Suspicion

I didn't hear them enter the room. How did they get into the building? Security had become considerably tighter since my USB was taken the first time, so…

"Where is it?" a woman demanded in English. She was close enough that I couldn't see who it was.

"Where is what?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. The report, where is it?"

"I must have lost it."

"You lie! You switched out the drives on purpose!"

"No, I didn't. That USB drive was the original."

"If that were true, there should have been a kind of residue from the previous save, but there was nothing."

"Then I am no longer of use to you."

"Oh, I believe you are," she sneered, letting the blade bite into my chin.

Several loud voices were heard coming down the hall and the woman left.

I could feel the blood running down my neck and seep into the collar of the shirt. Rolling off the bed, I went into the bathroom, hoping not to be dripping blood on the light tan carpeting. I had just pressed a wad of toilet paper to my chin when I heard the door open. Please, don't let that be Sapientiis.

"Sapientiis," a man called. "Temporis momentum habesne?" (Wisdom, do you have a moment?)

"Habeo. Quid..." The door closed again and I pushed the bathroom door most of the way closed with my foot. (I have. What)

I was able to get the bleeding to slow before washing it with alcohol. It burned and made my eyes water. Then I applied a few gauze pads to it, that I found in the cupboard, and used a little medical tape to hold it into place. Removing the suit coat, tie, and white shirt, I used a little hydrogen peroxide to try and get the blood out of the collar. The bathroom door slammed open behind me and as I turned, Sapientiis had his hands against my neck.

"Ineptus, Sapientiis," he muttered. (Stupid, Wisdom)

Calmly, I removed his hand. He resisted a little. "Sapientiis, bene sum. Solus parvus vulnus est." (Wisdom, I am well. It is only a small wound)

"Sed sanguis..." (But the blood...)

"Desinuit." (Has stopped)

"Quis id fecit?" (Who did it?)

"Feminam, sed quis videre non possum." (A woman, but I was unable to see who)

Sapientiis sighed.

He went into the hall and sent someone for security before coming back to the bathroom. He rested his forehead against the door frame. I touched his right cheek and turned to me. I kissed him lightly before he kissed me a little deeper. His other hand came up and rested on my neck, moving upward slightly. I pulled away.

"Bene es?" Sapientiis asked, concerned. (Are you well?)

"Bene sum. Dolet." (I am well. It hurts)

"Paenitens sum." (I'm sorry)

"Bene est," I replied, kissing him once more. (It is well)

I turned back to the shirt and got the collar to an orange color before putting it back on and the suit coat over it. Sapientiis took my tie then my hand and took me with him back to the basement. There were a lot of people and he seemed to watch everyone. He ordered one medium-sized pepperoni pizza then took it to a corner where just the two of us could sit.

"Patientia, quod lingua dixerat?" (Patience, what language did she speak?)

"English."

"Non cognosco. Te sola English dicis." (I don't understand. Only you speak English.)

"Verene?" (truly)

"Vere." (truly)

"Well, that doesn't help then, huh?"

"Quid?" (What)

"Non adiuvat." (It doesn't help)

Sapientiis shook his head.

We ate pizza before Wisdom brought me into another room with a single laptop. He brought up the records of everyone in the building and searched for English as a spoken language. Only my file came up. They knew very little about me. When he did a general search of English a few more files came up. It was about an even mix of men and women, but there were only a handful of them. To be able to read English and understand it was one thing, but to speak it and understand it was another.

It had been a woman, which left myself and two others—provided they were among our numbers here in the hotel. Selecting the two other women, a small link appeared at the bottom. The link was a thirty second segment of them speaking. Sapientiis played the two segments, pausing between each one until I nodded to let him know I was ready to hear the next one. Neither segment sounded even remotely close to the woman who had threatened me earlier.

"Est nemo." (It is no one)

"Verene?" (truly)

"Vere." (truly)

"Dum quid facere possumus?" (then what are we able to do)

"Spem non amittamus." (let us not lose hope)

"Difficilus est." (It is difficult)

"Cognosco." (I understand)

"Nunc quid?" (Now, what)

"Meum commentarius legistine?" (Will you read my report)

"Legi." (I will read it.)

I smiled and was about to kiss Sapientiis when Gloria came in.

