Chapter 5
The huge hallway was softly lit by a single crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, casting an eerie light onto the oil paintings. I stepped into the warmth of the house and closed my eyes, letting my skin bask in the heat. God, I was tired. The door clicked closed behind me and, slowly, I pulled my shoes off, gasping as the shoe chafed against my blisters. Damn, how long did I walk?
“Are you okay?” my ‘Father’ said. Worry was carved into every line of his face. He secured the blanket around my shoulders, making me wince as the soft cotton chafed against my raw skin. This body wasn’t really special at all. Good looks didn’t stop agonizing pain. In a sense, it was almost comforting. Humans were all the same, really. “What happened?”
“I forgot that the car was going to pick me up after school,” I said, with an awkward smile. “Then I scraped my arm against a wall. Sorry.”
“Why are you saying sorry?” he asked, sounding annoyed. With one arm around my shoulder, my ‘Father’ helped me up the stairs, letting me lean on him. Had it been any other day, I would’ve been annoyed and felt he was invading my personal space. Today, however, I was way too tired to care. I welcomed him support, though I was very aware that he was not my real Father. My real Father was dead. This was just a stranger. “It’s not your fault. I’ll help you walk, and I can send a maid up with a hot water bottle and anything else you want.”
I nodded, unable to speak. His genuine care was almost overpowering. Even though this man was a stranger and I knew nothing about him, he cared about me. He loved me. My Dad. I haven’t had a Dad in so long and I’d forgotten just about everything, but under his gentle gaze I could almost imagine the feeling. I swallowed, then gagged at the taste of the dirty cloth that was still lingering on my tongue.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking alarmed.
“I’m…fine,” I lied. “I’m just thirsty, I guess.”
“I’ll tell the maid to bring you some bottled water as well. I had your favourite ordered.” I had a favourite water? I didn’t even have a favourite color.
We’d reached the landing. He pushed the door open for me, let me go. The lights automatically flickered on. Stumbled a little at first, I managed to fall relatively safely onto the edge of my huge bed. I turned around to thank him, but found him frowning.
“Ivy…did you cleaned this room? The maids weren’t going to until tomorrow.”
He sounded so shocked, I have no idea how to react. I fidgeted with my fingers.
“Is it…a bad thing?” I asked, trying to sound hopeful. Damn it. I should’ve asked Oli if cleaning up was something ‘Poison Ivy’ usually did. “Everything just looked so messy, all the clothes spilling out onto the floor, the plates everywhere, paper lining the floors…” I shuddered. My phobia of anything unclean was border-line obsessive compulsive, but I didn’t really care. As long as my books were stacked perfectly symmetrically, with the biggest on the bottom and the smallest on the top, I was happy.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, looking kind of pale. “You’re not feeling ill, are you?”
“I’m fine!” I said, with a care-free laugh. It sounded like a hyena being choked. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Well, night, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart…
He leaned in, giving me a surprise hug. My eyes widened, as the Duke squeezed me close. In these moments, I could so easily delude myself, just like the way I’d done earlier. But I couldn’t. It would hurt too much, once I was pulled out.
