Chapter 18:Goldm
Isabelle awoke to the gentle clinked dishes as Sienna set a breast try on the table by the window. The view from the window was incredible, but she could barely notice it now with her sleepy eyes, Sienna, calm and composed as ever, pre a respectfulnod.
“Goodmoming, Miss Isabelle, “Simma said with a slight bow of her head, placing a teacup by a plate of fruit and pastries.
Isabelle offered a small smile in return. “Goodmorning, Sienna” She pamed, then glanced at the empty seat across from her. “Would you join me for breakfast today?!
Sina’s composure waweed ever so slightly, her brows knitting in steprise before she resumed her calm demeanor. “Of course, Miss Isabelle.” She took a seat opposite arranging her napkin with her anal precision. They began eating, the soft claws of their locks alling the room in a comfortablesilence.
After Alewhites, Isabelle looked up, het espression growing serines. “Stemma, Lknow you’re more than just the messenger in this house. You understand a lot more than 1 de about what’s going on here. Can you tell me anything? Even just a hint?’”
Sienna’s gaze softened, and she looked down at her treas though combleting her words. “Miss babelle,” she began, her voice low and steady, “there are things here in Sicily That are not as they seeu”
Bubelle vabel, sessing she was finally about to hear something clove to the truth.
Sienna continued, “as this place, some things are truths, and others arelles. Juud it’s often up to you to decipher which is which.” She met tabelle’s eyes with a strange, guarded expression. “ilere, knowledge is both power and burden, and those who seek kodien find themselves in dangerous territory.”
Are you saving that asking questions will get me hurt? belle asked, browning.
Sienna’s pane flickered. “Sometimes, asking the right questions is more dangerous thin hearing the answers.” She paused, letting the words sink in. “Not everyone in this house would be so forgiving it they knew you were searching for certain truths.”
habelle swallowed hard but nodded, her frustration mbing with unease. “The.Something is going on. And everyone’s just pretending it’s normal.”
“Sienna’s lips pressed into a thin line, and she seemed to choose her next words carefully. “Pretending, Miss Isabelle, is often easier than facing the harsh reality. Here, we wear
masks because, sometimes, those masks are all that keep us safe.”
Isabelle shook her head, the frustration bellding up. “But don’t I deserve to know what’s happening around me? Why am the only one who’s left in the dark?”
Sienna remained silent, her expression imreadable tabelle could tell she wanted to smer but was held back by some unseen force, aboundary she dared not cross
After a long silence, Isabelle sighed. “rine. I guess I’ll just have to figure things out myself.” She gave Simina a grated smile, even as her heart chumed with confusion and resentment. “Thank you, Skenna. I think understand, in away.”
Siona nodded, her gaze lingering on Isabelle for a moment longer before she rose from her seat. “Please be caretel, Miss Isabelle. Here in Sicily, some stones are better left unharmed “With that, she gathered the dishes and left dieroom.
As soon as Sienna had left, abelle felt a surge of determination. Il Sima was hinting at hidden truths, Isabelle was more convinced than ever that she needed answers. She retrieved the card Dawn had given her from her bag and glanced at the address. She couldn’t trust anyone here to tell her the whole story, but Dawn might be different
A short while koer, Isabelle lent the house, slipped into a cab, and headed toward the cat where she had first met Dawn. She tried in focus on the passing scenery, but her mind was restless, replaying Senna’s words over and over.
The cab wound its way through narrow streets and busting marketplaces, the nose and chatter of the city a stark contrast to the quiet tension brewing within her. She wandered what exactly she was stepping into. Sienna’s vague warmings were enough to give her pause, but Isabelle was already too far down the path to turn back. She couldn’t simply ignore the strange undercurrents in this place.
As they reached a quieter part of the city, the cab slowed to a halt at a red light. Isabelle gazed absently out the window, her attention drawn to a shadowy alleyway a short distance away. At first, she thought it was empty, but as her eyes adjusted, she noticed a group of dark figures gathered in the shadows.
Instinctively, Isabelle leaned forward, trying to get a better look without drawing attention to herself. The men were surrounding someone on the ground, their fists rising and Falling in brutal, rhythmic motions. The sounds of dull, sickening thuds echoed dainty through the alley
Horrified, Isabelle’s firstinstinct was to intervene, but she forced herself to stay hidden, crouching behind a nearby trash bin. Her heart raced as she peered around the comer, watching the scene unfold. She could feel her pulse pounding in het temples, her breath quickming as she realized the man on the ground wasn’t merely being beaten–he was being punished.
The man on the ground, bloodied and barely able to his head, suddenly casped out, or the case for the cause.” His voice was defiant, filled with an unshakable belief in what was pledging his loyalty to. He wasn’t begging for his life he was declaring his allegiance, even in the face of death.
One of the figures, who seemed to be leading the group, stepped forward and withdrew something from his coat Isabelle’s breath hitched as a glint of gold caught the dim light- apistol, gleaming finish unmistakable. The man held the weapon with a deadly calm, his posture radiating authority,
Tabelle’s hands shock as she watched, rooted to the spot. She wanted to cry out, to scream for help, but something in her gut told her to stay silent, to hide. Her mind was racing. her vision narrowing as she focused on that single, horrifying image of the golden pistol
The man with the gunited it, aiming at the bloodied figure on the ground. Isabelle fella stream rising in her throat, but it was trapped there, locked by her own terror. Her body felt for legs numb and ess
The man on the ground looked up at his executioner, defiant to the “For the cause, he whapered, his voice carrying a strength that belied his batted state. And then, i single gunshot spit the air, echoing through the alley.
Isabelle slapped hand over her mouth, heres wide with shock as the figure crumpled, his last words lingering in the sce. The group of men turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the body behind.
Her mind was reeling she hadn’t be able to see their faces clearly, but that glint of gold–that pistol was etched into her memory with brutal clarity. Whoever these men were, they were not the kind to show mercy.
Once she was sure they were gone, belle forced herself to stand, stumbling away from the alley. She could barely process what she had witnessed, the brutal violence, the defiant last words of the man. These What was the causal
She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself, but the image of the golden pistol kept flashing in her mind.
The weight of what she had witnessed pressed down on her, leaving her sluken and uncertals. She quickly made her way back to the main street, her steps unsteady and lagged down passing cab. She didn’t dare look back at the alley as she climbed into the cab, her hands still trembling.
