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Theo snuggled close to me and shortly started to snore as I felt myself getting sleepier listening to the wind howl and the trees sway. While I was asleep I heard voices in my room but couldn't find the strength to move or wake myself as if I was in paralysis. "She'll do just fine, I've waited too long for this and the preparations have already been made." The weight on my bed shifted as someone leaned over me stroking my hair.
"You've never been wrong before but I'm sure you must be nervous, what if this doesn't work?" I woke up in a sweat looking around to see no one but Theo on my bed snoring still. I shook him gently and he continued to snore which was unusual for Theo, he was usually a light sleeper.
I heard music coming from my open window, and as I peered out the guest house was alive with lights and people moving in and out of view of the window. There was a scream and then laughter as people came in and out of the house. Throwing on my robe I ran out of my room forgetting my shoes and tiptoeing down the grand staircase. As I made my way to the guest house the laughter and clinking of glasses got louder and the music too.
Standing on my tiptoes I looked into the house and saw women and men dressed in black chatting and dancing around the room. A man was at the piano playing a tune I never heard before when a woman caught my eye. She was wearing Ms. Alcott's ring and hanging onto the arm of a young man wearing Mr. Alcott's ring. I was so confused that I started to back away from the window when a hand wrapped around my waist and covered my mouth. I tried to scream as I was dragged away into the greenhouse.
The dark figure pushed me inside keeping his hand firm on my mouth and closing the door. It was Victor and he was smiling, "You weren't supposed to be out of bed Ayana. What're you doing up?" I felt my legs turn to jelly as I noticed his eyes weren't blue and green anymore but black.
I backed away slowly trying to figure out where I would run, "Please." I barely whispered the words before he started to take off his cufflinks and toss them to the side. As the cuff links clinked inside a flowerpot I started for the door behind me. Victor caught the end of my robe, and it tore as I fought to get away from him. He caught me around the waist again and pulled me to the floor. I felt my nightgown coming up as he kissed my thighs moaning in ecstasy.
"No!" I screamed and then came the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life. It felt like someone was stabbing me and my entire body was on fire. I woke up screaming and Theo jumped off the bed to hide. Roy burst into my room with a knife in hand spinning in circles looking at me with wild eyes, "Where's the danger?!" It was morning time and as far as I could see it was just me and Roy in the room.
"No danger, I had a nightmare that I can't even remember now." Roy lowered his knife and grabbed his chest heaving heavily. "It's alright Miss Delaney, I had nightmares too my first few months here. Try to call home, it'll make you feel better. In the meantime, I'll have one of the maids bring you a glass of water." With that, he left my room and closed the door behind him.
Theo refused to come out until I coaxed him with a snack and he hesitantly took it from me. My hand jumped to my thigh as I felt an aching sensation. I went to the mirror and the bruise on my shoulder had almost entirely faded away but another had appeared in my thigh. How many times was I going to hurt myself in the night?
Today Mrs. Alcott was going to show me my office and help me move my things in. I kissed Theo goodbye and apologized to him two more times for scaring him. Mrs. Alcott was waiting for at the bottom of the stairs and her eyes lit up when she saw me coming. "You missed breakfast dear, so I had Mrs. Corpt cook you something else when you woke up. Was that you are screaming this morning?"
"I am so sorry Mrs. Alcott I had nightmare I think, and it was so intense that apparently I frightened everyone in the house." She smiled and grabbed my arm walking down another corridor with me in tow. "Think nothing of its Miss. Delaney, I have some sleeping tonic that helped me when I first moved here."
The hall was long with doors on each side of room that we continued past until we reached the first one with the door wide open. "This will be your office, it's larger compared to normal offices but I want you to really feel at home while you're here. I do hope you stay a while; you are so gentle, and lord knows we could use some life in this house."
Mrs. Alcott helped me arrange my books on the shelves and set up my drawers of notes and folders. When she finally left me alone, I sat in the dusty room rubbing my inner thigh absent mindedly thinking about where I wanted to put my notebooks.
