HOW YOU LIKE THAT | JENLISA

Chapter 9

Jennie

I left the cook alone after that, since I didn't want to upset her more than I already had. It was quite clear the previous caregivers who failed to understand Lisa on a personal level abused her. If I wanted to be her friend like I'd told her before, I knew that I had to at least try and make an effort, and for what it's worth, I knew that handling Lisa would still be a piece of cake as compared to living with my uncle where I was treated like an object, and nothing short of a maid. I closed my eyes and let the memories flood me. I really needed to forget that life.

I went upstairs to Lisa's room after breakfast, and the door was unlocked, but I still knocked on it. When I didn't hear an answer, I entered inside and found the television blaring, with an old re-run of 'Tom & Jerry'.

Unlike the last time that I'd been here, all the books and toys were put back into its place. The room was dark, with no lights were on and the drapes were closed, so I walked to the French windows and opened them, letting the room bathe in the sunlight. I didn't miss how that there were metal bars on the windows.

I could hear the shower running, and a few minutes later, Lisa walked out of the steaming bathroom with a towel hanging over her hips and a tank top covering her torso. She stood frozen on the spot, surprised to find me in her room.

"I... I knocked on the door before entering." I explained stupidly.

Her hair was still wet from the shower, and her brown eyes looked almost golden in the sunlight. She had broad shoulders and a body that was sculpted like a Greek God; with a trim waist. Lisa might be not in the right mind, but her body was totally right. Oh, God! It was so wrong of me to check out a person who wasn't in her right mind to pay attention to women, and I felt extremely guilty, but that didn't change the fact that she was ridiculously gorgeous.

Her dark eyes flashed towards me as if she knew what I was thinking. She looked at the open windows and back at me, her fingers curled and uncurled as she charged forward. I took a few steps back in fear of what she was about to do, but she walked past me, and that gave me time to notice some scars on her body, darker on her wrists and a jagged line across her upper back.

Lisa pulled the drapes almost harshly, bringing the room into total darkness. She was facing the other side when the towel slid down and I had a perfect view of her round backside.

Heat crept over my neck, "I'm... I'm... sorry, I'll leave."

"Stay."

I was taken aback. Lisa spoke. And she asked me to stay. It proved that she could comprehend what I said to her. It was the first time I had heard her talk; her voice was soft and hauntingly addictive, and she sounded like she didn't have too much practice with speaking.

I wanted more. I craved to hear another word from her mouth.

I stayed until she'd dressed up completely in a t-shirt and jeans. I watched her as she took a dry towel and settled down on her bed. The water dripped from her hair.

"May I?" I asked with my hands raised towards her for the towel.

She didn't say a word, so I took that as a yes. I dried her hair with a towel, feeling completely aware of her body heat being so close to mine, the scent of her shampoo made my knees weak, it was a mix of something spicy and blackberries, and maybe you could also throw a little vanilla into the mix.

"Now you're all nice and dry." I said, while carrying the wet towel to her bathroom to hang there for drying. I walked out of the bathroom to find her sitting on the floor, cross-legged. "Would you like me to read you a book?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Go... go out."

She was asking me to get out of her room? I stared back at her, while trying to understand what that meant.

"Go... out." She repeated, with her large golden-brown eyes watching me with interest. "I... I want to go."

"You want to go out into the courtyard?"

She nodded, slowly looking up at me from the floor, while stealing small glances.

"Okay, let's go."

We walked outside the mansion towards the open courtyard, with the huge Dobermann named Love, leading us ahead. It was strange how Lisa couldn't communicate much with me, but with Love; she had an entirely different language going. The dog knew exactly what Lisa wanted and he would follow Lisa's commands.

Fetch. Down. Wait. Stay.

I bet Love was used to following Lisa around even before she lost her memories. Sometimes I wished dogs could talk so that they could tell stories. Real. Happy. Ugly. The truths that they'd witnessed.

I sat down on the patio while I watched Lisa play with the dog. It was a good thing that I'd brought a book with me so I wouldn't get bored, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. I'd read the book before, but since it was so entertaining, I was going to read it again. I'd found it lying around at my breakfast table, so I'd grabbed it.

Love barked at something in a distance, while barring his teeth out. It had to be a squirrel or some birds, or something like that. Lisa watched him from the side-lines, not attempting to stop him.

I'd finished reading the first chapter and flipped to the next page when an origami peacock fell to the ground. I picked it up, and it seemed like there was something written inside it. I quickly opened it.

The words scribbled inside shocked me.

Leave while you still have a chance.

It was the same handwriting as the one I'd received from Lisa, so that meant this came from her.

Why was Lisa warning me?