Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

Trudy picks up a basket and leads me down the corridor.

We walk out the doors, into the sunlight.

The sun is bright.

I squint against the glare.

Trudy guides me, firmly, leading me to the riverbank. To my destination.

There are wooden steps leading down to the water's edge.

The water looks inviting.

It looks like freedom.

I know it is not.

The water is only a mirage.

Blinding me.

Luring me.

Trudy puts down the basket. There is a white towel and some clothe inside. She pulls them back to reveal a knife hidden underneath the towel.

I gasp. My heart beats harder.

"What is that for?" I ask.

She smiles at me. "I have my instructions."

"Instructions?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "If you try to run, I am to kill you."

I am too shocked to speak.

She takes out a knife and holds it to my throat.

"See?" she trills. "Just like this."

She is crazy, I realize.

As crazy as Lucius.

Perhaps everyone in the mansion is.

I try not to show any fear.