17 Ella

My eyes flutter open, my eyelids feeling like lead over my eyes.

I feel a sharp pain behind my eyes and as I lift my head off the pillow, I feel light-headed.

"Lena, don't over-exert yourself.", a woman's voice says, urging me to lay back down on the bed.

I blink, confused by where I am. This isn't my bed. I look around to find an unfamiliar setting while my eyes adjust to the bright fluorescent light. A woman with short brunette hair looks at me, her eyes wide with concern.

"Who are you?" I mumble.

"Oh, dear.", she exclaims with worry. "I think the poor girl is concussed pretty severely.", she says turning to another woman, who I then register as my Mother.

"Mo..", I say, my mind fuzzy.

"Lena, listen to her. Rest for a while, I'll come to get you in a bit.", Mother says.

I nod, mumbling something that I couldn't comprehend. The woman approaches me and injects some fluid into my body.

I slip into oblivion for the second time today.

******************************

19th September 1970

Saturday

I wake up, refreshed from one of the best night's sleep I've had.

I yawn and stretch my body, the crisp countryside air cool against my skin. Mother sleeps on a couch beside me, her long dress bunching up around her knees. She looked peaceful and happy, as opposed to what she usually looks like, grumpy and angry.

She almost looked beautiful like this.

I sigh heavily as I recount yesterday's series of events.

I still haven't found the papers. But at least I know for sure that it's here. How the hell am I going to figure out where it is? I looked everywhere.

I can't keep putting off this anymore. I can't keep ignoring the fact that the deadline is nearing. I can't risk anyone close to me go through that sort of pain again. This is so frustrating. My head in my hands, I mutter in frustration, trying to console my nerves. I get the strong urge to puke despite not eating at all for almost an entire day.

I wrench the needle patch that was connected to my arm, the pain feeling almost pleasant. I suppress the urge to puke and begin pacing the room, ensuring that I am silent for I didn't want to wake Mother up. The only possible way I can get the papers before we leave today is by asking Mother directly. But now that I think about it, I doubt even she knows. She kept asking her father where the papers were.

Things just keep getting worse and worse by the second and I can do nothing to stop it.

Should I just wing it and ask grandfather for the papers? But what if he does try something with me? Given his history, I wouldn't be surprised but it would be an unpleasant experience regardless.

I sigh, knowing that this is the only way I can get my hands on that damned paper. I could use the fact that he's sick to get to the paper, or maybe even threaten to cut off his medicine supply to do so.

Wait, should I stoop that low? Doesn't this go against a LOT of my moral principles? Lena, I doubt you have to go to such extents to get a measly paper. Maybe ask him civilly?

Of course, that's how I'll begin bargaining. But I bet on my pinky toe that he won't budge. Even if I pull the "I'm your granddaughter" card, he'd probably still refuse. Besides, he refused to give his daughter the papers, what guarantees that he would hand it over to me just like that?

Mother stirs in her sleep and she slowly wakes up, blinking multiple times as her eyes adjust to the morning light. She yawns widely, her pearly whites glinting.

Oh, wait. I could get the help of the woman. You know, the girlfriend?

She looked the opposite of miserable, almost even happy while talking about her boyfriend's sickness. Surely she has some sort of grudge against him? Or maybe she's also looking for the papers?

Wait, this could work. This could actually wor-

"Lena, how are you? Are you okay? Do you need something to eat? Or perhaps a drink?" Mother says, her voice high-pitched with concern.

I shake my head lightly, my mind processing the details of my plan. If my suspicions are indeed true, I could get away with this. I just pray that luck is on my side today and that the woman, Eloise, hates that man just as much as I do.

I walk to the door, the lock rattling under my hands as I try to prise it open.

"Lena, it is locked! Where do you want to go at such an early hour?" Mother says, slightly getting annoyed.

"Mother, I think I might have gotten my monthly cycle. Maybe that is why I fainted. I must have forgotten to take my iron supplements.", I say, the lie slipping off my tongue easily.

"Oh, dear! I don't think we have the appropriate-" She says, before I cut her off, "Don't worry Mother, I'll sort things out myself."

She nods fearfully as if scared that I might faint before her eyes again. She slowly unlocks the door, her hands trembling while doing so. Her knuckles are white with the abnormal amount of strength she's gripping the lock. She twists the knob and the door opens slowly, creaking in its process. Before I leave, Mother grips my forearms tightly and says, "I know you heard everything yesterday. Be careful.", she says cautiously. "And stay away from that man.", she spits with obvious hatred towards her father.

I nod and her grip loosens around my arm, letting me go. I stumble down the hallway, sluggish from whatever medicine the woman injected into my body. I assume she's a nurse, given her extensive knowledge about first aid. Either that or they called in a doctor to help me.

Either way, I hope Eloise can help me.

Now that she warmed up to me, or at least seemed like she did, I think she'll consider lending me a hand. If she doesn't I'd have to do things alone. That's not something that I want, especially when I know that I don't stand a chance against that man.

