The Monocle's Eye

Chapter 20

 I woke up early the next morning, earlier than Illy even, and sat up in bed, running my hands through my disheveled short hair to smooth it, before collapsing back onto Illy, who groaned under my weight. "It's sunset," I whispered, letting my hands trace out her hips. The sun wavered it's rosy light through the big windows around us, and the big room, mostly empty save for the bed, sparkled in it's glow, like the embers of a dying fire. "Come on, Illy," I whined, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing, but she darted up and flipped me over, landing atop me with her arms caging me in.

"What if I don't want to?" She leaned down and caught my lips in a kiss before I could answer. But a moment later I knew I didn't need to, because she rolled off of me and slipped out of the bed. She spread out her limps and stretched out tall in the dissipating sunlight, her lacy black underwear her only clothing.

"What are we doing today?" I slipped out to stand next to her, letting the white sheets fall off me and the cool evening air wrap around my skin, "Waiting game?"

"We'll ask Rosetta," She responded, looking me up and down before slipping her hand behind my back and pulling me forward into a kiss. "When did you get so pretty?"

"Pretty?" I asked, feeling my cheeks heat at the compliment. "What I want to know is when you got so sexy."

"Was I not like this before?"

"No, you always were," I let her trace the line in my back with her hands, shuttering as she drew her nails up my back lightly. "But you're even more so now." I watched her cheeks redden slightly, but she slipped away out of my grasp, pulling a shirt she had brought over her head. A couple moment later we were both dressed and downstairs, but instead of finding Mother as I had expected, we instead found a note on the coffee table.

Dear Illy and Elly,

I have gone out, proceed to the library immediately, and be quiet about it.

Sincerely,

Rosetta

"I should have known she'd do it," Illy ran her hands through her hair, slamming the note back onto the table.

"Do what?" I asked, "Where did she go?"

"She's gone and ran off again, probably right back into Mother's arms. Where else would she have gone."

"Again, why in the world would she do that, she just pressured us to stay in hiding."

"Of course she did, she wants us in hiding because if I'm in hiding, I'm with you, and therefore you're safe. Mother would never kill Rosetta by her own bare hands, or even before her eyes for that matter, but the girl's still stupid." Illy stalked up to the window, peering out as if she might be able to see her from there, but seeing nothing, she spun around and grabbed her cloak off the couch.

"Wait a moment," I said, "Explain to me what you want to do, and also why you think Rosetta would do this. You don't know the Rosetta I know, and I don't know the one you did, and if we're going to succeed in not getting anyone killed we need a plan before you storm out of here and rip someone's guts out." She stopped and I watched her shoulders drop, before she flung the cloak back onto the couch and turned around.

"You're right," She sighed, plopping down on the couch, "But I don't like it any."

"I don't either." It was getting to me how desperate our situation was now, my limbs felt jittery as I sat down, and my head scrambled like deck of cards that was dropped on the floor.

"Rosetta always used to do this, Mother and I nicknamed her Houdini for it after one time she tied her to a bed post and turned around to catch her dancing in the courtyard through the window. You couldn't keep that girl in place if you had her at gunpoint. Every-time you turn around she's either somewhere new or gone completely. I should have known she'd do it now too, Rosetta is ruled by her impulses, and it's no surprise she ran off the moment we left her alone. Except this time I know she won't be back, because if she left Mother now she'd never get forgiven."