Whispers of the Heart

Chapter 5: Alisha

Chapter 5 Alisha

I collapsed into the bed and sighed. My body pressed against the soft, pillow like bedding and my hair spilled out on the fluffy pillows. Normally, I would have enjoyed a bed like this, but now my mind was occupied with other things.

Everything was going perfectly fine until Mr. Perfect walked in. How did he know it was me so quickly? The others had no idea. So how?

I shut my eyes, the light seeping through, and I took slow deep breaths. How was I going to survive this? How was I going to make him think that I wasn't me? Add that he was going to train my how to ride horses, again, he'll definitely figure it out. Then, when he does, so will everyone else.

Pushing myself off the bed, my eyes scanned the room. The oak flooring, dark blue walls and bedding, the oak bed frame and dresser, and the wooden framed mirror gave me the feeling of serenity. A small sigh escaped from my lips as I walked over to my suitcase. I pulled it back over to the bed and began to unpack and put things away. My undergarments went in the top drawer, my shirts were folded and put in the middle, and my jeans were placed in the bottom. The few dresses that I had fit nicely in the wardrobe and my shoes lined the inside floor.

My shower bag was at the bottom of my suitcase with a few towels near it; my hand latched on around the straps while my other threw the towel around my shoulders. The shower was down the hall, on the right. The small bathroom had an elegant look to it. The tiled floors and walls reflected the light, the wall was separated in two halves, the bottom half was a beautiful dark red, almost maroon colored while the top was a stark white. A toilet with a maroon fuzzy top was right beside the door, the sink next to it, and the shower was across the room. There were three maroon floor mats, one was in front of the shower, another by the sink, and the third was in front of the toilet.

A towel rack was across from the sink, a few feet away from the tub and a small window with a curtain was over the sink. Splayed across the shower's window pane was an intricate, opaque pattern. The white ink curled upwards and outwards, like the expanding wings of a bird; the antique leaf-like designs captured the delicate Victorian figure.

My toes squished into the soft, feather-like floor mats as I walked in and placed my things by the shower rack. Satisfied that the door was locked and secured, I undressed and climbed into the shower.

The scolding hot water poured down my skin, steam immediately fogging the glass and mirror.

His face flickered before my eyes. His empty, coal black eyes; his demonic, toothed smile; his rugged, unshaven face. I tensed, my body frozen. He was here, but he wasn't here. Not yet. It was inevitable. He would come, like always, and I knew that. Now, though, he could continue his horrid, sickening games because of me. I had led him to, no, given him his next target.

A tear slid down my face. My hands encased my face, my knees crashed onto the shower floor, and all I could hear was the pitter patter of the water from the shower and the shaking, gasping breaths that came from my mouth as I tried to breathe.

None of that mattered though. Not really. What mattered was that these people were going to die and I was the one responsible for it.

"Ham and cheese omelets?" A high pitched, ringing voice chided over the sizzling on the bacon. A soft hand patted my shoulder and I glanced over to see a rather perky Shelly. "You spoil these boys and they'll never leave you alone." She laughed lightly as she leaned against the counter.

A small smile played on my lips as I nodded.  With the oven mit in  hand, I lifted the glass lid from the pan and flipped the omelet, attempting to not break it.

"Morning." Lucas's voice sounded behind me.

"Morning." I muttered as I started nibbling on my bottom lip. With baited breath, I waited for him to call me out again, waiting for him to say something, anything, that would blow my cover.

"Ah, Alisha." The name came out forced, faked, almost as if he was trying to egg me on, to correct him. "I have free time after lunch; we can Start your lessons."

"Lessons for what?" Shelly demanded, her hand gently squeezing my shoulder. "What are you up to, Lucas?"

"Nothing, just going to provide our new chef here with a few riding lessons." His voice was full of laughter, almost as if he was enjoying this. Though, I'm sure he was enjoying this. Somewhere in his mind, he's hoping that I'll confess and admit that I'm Mira. But I won't. I can't.

"It will have to wait until after I finish the dishes." I told him, fighting to keep my voice steady. When the omelet was ready, I pulled off the lid and lifted it off the plate.

"Then I'll help you." He offered.

"What if she doesn't want you to help her?" Shelly demanded as she took the plate. She cut some off with her fork and slipped it onto another plate.

"Who doesn't?" Lucas chuckled as he took some of the omelet as well. "This is a gigantic omelet, how many eggs did you use?"

"A dozen. It seemed like more than enough." I slipped the plate of bacon on the table next to them then walked over to the oven and shut the burners off.

"That's about half what we usually go through in a morning." Shelly grumbled and shot a look at Lucas. "Alisha, this boy here eats like he's never being fed. Every meal."

"I've toned down since I was a teenager." He winked at me before patting the chair next to him. "Come on, eat with us."

"Very well." My cheeks flushed as I sat down next to him and accepted the plate that he had given me. My eyes flicked back and forth and I realized that they hadn't changed much at all. After all those years, they were still very much the same as they were back then.