Etched

Part IV

CHAPTER FOUR

Propositions

In the morning, I was surprised that I had slept deeply without dreaming. I stumbled out of the door and downstairs. Agent Bynes and the owner...Slade I think, were sitting at the glossy dining room table, eating omelets. My stomach growled convulsively.  Both of them looked up when I came in, and they both smiled in unison. The expression looked somewhat rehearsed to me, but then again, I could just be having after effects of all my shock and suspicion from the day before. It could be nothing. I doubted it was nothing. I approached the table and sat down. Slade immediately pushed a plate with a full omelet towards me.

There was a fork on the top of the plate. "Dig in, we were just finishing up." He said, a warm smile spreading across his face, more genuine than the first. I picked up the fork and began eating slowly. My stomach welcomed the solid food more readily than I would've hoped. I ate with a strange haste, as if I hadn't eaten for days. The plate was empty in what seemed no time at all. I slumped back in my chair and then realized they were both looking at me. "Miss Dione," It was Slade, and he immediately had my undivided attention. "We have an offer for you." Agent Bynes shot him a look, as if she was angry that he was approaching the subject so openly and abruptly.

"We are almost certain that you are a very gifted Etcher, and we want you to help us uncover this whole scheme that you've been mixed up in." He said, letting it all out in one gust. "What would that entail? What would I have to do?" I asked cautiously. He chuckled. "I like this girl, I like her a lot." He said quietly, and then he returned to my questions. "Well, that would entail reliving every detail of your horrific event so that you could identify the ones that escaped." I flinched but then nodded solemnly. "What if I don't want to relive it?" I asked, dropping my eyes to my empty plate. If I could bring these criminals, these mutts, to justice, it would be worth it. Wouldn't it?

"How is David?" I asked, as a way of distraction. "He's still asleep, he won't be up on his feet for another week or two, but I assure you he's perfectly fine. Mr. Slade will provide him with the best care in the world, believe me." Agent Bynes assured me at once. I nodded again, feeling more at ease. They could see that David's health was an important element to my cooperation. David would have to be safe if I were to even consider helping them. Good. I'm glad they knew that. "How involved is this?" I asked. "Well, you would have to tell us everything you know, everything you see, everything you experienced. Can you draw or create 3D models?" He suddnely asked.

"I could." I loved art classes and had taken 3D design for two years, it surely wouldn't take me long to construct a model of the living room... "I have the ability, but what if it proves too emotionally difficult for me?" I wanted to appear clinical, without revealing anymore emotion. I tried to imitate the Sphinx gaze that Agent Bynes had used yesterday, but I wondered if I just looked deadpan. "Well, we would ask you to do as much as you can. We could do in sessions if it would be too stressful for you." I considered that. Not only remembering, but trying to remember every detail, every moment, every insignificant thing that could possibly aid them.

"We might have to do that." I said slowly after a moment. They both nodded with concerned looks. "Well, go upstairs, change, do whatever you need to do and then come back down and we'll get started." Surprised but feeling somewhat prepared, mentally at least, I did what Slade said without complaint. I hurried upstairs, changed, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair and then headed back downstairs. Slade had changed too, into black dress pants and a button down black shirt, it made him look more professional...and more intimidating. He led me into a huge study, it looked more like an empty classroom. There was a computer and a desk in the farthest corner of the room. there was a huge flat table with a glossy, blank, black surface in the middle of the room.