A Foreboding Allure

Chapter 1 - Part IV

Notes From the Author: Alrightyyy so I want to apologize for the super-long gap between parts 3 and 4 but this one is the longest part so far so I hope it makes up a little for my absence. Also, this was written during JulNoWriMo (a novel writing "contest" where you write 50,000 words in one month) and editing isn't priority for most JulNo writers so if you could kindly look over any poorly written sentences, spelling or grammatical errors that would be amazing. LOL. =]

I've got some really sweet comments on the last few parts, lots of reads and several votes so let's keep it up ya'll! You guys are the ones that keep me motivated.

Thanks for reading && I hope you enjoy this next part!

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They stared at each other for a moment, then Nadia walked over to me and unlocked my shackles and released me from my chains. "Come." she said "And no, you won't be able to escape" Nadia added, confirming my fears as she and Lorenzo walked out of the cellar.

She didn't wait for me, insist on walking with me, or turn back to look once she and Lorenzo had left the dungeon. I stood there, stunned. Unable to move. "What the hell is going on?" I wondered, bewildered. Somewhere in the darkness, a rat screeched and I was brought back to my senses. Quickly, I ran from the celler and out the door. Nadia was waiting outside the door on a stone staircase, alone.

"Well there you are!" she exclaimed with her faux smile. "I'd thought perhaps you gotten lost." Nadia chucked at her humor as she climbed the stone stairs. "Now I know what you're thinking. All of your questions will be answered sooner or later, so save your breath...you may find soon that you don't have quite enough when you need it."

I followed in silence up the stairs. It was like she spoke in riddles. She frightened me and I wasn't even quite sure why. Nothing made sense anymore.

The stairs leveled off and she veered off down another stone corridor, stopping when we reached a large set of wooden doors. Nadia gave a gentle shove and the doors glided open, quietly as a whisper. She turned to look at me, her black eyes catching my own for a moment. Her expression was unreable and I'm sure mine was as well since I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to be thinking. The past twelve hours seemed like something straight out of a nightmare. I was just waiting for the guilotine or hangman's noose to appear out of nowhere.

"Come on, dear." Nadia said, placing a hand on my back. "This is the servants quarters, where you'll be staying for the time being." She dropped her hand, and disappeared out into the hall, the doors closed slowly behind her.

The servants quarters were rather bare. "Quarters" didn't really seem to be a fitting word. It was one extremely large room with cold stone floors, and grey, dreary, stone walls. In the far corner, ten or so rusty cots were chained in rows to the wall. To my left, a small wash basin, chamber pot, and a cabinet that held a few dirty rags sat solemly. Tattered rugs were placed under a few tilted wire chairs in the middle of the room. If this was where I supposed to spend the rest of my hours, it would truely be a dismal death. I felt truely alone, more so than I had felt in my entire life of being alone. My head began to spin, and I felt sick to my stomach. Dragging my feet to the nearest cot, I collapsed upon it in a fit of silent tears. I was soon asleep.

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"Hey! You! Wake up!" a stern male voice said. I ignore the voice for as long as I could but soon I felt a rough nudge, as if I was being kneed in the back. I groan and sat up. My eyes were swollen from the tears I had shed and it took a moment for my vision to adjust. My waker was a young man, probably two or three years my senior. He was dressed in breeches and white shirt, not fancy to say the least, but clean. If memory served me right, I was still in the servants quarters and this gentlemen didn't have the appearance of a servant. He was shaven, clean cut, and very handsome. His blonde locks swept to the side floated acrossed his forhead, a strand or two falling in front of mezmorizing green eyes. No, this boy was definietly not a servant. I opened my mouth to inquire him but my voice failed me. He nodded to his right. A small wooden table and stool had been placed next to my cot. On it sad a tarnished silver plate that held a piece of bread, and scoop of some sort of beige colored mixture that I couldn't quite put a name to. I looked at the food intensly. I wasn't hungry. My stomach still held that feeling of anxiety that permitted me to eat anything. I relaxed my shoulders and looked back the the young man.

"What? Don't tell me you're not hungry." he said.

"I'm not." I replied honestly. I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible but I couldn't help it when a hint of bitterness came through in my tone. I still was confused as ever, I even though this guy hadn't said anything to make me think otherwise, I still didn't trust him. Nadia had seemed nice too, but then she turned out to be something totally different than what I had expected. But as I thought about it, all the signs were there. I was just blind to them at the time. For instance, the shadow by the door, and the way she appeared out of nowhere and asked no questions as she invited me into her mansion. A mansion everyone had thought to be empty. I had been too willing to trust that I was oblivious to all of the signs that would have told me something wasn't right. Right then, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

I jumped a little, startled when my new aquantiance sat down on the bed beside me. The bed creaked and groaned loudly as he settled himself. I found myself scooting away a bit and he must have noticed as he smirked a bit and gave me a dazzling smile that seemed to reach his eyes. "I don't bite." he said with a laugh which he ended quickly as dreary look filled his bright eyes. He shook his head to himself and extended his hand, "Lucca." I took his hand and he gave mine one gentle shake before releasing me. "You're the talk to the mansion you know, Lia?" he paused. "Do you mind if I call you Lia?"

I looked at him, studying his face and for a moment, his eyes caught my gaze. I inhaled sharply and looked away, embarrassed. "No, I don't mind." I replied finally.

We sat there for several minutes, Lucca, in his own private thoughts, and I trying to wrap my brain around what was happening enought to form a lucid question.

"Why am I here?" I inquired cautiously, almost afraid of the answer.

Lucca inhaled and looked at me sorrowfully. "I honestly don't know. Each one that comes here...they have a different plan for everyone. The last one, a young boy, I think was simply a servant but the countless others...well, I'll spare you the horrors. He took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry Lia. I'm so sorry you got caught up with the Santoros. I pray to whomever god is listening that they show you mercy." He gently placed his hand on mine but I snatchhed it away.

"That doesn't tell me anything!" I exclaimed, almost shouting. "Who are these people? What do they want with me? What did they do to the others?" I demanded, I was starting to lose patience. I had gone almost 24 hours without asking any questions and now that I had finally decided to speak up, my informant seemed to be beeting around the bush about my fate.

Lucca opened his mouth to speak but shut it again as a female's voice pierced through the air.

'Luccaaaa!"

Lucca grimaced and jumped off the bread sprinting to the door. "I'm sorry, I have to go." he said over his shoulder just as the door slammed shut. k

Once again, I was alone.

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Whoot! That's that.

Parts 1-4 complete Chapter One of the Foreboding Allure. Part 5, the beginning of chapter two will be uploaded shortly. =]