Pen Beneath The Bush

Bye, Bye, Governess Eve (The Letter VN)

"Remind me why we've come back here?"

"To find Governess Eve!" Luke snorts. "I want to know what she's done with Kylie. I want to make a deal with her and make sure nobody else in Luxbourne gets hurt."

"Who is Governess Eve?" I ask. I've never met or heard of the woman until Kylie was reported missing.

"I've never met the woman," Luke confesses. "But from what I've seen from her online and from the letters and phone calls she makes... I can tell she's a nasty woman. I'm an excellent judge in character, Buttercup. You know that."

"We should have gone straight to the police about this!"

"The police won't do fuck all. You know you're free to leave anytime. I knew bringing you along was a bad idea."

"I just wanted to help."

"You're too kind."

"I can hear a noise upstairs."

Luke and I followed the noise. It sounded like a television blasting some tedious cheesy soap opera. With every second, the hope of finding Kylie alive dwindles. Luke stops when we reach the first floor, crawls over in ball and sobs.

I crouch down. "Luke what's the matter?"

"We're too late!" he wails.

"There could still be time."

There's only one open door. We can hear the adverts crystal clear. "What If Kylie is in that room? Maybe you can have that deal with The Governess."

Luke wipes his eyes with his sleeve and jumps up from the ground. He cups my cheek. "Hannah...you really did not have to come you know."

I kiss his cheek. "I came because I wanted to. Now let's go and face Governess Eve together."

Luke charges into the door first. I tiptoe behind him. This used to be our old bedroom. It's a struggle to see the red carpet with all the trash on the floor.

"So, you're Governess Eve?" Luke bursts into a hysteric laughter mocking the crippled woman in bed. She wears nothing but a black amulet around her neck and the blood of her proposed victims. "No!" His voice deepens. "It can't be. I'm disappointed. I expected a lady with more class than this."

The way Governess Eve gazes at us as if she was pumped up with drugs. It wouldn't surprise me. All these broken pills on the floor. I can't believe how much Ermengarde Mansion had changed since Luke and I moved out. Marianne made the place so beautiful, she was truly one of the best interior designers we've ever had. Now it's a shadow of it's former self. Broken windows, carcases decorated with dust and spider webs.

"SPEAK FOR FUCKS SAKE WOMAN!"

Governess Eve breaks her silence with cackles and slams the laptop down. "Well, well, we meet at last. What would you like to talk about today?"

Luke seethes his teeth. He makes no hesitation to take out his gun and point it at her forehead. My lips tremble, but the words won't come out. My chest aches. He lied to me: he promised me that nobody would get hurt. He even swore it on his mother's grave. I want to beg Luke to put that gun away, but no matter how hard I try, the words are struck in my throat. Until...

My eyes dart to the pile of gadgets piled on the side of her bed; gas cylinders, cigarette packets, alcohol and oh god...is that a suicide belt or a bomb? Oh, what's the difference? Those cylinders aren't being stored properly, it can leak gas. One bullet will be enough to blow this whole room up.

"Luke put that gun down!" I say, straining my throat.

"Hannah! This beast killed our goddaughter!"