Between The Walls

Chapter 6

Brahms followed as his parents walked to his room. They sat his doll on the bed and sat beside him.

"So what do you think about your new nanny, Brahms?" Mrs. Heelshire asked. 

Silence.

For a moment, Mrs. Heelshire wondered if he did not follow them. 

"Isabelle can stay." came his reply. They must be worried that I will purposefully drive her away, he mused. He had not been particularly nice with his previous nannies. 

Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire looked at each other, trying to gather the courage to verbalize what they actually came here for. "Your father and I are glad that you liked her-" Mrs. Heelshire started but her husband cut her off. "What do you think about spending some time alone with your nanny, Brahms? You two can-"

"Where are you going?!" Brahms did not like this. He did not like this at all.

"We-" Mrs. Heelshire started but she was cut off once again.

"You promised Brahms. You promised him that as long as he holds his end of the bargain, you will stay!" Brahms exclaimed, referring to himself in third person. It was a habit he gained from amusing himself with endless monologues. Brahms this, Brahms that.

"We know, and we want to make you another deal."

"NO!" Brahms' shout reverberates along the walls of the Heelshire manor, making the couple -and Isabelle who was washing the dishes downstairs- jump.

"Hear us out first, Brahms. We will come back. It was only for a day. Your father and I just have some errands to make." Mrs. Heelshire tried to explain.

"We will lose our home if you do not let us go, Brahms." Mr. Heelshire stated. "We are severely in debt, and there are people we need to see if we want to keep our home."

Mrs. Heelshire was stunned. She did not know what debt her husband was talking about, they were still very rich despite not working for years. They were that wealthy. But she soon caught on.

"I- yes. We will lose our home to the bank, Brahms. They will drive us away, and what of you? What will happen to you, then?." she tried to reason.

This made Brahms ponder. They will lose their home? Will he then be forced to live in these walls without his parents? If they do take him with them, won't the townspeople hurt him? He was a criminal, after all. They will hang him.

"It's only for a day, Brahms." Mr. Heelshire quietly added.

The silence was broken by Isabelle's knock. "Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire? Are you alright?" she asked. She heard the shout, and thought it to be Mr. Heelshire.

Mr. Heelshire rose and opened the door for her. "We are alright, dear. Just some wild squirrel coming in through the window and surprising us."

"Oh." she said.

"Well, if you don't mind..."

"Right. Of course. I'll leave you to your discussion. Just call me if you need anything." She  replied, satisfied that none of them seems to be hurt.

Mr. Heelshire smiled and gently shut the door. "So what will it be, Brahms?" he asked.

Brahms took his time in answering them. He was trying to decide whether losing the safety of their home was worth the risk of them abandoning him for good.

And it was.

"I will wait for your return."