Roots

Roots - Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Shadows

Four hours later I was walking in almost complete darkness besides the streetlights that lined the paths throughout the park.  My eyes kept searching left and right, back behind me, and then trying to see further up ahead as I looked at each statue I came across until I finally came to the center of the park where a great big statue that read “The Guardian” in Russian stood. The Guardian was a tall man made out of bronze that held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.  It reminded me a lot of what a roman soldier would’ve looked like in the move Gladiator, except something about the man seemed to change as I looked at him more closely.  His facial features were more Russian looking, and I began to wonder, just who was this Guardian?

I don’t know how many minutes passed, but I felt like I was waiting forever.  My heart was beating so fast, as every noise caught my attention, every movement of the shadows of the trees or of animals made me jump slightly.  Gosh, why was I so stupid to come out here?  I should’ve listened to Mandy and Eric and just stayed back at the manor. I said to myself as I let out a sigh while thinking back to how I had successfully snuck out of the manor. 

During the entire dinner my mind was consumed with thoughts about the letter, and wondering who it was from and should I even go?  I had gotten strange looks from almost everyone at the table, and when Ros, Mr. Poloski, and Count Dubrov all asked me what was wrong, I would simply say that I was tired from today’s events, which was true.  However, it wasn’t until I told everyone that I wished to retire to my room early after dinner that Mandy and Eric caught up with me, asking me for the truth.

“Lisa, we know you a lot better than them, and sure you may be tired, but what’s really going on?” Mandy asked as she stood outside in the hallway that connected our rooms.  I looked over at Eric, who was listening intently.  Finally with a giving up sigh, I brought them in my room and shut the door, revealing the letter that I had been given.

“So, who is this from?” Mandy asked as she handed it over to Eric.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I have a guess, and I must go.  I have to see him.” I said as I grabbed my jeans and a black shirt and a jacket and went into my ensuite bathroom to change.

“Lisa, you can’t be serious. I mean you are way smarter than this and haven’t you seen plenty of movies where the girl goes to meet up with a no name letter and she gets killed or kidnapped? No you aren’t going just because you think Marc sent you this letter.” Eric said as gave Mandy the letter again.

“And besides, what makes you think it is Marc, what if it’s Victor or someone else? I mean Lisa, did you even really think about all of this. And another thing, if it is Marc, which I don’t think it is, then why would you even go meet up with him?” Mandy included as Eric as finishing up his sentence.  I knew everything that they were saying…I had thought about all the possibilities, but something inside of me was saying that it was Marc, however there was a little thing that was causing me doubt.  If it was Marc, and he sent me the letter here, then did he know my secret?  How did he know that I was staying here? I thought as I looked down at the letter in my hands that Mandy and just handed back to me.

“I know yall, but I can’t explain it, I just feel like I need to go.” I said as I looked at them with honesty in my eyes.