Playing With The Puppet Master

3

A gentle knock on the door woke me from my dreamless sleep. I pushed myself up from the bed and trailed to the door. I unlocked and opened it without much hesitation. Lady Donna stared back at me. Surprise filtered through my features before the memories of last night filtered through my head. Right...right...right.

"One moment please," I muttered as I stepped back into the room. I walked to the mirror and brushed my hair down to a manageable mess. The pain ached into a dull annoyance. I watched Lady Donna as she crept into the room and sat down on the bed as she waited. I changed out my button downs into something fresher from the closet and turned back to her. Red cheeks captured my eyes as her eye turned away. I gulped as my own cheeks turned red. When I was ready, I stood in front of her. "Ready?" I asked with a bit more wakefulness in my tone.

"Yes," she said quietly as she shot up and walked out of the room. I trailed behind her. We used an elevator and lowered down to a basement level that I never knew existed. It was made from concrete walls and green carpeted floor. I trailed behind her as we walked the hallways. We turned into a room. An old projector sat in the middle of the room with an ornate couch and a few films as the rest of the room was covered in shelves of books.

"Oh wow," I said quietly.

"You can look for as long as you want," Lady Donna offered quietly. "I have recommendations too if you need any."

"What do you recommend?" I asked as I surveyed the room.

"Oh, well actually..." her words trailed off as she beamed for a specific section. My attention turned to the woman as she grabbed a few books. When she was not crazily attempting to murder me, she was beautiful to watch. She turned to me with a few books in her arms. "I recommend these," she said as the books were held up in her arms.

"Alright," I said softly. Her and I sat on the couch, and she displayed the books on the coffee table. I grabbed one and flipped it open. Lady Donna followed in suit and grabbed a book as well. We both sat in a comfortable silence as I fell captive to the pages of the book. I skimmed through the short read with a huge interest. When I reached the end, I gasped and set the book aside. Lady Donna was startled in her seat as she stared back at me.

"Where is the next book in the series?" I almost demanded. Lady Donna's eye glanced down at the book cover before she stared back at me.

"It comes in with the next shipment of books," she murmured as her attention went back to her own book. An irritated groan erupted from within me as I sat back in my seat.

"Noooo!" I openly whined. A small smile cracked on Lady Donna's lips as she refused to look up from her story.

"You should read the next suggestion," she commented airily as she flipped the page in her book. My hands shot out for the book. It was another short read, and I was invested. The books she recommended were rather charming if not a bit dark in theme. I delved into the scene without a second thought. For a few hours, we sat there and read. On occasion Luci entered the room was always immediately tasked out before she could sit down and ask if she was needed. My eyes treaded to her retreating figure as she fled the room for another task.

"Why are you staring at her?" Lady Donna snapped as she glanced up from her book. My whole body flinched in response. At the sight of the flinch, she cleared her throat and took in a breath. "What is so captivating about my handmaiden?" The calmer voice sent a tremor throughout my body. It was deeper than normal and the fire in her eye did not go unnoticed.

"I-I just...well...you are so mean to her. I don't understand it." Lady Donna huffed in her seat as the book snapped shut in her hands. The room felt like it dropped ten degrees as her upper body turned to me. A serious gaze penetrated me.