The chair scraped against the carpeted floor, not loud but the cocooning silence made it seem so harsh against the muted ears. Perhaps the beginning of the dramatic events that were supposedly lined up next. A siren, a red flag, a blow of a whistle as my captor refused to match my eyes while taking the seat opposite to me. The third one still empty and unoccupied.  I wanted it to be Liza. I wanted to believe it was going to be Liza but of course it won't be. It will be a good sign if it wasn't Liza because then it would mean that they didn't know about my secret knowledge. Needless to say the obvious, this night would have turned out to be more deadly than it already was. Sometimes I really wonder if I am stupid. Too dumb and foolish to realize the obvious. A disappointment. Probably the reason why I may never make it out of here. How could I not realize that the third seat would be for the third person living in this house. A living, breathing, annoying and cal

The touch of pins and needles against my palm felt good. A sensation of pain as my palms pressed against  the chilled marble counter top, waiting,  as I looked up through the window and up above in the night sky. Wisps of grey clouds hid the stars but not too condensed enough to impede the glow of the moon as it shined like it usually does even if a little dim right now.  A deliberate noise of a step reverberated behind me. Too close and near than I expected and was prepared for, as my heart lurched a beat, making me close my eyes after to compose myself before I faced the devil whom I summoned. I could feel him waiting and relishing the thick tension in the air as I exhaled loudly and turned around.  Blinded by the sudden change of light, the shine of the moon to the darkness inside the kitchen, I almost couldn't see anything except for the light brown sweater he was wearing and my dim shadow upon it. I looked up and there it was, pools of green

I was holding a knife. A blunt, serrated, steel knife with a smooth shiny surface. My reflection a slight blur on top of it, as it glinted in the bright kitchen. Sunlight streamed in through the glass panes of the windows, a nostalgic warmth that I didn't know I would miss so much. The normality of the situation as well, as I dragged the cold knife against the smoking hot pancakes to cut a more manageable piece that I could chew inside my mouth. The taste of it melting against my tongue like the butter it was smeared in. A perfect balance of sweetness and texture. The clatter of knives and forks was the only thing that kept the silence dead in the kitchen and the whole house. The lively noise that made the atmosphere seem like it is dwelt in, otherwise the lack of Ivan and his nosiness wouldn't have been distinguishable as it was most of the time. This was a change from the mundane routine and I couldn't help but confess that I liked it more in comparison to being shut in th

I don't get it. Even though I was used to the sudden rush of unknown and shocking pieces of puzzles that didn't really fit together, it still didn't master me enough to understand the inner workings of these two men. Their actions so insensible at first sight, but their true intentions masked so expertly that I doubt I would ever be able to decipher it all at the end. If at all there was one, that is. The clatter of the forks against the white ceramic plates kept the silence in between me and Dimitri less awkward. It was a perfect alibi or rather a common one to not have a conversation with him. If I could, I would have finished the food sitting on my plate as quickly as possible, but the nagging feeling of him not letting me retire to my room so easily was plausible. He liked doing activities after dinner, and I wasn't ready yet to get occupied by anything else except the newly acquired knowledge that Ivan was not in the house. Not behind the walls as I thought he was.

The distorted red reflection in the wine glass stared at me dauntingly as I tried my best to ignore the strict gaze from a set of green eyes. A vastly contrasting drink in his hand, a steaming mug of coffee, the scent of which was enough for me to understand that it was dairy free and strong enough to keep anyone awake throughout the night. Everything was so quiet and silent that I was afraid to make any movement that might draw his attention towards me. Not that I needed to do anything at all but with every move I did make, he unravelled me more with his knowing eyes. Like a secret he knew that even I was not aware of. I was made to sit on the enormous sofa all alone while he sat on the couch, with not a word in the air, only the crackle of fire keeping the silence dead in the animated night outside. Snow pelted softly and glistened in the dim light that the fire cast through the glass doors which rattled now and then when the wind knocked against it. But I couldn't