I could always physically force him to tell the truth, but I don't think it's going to work in this scenario. He could collapse under my fingers. His death is the last thing that I want, especially when he is the ONLY one who knows where the papers are. If he dies-

I gulp in heavily, my heart thudding. His survival is of my utmost priority. Or else, I'd be back to square one, being left with no clue as to where the wretched papers are.

I go searching for Eloise under the pretense that I need menstrual products from her. That will give me an excuse to talk to her, and maybe even convince her to join hands with me. After all, she has nothing to lose.

I check almost every room on the first floor and much to my surprise she's nowhere to be found. Isn't that the only place where the bedrooms are?

I walk downstairs, calling out her name, praying that she's home. If she had gone out, it's the end of things for me. If she's not home, I won't have enough time to investigate. My heart begins thumping loudly in my chest, my body temperature rising steadily.

What if she's not home? What if she's not ready to help me? What if I misread her and she is actually in love with that terrible man? What if she joins hands with that man instead?

I desperately need her help.

I begin calling out for her loudly, almost screaming. She finally shows up from a turning, her eyes glossy, as if she had been crying.

Uh oh, this does not look good.

"Hi, Lena.", she hiccups. "What brings you downstairs? Are you better now?" she asks, genuinely concerned for my well-being.

I cannot lie, it feels wonderful to be cared for.

"Yeah, Ella. I am much better, thanks to you. It was you right? The one who cared for me?" I ask.

"Yes, Lena. We were all so worried that something was wrong with you. Thankfully it was just an empty stomach.", she says. "Or maybe your iron deficiency. Your Mother mentioned it to me earlier.", she adds as an afterthought.

My fib was actually what happened to me? The irony.

I snort at the situation, finding it funny for no particular reason.

"What's so funny, Lena?" she asks, confused.

"No, it's nothing.", I say. "Ella, I was meaning to ask you something. Could you perhaps.." I trail off, embarrassed. "Could you perhaps lend me some of your menstrual products?" I whisper, face turning scarlet.

"Oh, of course! You should've asked me sooner. Come on.", she says, leading me somewhere deeper into the house. I follow her, one narrow corridor after another. I lose track of where we're going, blindly following Eloise.

"In here.", she says, leading me into a spacious laboratory.

"All of this is for you?" I ask, amazed by the variety of medicines and types of equipment in the room This was almost bigger, and definitely ten times better than my family doctor's office.

"Haha yes, Lena. I am a local nurse here. I take care of a few of our neighbors at a cheaper cost than the hospital that's across town. It's not much, but I make enough for both I and Jonas to survive.", she says sadly.

Why is she sad?

"Hey, Ella, are you okay?" I ask, genuinely concerned for her.

"I um.." she trails off, her voice trembling with emotion. "I am.." she begins, but she breaks off, sobbing with all her might.

"Truth to be told, I'm not, Lena.", she sniffs. "I feel pathetic you know, crying for no reason. Being so weak.", she sobs. I move to comfort her, hugging her awkwardly.

I'm not the best at consoling people okay? At least I tried.

"Shhh...It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?" I ask softly. "I uh..." she starts. "I don't like Jonas, to be honest.", she says.

I fucking knew it. I smirk inwardly at my small victory.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a sweet old man." My ass. "But his demeanor changes quickly whenever he's had one of his drinks. Whenever he loses his temper he-" she chokes up, her voice thick with emotion. "He hits me.", she says.

You poor thing.

"It's okay I am a strong girl, I can take it. But that's not the only thing. He keeps begging me to marry him, which I have no interest in doing. He keeps threatening that he'd kill my parents otherwise.", she says, tears falling down her cheeks. "I thought that all of his words are just empty threats, but I was wrong.", she says.

"The man somehow managed to injure my little sister. She is five. That heartless man broke the girl's legs, to the point that she can't run anymore. SHE IS A CHILD!" she yells, still in pain from the incident. I feel myself tear up, her story terrifying. She has gone through so much, all because of that terrible old man.

"If only he stopped there.", Ella says, sniffing. "He continued to maim and torture me, both physically and mentally. He threatened to cut off my resources and kept saying that the only reason I am a nurse is due to his kindness. Kindness? A kindness that I pay monthly rent for? Yeah right", she says with contempt.

"I know I have no choice but to patiently count off his numbered days. I made sure that this surgery weakened him, even if not by much. I wanted to.." she says, her voice breaking. "I've wanted to kill him multiple times.", she manages to say, choking on thin air.

I console her, my arms tightening around her torso. She relaxes in my arms, grateful to be comforted.

"I thought I was a terrible person for thinking such cursed thoughts. I still do think I am terrible, you know? What sort of girlfriend gets murderous thoughts towards her sick boyfriend?", she says sadly, her voice much more steady.

"You weren't in the wrong, Ella. You were wronged.", I say softly. I pray that no woman has to endure such torture. Especially under the hands of that old prick.

"I know, Lena, I know.", she wails. "I know that I am not at fault, But I couldn't bring myself to just kill him with my bare hands! That would make me no better of a person than he is.", she says.

She does have a point.

