The Perfect Family - editing

04 . time for dinner

• CHAPTER FOUR •
TIME FOR DINNER

-

The scent of the meat flooded the house. It smelled good, whatever it was, duck, maybe deer? Mickey didn't care, Rosemary and Eve told her asking questions wasn't allowed. She didn't want to get punished for something as small as asking about the food. She supposed the real question would be whether or not the food was poisoned, but if she was to be that man's wife, they wouldn't want her to die too quickly would they? Mickey almost wished they'd just torture her. The mere concept of what they were doing made her sweat and shake. A housewife? They kidnapped her to be a housewife. Mickey couldn't wrap her mind around it.

She bit on her lip harshly as the door opened, Mickey willed herself to stand still and stare at the floor as her body involuntarily wracked her with tremors. The bowl of soup's aroma floated into her nose temptingly, but she couldn't focus on the meal she'd just prepared. There were footsteps, his footsteps, coming for her.

"Mikayla?"

Niko had come in first, greeted briefly by his mother who rushed to Hugh. The man took Eve's hand and kissed it, whispering something as they both peered in her direction. Mickey glared daggers as they blatantly spoke about her.

"What's the matter?" Niko asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. The many possible answers she could spit in his face ran wild throughout her head, but she restrained herself.

"It's nothing."

"Your lip," he cupped her cheek, "it's swollen, do you bite it?"

"It's just a habit," Mickey squirmed under his eyes, resisting to flinch away from his palm.

"You shouldn't do it, you might cut yourself."

She stared blankly at him, and he seemed to notice. "What?"

"I'm not a child."

"You're right, you're my wife."

"I'm not your -" another voice interrupted her before she could finish the damning statement.

"Time for dinner," Rosemary said, her eyes trained on Mickey's. She saved her, from her own words. Again, Mickey noted.

"Thank you, Kayla sit here."

It was where she sat in the morning. Niko beside her, Rosemary across from her. Said girl had her head down as Arthur whispered, Mickey couldn't make out their words, she wondered if it was about her. Plates and bowls were passed around the table. Hugh and Arthur's chat about work filled the silence. Mickey was lucky Niko had made her plate for her. Her fingers trembled so much she doubted she could hold a spoon. Would she get in trouble for not eating? 'Eat, just pick up the fork and fucking eat.' She couldn't will herself to move anymore than the occasional twitch. The food smelled so good, but she thought she'd vomit all over it before she could get a bite in her mouth.

"Rosemary," she said. Her voice cut through the air, cutting off all conversation as the family stared at her in anticipation. The other woman had been mid-chew when she was called out, cherry colored lips still puckered.

"Yes, Mikayla?" Rosemary answered in a voice higher than the one she used earlier. They were in the same seats, but surrounded. Mickey couldn't say anything.

"The bread," her eyes flickered to the slice that Rosemary had been eating. "I made it, did it come out okay?"

The tension in the air seemed to disintegrate but Rosemary only rose an unimpressed brow. Her eyes flickered to Arthur, and back to Mickey. "It's good."

"It's great," Hugh interjected, "you're a fine cook, Mikayla. You'd known if you ate some. Dipping it in the soup really adds flavor," he waved his own bread in the air teasingly.

"Of course, right," Mickey forced a smile before digging in. She dipped her bread in the soup, but it didn't seem to taste like anything at all.

-

"I wanted to thank you, for that," Niko said to her later on that night. Mickey wondered if she should ask why, but he answered before a word could lead her mouth. "I've seen how some girls act, in the family. You're not like them, it's your first day and I haven't seen anything. Dad told me Arthur got lucky with Rosemary, that I needed to expect more from you, but I think I got lucky, too. So thank you."

Mickey felt touched, to some degree. She hadn't expected to get so 'lucky' either. Niko was a calm man. But how long could they both go until their luck ran out? Sure he was nice now, but what would Niko do when she acted out? Cut her? Kill her?

The questions kept her up all night.