Page 7 of Hidden Raphael
His face was hard to read as he asked, "Their names?"
"Eileen Marsden and Ali Mazdani. He's from Ashtibia, a small country in the Middle East." She stared at Raphael. "We can’t even tell their families because you don't have the internet."
"We don't." For the first time, she had his full attention. "I have old books from Connecticut. You’re welcome to read anything in the library to keep yourself entertained."
Her ears rang. Her hand went to her neckline and patted. "Connecticut? Why Connecticut?"
"I'm from there. They are from my house." Raphael stood up and walked past her into the dark room. "I have to go. I've things to do for winter and to see if I find your pilot. If there is anything else—"
"There is plenty else." She was trapped. Her family thought her dead or that she didn’t care about them. She was stuck in a castle. She dropped her hands to her hip. "I don't know what to do here."
His eyebrows squished together. "Whatever you want."
"I want to be useful."
He nodded, and she swore she glimpsed empathy. "I don't have anyone to cook this winter. My chef left with the last boat."
She winced. Erica was the family chef, but she’d do her best. "So you need me to be your cook?"
"Only if you want the job." He shrugged. "I'll pay you when April comes around so you'll have the money to go wherever it was you were heading."
Money sounded nice. Her mother and her sister's wedding. She hadn't seen her family in years. She had wanted to call them, but she had run away ten years ago. She'd make amends as she intended, but like everything else in her life, she'd wait out the delay.
Raphael nodded at her and left.
She closed her eyes, pressed her hands together, and sat cross-legged onto the wood floor. The plush carpet kept her backside warm. She needed to be in touch with her core and find her strength. She hummed, but nothing cleared her mind.
There had to be a way off this island to get home sooner.
The rain beat on the glass and she couldn't see anyone outside. Roger was nowhere near her. Her pulse quickened, but she reminded herself to focus on one truth.
For today she lived, and it had to be enough.