But if I were her, I could never manage to stop my emotions from taking over me. I could never let that man get away with torturing a literal child.

A newfound respect for Ella manifests in my chest, warm and comforting. She's a nice person after all. I misjudged her at first, and I regret it.

We sit like this for a while, my hands around her body, her head on my shoulder. I remain guilty for being rude to her at first, for no particular reason. After a while, I manage to muster up the courage to say, "I am sorry, Ella. I am sorry for being a bitch to you earlier.", I say, remorsefully.

"It's okay, Lena. I would've judged myself harshly if I were in your place too.", she says, glancing up at my face. I nod slowly, my heart feeling lighter. My guilt eases tremendously and now I begin executing my plan, confident that she'll listen to me.

"Hey, Ella. I was thinking earlier about what Mother told me. Turns out, there's a huge mine that belongs to Mother. But that boyfriend of yours hid it somewhere, probably somewhere in this house. Mother is in terrible distress about it. So I was wondering if you could help me get my hands on it?" I ask, tentatively.

I didn't mean my words to come off so messily. I probably make no sense to her. As I begin overthinking, I witness my words sinking into her mind. I could almost see the cogs moving in her brain as she considers my suggestion.

"Lena, I would love to help you. You've spent so long comforting me, listening to my woes. It is given that I should pay you back.", she says, smiling at me. She sits up straight and says, "But what will we do? Do you have a plan?" she asks, her eyes round with excitement.

YES!

She agreed to my plan readily. She didn't even hesitate.

I think I'm glad that I made a new friend today.

I am ever so grateful for it, and that's not just because she agreed to help me out. She truly is a wonderful person and has gone through so much, just because she thought she was in love.

"Okay, so um..." I clear my throat. I carefully explain things to her, about my dire situation, about Mr. Val, about Elijah, and Jess. She looks at me with pity in her eyes, intently listening to every word of mine. She then smiles at me and says, "Your age is your most prized possession. Don't let a bunch of money-driven crooks ruin it.", sympathy pouring out through each syllable.

"Thank you, Ella. Thank you for listening to me and for agreeing to help me. I'm truly so grateful!" I say, meaning every word.

This might be the first time that I've ever found a true friend.

We make a plan, one detailed and intricate. That man is not a fool and is to not be messed with. But given my situation, it's of utmost importance that we do this. Despite it being slightly [keyword being "slightly"] illegal, it's our best and only way. If we mess up, we mess up for good.

Ella will be stuck here forever, while I'll be counting down the seconds to my death.

That's something neither of us wants.

We work our way upstairs, waiting for the clock to strike five. That's when we'll make our first move.

After an hour or so, the hour hand finally moves to the number five, the sounds of the bell ringing music to my ears. We have been waiting for this for way too long.

Impatient and anxious, I wait for Ella to show up, my hands clammy with nerves. I keep looking towards the stairs, the railing of the first landing shaking due to my jittery fingers. She finally shows, decked in jewelry and makeup.

She looked like an absolute goddess.

Her green eyes were brought out by the emerald pendant she wore, her eyes rounded with kohl. She smiles at me tentatively, and I smile back, stunned by her beauty. She climbs up the stairs, dragging behind her the routine medicines that she feeds her boyfriend. Or, her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.

I watch petrified as she approaches the old man's door. I could almost swear that I saw her hands tremble with nervousness. She adjusts her dress and looks at me hesitantly. I reassure her, showing a thumbs up, indicating that we'll be fine. She nods nervously and walks in, her beautiful face the last thing I see before I begin doing my part of the plan.

I wait anxiously, as ten minutes pass then twenty. Upon hearing no raised voices from inside, my fright further increases as I begin considering the possibility that she might be dead. [I overthink quite a lot]

Maybe I'll enter before my cue. I can't bear losing another friend of mine. Just as I reach out to touch the cold door-knob, Ella screams. Here's my cue.

I storm in, anger dotting my vision. The old man stands there, his palms raised as if he was going to hit her. He begins laughing upon seeing me and says, "Oh look who you've brought along with you, Eloise. Quite a surprise! Come on in, sit down on the bed for me dear.", smiling creepily.

I shudder, despite the room being warm. This man seriously gives me the chills. However, I manage to maintain a straight face, knowing that my vulnerability is his opportunity.

I grab his walking stick, well aware that he won't get intimidated by it. I sit next to him, on the bed, just like he suggested. Except I sit straight, just like how Mother taught me. I could feel him getting slightly nervous, the atmosphere shifting ever-so-slightly.

Good, things are working in our favor.

"So where were we, Jonas? Continue yammering about how my sister's life can be saved if I marry you. Please do enlighten me, kind sir.", Ella says boldly.

"Yes, please! I'd love to hear more about your capabilities, grandfather.", I say, making a sour face as I enunciate the word "grandfather".

"Listen here you little brats, you are not going to mock me in my household.", the old man screams. He then goes on to have a coughing fit, his lungs being unable to take the exertion.

I glance at Ella and we both share a look before bursting out laughing.

I have a feeling that this is going to be real fun.