LURKING IN THE DARK

Isabelle Johnson?

Ignoring Collins, Mirabel replied, "I don't have time, girl. I have someone to run to. Just make sure it gets to me before nightfall." She said, staring straight back at her twin sister seriously. "Alright. You don't need to look at me that way, though. I will send you your money when I collect it from her. As you can see, I am also waiting for her." Jocelyn replied, twirling on the chair she was sitting on. "Oh, sorry, I didn't offer you a seat. You can sit over there while we both wait for her to come. She likes to make an entrance." Jocelyn said, a slight chuckle following. "Who? " Collins asked. " Ohh… I can hear her footsteps. I am out of here before she delays me any further," Mirabel said and left. After about a minute or two, she came in.

" Ooh… A beautiful entrance as usual!" Jocelyn said, smiling in a way that screams fake. "Always beautiful as usual, but can you send me our money now? Mirabel just left, and I have a place to go too." Jocelyn said, her hands raised towards the lady, who Collins had just lost his breath for some seconds staring at. "Oh my God!" Collins silently exclaimed.

Both looking back at him, Jocelyn asked the beautiful lady, who had just made a grand entrance. "I am not supposed to ask, though, but where did you know him from? He looks kind of old for you. You know, you are just 19, and although I can't deny the fact that he looks youthful and really sexy, I am sure he is way older than you. Even his wife is" "sheesh. Jocelyn, it was nice working with you. No need for long talks. I will just send both you and your twin sister's money to you. I don't need you guys anymore." "Of course you don't." Jocelyn said, nodding her head rather disdainfully with a chuckle following. "Alright, sent." She said, showing Jocelyn proof of payment. " Okay. We are done here, then.

************************************************

After Jocelyn left, tension and uncertainty filled the air, especially for Collins, as he could not decipher what was going on. Although he knew he could just easily walk straight out of the door without anyone or the woman he is with right now holding him back, even if she tried, he couldn't just leave the room that way without finding some answers to the questions popping their heads up every now and then.

He was very curious to know why he was being wanted by a woman who was naturally way beyond what one could call "beautiful.". Her very attractive aura already made him a lot less tense, and now he is just curious to know who she is and why he is in the picture.

"I am sorry we had to meet like this. It was the only way I could think of to have you here one-on-one with me." Collins, who was now totally confused, replied, "Uhnnn, sorry, but do I know you by chance?" "I know you wouldn't recognize me anymore. It has been a very, very long time, Lin, and I don't even expect you to recognize me." She replied. " Lin? Hold on… Have we met before during my childhood days? That's the name every kid on the street at that time, including my siblings, called me. How come you know that? " Without saying a word, she dragged a seat with her and sat directly opposite Collins.

His eyes caught her alluring skin showing above her knee as she sat down. He couldn't deny the fact that, for a few seconds, he was hooked. Now it seems as though, without even trying, she was already seducing him. "I bet you have a lot of questions for me, Mr. Collins, as do I." She said this, bringing his mind back to what was currently transpiring. "First of all, where have we met before? I really need to know that one." Collins asked with a calm and composed manner, without the usual tension eating him up.

"Remember the Methodist Church in front of the house you lived in when you were 19?" She asked. "Uhnnn… yes..yes. That was the church I attended while still under my parents's roof at that time. But what has that got to do with what I asked you?" He asked rather impatiently. "Patience, Mr. Collins... I know where I am going with the story, and trust me, you will be surprised." She said this, grabbing a bottle of fruit juice from her bag and then sipping from it. "You remember a small girl always being bullied by the other boys around the neighborhood who would always run to you whenever they tried to hurt her or beat her? And when it was Sunday, you would bring a flower you plucked on your way to church to her and joke with her, making her smile." "Uhnnn.. hold on.. I am not sure I re..." "Of course you do. You should obviously remember that you always told her she should not mind those boys calling her ugly because, to you, she was very beautiful." "Ohhh okay..." Collins said it with a tone of realization, his face lightening up while he smiled a little. "I think her name is Isa." "Isabelle Johnson." She completed it with a broad smile on her face. "Okay.." Collins replied, now more curious than ever, "So how do you know her, and what has she got to do with this?" "Oh, you disappoint me. Not me thinking you should be able to know the answer to the puzzle yourself now." After a long pause, Collins replied, "Is she your cousin? Did she tell you to come find me? Is she… " "Forget it." She said she was standing up, a little angry, and walking towards the window, looking outside. "Don't worry, you can go. The bus will be back anytime soon to pick up the next batch of" "Hey!! " Collins interrupted her rather loudly. "Now, you are screaming at me?". "I am sorry. No, I am not screaming at you. It's just that."

"How is it that you don't recognize me right away, Lin?" She said, looking back at Collins, that disappointment and sadness were competing to take full ownership of her face. "You… you are." Collins stood up slowly, staring straight at Isabelle with a look of unbelief in his eyes. "You are Isabelle?" He said a big question mark at the end of that statement, hanging big and deep in the air. "Yes, I am. Isabelle Johnson, the small girl you were always fond of back in your childhood days," Isabelle said in a soft and calm voice intertwined with relief. "But... how?? You weren't like..." Collins kept on stuttering and seemed really confused.

"I know, right? I would also be very surprised if, at that time, I knew what I was going to be like now. It's okay to be confused, you know." She said, holding Collins hands together in a reassuring but seductive way. "I am right here in front of you, and that's all that matters to me." She said, moving closer to Collins and sank her stares straight right into his eyes like they were searching for his soul. Her eyes! It was magical. The silver and deep blue colors in her eyes were heaven for that moment of stare for Collins. He had never seen anything like it before. "Uhnnn," he said, cutting his own thoughts off before they went too far. "How did you find me, Isabelle?" He questioned. For some minutes, Isabelle only continued to stare at him, but this time, she was searching for something frantically in his eyes. "You are not going to ask me how I fared for those periods till now? Or how did my mama know you were her favorite boy back then? Or …" "Steph, sorry, Isabelle, we are still going to go into all of that later. For now, let's talk about how you found me and those girls you were talking with earlier, referring to you as Big Aunty Monica. I am confused. What's..." he was interrupted by the sound of the bus that had come to pick up the second set of people. "C'mon, I have to go. I don't want to miss this bus because my wife... "I am also here for the adventure, so we are going together. Your wife will be fine, trust me." Looking straight back at Isabelle, he said, "Why does that sound so reassuring? You know my wife?" "Not exactly. I only saw her with you once, and that was this morning." She replied, smiling. "This morning?" "Yeah, the bus will soon be full. Let's get in before the spaces in the bus get full again. Right," he said and started to move towards the bus together with Isabelle, who was carrying a big-size pink bag with her, matching her outfit: a short skirt and crop top with big snickers.

"Have you had your bag checked?" "Ohhh, that, yes, I have." She replied as they both walked into the bus.