Skyfall
~Ten~
The next morning I awoke to Calista grinning down at me. I shrieked, scooting back into the bed and pulling the blankets close to me.
“Don’t do that!” I snapped as she began roaring with laughter. “You could just knock. Or gently wake me up or something.”
“Sorry, love. Now, get out of bed. Lowry rang me this morning and he was very excited about something. We’re heading down there now.”
Lowry. The old man from the hospital. The man who’s name I inexplicably knew. And now he’d found something about me that excited him.
My heart in my throat, I climbed out of bed and dressed quickly in cashmere pants and a red sweater with a low neckline. I was very quickly becoming a lady of luxury. Calista noticed.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re settling in quite nicely,” she observed.
I pulled a dove white felt hat down over my messy curls.
“Yeah well,” I did a non-committal shrug. I still planned on escaping Nova Tower. But maybe I’d take some of these beautiful clothes with me.
I ate in the lift on the way down. The same car was waiting for us in the garage and we slid almost silently out of the car park. I wondered what Lord Nova would have to say about my meeting one of his acquaintances. I pushed the thought away. Some part of me suspected that Lord Nova knew everything that went on in his tower.
I shuddered as the driver expertly manoeuvred us through the traffic; though I’d only seen him once, Lord Nova certainly gave me the creeps. His pale blue eyes held none of Louis’ warmth and the skin on his face seemed to me like he was shedding it, like a snake. I always felt that another person was watching me when Nova was. The gentleman he pretended to be, and the snake that watched me with hungry eyes. It almost took me by surprise when he didn’t flick his tongue out to taste the air.
I was shaken from my morbid thoughts as we pulled into the hospital’s car park. My heart began to hammer again as I remembered why I was here. Did Lowry know something about my family?
“Lady Nova for Mr Lowry,” Calista said to the receptionist. I was already gazing towards the stairs, practicing what I was going to say to Lowry. The receptionist’s next words took me by surprise.
“I regret to tell you this, but Graham Lowry passed away about an hour ago.”
“What?” I seized the counter and glared at the receptionist as Calista let out a small gasp. “What did you just say?”
Her expression didn’t change. She looked up to me.
“He passed away an hour ago. You have my sympathies.”
I did not have her sympathies. Her expression was blank, unfeeling.
“Did he leave anything?” I was desperate. I felt like the only link I might have discovered to my family had been cut off from me. Who knew who Mr Lowry had been?
“Nothing,” she replied, and already she was turning back to the computer that she was wired into.
My temper boiled under my skin. I reached for her.
“Hey!” I snapped sharply. “You listen here, cyborg bitch. That man could’ve been my only family, you can’t just treat me like this!”
“Alexa, let’s just go,” Calista was tugging on my sleeve, upset.
“You have my sympathies,” the woman repeated again and I almost lost it.
I let Calista steer me towards the doors. Just as we reached them, I turned back, I’m not sure why. But I do know that I saw the same receptionist move a folder to a small incinerator, and with a flash of heat and a slight smirk, disintegrated it into cinders.
“Don’t do that!” I snapped as she began roaring with laughter. “You could just knock. Or gently wake me up or something.”
“Sorry, love. Now, get out of bed. Lowry rang me this morning and he was very excited about something. We’re heading down there now.”
Lowry. The old man from the hospital. The man who’s name I inexplicably knew. And now he’d found something about me that excited him.
My heart in my throat, I climbed out of bed and dressed quickly in cashmere pants and a red sweater with a low neckline. I was very quickly becoming a lady of luxury. Calista noticed.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re settling in quite nicely,” she observed.
I pulled a dove white felt hat down over my messy curls.
“Yeah well,” I did a non-committal shrug. I still planned on escaping Nova Tower. But maybe I’d take some of these beautiful clothes with me.
I ate in the lift on the way down. The same car was waiting for us in the garage and we slid almost silently out of the car park. I wondered what Lord Nova would have to say about my meeting one of his acquaintances. I pushed the thought away. Some part of me suspected that Lord Nova knew everything that went on in his tower.
I shuddered as the driver expertly manoeuvred us through the traffic; though I’d only seen him once, Lord Nova certainly gave me the creeps. His pale blue eyes held none of Louis’ warmth and the skin on his face seemed to me like he was shedding it, like a snake. I always felt that another person was watching me when Nova was. The gentleman he pretended to be, and the snake that watched me with hungry eyes. It almost took me by surprise when he didn’t flick his tongue out to taste the air.
I was shaken from my morbid thoughts as we pulled into the hospital’s car park. My heart began to hammer again as I remembered why I was here. Did Lowry know something about my family?
“Lady Nova for Mr Lowry,” Calista said to the receptionist. I was already gazing towards the stairs, practicing what I was going to say to Lowry. The receptionist’s next words took me by surprise.
“I regret to tell you this, but Graham Lowry passed away about an hour ago.”
“What?” I seized the counter and glared at the receptionist as Calista let out a small gasp. “What did you just say?”
Her expression didn’t change. She looked up to me.
“He passed away an hour ago. You have my sympathies.”
I did not have her sympathies. Her expression was blank, unfeeling.
“Did he leave anything?” I was desperate. I felt like the only link I might have discovered to my family had been cut off from me. Who knew who Mr Lowry had been?
“Nothing,” she replied, and already she was turning back to the computer that she was wired into.
My temper boiled under my skin. I reached for her.
“Hey!” I snapped sharply. “You listen here, cyborg bitch. That man could’ve been my only family, you can’t just treat me like this!”
“Alexa, let’s just go,” Calista was tugging on my sleeve, upset.
“You have my sympathies,” the woman repeated again and I almost lost it.
I let Calista steer me towards the doors. Just as we reached them, I turned back, I’m not sure why. But I do know that I saw the same receptionist move a folder to a small incinerator, and with a flash of heat and a slight smirk, disintegrated it into cinders.