Isabella

That was a dull time for Isabella, a boring day with not many patients to attend. Moreover Dr. Leonard 'Leo' Velez, though usually cheerful and a likable guy was giving her cold shoulder and had reserved himself into his Spanish copy of "Lord Of Flies". Isabella was seated in front of Dr. Velez, resting her head in his table and dubiously wondering if she should confess whatever she felt for him. After spending most of their day together for nearly a year, both had become very good friends with Bella feeling a thing or other for him but she was unsure if he ever felt the same.

It was somewhere around 2 and lunch break was a few minutes away, when a lady dressed in all white came to their doorsteps. She was red-haired, apparently a teen, her dress was soaked with blood and she was quite stunned with panic and fear, her eyes were dilated and rarely blinking, and her body was drenched with sweat. Bella immediately rushed towards the door and brought her in. There was no sign of physical injury on her, which implied that someone else was injured... Gravely.

"What happen? What's this blood all about?", Dr. Velez asked in a very affirming tone. But the girl showed no response other than widening her pitch brown eyes. Bella recognized that girl from Gabby's restaurant, she was Andria, Ms. Boucher's maid.

Bella knowing that the girl spoke only Spanish said, "Mantén la Calma querida, nadie te va a lastimar" then she placed her gentle hands over the girl's shoulders, "¿Dime lo que sucedió? como toda esta sangre?" (Tell me what happen?, How all this blood?).

The girl all of a sudden gave an impulsive shriek, pointing at the door she said, "Horrendo."

Leo, rushed towards the door and peeked out, and then involuntarily turned his head back, his face had become paler than ever, which just worried Bella even more. She slowly came towards the door and saw a man was lying on the stairs with one of his eyes poked out and his nose chopped, his body was terribly mutilated, it seemed as if most of the skin from his body was ripped. That sight made Bella puke, forcing her to wonder how that man was still alive.

Leo being a strong-willed and calm Doctor, picked the man gently and placed him in the stretcher, Leo knew that the man was going to meet his inevitable death within few moments but still he wanted to try... at least to ease that man's pain. He asked Bella to get a strong dose of morphine and as Bella brought the syringe, all of a sudden the man grabbed her hand pulled her towards him but she retaliated and freed herself from his grip. The man continued to wave, asking her to come closer. Although very reluctant Bella mustered some courage, and moved closer to the man and leaned her head, closer to his mouth. The man then whispered something in her ears which instantly terrified her, she then injected the morphine into the man who suddenly lost his consciousness and within a few minutes, his pulse stopped. Bella then suddenly rushed towards the toilet and puked again.

Leo inquired, "What did the man whisper?"

She gave a fearful look at him and said, "There's a monster behind you."

Andrea collapsed at the instant she found about the man's death. When brought back to consciousness, she was in a kind of catatonic stage, showing no response to anything, even while Bella pinched her she was just sitting, numb. Later that day she was transferred to a hospital in the neighboring city for her further treatment. Considering Andrea's reaction to the news of man's death, Leo was quite affirmative that Andria knew the deceased well.

After the completion of initial legal procedures, Bella went to Gabriela's( a.k.a. Gabby) restaurant to resume her duties as a waitress. Gabby was one of the first people, Bella met after she joined Leo's clinic, Gabby an ex-medical practitioner herself, proved to be a very kind and wholehearted old lady, she offered Bella to stay in her sister's room in return for Bella working as a waitress during evenings as Bella's dazzling beauty and charisma attracted lot of customers.