Twisted Games

Chapter 13 - Eve

I spent the rest of the night in the armchair staring through the panorama window at the streams of gleaming life below.

I didn't want to sleep. Sleepless nights weren't uncommon for me especially not after the eventful encounters with uncle Henry.

I remembered how I kept standing dumbfounded in the living room long after Jack Barrett disappeared upstairs. My nerves were as tense as guitar strings. The fact that he wasn't a security worker from the CCTV room was still sinking in along with other disturbing news the party brought.

I shuddered when I heard something break upstairs. My instincts kicked in and I rushed for the front door. It beeped as I tried to unlock it and demanded a password. Frustrated I tried to overrun the system with my voice but that didn't work either. I had no choice left but to wait until morning in the living room never once considering to retire into the guest bedroom. Instead I reclined in the armchair and stared at the night city.

I tried to evaluate my emotions and wasn't at all surprised to discover that both my feelings and thoughts were strangely sedated. The events of the evening really took a toll on me. I knew I had to think things through somehow. Uncle Henry wasn't a man of great patience. I realized with bitter feelings in my heart that I might not have another option but to move back into his apartment. I thought about my family's house and regretted not selling it earlier.

My mom loved that house and she put her heart into decorating it. Every single detail had a special meaning and purpose to her. I remembered the twinkle in her bright blue eyes, her happy laughter and the days we had been spending gardening in the backyard. The day she was gone was still haunting in my nightmares.

I had just came back from school when my father's bodyguard met me at the front porch. Immediately I knew something terrible had happened, but the reality I had to face that day was more horrible than anything I had imagined on my way to the hospital. I listened to hushed conversations in the hall, watched my dad break apart from grief and all I could think about was "I didn't even say goodbye."

Laura Wattenberg went out to purchase a couple of flowers she planned to plant in our garden that day. She never made it home though. A stupid car crash of all possible things took her life away.

I closed my eyes and let the tears slid down my cheeks. Attacked by unhappy memories I didn't notice when dawn broke. I wiped my cheeks and sighed. Those days uncle Henry was ever supporting and helpful. Noone in the right mind would have doubted his intentions. Least of all my kind and trusting father.

Broken-hearted as he was, I guessed he had no other choice but to accept uncle Henry's assistance. Since then, for as long as I remember the solutions to my issues with uncle Henry had been always evading me. The problems were stably piling up until I was staggering under their tremendous weight. The outcome was quite predictable and always the same. Eventually, after much resistance, I gave in.

This time however it seemed I had more unpleasant issues on the table than just satisfying uncle Henry's sick needs and wants. Everything changed with Jack Barrett's appearance in the picture. He was aware about uncle Henry's interest in me. And for the sake of my sanity I had no idea how to go about it.

I watched the sun rise and I closed my eyes for a little. I allowed myself a couple of minutes to clear my mind and calm my breathing. These morning ministrations usually helped me to go through the day after a stressful night. Little Eve had to learn to close up her mind from everything bad that had been repeatedly occurring to her.

The red dress I wore felt clammy when I got up, the sleek bright material clinging to my body like second skin. I examined the torn side without regret and kicked of my shooes.