The Captured Butterfly

"Hi Paula, the trip went great. I'll start with a coffee, what about you El?"

"Tea with a bit of honey please." They looked at the menu for a minute and then at each other, at the same time, with grins on their faces said, "Super T Burger with the works." They both started to laugh.

With a strange look on her face she wrote it down then walked away to get their drinks.

"Remember me? Have lunch sometime? Wow you would think she had been your best friend not me?"

"Ya she just loved me so much, excuse me but what good times was she referring to?" Ellie said with a sly grin.

"You and her had more Verbal Duels than I have ever seen anyone else in my life. She really hated you. She wasted her whole childhood trying to take you down."

"Ya but you know what David, I didn't do anything to her. Her scams always back fired in her face, I didn't have to do a thing"

Paula came back with their drinks. "Your burgers won't take long.' Then went to the next table.

They made a silent laugh together then grabbed their drinks.

"So what was Mr. Branstan talking about, a piece of property?"

"I'm a real-estate broker now."

She looked up at him with a big smile on her face. "Good! Good for you David. I thought you looked happier, now I know why. What happened to your dad's shop?"

"I sold it and invested it into the real-estate business."

Paula came with their burgers. Stopping all conversation for a while. They both dug into their burgers right away.

"Man those burgers are in a class all by themselves. I sure missed those." She smiled at David.

They looked at each other again and laughed. After Paula freshened their drinks they sat back and talked some more.

"So how is the real-estate business in this small town?" she sipped her tea

"Actually for the size of this town, pretty good. Thanks to Mr. Branstan."

"What do you mean?"

"Well he's my best customer. He's bought a lot of property around here, building and expanding. He's done a lot for this town. This is a secret but I can trust you. He's buying property for a children's play ground."

"Is there... anywhere in this town that he hasn't bought?"

David laughed, "ya your property. You know you would think he would try to buy that back from you but he's not even interested.

"What do you mean buy it back?"

"Well history of this town tells us your property once belonged with his. It used to be part of the Branstan Estate. I don't have all the details but somehow it became the Stantons.

"What!" She said stunned, "are you serous?"

"El, are you ok? You look a bit pale."

She blinked her eyes. "I'm always pale, I'm fine, this week has wiped me out a little that's all, I think I'd better head home."

"Hey maybe I should drive you home, I can always bring you to pick up your car tomorrow, I'm a bit worried now."

She rolled her eyes towards the ceiling, "don't be ridiculous David I'll be fine."

He looked at her face, which was trying to conceal her emotions, "Ok now I really am worried."

"You are not driving me home, you are still a worry wart."

"Ok, but here," he retrieved one of his cards from the inside of his coat then passed it to her. "If you don't phone me, an hour after you leave to tell me your home safe and sound I'm coming after you, got it?"

She took the card, "alright, fine happy?"

"No but since you're being stubborn and not letting me take you home myself it will have to do."

She rolled her eyes again while he called Paula over for the checks. After they paid they headed out the door to their cars.

"Well you need to talk or just need a dinner partner I'm available. Real-estate broker, friend, dinner date David Penno is at your service. Phone me when you get home."

She gave him a big hug. "You're a big worry wart but I love you and really missed your ass." She grinned and walked towards her car.

"Call!"

"Ya ya!" she climbed into her car, started it up, and waved as she was pulling away.

As she drove down the dirt road she noticed a black Porsche fallowing her, she knew it wasn't David cause he had a Jeep and no one else lived down here except for her and Mr Branstan. "Maybe its just coincidence after all he did have business in town to take care of. I'm starting to get paranoid but that's weird that my property was part of his estate and yet he doesn't want to buy it. I sure got some reading ahead of me tonight." She pulled into her driveway and got out of her car grabbing her books. She glanced up at the road looking out as he past but he stopped in front of her drive way. He rolled down his window, "Did you enjoy your dinner Ellie? You know you really should try not to be so rude."

"Rude, me rude how dare you. You seem to have bought everyone in this town but I can't be bought Mr. Branstan. Perhaps if you don't want someone to be rude to you, you just might want to change your mannerisms like kissing and laughing at someone at their aunt's funeral. I disliked that very much. Diplomacy would pay off better, good night sir," she said as she turned toward the house.

