The Lost Heir (Book I)- The Violet City

Puzzle Pieces

"Drink," someone said. Isabella heard a glass shatter on the floor.

"OUCH!" a different voice wailed. Xander? That was Xander.

"Be careful, idiot," Micah’s voice said.

"Izzy’s the one who whacked the glass away."

Isabella blinked several times. "Did I pass out again?" The theater. They were in the theater, and she found herself sitting up on the dry blood red carpeting between the trap door and the stage.

"Yes," said Seth to her right. Micah was at her left. Cleo’s face loomed right in front of her, and Xander sat in a chair in the first row of the aisles, hunched over in a huff. Isabella pushed herself to her feet. Her head, chest, eyes, ears and stomach all throbbed. It was as if her entire body cavity had been invaded by whatever it was back there. "We have to find him."

“Woah,” said Seth, helping her up. “Slow down.” Too groggy to retort, Isabella let him lead her to a seat next to Xander. “Who are you talking about?”

“The lost heir,” said Isabella. “Unless you guys found Theophilus.”

Xander slurped loudly on a soda as Cleo shook her head at him and cleaned up the broken glass. Xander looked at Isabella. "Do you want some?" he offered his cup to her, but she held up her hand. 

"There's a bottle of water in my bag," said Cleo. Xander got up to get the bag and handed it to his sister. He seemed to know the never go in a woman's purse even if she is your almost fifteen-year-old twin sister rule.

“Here,” said Cleo, handing Isabella a bottle of water. 

Isabella uncapped it gulped the liquid down gratefully. “Thanks,” she said, relieved.

"The cops are still everywhere,” Micah supplied, sitting down on her other side. His voice lulled her head to his shoulder. Seth and Cleo pulled up two chairs like the ones they used in rehearsal and sat in front of her.

"Why aren’t they in here harassing us then?” Isabella asked, yawning.

"We told them you’d freak out if you saw any of them. They’re right outside. We’re sorry. We know you wanted to stay away from them," said Micah. "We said we called the hotel nurse."

"We don't have a hotel nurse." Isabella peered over her right shoulder toward the closest window, spotting the flock of dark blue.

"I think they’re gonna put us in temporary foster care or something,” said Micah.

Isabella bolted upright from Micah’s shoulder. "What? Can’t we stay with someone we know?"

Micah shrugged. Seth stared at the door where the police were. He wouldn’t look at her. Micah and Xander looked dejected. Cleo looked angry. Great. How the heck had this happened? One minute she was in the hallway then all of a sudden she was in the middle of the theater and her life was being destroyed in yet another way. She was not going to let that happen. What was family if not this hotel? If not her legacy? Ghosts and all. The voice told her to go underground and that was where they were going to go.

"I, for one, refuse to step foot out of this hotel," said Cleo. Well, she had half of Isabella’s plan right.

"Did you tell them what happened?" Isabella asked.

“About what?” asked Cleo.

“About seeing your parents down in that secret room? My grandmother,” she said irritated. She thought Cleo was supposed to be the smart one.

Cleo and Seth shared looks of confusion. “We didn’t see anyone in there,” said Cleo.

“But there was a blackout, and you fell twice," said Seth. "The first time, I fell too. It was in the room. The second time you collapsed and went into this trance in the hallway. We didn’t see anyone though.”