She was lifted up and taken to the bedroom moments later, she believed it was Harvey. She was laid on the bed and covered. She stirred when she felt a hand encircling her waist.
"Sleep now, we're home." She heard a voice said but was too unstable to fathom who had said it.
She had a nightmare that night. She dreamt that they had had a fight and couldn't resolve the fight, so they split and went their ways differently. She startled panting as she woke and placed a hand on her chest to try to calm herself.
She looked around and it was morning. The boys were still sleeping – to her chagrin – she got down and showered. She came back and met Felix awake.
"Good morning, my love." She greeted and kissed him.
"Good morning, are you feeling just fine my love?" He asked, holding on to her.
"Yes, why ask?" She replied and tried to move away but couldn't, so she just stayed.
"I thought… never mind. But are you sure you're fine?" He asked, sounding relieved.
"Yes. But I have to go make breakfast. Can't let my men leave on an empty stomach." She said as she lever herself away from him.
"Hmm. Go then, I'll be down shortly." He sent her out of the room.
She went and started cooking but remembered she hadn't greeted Harvey and Salvador, she took on her heel – though she was walking barefooted – upstairs. She slowed down when she got to the door. She reached out to open the door but heard voices.
"I think she's safer with me." She heard Felix say. "I can keep her off the ground, at least they can't track her that way."
"Even so, she's more safe with me. No one can track her at all with me." Salvador said, his voice more gentle than Felix's.
"How sure are you about that? You can't make assumptions and think they'll always be true. If they've worked for you before, that does not guarantee them working now." Felix argued.
"If so, then we're both not having any guarantee about her safety. On this note, I think Harvey should hold on to her, till we are sure." Salvador replied.
"Wait what? I can't keep her safe if the both of you can't. What are both thinking? You both put us all in this mess, so you both will fix the mess for all of us. Deal with it." Harvey said, a bit tense.
"How the small rise! Now boy, you don't have a choice. When we say, you act. Get that, no one is asking for your opinion on the matter. Your job is to keep her safe as we fix the mess." Salvador said hoarsely. A bit angrier.
"You can't make the rules whenever you want. You never liked her, both of you. None of you love her, all you think is how to take her home and keep her there for the formalities, nothing else. Do you both have hearts? None of you are thinking of her, only yourselves." Harvey argued.
"Sometimes I feel like tearing you into pieces." Felix said.
"I'll love to do that too." Salvador agreed.
"Well, tear me up all you want. But none of you will ever be able to make yours." Harvey said.
"We don't have to, she's already ours." Felix scoffed.
"Will you then tell her the truth then?" Harvey asked.
"She does not need the truth now, all she needs is to be safe." Salvador replied.
"You think that death is an easy admission to tell someone they'll die and because of you? Give me a break." Felix said.
And suddenly, no one spoke, then the door opened. Felix stared into Ella's eyes. He looked angry at first, and then confused, finally nothing. He voids himself of any emotion.
She walked into the room with a smile to Harvey and kissed him. "Good morning, my love."
"Good morning, dear. Hope you slept well?" Harvey asked.
"Yep, and you?" She asked.
"I sure did, thanks for asking." He said with a smile.
She said and went to Salvador and kissed him too. "Good morning, my love." She said.
"Good morning, you look very vibrant today. Good mood?" Salvador said.
"Yep, I'm just up and grateful." She said to him.
He didn't let her go, so she just turned in his hands to face the others. "I was cooking downstairs and I remembered I hadn't kissed you both good morning, so I ran back up." She said.
"Lovely, but I'm not hungry for food though." Felix said as he came closer.
"Then what?" She asked.
"You. I want you." He came and gave her a long, sound kiss.
"My food is on the gas, running." She said when she could.
"Don't worry about that." Salvador said, kissing her neck.
She felt strange, angry and upset. She didn't know which was more dominating. "I think we should travel some time soon." She murmured against his lips.
"No." Both Felix and Salvador chorused, thereby startling her.
"Why, everywhere is too quiet, I want to go out." She argued.
"No." They said again.
"Why?" She insisted. "It's not like I have something to do. And I'd like to see a friend or two." She said.
"A no is a no. It's not safe for you out there." Salvador said.
"How and when did that happen? I've always been safe." She said.
"Ella, I wish you won't argue." Felix said.
He was being too direct again. She didn't know what they were keeping away from her, but they couldn't restrict her movements.
"We can't restrict your movements, that's why we're asking you not to go anywhere." Felix said out of the blue.
"How did you…" She stammered on her words. She can't remember voicing out what was in her head before.
"You didn't. I can hear your thoughts, Ella." He confirmed.
"But how?" She asked.
"Through the mark, I can." He cleared.
"My food." She ran out of the room.
The food was almost burnt but still consumable. She cleared the table and served the food. They all ate and the boys warned her of going out. Urging her to wait for them to return first, before going anywhere.
She was in the house trying to read when she heard voices from the balcony window. It was neither of the boys' voice, it made her alarm.
She sat up and dropped the book she was reading. The footsteps got closer and the door opened. She ran and stayed behind the couch by the wall.
"Look everywhere, she must be somewhere in the house. Get her for me, now." She heard a voice say.
She remembered that Felix could hear her thoughts and she was grateful for that. Closing her eyes, she called him, asking for help.
But a minute passed and he was nowhere to be found. When several minutes passed, she gave up and waited for the people to find her. God knows what they'll do to her then.
"Turn the house upside down, tear it down, bring the lady to me." The voice said again, after someone told him she was nowhere to be found. He sounded furious.
She heard footsteps approaching the couches, overturning one after the other. There were three couches, two had been overturned. She prayed so hard that she didn't know when she began sweating.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Silence followed then screams.
Panic made her bones lax. She wanted to scream and run anywhere, but she didn't. She felt weird again. She remembers this feeling very well. It was the same one she felt that night Salvador was watching her dance.
Few moments later, all voices died out. But someone was still there, the footsteps came and went repeatedly. Then she heard footsteps go upstairs then down again.
"Ella." A voice called.
She was too afraid to think of anything. She'd called for help and help never came. Felix never came, at least now she knows that he never loved her. He was just putting on a show to keep her to him. That's not fair, she guessed life was not fair at all. If life were, she wouldn't be in this position now… her thoughts were disrupted, when she heard her name. Salvador!
"Ella?" He called again, sounding more scared.
"Sally?" She whispered.
"Ellie? Where are you?" He called.
"I'm here." She replied, still not standing up. She didn't feel like standing. She didn't know what she felt.
"Ellie, come on." He took her hand and helped her get up.
"Did they touch you, did any of them hurt you." He turned her around, checking her out, making sure she wasn't hurt. "Oh my, I thought I couldn't make it. I'm sorry for not coming earlier." He apologized.
"It's okay, I want to… please put me in cold water." She pleaded.
Without a word, he took her into his arms and took her upstairs. He sat on the bathtub and placed her on his lap, then reached out and switched on the tap to fill the tub with cold water. When it was filled, he gently placed her in it.
He watched her move till she was covered by the water.