"Sapientiis, quisquid invenis?"(Wisdom, did you find anything?)

"Nihil invenio, Gloria." (I found nothing)

She nodded and left again. I turned the laptop towards me and found Glory's file. She was only a few years older than myself and only spoke Latin. It seemed she spent a lot of time with Sapientiis. Doing a search for Latin, it looked like a majority of people spoke it. If there were so many, why is she spending so much time with Sapientiis?

"Sapientiis, Gloria tuum uxorem est?" (Sapientiis, is Glory your wife)

"Non est." (She is not)

"Dum cur tam tempus tecum agit?" (then why does she spend so much time with you)

"Ea me adiuvens," Sapientiis replied. (She is helping me)

"Quid?" (How)

"Investigato." (research)

"Et quid invenit?" (and what has she found)

"Nihil. Cur?" (Nothing. Why)

"Nil id moror." (I don't like it)

"Quid amones?" (What do you suggest?)

"Ea nihil dic," I admonished. (tell her nothing)

"Cur?" (Why)

"Gloria falsus est." (Gloria is false)

"Patientia, multo anno Gloria cognovisse." (I have known Glory for many years.)

I hung my head. I was getting angry. Something about Glory's presence set me off. Why would it do that? "It's clear you don't believe me. Why would you? You've known Glory for longer than I."

"Patientia?" Sapientiis asked. (Patience)

"Ea nihil dic," I repeated. (tell her nothing)

"Eam nihil dicam." (I will tell her nothing)

"Gratias ago." (thank you)

"Quid falsus?" (what's wrong)

"Quisquid de Gloria auxillium falsus est." (Something is wrong about Glory's help)

"Quid?" (What)

"Nescio, sed id falsus mihi sentit." (I don't know, but it feels wrong to me.)

Sapientiis nodded before turning the laptop from me. He closed the search then took me to the lobby. We sat together on one of the couches in the corner. His chin rested on my right shoulder so he could keep an eye on the room.

We sat in silence for a moment before Sapientiis, wrapped his arms tighter around my shoulders. I leaned to the side so I could see him better. He looked at me questioningly. Then I smiled and turned into him a little more.

"Quam diu scriptonem habitaes?" he asked after a moment. (How long have you been writing?)

"Quattour annos." (four years)

I leaned against him, but I couldn't help but feel that he was thinking about when he lost his sight. The silence that ensued was only broken by the occasional ding of the elevator as people came and went in and out of the lobby. I closed my eyes opened my journal. It looked like all of my events were recording themselves as the day progressed, but miniscule everyday things were left unwritten.

"Dormitne?" Gloria asked. (Is she asleep)

"Patientia?" Sapientiis asked, gently pulling my sunglasses off. (Patience)

I kept my eyes closed and my body relaxed.

"Dormit." (She's asleep)

"Inveni quatuor homines English legere possunt." (I found two people that are able to read English)

"Et?" (and)

"Vivus in quintus tabulatum sunt." (They live on the fifth floor)

"Cum eos dedistine?" Sapientiis asked. (Have you talked with them)

"Habeo. Nemo ea scit." (I have. No one knows her)

I felt Sapientiis nod.

"Sapientiis, quisquid invenisne?" (Wisdom, have you found anything)

"Nihil."(nothing)

"Scisne ubi suum commentarium est?" (do you know where her report is)

"Nescio." (I don't know)

"Tu quisquid ab me habens?" (Are you keeping something from me)

"Nihil habeo." (I hold nothing)

"Sciamne?" (let me know)

Again he nodded.

Sapientiis carefully shifted into a different position, so I was lying more fully against his chest. He moved my left hand to his shoulder and my right arm between him and the back of the couch. His hands rested just below my left shoulder. The elevator dinged and I assumed Glory had gone back to the basement.

"Cur vis scire de Patientia commentarium, Gloria? Adiuvare possumne Patientia?" Sapientiis asked softly. (Why do you wish to know concerning the report, Glory? Am I able to help Patience?)

"Potes," I muttered. (You are able)

"Patientia?" (Patience?)

I took a deep breath and pulled my left arm closer to my body. He shifted under me a little before he straightened and ran his fingers through my short blood red hair. It wasn't a very trusting of me to pretend to be asleep when Glory came, but I wasn't sure how they interacted when I wasn't around.