Before she knew what hit her he was out of his car and blocking her way to the house. Ellie was so shocked with his quickness that she couldn't get out a single word.

He stood with his face a breaths length away. His eyes pierced deep into hers, "Do you really Ellie?" He kissed her hard on the lips making her drop all her books. "That is the one I owe you from yesterday before...Mitch interrupted us. I will have to have a talk with that girl and make sure she doesn't interfere again. You shouldn't test my patients. Have a pleasant sleep Ellie." He started to walk away then stopped, with one pull of his fingers he pulled out her braid. "I don't like it in a braid, keep you hair down Ellie, for me." He scraped his fingernail down her cheek, "I always get my way," then walked to his car. He laughed as he drove away.

Ellie was paralysed for a long time finally she started to thaw out as she looked around, very slowly bent down, gathered her books then ran into the house. Her nerves were frayed. "What is he trying to do? She was looking in the mirror to see if he cut her face with his fingernail, it was as if he was just playing with her. He's yanking my strings to upset me but what is it he wants?" She said heatedly. How could he blazingly kiss my..." she touched her lips with her fingers but they still felt hot. "I think staying here might not be such a good idea, I sure don't need another...guy in my life, not right now, maybe not for a long while. I must confront him next time, tell him to stop this and tell him how very much it upsets me." She turned around to check the when door making sure it was locked, then after phoning David she grabbed some of her books, turned out the lights and went to bed.

Chapter 4 Captured Butterflies

"No stop, I don't want to go, leave me be. No please leave me alone NO!" she screamed as she woke up shaking in her bed. "This is ridiculous," she said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. 'How the hell can I let someone get to me that way, a stranger I don't even know messing with my mind like that?" She looked at the clock, "2 in the morning?" She let her head flop back on to the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. She pulled herself out of the bed, grabbed her robe and headed down stairs. She entered the kitchen, made herself a tea, then grabbing her books before she headed for the sunroom. She took a sip of tea then picked up the book from the top of the pile.

"Original Families and their Estates, this might tell me something about him and his family." She looked up his name in the back, "Branstan Estate here it is, page 154." She flipped threw the book until she found it and began to read. "R.B. Branstan bought the property from the crown in 1823. When tragedy struck the family in 1822 over in Europe, leaving R.B. Junior inheriting all the family assets. With only sad memories for company he decided he would move over to Canada. Except for the original family home, he sold all the estates in Europe and took a ship to North America. Once the large piece of land was bought from the crown the building of the estate commenced and hence the strong stone structure still stands today at the end of Branstan Road. In 1889 a couple of acres of the land was given to Valerie Stanton's family for her hand in marriage. ... Wait a minute that's my great aunt. So David was right, this property was once part of the Branstan Estate. Renald Branstan had the house built that now stands on the Stanton property for Valerie Stanton's parents but tragedy befell the couple as she died on the eve of their wedding. The corner lot was lost from the Branstan estate, as it had already been signed over to the Stantons. Wow! What a tough break. That must have been Renald's grandfather. That's interesting information." She took a last sip from her cup and yawned. "Well I think I'll try to sleep again she got up placed her cup in the sink and headed up the stairs to her room again.

She could feel the morning sun's steaming heat, warming up her bedroom as her eyelashes started to flutter awake. She pulled herself up, washed, dressed, then headed down stairs to make herself some breakfast. "I'm going to concentrate on my research today and put...yesterday out of my mind." She sat in the sunroom eating her breakfast going threw her reference books placing strips of paper between the pages that would help her with her story. She was grabbing for her third book when she noticed the time. "Oh my heavens, it's almost one-o'clock I've lost track of the whole morning." She got up, stretched then went into the kitchen to make herself a salad for lunch. She sat down with her salad, grabbed the last book then continued to flip threw it like the others. Suddenly she got the urge to open the glass doors, clouds were forming over head but the beautiful smell of the garden where clutching at her very senses, after taking a big sniff she smiled then sat down again. She picked up the book and continued with the job at hand. All the smells from the garden waffled into the sunroom pulling her thoughts into her aunt's garden, tempting her to abandon her work and take a stroll.

