Chapter 14 - Finding Clues
"I need some necessities for Arik and me. I'm afraid I might run out of supplies soon." Idalia had said to Louie that morning, while he laid a plate of food in front of her on the dining table.
He hummed, his focus on the phone in his hand as he paced around the dining area, then into the sitting room.
Louie had been very distracted this morning, his phone taking all of his attention.
Though Idalia had been equally distracted with her troubles, it was difficult not to notice Louie's absentmindedness. Why wouldn't she? He wasn't listening to a word she was saying. By Argon, her life and Arik's were at stake here?!
"Louie, did you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah." He looked up at her for only a brief moment, then his phone was stealing his attention once again, his fingers moving quickly over the screen, not bothering to hide that paying attention to her right now was really not a priority for him.
Such a sudden shift from the man who wanted to be her friend by all means yesterday.
Idalia's hand tightened around the fork as she wondered what must have caused his shift in attitude.
She knew his friendship offer had been an order from Mr. Lythoryn; therefore, this shift would definitely have something to do with that. Had Mr. Lythoryn sensed something yesterday? Something that had changed how he perceived her? Had he, due to that, released Louie from the shackles of a facade of friendship with her?
Her throat tightened at the thought.
This house suddenly felt so suffocating!
With how last night had turned out, she hadn't slept a wink, but had instead spent time grieving, planning her next step, and worrying about the Sanctuary.
Arik slept well, though, and had his usual breastmilk breakfast a thousand times before dawn.
His safety and good health gave her a kind of relief that she was grateful to have.
Her sweet Arik. Her understanding son, who never stressed her unnecessarily.
She had to protect him.
"Louie—— "
"Kind of busy right now, Julie." He cut her off immediately as if her voice annoyed him. "We'll talk later." Then he flashed her a smile and quickly shook his hand in a way that she could see the twin bracelets they shared around his wrist. "Need me, ring me."
He didn't reply to any of her questions after that.
That only enraged Idalia.
A drive around Echelon, or even a drive out of this mansion, would help her begin to figure out an escape route. She needed to have a knowledge of the road to figure out where places were. She had never been to Echelon before, and all she knew about this place was that they were in Boron's Estate. That had been all the information her copy of the contract could offer her about the location of this mansion.
She had tried to search the store room on her floor for a map, but she couldn't find anything of such. She couldn't outright ask Louie for a map either; that would seem suspicious.
However, she had thought asking him—— and not Mr. Lythoryn—— for a drive in the car to get some items would have been a great opportunity. It would seem like she trusted him, and their friendship scheme was working. She had also banked on how much he talked whenever he was nervous to know even more places.
But now?! Now, he wouldn't even look at her!
Her plans were going into ruins quicker than she had even come up with them!
The pictures Mr. Lythoryn had shown her yesterday had been such a jarring yank back to reality that everything was happening quickly around her, and she wasn't matching the pace of her horrid circumstances. That a world was happening out of this mansion, and she was completely in the dark, restrained by the cages of these walls and cut off from the outside.
A complete captivity.
What was happening to the Sanctuary members right now? Was Alpha Kalio still after them or had he realized that she wasn't in any place of their knowledge? What mad thing was he up to?
By Argon!
Why hadn't she thought about that before?!
Hers and Arik's disappearance wouldn't make him relent. Instead, he would do even more murderous things!
Alpha Kalio.
What could he be up to right now?!
Goodness, and there was Mr. Lythoryn.
A fast-growing pain in her neck!
What was he up to right now? Had he figured out the message on the wall? How many more clues would Mr. Lythoryn find, and how quickly would he find them?
How much time did she have left before he would figure out that everything led back to her and Arik?
The thoughts made her head ache, made her breathing difficult.
Idalia had not seen Mr. Lythoryn this morning, purposely leaving her room by some minutes to 9 am, so she could avoid him.
Like avoiding him would help her avoid all of her problems. At least, it helped her avoid Coin.
But that was about it.
Everything else kept wrecking into chaos around her.
She had been forced to take a break when she shouldn't and now —— now that Louie wasn't glued to her hip as he had been with his proposal of fake friendship yesterday —— she could actually achieve something.
Do something right now and do it fast!
——
——
Right after breakfast, Idalia began an intensive search for the prison's door.
Louie had carried her up the stairs that night, so she was certain that the door was on the ground floor.
The question was where?
She needed to find it quickly.
Getting her hands on those documents would be a step in the right direction with her plans that desperately needed a foundation to be laid upon, more information to be fleshed out into anything realistic.
Also, she had a feeling the prison might have a secret pathway that led out of the mansion. Someone like Mr. Lythoryn would have that. It was only wise.
Such a passageway could help her plan her escape route.
Furthermore, what if there was someone down there? Someone with more knowledge about this place, someone who could help her… or someone she could manipulate to her own use?
Or what if there was no one down there?
There would definitely be something there that she could use to her advantage against these humans.
A weakness of some sort.
There just has to be something!
So she pushed the wall panels and searched every space and crevice for any sign of a door, a keyhole, or anything really.
Just anything!
Louie was too busy speaking with people over the phone, so engrossed that he hadn't noticed her intensive cleaning.
His voice would filter in and out depending on how far away he was and how quickly or slowly he was pacing around.
Anytime he sounded too close, she would pause and pretend to be conducting normal cleaning.
This had been going on for more than two hours now, and it was starting to feel like hell.
Arik, being such a kind, sweet son that he was, had eaten, watched the TV, and now, he was up in the room, asleep.
Idalia's fingers were starting to hurt, her back burning, her knees tired, and her head swirling with different pessimistic thoughts.
This was leading her nowhere.
She was wasting her time.
Her heart ached with disappointment, her eyes clouding with tears of rage, at no one, not herself.
Of course, the door wouldn't be anywhere she could reach; they would make sure of that.
This was so stupid——
Click!
She froze.
Her hand applied more pressure on the loose panel, next to the fancy electric lamp, and a small circular iron slowly revealed itself.