Hello there!

I have a script excerpt for you today. It’s the second part of the three excerpts I’ll release for this episode. I made it a bit longer than I intended you because I teased so badly these last days. 😉 See KayJay, pouting pays off. The first part is included too to make it a nice long read.

Can’t wait for your comments!

Sigrid

Louise opened her eyes reluctantly. She felt so safe and comfortable. She glanced down at the soft, white sheets pulled up to her chin. Then she sleepily studied the wall. It was painted in a cozy lavender purple and a dark, wooden closet stood against it.

Only then did she remember where she was. Louise pushed herself up in a hurry and got out of the bed as quickly as she could. Once she was on her feet, looking around to see if she was alone, she noticed something felt different.

She touched the back of her neck. “Huh,” she mumbled. She rolled her head from one side to the other. It was a lot easier than usual. “What a difference one night of sleep makes,” Louise thought. She tucked her hair behind her ears.

Then she turned around to check the time on the clock next to the door. It was an analog one. Louise was proud she only needed a moment or two to be able to read the time. It was 5.30 a.m.

The morning light fell into the room through the wide gap between the heavy, white curtains. Outside, the birds were singing lustily. Louise smiled and walked over to the window. She was wearing nothing but a black tank top and blue briefs.

She pushed the curtain aside. She was on the second floor of the mansion and had an impressive view of the large and colorful garden behind it. Louise chuckled when she spotted a small bird hopping from one branch to the next near her window.

A soft knock on the door surprised her. She glanced down at her outfit or lack of it. “Oh for fuck sake,” she muttered, instantly annoyed at Hobbs. They weren’t supposed to meet until 06.30!

She grabbed the thin cover lying at the foot of the bed, wrapped it around herself and opened the door. She did so swiftly, ready to tell Hobbs she needed more time. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

It was Eleanor Lucas. Her skin was pale and her light brown, curly hair seemed less shiny than usual. Dark circles under her eyes made her look haunted. But a tiny smile tugged at her lips, nevertheless. Her gaze had dropped to Louise’s bare legs.

Louise’s face heated up. She wrapped the blanket around herself more firmly. She was about to ask what the hell Lucas was doing here, but Lucas raised a finger to her lips before she had the chance to.

“Can I come in for a moment? I need to talk to you. Just you,” she whispered.

Louise hesitated. What if Hobbs was watching? How the hell would she explain a visit to her bedroom?

“No one saw me,” Lucas added.

Louise relented and took a step back, motioning for Lucas to hurry. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this. She knew she should refuse to talk to Lucas in private. This was another encounter she would have to hide. But she was curious about whatever it was that Lucas had to say.

Lucas closed the door behind her and blew out a breath. Louise thought she looked stunning in her black blouse and creased pants. It wasn’t the sort of thought she wanted to be having about this woman. She quickly pushed it away.

“I wanted to apologize,” Lucas said quietly, fidgeting with her sleeves. “I was way out of line yesterday.” Her eyes met Louise’s. They still looked so incredibly sad. Something stirred in Louise’s chest again: a longing to comfort Lucas.

She hastily took a step back, reaching for her slacks that were draped over a chair. She tried to step into them without dropping the blanket wrapped around her. It kept sliding off of her shoulders, though, and after a moment, she just let it.

“Thanks. You *were* kind of harsh,” she said while she hurried to pull up her pants.

Lucas cleared her throat and walked over to the small desk in the room. “I know. I was horrible to you.” She ran her fingers over the old table top.

Louise zipped up her slacks. “Let’s just forget about it,” she stammered. She immediately regretted it. She had just given Lucas a pass while she should be trying to get more details out of her. She wasn’t thinking straight.

Lucas nodded gratefully as she looked back at Louise. Her eyes focused on the tank top for a moment. It made Louise feel extra self-conscious. Her hair was a mess, she wasn’t wearing a bra and Lucas clearly had noticed.

“I just woke up,” Louise blurted out, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Lucas was smiling again.

“I didn’t expect visitors,” Louise said, grabbing her shirt from the chair.

“How’s the cut?” Lucas asked. She pointed at Louise’s eyebrow.

“Oh,” Louise resisted the urge to feel the wound, “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” She pulled the t-shirt over her head carefully anyway.

Lucas nodded again. “Good. Good.” Her voice sounded uncertain. “I can’t join you today. At the first inspection site, I mean,” she then said.

Louise immediately tensed up. “That’s a problem.”

Lucas raised both of her hands apologetically. “I know, but I really need to take care of some things.”

Louise frowned. “Can’t it wait?” she asked, hastily pulling her hair back into a tight bun.

“No, I can’t postpone a *funeral*,” Lucas said.

Louise dropped her arms and looked down at her bare feet. “Oh, right.” They were both quiet for a few seconds.

“I didn’t tell Hobbs,” Louise then announced for a reason she couldn’t fathom yet.

Lucas let out a relieved breath. “Thank you.”

“I’m not sure what to tell him when you don’t show up this morning,” Louise said more firmly.

“Let Rick talk to him.”

“And what about this visit?” A tight knot was forming in Louise’s stomach. Reality was catching up with her.

“He doesn’t know I’m here. I was careful. Don’t worry!”

Louise huffed. Lucas didn’t seem to realize how much trouble Louise could already be in. “I probably went against my orders already,” she said through gritted teeth. It was the last thing she should admit to her enemy, she then realized.

Lucas seemed to reach for her but dropped her hand just in time. “I know. I’m sorry…”

“Who was it?” Louise asked, to her own surprise *again*. She knew it was a bit insensitive to ask who had died in a such a blunt manner. But Lucas was asking so much of her and she wasn’t giving anything back, damn it.

A long silence fell.

The last part of the excerpts for part 11 will go live on Wednesday! See you then 🙂