She looked down into her lap where the book lay, then at the beautiful garden. "Yup I think it's time for a break." She stretched her arms in the air, placed the book on the table and walked out into the garden. She walked slowly threw the paths that weaved threw her aunt's garden while her mind weaved threw her paths of memories. There was a man out there weeding the garden.

"Excuse me who are you?"

"Hi there, names Andrew just doing the weeding, promised your aunt to take care of it after she was gone, she told me that you're not much of a Gardner."

A smile formed on her lips as she watched him. " That would be right, these hands create stories not flowers. My aunt's hands held that magic. How much do you charge?"

"Oh can't take money mam, already getting paid by Mr. Branstan besides I couldn't stand knowing no one was looking after it now. I'd do it for free for Mrs. June."

"Well thanks Andrew I really appreciate it."

"Your welcome mam."

She continued her walk until she came to a bench sitting on a small grassy hill that over looked the whole garden. As she walked past the biggest carnations she ever saw in her life she spied an enormous butterfly. She laughed to herself as she quietly bent over and cupped her hands around it.

"Catching butterflies Miss Stanton." Her whole body jumped and the butterfly escaped into the air.

He reached over and grabbed it. "Sorry to frighten you, would you like to have it back?" A huge grin formed on his lips.

"Must you always pop out of no where, scaring people to death?"

"Oh, if I wanted to scare someone to death Miss Stanton I could think a lot worse ways to accomplish that. What's with the butterfly anyway, collector?"

"No if you must know it was one of my childhood memories. I spent a lot of time out here with my aunt, it was always so beautiful even if the sun wasn't out, the colours, smells...anyway one day I was here with my aunt, and I caught a beautiful butterfly. I wanted to keep it so badly. I would bring it home, name it, and keep it in a jar but my aunt wouldn't let me. She said beautiful things from nature needed to be free." She smiled as the memory swept over her, then pulled her self back to the present, sadly she looked at him still holding the butterfly. "Let it go."

"I don't agree with your aunt. I think if you can train them to stay, it will even give up its freedom, for the right reason. See..." he opened his hand but the butterfly sat there in a docile state, beautiful but sad looking. He whispered to it, "you may go" and it flew up in the air.

"Why do I even bother talking to you? You're a very strange man," She said as she looked towards the garden again. "I think I made a mistake coming back here, perhaps small town life is not for me. The peace and quite here wound have been nice but certain things," she looked at him from the corner of her eyes, "are placing me on edge. It's not what I need in my life right now; my writing is going to suffer for it. I have no desire to get involved with anyone so your affections are going to waste. I'm sure there are lot of women who would love to receive your attention. I would appreciate if you wouldn't make a repeat of yesterday night sir, it was...upsetting."

Mr. Branstan smiled then walked over to the bench to sit down. "Do I scare you Ellie, managed to fray your nerves a bit, come sit, join me?"

She stiffened her back and shoulders, "No I don't think you understand what I'm saying to you. I don't want to sit, talk or anything with you, please sir leave me alone. You do and say inappropriate things, treat it like a game, you enjoy playing with people sir, like they're your toys! It's rude."

A large grin flew across his face. "Is that what you think I'm doing, playing a game? I assure you Miss Stanton it is far from being a game. In fact it's rather deadly serous." He patted the seat beside him, come here and sit Ellie."

"I don't think so, I'll pass."

"You have questions you are dieing to ask me so instead of getting it from a book sit down and ask, perhaps you'll get the answers." Then he leaned back. "Unless you're a liar Miss Stanton and you are afraid of me," he smiled.

She glared at him, crossed her arms over her chest then slowly made her way to the bench. She sat down, "Ok how did you know my family, and don't tell me your our neighbour cause I know there's more to it than that, like the fact that my property once belonged to your family. How come I was never told anything about this before or that our families where almost connected. Unfortunately it must have been sad for your grandfather such a sad accident that killed my aunt before they got married."

