Isabelle

Loss iii.

"Check mate!"

Eveline laughed at little Isabelle's face, it had turned red in color. She didn't know how to accept defeat and the faces she made every time that happened was made Evelyne's smile.

"I declare a rematch!" Little Isabelle hit her fist on the table looking as serious as ever.

"Big words from the mouth of a youngster."

Her mother was quite amazed.

"No rematch. This is the fourth time we've played a rematch" Eveline disproved picking up a rookie to put it aside.

"How about another game then. A game I'd beat you in". In little Isabelle's head, she fantasized the look on her mother's face when she loses. With a small sly smile on her face, she let out her cute evil laughter.

"It is the same as a rematch." Eveline picked up another rookie and placed it aside.

"Mummy is so scared. What Game do you want us to play then?"

Isabelle starred at her unmoved pawns. She remembered how her mother would beat her at every game of chess they'd play. Remembering her mother saying something like.

"Life is a game of chess. There are the kings and the queens, Rookies and the knights and then the pawns"

She still didn't understand what her mother meant by those, she'd asked several times but her mother only said.

"When you get older you will understand"

She didn't understand why her mother couldn't just tell her there and then. She let out a sigh still staring at the little figures.

Isabelle began hearing the voices of two people engaged in a conversation and as the two walked closer the words became much more audible.

"I keep telling you, it's a horror movie, not strictly romance."

Noel had just picked another movie for her and Candice to watch. It was her turn to pick, rephrasing my statement, she always picked a movie to watch when it was time to, not giving Candice a chance.

Candice was not bothered by it, simply to say the only movie she watched as a child growing up were in black and white, for some reason her dad didn't want the colored television.

He said "colored television rots the brain and makes you think life's all bout rainbows and lily flowers. But it's not, life's a bucket of rusty nuts and bolts of problems".

Her parents had frequent arguments because of the black and white television just sitting in the living room. She remembered some of the arguments.

"So when people walk into our house they see that?! That old thing since the 90s?" Her mom yelled pointing at the television.

"Well, it...its way better than the colored Television, rotting our brains, life isn't filled with rainbows ya know?"

"Rot...rot....rotting? Did I just hear you say Rotting? ForGodSake!" Her mother groaned in frustration, she was tired of having to watch her Telenovela series in black and white. Her frustrated eyes landed on Candice who was eavesdropping hoping her father would change his mind. She herself couldn't have a sleepover for she was ashamed of still having the TV.

"You gonna stand there and watch or convince your father?" Her mother's question was directed at her, her shaky legs moved away from the corner to stand halfway between her dad and the staircase, just in case he wanted to hit her she could make a run for it.

"um...uh...d..dad?" She started, stuttering.

"Go upstairs sweetie, go upstairs to your room, your teacher called today that you've been sleeping in class and you flunked a few of your tests. Go and prepare".

It wasn't what he said that mattered but the way he said it and his so calm facial expression that made it all the more scary. She didn't know what he meant by 'go and prepare' was it for her upcoming make up test or the beating she would be receiving.

That night, she obtained a few more marks from a belt for lagging behind in class. But it wasn't her fault, she had to take care of the cows, goat and sheep's, not to forget that the piglet Martha was just born yesterday. They lived on the farm and she did most of the task, having lesser time to sleep and lesser to read.

"I told you it wasn't strictly romance." Noel brought out a compact disk." Romance included but not strictly ".

"Of course, I knew you couldn't do away with romantic movies, strictly or not". Candice rolled her eyes at Noel who was shrieking at the prologue of the movie.

The three hour movie begun and soon they were absorbed in it.

Outside the street, a black limousine could be seen driving to and fro slowly trying not to make their intentions obvious. After driving for a few minutes they finally stopped. The three suited men in black shades sat in it with an Italian driver whose job was to get them everywhere they asked and turn a deaf ear to their conversation.

"This the mansion she talked about?" Randy asked removing his shades still looking at the mansion behind the tinted car windows

"Seems so" Klaus zoomed on the goggle chewing on another chip.

"Uh...uh...Klaus? Is that a chip you are eating?" Ivan turned to the direction of the crunching sound.

"Yes, and not just any chip. It's tortilla chips"

"You brought CHIPS on the mission?" Randy used his first two fingers to pinch his forehead out of frustration.

"So what do you see? You think anyone's home?" Ivan shifted the topic back to the reason they were here.

"Not seen any movement from inside the house. But according to what the Miss said, the lil girl's mother died and now she doesn't wanna go nowhere." Klaus kept his eyes keen on the windows of the mansion hoping he'd see someone.

"We need to get into the mansion" Randy suggested.

"But how, we can't just waltz in there" Ivan asked.

"Did you just say waltz?" Randy pinched his forehead more regretting bringing Klaus on the mission.

"We need to get more info on this mansion, who we dealing with and what we need to look out for" Ivan thought aloud looking out the second window.

"When we get back kla.. Ivan? you call her and set up a meeting" Randy said signaling the driver to get moving.

After placing the last book, Orlando stood a while as his eyes scanned the books on the shelve again top to bottom, making sure everything is alphabetically in place.

A smile appeared on his face as a sign of satisfaction, a job well done. He began walking out of the library but the corner of eyes caught something which made him halt, taking a few steps back he saw the black limousine drove off.

"Almost an hour" he said looking down at his watch. First he saw them driving forth and then back, he didn't know if it was the same limousine. Then seeing it again driving back and forth, he became suspicious. Then it stopped for more than twenty minutes. Really suspicious.