Chapter 6: Suspense

Angela lead Cloe to the grand hall.

It had a really long dining table with a huge glistening chandelier overhead.

"This is where we have dinner on special occasions," she told Cloe leading her through the hall Into the kitchen.

They were immediately greeted by a wonderful aroma.

"Hey Carlos, what's for dinner?" Angela called to the chef.

He was petite with long limbs that move with an effortless grace as he whisked about the kitchen.

"Let me guess... he has a French accent," Cloe thought.

"You'll see," he replied with an American accent.

"Oh.."

"Well whatever it is it smells divine," Angela said moving forward.

His eyes met mine and for an instant, I saw something that unsettled me.

His eyes were pleading.

He went back to what he was doing but his movements didn't seem as graceful as before.

She froze.

"Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me" she tried to reassure herself but the uneasy feeling did not go away.

She followed after Angela as she continued through a door that was off to one side of the kitchen.

Inside was a regular dining room. It was regular in a not over-decorated with a huge amount of space. It had a real homely feel.

Josh was already seated at the table.

He looked up when they walked in. He froze for a second, staring at Cloe.

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

There was dead silence in the room.

Then Angela erupted into hysterical laughter.

It was totally different laughter from before. It sounded forced and painful.

I didn't join in this time.

Carlos rushed in a few seconds later holding a frying pan, with an alarmed look on his face.

"What's going on in here?" he asked looking at Angela rolling on the ground.

"I don't believe my eyes..." he said when he saw Josh's expression.

Carlos slide his phone from his back pocket and took several pictures.

"If I don't have proof this happened I'll never believe this happened," he said rushing out of the room to get Evan.

Angela calmed down a few minutes later.

"I see you are in the mood for vindictive pettiness," Josh stated with a stone-cold expression with an equally cold tone.

Angela looked over at Cloe.

"It was her idea..." she said pointing at Cloe.

Cloe sat in utter cluelessness.

"What I-" she was cut off.

"And am I to believe that you had no say in it?" he said harshly staring knives in Angela's direction.

Angela chuckled.

"It wasn't my fault her clothes were in the closet..." she said taunting him.

"You shouldn't have put them there if you didn't want someone else to wear them." she continued.

"Just shows that you're still in love wi-"

"Enough!!" Josh yelled slamming his fist on the table.

The room went silent.

"Just face it Josh... she's never coming back!" Angela screamed at him.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"She my best friend too.." she whispered.

"Then how could you pull such a sick joke?" he said looking up to meet her stare.

"And laugh about it??" he demanded.

"I-" Angela couldn't finish.

"Where's Evan?" Josh asked

"I told Evan to tell you to start without us." Angela said sniffling.

"He didn't come this way" Josh said

"Then were is he?" Angela asked.

"He probably got caught up in the library again."Angela said.

"He loves to lose himself in a good book." she told Cloe who was sitting across from her.

"Well let's start then" Josh said ringing a tiny silver bell.

"Are they just going to pretend that didn't happen?" Cloe thought bewildered.

"These people are crazy"

Carlos bought in the meal setting each platter at the center of the table.

Then dinner began. Angela kept up an endless chatter about her boss at her internship.

"In simple terms, he's a pig," she said twirling her fork for emphasis.

"Give the guy a break... It's hard not to wonder what MY employees are saying about me behind my back."Josh said

"But you're a great person... sometimes," Angela said.

Josh looked over at her "Sometimes?" he said raising his eyebrows.

Cloe lost track of the conversation.

"Who's clothes am I wearing?" she thought suddenly feeling itchy.

"They had such an intense argument and now they're acting as if nothing happened..."

"Huh?" Cloe said with a slight jump.

She was caught off guard.

"Yeah...I was just asking what kind of job do you have?" Angela said.

"Oh...Um, I didn't have a job," she said looking down at her plate.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked.

"I should be asking you that"

"Yeah...I'm fine" she said smiling.

Evan walked into the room.

"May I have a word with Mr. Xavier and Ms. Angela?" he said.

"Sure," Xavier said setting down his napkin.

Angela followed them out of the room.

Cloe looked down at her food. Then she heard the door open.

It was Carlos. "Would you like dessert?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," she said.

He wheeled in a black forest cake that said "Welcome" in white frosting.

He cut a fat slice onto a plate for her.

She dug in.

"Mmm...This is good" she said around a fork full, trying to make eye contact.

"I'm glad you like it," Carlos said avoiding her gaze as he left.

He held the door as Josh and Angela walked back into the room.

Cloe didn't want to come off as being nosy so she didn't ask any questions.

*******

Xavier and Angela barely touched their dessert before they excused themselves and left in a hurry.

Cloe's eyes followed them as they left.

She sighed looking down at her half-eaten cake, their sudden mood change had suffocated her appetite.

"What if both of them are serial killers and they plan to fatten me before they kill me?" she thought spiraling.

She pushed the plate away.

"Was the cake not good Ms. Cloe?"

Cloe jumped.

She hadn't heard when Evan entered because she was caught up in her thoughts.

"No...It was wonderful," she said getting up.

"Would you like me to escort you back to your room?"

"No that won't be necessary, I can find my way," she said.

Evan nodded once and left.

"I hope I don't regret that" she thought.

******

Cloe carefully navigated her way back to her room.

She stepped inside closing the door behind her.

She was stumped.

She decided to take a shower and go straight to bed.

Halfway to the bathroom, she stopped.

"I left my dressing gown in Angela's room," she thought mentally face-palming herself.

She twirled and headed out the door.

Making her way to Angela's room. It wasn't very far from her room.

She stopped outside the door hand raised to knock.

That was when she heard the voices.

The voices were muffled by the door but she could still hear the heated conversation that was taking place inside.

She pressed her ear against the door.

"Xavier why didn't you just tell her the truth at the hospital?"

She heard Angela's voice demand.

"I couldn't, it was the only way I could get her to come with me"

"Great, how are we going to tell her?"

"We don't"

"Are you insane?! He wants to see her tomorrow!"

"Then he'll have some explaining to do... Come on Angela, it's not my place to break the news to her she would have turned tail thinking I was crazy..."

Cloe's heart started to pound.

Her knee accidentally bumped against the door.

The conversation inside stopped

Suddenly the door was yanked open and Cloe fell forward onto her face.

Peeling her face off the floor she looked up into the shocked faces of Angela and Xavier.

"How long have you been standing out there?" Xavier asked.

"Long enough to know that you two psychos are hiding something from me," she said.

"Are you guys actually serial killers?" she asked trying not to show how scared she really was.

Angela looked over at Xavier who guiltily shrugged his shoulders.

"I think we should tell her," Angela said reaching down to help Cloe who had just realized that she was still on the floor.

"No better time than now," Xavier said running his hand through his hair.

"I think you'd better sit down," Angela said leading her over to a bean bag.

Cloe sat down staring up at them.

They were both silent.

"Would you two just spill already?!" she blurted out.

The suspense was killing her.

"You do it," Xavier said stepping behind Angela which was not in any way hiding him from sight. He towered over her.

Angela inhaled deeply.

"Fine," she said letting out her breath.

"Cloe...we know who you are"