Chapter 107 Can you see her?

Chapter 107 Can you see her?

\[Author's POV\]
\[Zurich, Switzerland\]
There had been a wreckage on the train tracks. A few oldies gathered, looming over the immobile figures laying on the tracks.

'What are they?' An old woman with a hoarse voice spoke first.

'They could be spies for all we know.' An old man dressed in thick coat poked his cane at one of the figures and it stirred. In fear, the man lunged his stick at it.

'Go away, you spawn of satan!' The man kept swinging the damned cane but luckily the stranger was quick enoutgh to dogde it.

'Wait!' She cried. 'I'm American! I'm American!'

The man paused, his mouth formed an O along with the other 3 older women who stood by him.

'Oh my. There's blood all over her.' Said the oldest of the woman, a ginger haired woman wearing thick spectacles and dressed in red wooly sweater over a brown long skirt.

'How'd you get this wound?' The grandpa poinyed his cane at her, still wary of her.

Before the girl could answer, she passed out from exhaustion and the biting cold.

Her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw a fireplace. The dark embers laid on the tile like tiny black angels. Warmth seeped into her skin but her lips felt cracked and cold. Running her tongue over it hurt.

'Ah. She's okay.' Thick glasses rushed to the girl's side and put her hand on her forehead. 'How are you doing, dear?'

'I feel - ' The girl tried to speak but her voice came out rapsed.

'Have some water.' She gave the girl a cup of water to drink.

She gulped greedily and wiped her lips with the back of her hands. 'Thank you.'

'What is your name?' Thick glasses put her arm around the girl.

'My name is Adira.' Her eyes blurred with tears. 'Please, where am I?'

'Oh,' Another voice spoke up.

They both looked up to see Lin leaning on the jamb of the door.

'You bitch!' Adira practically ran out of the couch and went to grab Lin's hair, pulling hard as though her life depended on it.

Both girls screamed and the old woman joined them. They pulled away when they saw her crying.

Lin stared at the oldie with a puzzled frown on her face. 'What is wrong with her?'

'I don't know.' Adira whose fist balled up Lin's hair, said, perplexed.

The other oldies trooped into the room.

The man gave a theatric gasp that made Lin roll her eyes. 'What in God's name are you two doing?'

Both girls realized why they wrwre both at each other. To Adira, Lin had betrayed her. To Lin, Adira was an enemy. They resumed their hair pulling and swearing. Adiea cursed at Lin in Japanese and Lin, at Adira, in Dutch.

When she couldn't handle it anymore, thick glasses slammed her hand on the little coffee table used as the centre table in the miniscule living room.

'Enough!' She said aloud, coming between both girls. 'You will tell us who you both are and what you were doing in those tracks?'

Adira went first. 'I'll tell you. This witch named Linda pushed me off the train and I took her with me.'

'Down the black tracks? Those tracks are forbidden. No one has ever user the local train there.' The man took off his dark wooly cap. He exchanged glances with the other two ladies.

'Is there something wrong?' Adira asked.

The second oldie has a terrified look on her face as she took a seat on a cane chair. 'This is Zurich. We are in Zurich and those yracks tou both claimed you ride on are off-limits. How did - -

Lin cut her off by clearing her throat loudly. 'From where I come from, Courtesy demands we exchange names before engaging in a convo.'

'My apologies,' The second grannie shook her head. She peeled off the gloves to reveal her wrinkled fingers. 'My name is Beatrice. The man is Anthony and this is Lisbeth.' She made gestures with her hands, pointing at think glasses and the grandpa as she introduced them.

Lisbeth glared at Beatrice. 'You missed my titles.'

Beatrice heaved a sigh. 'You're 66 years old and you're still a pain in the ass.'

Lin and Adira share a silent laugh but when their eyes met, they turned aloof, not talking to each other.

'Of course. She is a retired general, Lisbeth Sutherland.' Beatrice said dryly, then she turned to Lisbeth. 'Hapoy now, kiddo?'

Lisbeth slapped her arm and Beatrice winced.

'Um…Thank you both for nursing us to health.' Adira interrupted their camaraderie, appreciating them for their hospitality.