Victor hadn't showed up all day but not that I cared. Well, that was a lie, I was finding myself thinking about him often after showing me the garden yesterday. I went outside and looked around staring at the green house. It made me uneasy seeing it, but I couldn't remember why. The bell for lunch sounded and I ran back inside closing the front door behind me. For lunch we had chicken parmesan with alfredo penne. Victor joined us for lunch but again I noticed he wasn't eating anything; he looked livelier today much happier than he was yesterday.
"How'd you sleep Doctor? I hear that you woke the house up with a blood curdling scream this morning." Mrs. Alcott told Victor not the pick at me, "She had a nightmare which is perfectly normal Victor and don't pry I'm sure Miss. Delaney is embarrassed enough by the whole ordeal." I nodded and said nothing as I lost my appetite.
I excused myself from the table and went back to my office to finish setting up. There was a knock at the door as Victor let himself in carrying one of the roses from the garden. "I thought you could use some color in here, so I brought this for you. Mother would be furious if she knew I cut even a single one, but it'll be our secret."
"Thank you." I said taking it from him and sitting it in the window ceil. I could feel him watching my every move and it made me nervous as if I was under a microscope. "Did I offend you at lunch earlier? I do apologize I'm so used to saying what's on my mind."
"You didn't offend me, I'm a little embarrassed myself to be honest. I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but a good night's rest will make me feel better if it ever comes." Victor pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and placed it in my hand. "My mother wanted me to give this to you so that you sleep better at night."
I thanked Victor again and felt butterflies in my chest as his fingertips brushed the palm of my hand. Quickly letting go I told him I was going to finish setting up here and would see him at dinner. He smiled at me and left the room leaving the door ajar.
Charming was all I could say and then I remembered that I was due to call the girls in a few minutes. When the call connected there was screaming and cheering from all three of them. "I can't believe you're really gone Ayana!" Janet screamed,
"So? Tell us everything, what's it like living the rich life?" I didn't know what to say so I just cried instead seeing all of them made me realize how far away I really was.
"Oh, sweety don't cry, we miss you too." Milly said tearing up. I blew my noise into a tissue and told them how amazing everything was. "Victor showed me the garden yesterday-"
"Who showed you the garden?" Kara said squinting her eyes. "A man showed you the garden huh? I think that's what you said." My ears got hot as they interrogated me on who Victor was.
"He's the Alcott's son and he is very charming but technically I'm employed by him and his parents. He's already nervous that I'm going to take advantage of them, so I've been keeping it strictly about business." They all booed and asked for a picture.
"No, no, no absolutely not remember strictly professional." They whined and asked for a general description. I couldn't help but tell them about the rose he brought from the garden and how he held my hand when we walked to the greenhouse. "Jack is not going to be happy about that but I'm glad you're finding someone to keep yourself occupied out there. Just promise me you won't get pregnant and have to stay out there for the rest of your life." I promised and then heard footsteps approaching.
"I hear someone coming, I'll call you guys later." We said our goodbyes when Roy appeared at the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Alcott have left again into town and I am headed out to deliver some letters. Can you manage here on your own."
"Yes Roy, I believe I can manage on my own." Roy nodded and left. I watched the sun go down before leaving my office. Victor was in the library reading from a thick black book, so I tiptoed past the door trying not to disturb him. The house was eerily silent for 6 O'clock in the evening but I went to the living room anyways thinking they'd have a tv or something but no luck.
There was a book on the table with the title reading, "Novem ad Immortalitatem." I took a picture of the book and flipped it open to the first page. "Latin of course." I said actually regretting now that I had never taken interest in the language. The book was thick and worn with some pages torn out. I took another picture of a page that had been in the process of being torn out but remained intact by a hair.
The bell for dinner rang and I sat the book back down on the table glancing at it one more time, why the hell was this family so interested in Latin? It was weird but I guess I've seen weirder after all Victor did say their family went back centuries. I made my way to the dinner table to find James there again and Victor waiting for me to join them. "Mrs. Corpt is bringing out fillet mignon for you shortly, she's excellent in everything she makes really."
"Are you not eating?" I asked as he pulled my chair out for me. "No, I had a large meal earlier this morning that I'm still digesting." James smirked and twirled his cup in his hands. I didn't get the joke, so I sat in silence as Victor watched me eat.
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