"No Miss Stanton, Valerie did not just simply die of an unfortunate accident, she committed suicide so she didn't have to get married to my...grandfather. She played my family and gambled with her family's souls, now that you're the only living Stanton left the debt falls to you.

"Wait what debt? What are you talking about? Do you mean a debt is still owed for the house and property? Was it never paid for, I just don't understand Mr. Branstan."

"Your aunt never showed you the contract did she?" He leaned in menacingly towards her, "another Stanton deception."

His cool breath frightened her, "contract? I have no idea what you mean. But if there is a problem then maybe you should take back the property. You can have it and the house if you like. I think my place is in the city anyway so I could be out by the end of the month.

"That is not an option I will except, you may not leave to go anywhere." Then he got up and stood behind the bench his anger obvious now.

Ellie stood up, "I beg your pardon? I'll leave to go anywhere I please. This has made my mind up for me; I no longer want anything to do with this house. I will be gone by the end of the month then you can do with it what ever pleases you." She started to walk away.

" FREEZE MISS STANTON! He yelled venomously.

She froze in her tracks, not being able to move. A terrifying moment of déjà vu entered her thoughts, one from a dream.

He walked over grabbed her long braid and yanked it down so hard it gave her a headache causing her face to look into the clouds. He then started to pull it out into straight strands, combing it with his fingers. "I thought I told you yesterday I like it straight, don't braid it again." When he finished toying with her hair he got in front of her, then pulled her chin tightly down. "You see because of default of the contract I own you, Miss Stanton. You do not want to make me angry because you will lose everything that means anything to you. I will destroy everything around you then slowly and painfully I will destroy you. Making me angry is not wise. Now I think you should spend some time going threw your...house and find that contract. It must exist, it has to be there or the house would not be standing. Then start preparing your self to fulfill your family's obligations. As far as you going someplace..." he slapped her cheek hard leaving a red hand mark on her cheek then smiled with amusement. "You will be going no place. Don't try to leave ether, you will find that my power stretches near and far enough to make it quite unbearable for you or your friends. I will be waiting to here from you Miss Stanton you know where I live. Oh yes, do try to have pleasant dreams won't you Miss Stanton?" He snapped his fingers releasing her from her frozen state.

She spun around to face him but he was gone. She walked back to the house but she was visibly shaking with fear. "Not leave eh, well we shall see, I think it's time to see if Marinda needs some help at the gallery. She wanted me to move in with her so I think I will." She stopped at the glass doors. "Well auntie you were right I should not have come back here." She went inside to make herself a tea. "I need to calm myself, he's just trying to upset me he's sick, and he enjoys scaring people. He must be crazy; I must get control of myself. I'll phone Marinda and talk to her about coming there to stay." She flipped open the cell phone and pressed Marinda's number but got her voice mail.

"Hi my sexy friend you missed me but you can leave a message, I will get back to you, darling. Beep!"

"Hi Marinda ya its me Ellie I need to talk to you, could you give me a call? She snapped the phone shut. She fixed herself a tea then headed to the front room, she couldn't be near the garden right now.

"Mitch is right, he's dangerous and I have to get out of here before he..." she shuttered... " hurts me. She might even be right about the evil part he sure acts evil." Tears started to pour down her cheek as she touched the spot he slapped it stung and burned as the tears rolled over it. "Why is he doing this to me?"

Chapter 5 Bloody Contract

With a shaky hand she brought the teacup to her lips. The cell went off sending the cup to shiver in her hand. "For heaven sake El, relax will you?" She told herself while she answered the phone, "hello."

"Hey El it's me what's up, actually I'm glad you phoned cause I was going to ask you for a favour."

"Oh ya? Sure Mar anything, you know that, you've done so much for me I owe you a million times over, anything just ask."

"You better hear it first cause it's a big one."

"Hey there isn't a favour to big, where you're concerned, just name it."

" Well you know how I told you about 3 years ago that there was a privet backer that pulled the gallery out of the red, and kept it out ever since?

"Oh ya!"

" He pulled his backing, I lost the gallery. They're closing down." She started to cry."

"Oh that's horrible Mar what are you going to do now."