34

FENELLA

F enella looked around the room that had been hers for a few days. The bed was made, the counter in the bathroom wiped clean, and the toilet scrubbed. She wasn't the type of guest who left a mess for the host to clean up, even if the host had a butler and a maid.

The truth was that it had probably been one of the nicest rooms she'd ever stayed in, but she had no regrets about leaving it and never coming back.

The fancy penthouse had been a pleasant interlude, but it was time to move on, either to the village or elsewhere.

"You don't have to take your stuff with you," Jasmine said from the doorway. "We are probably coming back for our things."

"I'm not. I like to make clean cuts. This beautiful penthouse was a nice place to stay for a few days, but it's not mine." She smiled. "I'm a nomad at heart. I don't put roots down."

Jasmine nodded. "The girls are ready to go. We should go down to the garage to wait for the bus."

"I'm ready." Fenella slung the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder. "The beauty of not owning much is easy packing and light traveling. Frankly, I don't know why people are so obsessed with collecting possessions. They are just a burden."

Jasmine chuckled. "I'm guilty of never getting rid of anything. I still have clothing that I wore at sixteen and don't have the heart to part with."

Fenella patted her arm. "I feel for you. If you need help getting rid of stuff, I'll help you."

Down at the parking garage, the bus was already waiting for them when they got there, and as the doors hissed open, a squat man in a crisp suit stepped out. His whole appearance screamed 'butler' even though he wasn't wearing a uniform. It was in his fake smile and in the bow he executed with perfect flare.

"Mistress Jasmine. It's a pleasure to see you again." He shifted his gaze to Fenella, and his fake smile got even wider. "Mistress Fenella, I presume?"

She nodded and was about to say that it was just Fenella when he moved to the girls and correctly addressed each one by name. "Mistresses Arezoo, Donya, Laleh, and Azadeh."

"I'm impressed," Jasmine said. "How did you know who was who? "

"The village roster was already updated with the names of Kyra's family members."

"I see," Jasmine said as if it was self-explanatory for the butler to be updated on everyone's names.

"My name is Okidu," he said as he bowed again to Fenella and the girls. "I will be your driver today." He motioned toward the stairs leading to the bus. "Please, step aboard."

There was something off about the bloke, but Fenella couldn't put her finger on it. "Nice to meet you, Master Okidu," she said as she followed Laleh up the stairs.

Two could play the game of making the other feel uncomfortable.

"Just Okidu, mistress."

She turned around and offered him her best fake grin. "Well, in that case, call me Fenella without the prefix."

"Very well, M—" He stopped himself. "I mean miss."

Behind her, Jasmine chuckled. "Stop tormenting the poor guy, Fenella. He can't call you by your given name. It's not how he's programmed."

Fenella looked at Jasmine over her shoulder. "What do you mean it's not how he's programmed? He can't overcome his so-called programming?"

"Not easily." Jasmine put a hand on her back, giving her a light push. "I'll explain later."

These people were not as nice as she'd thought they were if they forced their employees to call them masters and mistresses.

What was it, feudal Ireland?

The interior of the bus was much more impressive than its exterior. Plush leather seats were spaced out to provide plenty of legroom and there was an entertainment system built into each seat.

"Wow," Laleh said, checking out the system.

The others followed, their earlier wariness giving way to curiosity as they explored the vehicle. Ell-rom boarded last, ducking slightly to accommodate his height.

"This is bloody ridiculous," Fenella muttered as she settled into a seat. "Riding in a massive bus with just seven passengers. What happened to the van we took to Universal Studios?"

"It was a rental," Jasmine said. "Only approved vehicles can enter the village."

"How long is the journey?" Arezoo asked as the butler closed the door.

"It depends on the traffic," Jasmine said. "When it's light, it takes a little less than an hour; when it's congested, it can take up to two. Get comfortable, watch a movie, or listen to music."

"Very well." She watched as the vehicle went up the spiral driveway, climbing several levels before finally emerging on the street and into the bright California sunshine.

Fenella had never been to Los Angeles, so she preferred the view outside to whatever she could watch on the small screen attached to the seat in front of her.

