CHAPTER 5 (5+pp, double spaced, Times New Roman 12point)

On June 23, 2011, I began writing a novel about a woman who starts a film company to trick actors into killing the man responsible for the deaths of her husband and children.

CHAPTER 5

He sat in his office, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration as he read the foreign letters that formed words on the screen. Some days it was easier for him to translate.

Today he couldn't stop thinking of Jana. When the phone rang, he welcomed the reprieve.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Where are you?" Lina, his sister, asked him.

"Huh?"

"Lunch! You were supposed to meet me here half an hour ago!"

He looked at the time on the monitor. Then he closed the document and logged off.

"I was working."

"You're always working. Are you coming or not?"

"Yes."

He walked out with the suit he'd worn the day before, not noticing the stain on the front lapel. When he arrived at the restaurant, she impatiently hurried him over, rolling her eyes.

"I'm so hungry!" she said, putting her arm in his and moving him to the table she wanted.

He barely glanced at the menu. His face drawn, he watched his sister, noticing that she had on a new black shirt with a scooped neckline.

Lina shifted uncomfortably, turning her eyes to meet his, the same color as hers: hazel. Tapping her fingers on the table, she sighed, then smiled.

"I know how hard this must be for you."

Flicking his gaze away, he moved his arm up and back on his leg. Blinking, he erased any emotion he had in his eyes. He barely glanced at his sister before motioning the waiter over.

"Are you ready to order, sir?" the waiter asked.

"Coffee."

Lina looked at her brother, her eyes in uncomprehension. He held her eyes for a moment, challenging her.

"And you, ma'am?"

"A ceasar salad, followed by the chicken fois and the apple tart for dessert."

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"A shot of ale will do nicely, thank you."

When the waiter left she crossed her arms, returning her brother's challenge. Opening his mouth and closing it, he looked away again.

"You can't keep shutting me out," she said.

He locked eyes with her. Frowning, his face turned into a scowl.

"Please leave me alone, or I will leave."

Tears sprung to her eyes, but she held back. Shifting uncomfortably, he turned his face to the window, barely seeing the cars in the parking lot.