It felt good to have a nice, long shower. I didn’t have to worry about leaving Alexei alone. I dressed and nodded at Sonya as I walked out into the hallway.
The mansion was an enormous maze. I wandered around trying my key on random doors, though most of them stayed locked. What few opened were usually empty. One of them was a gym, which I mentally marked. I’d need to visit there soon enough.
I kept moving, trying to avoid people, although that wasn’t too hard. The place was huge. There were clearly lots of people staying there and working there, but I guessed there was just so much space that we didn’t run into each other too often.
After a little bit of wandering, I ended up in a dead-end hall. There was only one door at the very end, which I tried with no success. I turned to walk away when suddenly I heard the door open.
I turned. Staring out at me was a beautiful girl, probably around my age. She was thin and had thick dark hair and dark eyes.
“I thought you were the damn maid,” the girl said.
“Uh, hi,” I said. “I’m Kaley.”
“Kaley.” Then she perked up. “You’re that Russian girl.”
“Uh, yeah, I am, I guess.”
She smiled like a snake and moved out of the room. She was wearing tiny little jean shorts and a tattered T-shirt.
“Where are you off to, Russian girl?”
“I was just exploring. Sorry if I bothered you.”
“No bother at all.” She smiled at me. “I’m Louisa.”
I furrowed my brow. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you just exploring?”
I nodded. “This place is so huge.”
“Come on.” She started walking. I stared at her for a second and then sighed. I might as well stick with her since I had nothing else to do.
Besides, she didn’t seem like trouble.
“Uh, so, do you live here?” I asked her.
She ignored my question. “There’s a logic to this place; you just have to learn it,” she said. “For example.” She swiped her key and a door popped open, one that had been locked to me earlier.
It was a supply closet. “See the marking on the door?” She pointed out some small colored squares. “These mean closet. There are marks for pretty much everything. The directory is probably in that packet you got.”
“Oh,” I said. “Thanks. I didn’t realize. It’s a lot of information.”
“The Barones like to show off,” she said, and started walking again. “This place was built to show off their power. Crazy, right?”
“I guess. It makes sense.”
“Why’s that?”
“They’re in a serious business where power is important.”
She eyed me. “Pretty astute for a Russian girl.”
“What’s that have to do with anything?”
She ignored me again and kept walking. I hurried to keep up. Louisa was strange, very strange, almost like she didn’t care at all what I thought of her. I noticed a few people giving Louisa strange looks, and I assumed it was because of how beautiful she was.
“Let me show you something cool,” she said. She went down a short staircase and turned a corner. We stopped in front of a simple wooden door. “No markings, see?”
I nodded. “Why?”
“Nobody is supposed to know what this is.” She gave me a sly smile. “But I do, of course.” She swiped her key and the door unlocked. She pushed it open, and I could feel my heart pounding.
We stepped inside.
It was hot as hell, the air thick with humidity, and there were plants everywhere.
It was a shock of green: shrubs, ferns, flowers, things that looked like little trees, more plants than I had ever seen indoors. There was a thin path between the foliage, and I had to walk fast to catch up with Louisa.
It was eerily silent with only the plants. The walls were painted blue, and it almost looked like we were outside.
“What is this place?” I asked, catching up.
“Arturo Barone’s late wife used to love plants,” Louisa said. “This room is a little memorial to her.”
The path ended in front of a life-size statue of a woman. She was beautiful, even though she was just marble. Her hair was long and swept over one shoulder, and her lips were smiling. She looked gentle and lovely.
“This is her?” I asked.
“This is her,” Louisa confirmed. “Condita Barone, mother of his children. Dead for years now.”
“She was beautiful,” I said.
And suddenly it clicked. I looked from Condita’s stone face to Louisa, and Louisa just smiled at me.
“What are you guys doing?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Vince emerged from the pathway just behind us. Louisa only smiled at him sweetly.
“Hi, Vincent Mori,” she said.
“What are you doing, Louisa?”
“Taking our guest on a little tour.”
“You know she can’t be in here.”
Louisa snaked her arm through mine. “I like her. She’s pretty.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said.
“Come on,” Vince said. “Get out.”
Louisa laughed and walked off, pushing past Vince. “See you later,” she said, and then she was gone.
I stared after her, surprised. “That girl is crazy,” I said.