The landscape gradually transformed, urban sprawl giving way to a more open terrain as they climbed into the foothills. She preferred the open nature and the freedom it represented.

Then, without warning, the windows of the bus started turning opaque, still letting the light through but nothing of the scenery.

"What's happening?" Donya asked.

"It's okay." Jasmine raised her hand to calm the girls. "It's just a security measure to protect the location of the village."

"By blocking the view?" Fenella asked.

"Precisely," Okidu said from the front, his first words since they'd departed. "The sanctity of the village's location is paramount to its security. The vehicle takes over, driving autonomously."

"So, no one knows how to get to the village?" Arezoo asked. "Not even the people who live there?"

"The villagers know they're in the Malibu mountains," Jasmine explained. "But the entrance to the road leading to the village remains hidden and is only known to a select few. It's for everyone's protection."

"Does everyone travel in and out of the village by bus?" Donya asked.

The same question occurred to Fenella, but she didn't want to be the one asking.

"Most residents have their own vehicles," Jasmine said. "But all the cars in the village are equipped with these special windows and autonomous driving systems that take over a few miles before entering or exiting the village. That way, the residents can't betray the village's exact location, intentionally or otherwise."

Fenella's unease deepened. "Sounds a bit paranoid, doesn't it?"

"Not really," Jasmine said. "The clan's enemies are vicious and persistent."

The implication hit Fenella like a wrecking ball. If the clan's security measures were this extreme, the threat must be proportional. She'd been free for fifty years because she'd been beneath notice, just another woman drifting through the world. But joining the village would make her a target for those vicious enemies and having been at the mercy of one of those monsters, or rather his complete lack of mercy, she knew that it wasn't an idle threat.

"Are you all right?" Jasmine asked from across the aisle. "You look pale all of a sudden."

"Just thinking," Fenella replied, careful to keep her voice low so that the girls couldn't hear her. "Given who your enemies are, maybe I'm better off on my own. At least then, I'm not a target by association."

"Being an immortal female, you are a target wherever you are," Jasmine said bluntly. "But at least in the village, you are protected. Out there, on your own, you are exposed and defenseless. "

"I've managed well enough on my own for half a century."

"You did until you didn't," Jasmine pointed out. "You got caught."

Fenella had no retort for that. The memory of her captivity was still raw—the drugs, the degradation, the abuse, the helplessness. She'd been lucky to escape with her sanity intact.

The bus slowed, the temperature noticeably dropped, the windows got darker, and the engine's hum bounced back at them in tight echoes.

They'd entered a tunnel.

"Are we underground?" Azadeh asked.

"Yes," Jasmine confirmed. "We're inside the mountain."

The bus moved slowly, propelled forward by the autonomous driving apparatus. Suddenly, there was a mechanical jerk, followed immediately by the distinct sensation of upward movement.

"What the bloody hell?" Fenella muttered.

"Vehicle lift," Ell-rom explained from across the aisle. "We are ascending to the parking garage level, which is only a couple of levels below the top where the village is."

The lift continued for what seemed an extraordinarily long time. Fenella counted silently, trying to gauge how many floors they might be rising. One, two, three... by the time they stopped, she'd estimated at least six levels, possibly more.

With a soft pneumatic hiss, the lift settled into position. The windows gradually cleared, revealing an enormous underground garage filled with vehicles of every description—from practical sedans to exotic sports cars, all arranged in neat rows under artificial lighting.

Okidu guided the bus into an empty space and cut the engine. "Welcome to the village," he announced.

As the doors opened, Jasmine turned to address everyone. "This garage is just one of many underground levels that serve different purposes. The actual village is on top of the mountain, hidden from aerial view by sophisticated camouflage technology."

"How does no one see it?" Donya asked.

"Don't ask me." Jasmine chuckled. "It's no doubt some advanced cloaking technology. Supposedly, the village appears to be just another forested peak from above or below."

Fenella stepped off the bus, taking in the cavernous space with its perfectly maintained vehicles and gleaming floor.

These people liked to keep their spaces clean, which she appreciated. Over the years, she'd learned that the difference between good and bad neighborhoods was the level of cleanliness of their streets and their public spaces, and it didn't matter if the population was wealthy or poor. People who cared for their community didn't trash it.