To Love in Full

Chapter 3: Dépaysement

Dépaysement (n.) When someone is taken out of their own familiar world and into a new one.

Arabella's P.O.V.

The museum was still; the paintings and sculptures had gone into a deep slumber, restoring their beauty throughout the closing hours of the night. Only our tremulous breaths could be heard as our eyes scanned the many galleries, searching for the hidden presence amongst us. What I once thought was a beautiful statue, was now a dark, grim silhouette, who stepped into the spotlight of the moon and revealed itself as a violent man.

He had suddenly reached out towards the artwork surrounding him, smashing delicate pieces against the ground and tearing paintings from their frames. The artworks, which have served as a source of inspiration and creativity for others, have now become his own personal pleasure of destruction, and my greatest nightmare.

This man is in need of medical attention, he is mentally ill.

"Alexander, you need to stop him before he hurts himself," I said in a whisper as I flinched hearing another statue shatter into pieces.

"Stand behind me, Arabella," he said with his eyes and gun focused on the deranged madman.

Suddenly, at the sound of our voices, the man directed his attention towards us, and I placed my hand over Alexander's shoulder, gripping his jacket, wanting to pull us back, away from this lunatic's line of sight.

"Where is it?" the man yelled out, releasing a vase from his ruinous hands.

"Tell me where it is!" he demanded while scowling at us.

I stood in complete shock, not understanding what the museum could possess that this man was in dire need of. As his growing impatience grew more terrorizing, he reached for a gun in the waistband of his pants and fired multiple shots into the air, forcing Alexander and I to take cover behind a stone column.

"We need to call someone. We need to call the police," I gasped frantically.

"The police will not help us here, Arabella," he spoke calmly and unloaded his gun, counting the bullets that remained.

I looked at him in bewilderment with tears streaming down my face. His words were of the same irrational degree as the madman's actions, and I feared for my life as I now felt alone in this troubling situation.

Unexpectedly, the shrill of tires screeching outside of the building had pulled me away from my dreadful thoughts. I placed a shielding hand in front of my eyes as the bright headlights from the cars pierced through the windows and illuminated the interior of the museum, forcing the unsettling shadows to go into hiding.

We are being surrounded. Panic rose within me at the sound of car doors slamming shut, but Alexander acted as if this was just another ordinary evening of his life. He muttered words of frustration to himself, and protectively stood before me as a group of men barged through the entrance doors.

I stood on the tips of my toes and peered over Alexander's shoulder, seeing that this new group had weapons of their own. Their sharp-eyed glares landed on the two of us, but they soon diverted their attention to the crazed madman, who was now shouting harsh words in Italian.

"Figlio di puttana!" The madman raised his gun once more, but before he could pull the trigger, a gunshot rang through the air. I watched with horror as the man took his last breath before collapsing and joining his scattered mess along the ground.

"Get this body out of here," a man from the group spoke and redirected his glare towards us.

"She has nothing to do with this," Alexander defended and held out his arm in front of my trembling body.