Amaryllis

Chapter Six: Red / The Perception of an Outsider

Chapter Six: Red / The Perception of an Outsider

 

                    There was an eerie silence that had taken over the atmosphere of the room, which was then disturbed by the tapping of fingernails against the hard surface of the table. The fingernails were painted red. Their owner was a woman that appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She had long, auburn hair that cascaded upon her bare shoulders and trailed down to the middle of her back. She wore an absent-minded smile, which complemented her sharp, defined features of her medium-sized eyes and small nose. She was pretty, in every sense. Her clothing, of a designer brand, was black in colour, except for the trademark red diamond.

                    The woman was bored. And with her boredom, came a price.

                    “What do you want, Ascelin?” she asked, barely looking up at him, “I’m rather busy at the moment and you’re not helping with my mood at all.”

                    Ascelin stood at the edge of the table, and had waited patiently for the past five minutes, waiting for the woman with the red fingernails to respond to his presence. Ignoring the feelings of annoyance that he harboured, he gave a quick nod and replied: “I’ve found her – Amaryllis. She’s taken into the hospital at the left wing and I have been told to report this information to you.”

                    “Ah, I see,” the woman mused, choosing to run her fingers through the tips of her hair than to continue the tapping, “And this ‘Amaryllis’ is important because…?”

                    “Agent Bates saw it as of importance. She was found in an extremely critical condition and we’re not even sure she has the chance to survive. It was a suicide attempt, and a very good one at that. The drug taken-”

                    “What importance is this ‘Amaryllis’ girl to you?” the woman interrupted, rising up from her seat and making her way towards Ascelin. She stopped until she stood directly before him, far enough for it not be considered ‘close’, yet close enough to be able to be in Ascelin’s personal space. “Who is she to you? She must be important enough for you to actually succeed in your duties for once. You’ve brought her alive.”

                    “Barely-”

                    

                    “Do not interrupt me! Don’t. I am speaking. Answer my question, boy, who is ‘Amaryllis’? What is she to you?”

                    Ascelin glared at the woman, fuming with anger but attempting to look nonchalant. “She is my sister,” he replied coolly, “And is of great importance to me.”

                    The woman smiled an evil smile. “Of great importance she is,” she stated sarcastically, “Of great importance she is…”

                   

***

                    The hospital corridor carried the smell of anti-septic substances and other chemical-based products. The corridor itself was long, accommodating many doors that led to different rooms. The woman with the red fingernails and auburn hair paced down the main corridor, her heels producing sound loud enough for the people within the rooms to hear her steps – or would’ve been, if the rooms weren’t soundproofed.