What Lies Beneath

Chapter Twenty: Dinner and a Show

Delphine was closing the last dresser drawer of clothes when she heard muffled voices coming from the hallway.

She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but then again, it didn't really matter.

As the voices grew fainter, she figured that it would be best to go introduce herself. After all, the lady had told her that if she had any problems, she should talk to the other guests first. Not to mention she was going to need their help getting to the dining room for supper.

So, without overthinking it, like she usually did, Delphine opened her door and walked out into the hallway.

What she found on the other side of the door was not at all what she had been expecting. The hallway was empty, and silent. Figuring that they had already turned the corner, Delphine went off in search of the voices that she had heard only a few moments before.

Sophie had stayed in her room for most of the day. The only time that she left was when it was time for food.

After everything that had taken place that morning with Karen and Wyatt, she wasn't feeling all that up to dinner. Especially since the other two meals had been less than stellar.

All through breakfast and lunch everyone was silent. Though that didn't stop every person who took a seat at the table from making eyes at someone else. Karen spent the entire meal staring at the two old women whilst Charlie gazed at her. Wyatt would toss a few angry glares at Karen in-between apologetic ones at Sophie. Sophie spent the entire meal staring at her undercooked eggs. The only thing that changed during lunch was the food that they were served.

The only reason Sophie could think of to go to dinner was to find out who the new guest was. Maybe he or she would be a lot nicer than the other guests. She could only hope.

So, when the clock read six forty-five, Sophie reluctantly crawled out of her huge bed and began to make her way down to the dining room.

Wyatt was just leaving his room when he spotted Sophie closing her door. He had wanted to talk to her all day, but he didn't want to upset her even more. He still couldn't believe Karen's behavior that morning. Sure, she was a nut job, but that didn't excuse how she had treated their new guest.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" The words were out of his mouth before he could process what he was saying. Sophie's head whipped towards him. Her face transformed into an expression of shock and unease.

"What do you want?" She wasn't trying to be mean, but she was on the defensive.

"I guess I just wanted to apologize again for this morning. I don't know what Karen's problem is. Though it seems to have something to do with the inability to keep her foot out of her mouth." Wyatt's attempt a joke seemed to be lost on her.

"Yeah, I noticed that." After a moment or two of blankly staring at him, she cracked a smile. Wyatt felt his entire body sigh.

"So, we're okay then?"

"I suppose so. Plus, it would be kind of rude to hold a grudge against the person who saved me from the crazy girl."

"True. Though it didn't look like you needed much saving."

"Yeah, but it's always nice to have backup." Both Wyatt and Sophie began to walk towards the stairs.

"I've always found it to be handy." As they walked and talked, Wyatt found that it was easy to open up to Sophie. So much so that he wasn't afraid to talk about the more difficult subjects. "How old are you anyway?"