Always There

2

As far away from the door as she could get, she sat in one of the plain wooden chairs. She was wearing what was probably the first thing she found in her closet - a boring white t-shirt and some dark jeans.

She sat alone, staring blankly at the wall, only glancing over at the clock every few seconds. I took a deep breath before glancing at the clock myself and  making my way over to her.

"Wow, I can't believe it," I teased menacingly as I sat down in an identical chair across from her, "you actually came."

Lucy's hazel eyes focused on me intensely. It was a lame attempt at trying to ward off my constant sarcasm. "Trying to look intimidating, hmm?"

"Why am I here, Bella?" she asked, sidestepping my question, her voice cold and emotionless. I could see her effort to try to subdue me was still going. 

"Oh, just stop already. It's not going to work," I teased, rolling my eyes with a cruel smile on my face. 

Lucy sighed and looked at me with exasperation, "What do you want, Bella? I don't have time for this." She was concealing her slight fear/nervousness with a curtain of indifference. An untrained eye couldn't see through it, but I could.

All the telltale signs were there.

She obviously had come in a rush, an escape from something. The way her hair was ruffled told me she had been running her hands through it, meaning a troubling situation. Lucy wasn't the type to back away from a challenge, though, and my text had clearly stated just that.  So, I decided to end the teasing and get to my point, the reason I asked her to come here.

"The only reason, my dear, that I invited you here, is to give you this." I reached into the plastic grocery bag that was lamely sitting on the linoleum floor. Out of it I pulled a small black box, faux velvet on the outside, almost looking like a jewelry box. 

Slowly I slid it across the table to her, her eyebrow raising, and I knew I had surprised her. That was my intent. But before she could open it, her hand millimeters away from opening it, I interrupted her.

"Ah, ah, ah," I said, the amusement obvious in my voice, "don't open it until I tell you to."

Lucy stared at me, her eyes cold and calculating. "When will that be?" she asked, her composure regained, the hint of curiosity that had been in her eyes gone. Her flat, emotionless tone added, "And what makes you think I would listen to you?"

"Oh, you will. That is, if you value your little boring assistant. Paige, I believe."

"Penny," she retaliated, her voice still devoid of emotion other than a tiny bit of irritation. "Now, when?"

"Oh, when the time is right, you'll know. But, I can guarantee you that I will know exactly when you open that box, and if it's before I give the word, Pansy will just have to suffer the consequences. The consequences of your bad, bad decision-making and self-control." I smiled at her, and I could tell she believed every word that escaped my lips. I had messed up Penny's name on purpose that time, just because I could see annoyance flare up behind her calm exterior.

"You're going to kill her?" Lucy questioned, skeptical. 

"Oh no, no, no. You underestimate me, Lucy. That would be much too simple. You know I'm not one for simplicity.  The consequences will make her beg to just be killed. Do you understand me?" I hadn't really decided on what would happen to Penny if she did open the box, I just knew I could scare her into not doing so.

I knew that by now, Lucy's interest had definitely sparked. "Yes, Bella," she acknowledged, "whatever you say." 

"Glad we agree," I grinned, the smile not spreading to my emotionless eyes. Now that I had accomplished my task, I arose from the hard wooden chair. The cafe was beginning to fill with customers, seeing as the time was inching closer to a normal worker's lunchtime.  The buzz of people talking, high and low voices intermingling, covered up what I did next, not a single person paying either Lucy or me any attention.