NEVER Talk To Strangers

~ 5 ~

"I thought you said we were alone here..." Mari whispered worriedly. Budo nodded his head, looking around.
"I thought we were. Get behind me. I'll keep you safe." He instructed her, pulling out his gun. She got behind him, nervously following him as he went upstairs towards the study. That was where they'd heard the sound from.

They reached the door, and Mari was scared. He kept her behind him as he loudly banged on the door.
"I KNOW SOMEONE'S IN THERE! COME OUT AT ONCE!" He demanded loudly. After a few seconds, the door opened, and a formally dressed older man came out of the room. Budo recognised this man as the homeowner's housekeeper, Mr Manson
"Excuse me. Did I startle you?" He said, looking at Budo. He nodded his head, glancing behind him at Mari.
"Yeah, just a little. It's okay Mari, it's just the housekeeper." He told her. She peeked out from behind him, seeing he was right. Mr Manson's eyes widened as he bowed.
"Forgive me. I didn't realise there was a lady present. May I get you anything?" He asked, neatening himself up. She shook her head, staying close to Budo. This old man seemed nice, but she couldn't trust him right now. She didn't know who she could trust.
"No, thank you." She told him. He nodded his head and turned to Budo to see if he wanted anything.
"A sandwich would be great." He smiled. Mr Manson nodded his head, stepping away from the pair. "Come on, Mari. I'll continue showing you around." He said to her. She suddenly felt really awkward about exploring without permission. It hadn't bothered her before, but it did now knowing they weren't alone here.
"Do you mind?" She awkwardly asked Mr Manson. He shook his head, smiling warmly at her.
"Of course not dear. I'll have your sandwich made in fifteen minutes." He told them, heading downstairs. Budo smiled a little, looking at Mari. She was lost in thought, looking at a specific door at the end of the hallway.
"Can we go somewhere specific?" She asked. He nodded his head slowly, giving her a confused look. "That room down there." She pointed at the door that she had just been looking at. "Every time we pass it, I can't help but see pink. Can we take a look?"
"Sure..." he shrugged his shoulders, quite curious. He definitely hadn't shown her that room yet, and he hadn't been in there before either.

As they looked around the room, they were both in shock. The room was full of bright pink and looked like it belonged to a little girl. As she looked around, Mari felt a very strong feeling of deja vu. She'd definitely been here before.
"How did I know this room was pink." She thought to herself aloud. Budo laughed a little, shrugging his shoulders.
"You might be psychic or something." He said thoughtfully. She shook her head, giggling innocently as she turned to him.
"I don't really believe all that stuff. Do you?" She asked him. He hadn't really thought about it.
"I can't say that I do. Come on, it's getting late." He told her, heading for the door. She nodded her head slowly, glancing out the window before leaving the room. It was pitch black outside. She hadn't noticed how late it was.

The next morning, she woke up and looked around the room she had been given to sleep in. It was fairly old fashioned, but at least the bed was comfortable. She got up and looked out the large window, seeing it was bright out. She'd slept the whole night.
"What time is it..." she murmured to herself, continuing to look out the window. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in." She called to the person on the other side. The door opened, and Mr Manson walked into the room.
"Good morning miss. Breakfast is ready downstairs for you. There are clothes in the wardrobe that you can change into." He told her. She looked at the wardrobe.
"Thank you." She smiled, going to the wardrobe and choosing an outfit to wear. It was fairly simple, a pink blouse and blue skinny jeans. She changed in the bathroom, surprised to see Mr Manson waiting for her outside the door.
"You look beautiful, like someone I used to know..." he said softly with a reminiscing smile. Almost like he was remembering fond memories with a loved one.
"Who?" Mari asked curiously, looking up at him. He sighed and shook his head, clearing his head of the memories.
"It doesn't matter now. She passed away quite a few years ago. Come on, let's go for breakfast." He said to her, putting his usual smile back on. She nodded her head, almost hearing her stomach growl. Apparently, she was quite hungry.
"Will Budo be at breakfast?" She asked curiously as she followed him out of the room. He shook his head, not bothering to turn back to her as he spoke.
"He will not. Budo left almost half an hour ago, saying he was going to her your medication or something like that." He said. She nodded her head, remembering he said he would do that for her. He must've expected her to not wake up until he came home, but she'd just have to wait until he returned to take her medication.

Budo meanwhile was in an alley in a nearby town centre waiting for two of his friends. They were very familiar. Specifically, the two shooters from the shopping centre the day he met Mari.
"So, she's safe at the house right?" One of them asked. He nodded his head, a small smirk forming on his face.
"Thank god you were just firing blanks. You could've had us both out of you hadn't." The other laughed, making the other two with him laugh.
"Got the fake pills for Mari?" Budo asked. That's the main reason he had asked them to meet with him. The first guy nodded his head, handing him the bottle of pills.
"Yep. They look identical to the ones she uses so she won't know the difference." He smirked. The bottle looked identical too, so it was almost impossible for her to be able to tell the difference. Budo put them in his pocket, smirking a little as he spoke to them.
"Thanks. Now we have her, we cannot let her leave the manor under any circumstances."