La Mort et ses Merveilles ✔

20. An Auspicious Accord

La Mort et ses Merveilles

Chapter 20: An Auspicious Accord

I woke up with the golden rays of the sun shining directly in my eyes. Slightly disoriented, I looked around, still half asleep. I didn't know how long I slept, but I guess it must've been at least five or six hours. I really knocked myself out.

"Hey sleepyhead," Leslie called out, a slight smile on his lips. "We're almost home."

I only smiled as I stretched my arms in front of me. The young man only bit his lip as he looked at me with his deep set eyes. He seemed really fatigued and exhausted. And to be frank, I was too. It was an emotional dread deep in the heart that only goes away slowly over time, if you're lucky perhaps a few days. If you weren't then perhaps even months. It wasn't something that could be cured with just a few winks of sleep. I could see that heavy, sluggish sadness in his eyes.

Pulling up to the convent, the both of us got out of the pickup. The gate was open like it usually was in the day, and after parking right outside in the parking lot, we began to unpack. There were many things in the cargo bed, supplies from Leslie's hometown which we gathered. Josephine said that she wanted to keep the true intention of our trip a secret, and the supplies as well as the medical textbook we brought back with us was the perfect cover up. That Josephine needed the books for reference and along the way we had also picked up some supplies. Nobody had to know about the envelope and map. It was a contingency plan after all, just in case.

After we finished depositing the supplies we've gathered, I brought the textbooks -envelope and map concealed within the pages, to the infirmary wing.

I wanted Leslie to come with me, a bit wary to let him out of my sight, but he told me that he wanted to rest in his room. I couldn't stop him, but I guess he really needed it.

Josephine was in her office, flipping through a file. Isabella was seated in the swivel chair, pencil in her hand as she scribbled something in a book. Hearing me approach, she looked up. As I put down the heavy books, Isabella ran up to me, a smile on her face.

"I wasn't gone for long," I chuckled as I held her tightly.

"But I missed you," she replied with a slight giggle, a sparkle of happiness in her eyes. "I was worried something could happen to you."

"Hey, look here," I told her, patting her on the shoulders. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry, but I appreciate it."

A smile on her face, she peered behind me. Her inquisitive eyes were wandering, searching for something.

"Where's Leslie?" Isabella chirped. "He's with you, right?"

I hesitated for a brief moment, but I soon regained my composure and flashed her a warm smile.

"Umm. . ." I muttered. "He's in his room. Why don't you go and meet him? I'm sure he'd love to see you."

With that, she left Josephine and I alone. Seeing her so happy helped me forget about the events on the trip. Her warm smile and sweet giggle brought a calm to my heart, melting away the cold dread. Walking up to the door, I peeked my head out to make sure nobody was around, before closing it shut.

"It's in the textbook," I told her, walking towards the center of the office.

"How was the trip?" Josephine asked, walking up to the books, flipping to the page where I had hid the map and envelope.