'Aww, don't bother. They did that because they work for the bad guys. Like that asshole Dominic who pushed me.' Lin has her legs crossed over the other as she plops on the couch.

'You chose to work with Dominic, father of evil. You are crazy!' Adira flared and instantly regretted it. Her head ached and she found a couch to sit on.

'Don't blame me. It's not like everyone has their true intentions written on their forehead.' Lin rolled her eyes, defending her actions.

'You're delusional.' Adira tells Lin who is given an ice pack for her head.

'I wish you snapped your neck when you fell.' Adira

All of a sudden, Lisbeth began to laugh. 'You both remind me of my grandbabies. Always bickering. Let me show you them.'

They both watched Lisbeth crossed the room to an inner room.

'Im guessing this ia the paet where you twll us ahe has loose screw upstairs?' Lin bwgabd.

'You know for a stranger, you sure are rude.' Beatrice has her tongue-tied. She restrained herself from actually cursing at Lin.

'I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I was taught not to regard people with less dignity than I have.' Lin said proudly.

Beatrice stretched her hand for Anthony's cane. She said with gritted teeth. 'If I would just hit you with this - -

Lisbeth came in with a large brown photo album. 'Here it is, the picture of my grandbabies.'

She knelt in front of the coffee table. 'Come here.'

Adira and Lin knelt down beside her, scooching close to look at the picture.

'Here ia my first granddaughter.' Lisbeth pointed at the picture of a little girl aged between 7 and 10. She was dressed in a goth princess. Flowing below her knee was a black ball gown she held with one hand and the other held her witch hat. Both girls could tell the kid had makeup judginf fromt he dark lines they saw on her lips from the side view. She wasn't looking at the camera.

Lisbeth chuckled. 'That's Charlotte. Such a sweet child.'

Adira smiled. 'Aww. She's cute. She even reminds me of my friend named Charlotte.'

Pressing her first two fingers to her tongue, Lisbeth flipped the page. 'Here's another photo of Charlotte and her brother, Jacob. They sure fight like alot like Tom and Jerry.'

Adira and Lin exchanged looks and look at the picture. They were staring at the picture of a 7 or 8 year old Charlotte holding the hands of a little boy sucking his thumb.

'That's Charlotte Melbourne and her brother - - ' Adira could hardly complete her sentence when Lin shot her a look that made a her purse her lips.

'You know her?' Anthony looked at both girls.

Lin gave Adira to shut her hole but the hole but the girl kept on rambling.

'Yeah. Charlotte is our friend, very dear friend. She is even the leader of our clique.' Adira said it like it's the smartest thing she'd ever said then she realized wjat she just did.

'How did you know Char - ' Adira felt a shiver travel down her spine. She was sure Lin felt it. Anthony had his hand on his cane and before the girls would make a run for the door where ever it was, they were caught.

'Oh fuck.' Adira felt tired, her knees have way and she collapsed to the floor on her butt.

'Yeah, that's right. You're both fucked.' Lisbeth pulled the wooly hat off her head, making a mass of white curly hair tumbling down her shoulders.

'Who the hell are you?' Lin grabbed the nearest object she could find - a worn notebook and pointed at them.

'Why don't you say "thank you" to us for saving your lives? If it weren't for Lisbeth's idea to install safety landing pads on the tracks for you both, I'd day by now you wouldn't be alive to be speaking.' Anthony pulled off the moustache above his lips and peeled off the wooly hat. He was an unfamiliar face.

'Oh shucks. Who are you going to be?' Adira pointed at Beatrice. 'And is Beatrice even your real name?'

'Nah.' Beatrice removed the disguise on her person and both girls gasped in shock.

'What the heck? One more surprise and I'll pass out in here for all of y'all.' Adira palmed her face. Beatrice was none other than Ratcliff.

'So we've got Ratcliff, the wierd woman with Charlotte's baby pics and the handsome dude.' Adira counts with her hands.

'Were you following us?' Lin alight slowly from her

'Yes. We were told to,' Ratcliff lifted his eyes to hers. 'By him.'