha ha." Ola snarled. "They should be here any minute."
"You…"
As if on cue, the door swung open as four hefty men emerged stopping Kinsley mid-threat. Dian gasped as blood drained from their faces.
"Yes. Please meet Ryan, Sam, Ope and Bryan." Ola continued cheerfully, "Your escorts to Egypt. I know you will have a nice bonding time on your way there."
He nod his head at them.
"You Devil!" Kinsley began to bawled once more. Without any more hesitation, Sam injected a substance at the nape of his neck which silenced him quickly as he drifted into unconsciousness.
"No!" Dian screamed. She began to feel dizzy just as quick. 'but when did I get drugged?' she thought as everything spiraled away into oblivion.