"Who's Adriana?" Mrs. Contreras asked.
"I'm sorry. Your daughter looks like someone I know." Miranda said, getting a hold of herself.
She led them in and Ema was dropped on the sofa.
"So Ema looks exactly like this girl you are talking about?" Mrs. Contreras quizzed further.
"Yes." Miranda answered, "If I didn't know better. I'd say they are identical twins."
"So do you happen to know where this girl is?"
Miranda choked on what she was about to say. It brought too many unpleasant memories but she just had to spill,
"She's dead."
"Oh... How did she die?"
"Now the questions we're getting strange. Why did she want to know so much?" Miranda thought.
"She fell off a cliff."
"That's very sad. I'm sorry for asking but I just feel intrigued that someone could look exactly like my daughter, who was she to you?"
Mr. Contreras came for his wife and dragged her away from Miranda.
"What are you doing?" He demanded, trying hard not to be suspicious since Miranda could still see them on the sofa.
"I'm trying to find out if this woman knows anything about..." She turned in Miranda's direction before saying, "Adriana".
Mr. Contreras was quite sick of his overbearing wife's attitude so he let her have it.
"Nobody suspects anything honey, Don't make them!"
"Whatever you say but we are leaving here early tomorrow."
Mr. Contreras nodded knowing his wife was right. If Ema and Adriana were the same people who they must be, They better avoid any place that had a connection with her especially if it could trigger her memories.
"Ok." He acknowledged.
Miranda walked up to the family she just assisted to tell them the latest development.
"I've prepared a room for you to spend the night and I've also informed the police about what happened to you. They'd be coming tomorrow to get the details."
"What time exactly tomorrow?" Mrs. Contreras quizzed.
"I don't know. Will you be leaving early?"
"Yes."
"Oh...Ok. Well, the maid will show you your rooms."
Mrs. Contreras face was white,
"Rooms? Aren't we sharing the same room?"
Miranda giggled,
"Well we have a lot of room to spare and I figured out You might need space."
"Oh, we don't. I have to stay with my daughter, As you can see, she's unconscious."Mrs. Contreras retorted, much to her husband's displeasure.
"Which reminds me, What happened to her? She's been unconscious for quite some time. You need to take her to the hospital."
Miranda saw the whole family puff up at the mention of the hospital.
"Email doesn't need a hospital. This happens regularly but you know because we were being chased, it must have been stressful for her. She'll come around."
Weird.
"Are you sure she's ok?" Miranda asked again just being a concerned fellow and she got the most shocking reply.
"I appreciate the concern but I'm her mother! I know when she's ok and when's she's not."
Miranda was speechless. She even almost considered throwing them out but she considered the girl, she had plans for her and she was very sure her mother would not agree to her demands especially if she was this clingy to her adult child.
The girl had to wake up.
"Ok then, when you're ready, the maid will escort you to your rooms. Goodnight."
***
Mrs. Contreras got up even before the stupid alarm beside her began to screech.
She turned to Ema who was on the bed with her. Her pulse was better and even if she wasn't a nurse, she could tell the difference between last night's one and this.
She gently ruffled her to get her to wake up.
It worked and Ema's eyes fluttered open.
"Where am I?, Heaven?"
"Hardly Ema. How are you doing now?"
"Great. But...where are we?"
Mrs. Contreras thought of a good excuse to put into her daughter's question.
"Someone saved us from those monsters. Well, be going soon. Stay here, I'll go get your father."
"Wait...Who? Who saved us?"
It was getting to this!
"I understand how you feel, You fainted yesterday, how do you feel? You must be tired. Rest, we'll be going soon."
"Better," Ema noted, taking a hint that her mother was badly trying to hide something.
"Good. Just stay here, I'll go get your father."
"Ok." Ema agreed.
Mrs. Contreras walked out of the room but not before grabbing the keys from the tye door and locking it when she was outside.
Now she was safe.
The room Mr. Contreras spent the night in was not far from Ema's. It was the room opposite her.
It isn't locked.
Of course! Her husband was a free spirit who hardly cared about his life.
Sleeping in a stranger's house was bad enough.
Mrs. Contreras opened the door and crept in.
Her husband was sadly snoring away.
It's 6 for goodness sake.
She ruffled her husband badly to get him up as quickly as she could.
There was no time to waste if Ema ever had a past here, it was foolish to keep staying anywhere that could trigger back her lost memories.
"Wake up, you sleepyhead!"
Her yells and ruffling only got an exaggerated yawn.
How did she even get matched up with him?
Mr. Contreras came around and finally cleared his drowsy eyes.
"It's so early. What's all the fuss about?" He grumbled.
"We are still here in case you forgot."
This got her husband up faster.
He sat up and stretched again.
"Are you really going to do this?"
"Yes—i—am!" Mrs. Contreras maintained."If Ema has any history with these people, we can lose her forever."
"No, we won't. But..."
"But what?"
"With the way you are acting, I think you'll push her to what might not even be true."
"Are you insinuating that I'm acting suspiciously?"
"No! But I'm just saying."
"Just get up and let's leave here. I don't want Ema to be here for too long."
"Ok."
Mr. Contreras slipped into his shoes and followed his wife outside.
Mrs. Contreras dropped the keys clutched tightly in her hands when she found the door ajar.
Ema was gone!
"Where is she?" Mrs. Contreras asked no one in particular as she rushed in to confirm her suspicion.
Her suspicions were damn right.
Ema wasn't inside.
How did this happen?
Mrs. Contreras checked the door to know exactly what went wrong.
God! She didn't even lock it.
Her husband gave her the 'you'll be your own undoing' look.
She hated him for doing this to her.
"Come on. We have to find her before she finds them."
***
"You need to see her. She looks just, Adriana."
"Really?" Rodriguez asked, taking a sip of the orange juice he was given, "So what do you plan to do now?"
"Call me wicked but since I helped them from whoever was after them last night, I plan to use it as leverage to keep their daughter for some time just to help Nathan," Miranda revealed, passing an orange juice to Nathan who was more than happy to get his share.
"Mom, Do you mean Adriana is here?" Nathan asked giving her puppy eyes.
"Sure son. You'll see her soon." Miranda assured.
Rodriguez could only imagine what a fool he was for sending amateurs to his aid.
They even knocked.
Now...Now, he'd do the job himself.
Rodriguez took a sip of his orange juice waiting expectantly for the said girl to come out already.
"Here she is." Miranda finally said.
Speak of the angel!