Page 87 of Fractured
Chapter 18 ~ Isabella
Anna holds on to my waist as we make our way down to the basement to the storage unit. The tears won’t stop. I’m so happy and empty at the same time. I know I’m not exactly free, but I’m no longer under his roof, waiting on pins and needles every moment for him to come bursting into my room, freaking out over something I did or didn’t do.
We make it to the basement, and Anna opens the door to the archive unit.
“Shhh, love. It’s okay now.” I hiccup a few more times and wipe my nose on my sleeves.
“Okay, don’t get too excited. I had little time to set this up. Think of it as the worst dorm room you’ve ever seen in your life.” She keeps going forward through the rows and rows of shelving units.
She turns, and there’s the door to the old storage vault. It was basically a vast office with crappy carpet, but it has solid walls and no windows. It’s perfect.
A large picture leans in front of the door. A huge lock sits above the door handle. She reaches for the handle and the whole thing pulls open; the picture comes with the door.
I bend over and look down. The picture is just barely off thefloor. I look back up at her and mouth, “You are brilliant.”
“I know. I’m a genius.” She flips her imaginary long hair over her shoulder. “I screwed the picture to the door, so it just looks like it’s leaning up against it. I thought it would deter anyone from thinking there was anything in the room. It locks from the inside. That way, you don’t have to worry about a key or anybody coming to pull the door open.”
She pulls the door wide, and I step in. Anna continues with her tour.
“We both know this room hasn’t been used in forever.” She reaches to the side and flicks on the light.
It’s the best thing I’ve seen in weeks. She has a blow-up mattress in the corner, set up with a comforter and a few pillows, and a reading lamp set beside it. A small table is set with a single-serve Keurig machine, a toaster and sugar. She cleared the top shelf above to put the necessities I would need.
Bread, jam, peanut butter, coffee, and powdered creamer. A chair is off to one side. She even has a little heater in the far corner because it’s in the basement and it gets chilly, plus the room is temperature controlled.
There’s a little rack that I can hang clothes on with some wire hangers dangling off of it. It’s the best thing I’ve seen in days.
I pulled her close and hug her tight. I leaned back and look at her eyes and mouth ‘Thank you.’
Anna’s eyebrows pinch together, and she looks at me.
“Why can’t you talk? And why are you so fluffy?” She squeezes my shoulders and pats my bum.
“Are you all like, double-layered in your clothes?”
I nod and then pull my sweater down to show her my bruisedthroat and the reason I can’t talk right now. Her eyes go wide, her face flushes, and she goes crazy.
“I am going to kick his ass. What the fuck was he thinking? Is he going crazy?” She is yelling and pointing at me and pacing the room. I grab at her and press my finger to my lips, Shhhh. She pulls out of my grasp and continues to pace the room back and forth, then she stops and points at me.
“When you texted and said 911 imminent death, I kind of took that as, yeah, okay, I got to get her out’a there. I didn’t know he was actually trying to kill you. What the fuck is wrong with him?”
I make a sign with my hand like I’m writing. She looks around the room and digs into a box on a shelf. She finds a pen and brings the cardboard box.
“I don’t have anything else. I’ll have to go back upstairs to get you a notepad and a pen. Sorry, I didn’t know you couldn’t talk. I swear to God, if he shows his face here, I’m going to punch him in the throat.”
I laugh and grab the pen and the box from her and write a quick note.
I don’t know what happened, Anna. He came into my room yesterday morning, saying I had signed my death warrant. He had papers in his hand. I don’t know what they are for. But he was furious. I’m not making excuses for him, but he thinks I’m trying to kill his father. And he blamed my dad, saying we were in league together. I don’t know what he’s talking about. He was protecting his father, and there is no excuse for this, but Alexander acts before he thinks.
“Is he crazy? Does he need medication? Why would you try to kill his dad? And don’t make excuses for him. He should not have choked you like that. Yell, yeah, but take it to thisextreme. Fuck it. Next time I see him, I’m just going to punch him in the throat. See how he likes it?”
I take the pen back from her, and she hands me the box.
This has something to do with my father. He claims that my father only made me marry him to kill his father and take his seat. I don’t know what’s happening. And I don’t understand any of it. All I know is that I have to get away. I can’t stay here anymore.
Anna pulls me in for a quick hug and then holds me by the shoulders.
“Oh, we’re getting your ass out of here. Helen should have everything ready soon. I’ll go see her tomorrow since I’ll be watched like a hawk now. But first, we’re going to be like a couple of little ferrets and steal things. We’re going to go shopping in the museum... let’s see.”
