Hot Summer Night

9 - Seraphine

I slept, and I slept, and I slept for who knows how long. I don't feel guilty or even care that I did, either. It was the best sleep I've had in years.

For once in my life, I didn't have to worry about a man entering my room to take his anger out on me. I'm feeling grateful for that and for Marla's help getting me away from Chadwick. And I'm also appreciative of my ex. Unbeknownst to him, it was me he agreed to take in, promising to keep me safe.

Now, I have more questions than ever because of where I am, who brought me here, and how I now know she's friends with Declan.

I awoke once when Marla came to me, begging that I drink and eat what she brought me. Out of habit, I refused to consume any of it. I opted to argue with her instead of leaving the room to talk to Declan as she had asked. I just wanted to sleep—well, my body did, anyway.

I also had many emotions roaming through me that I was fighting. I felt relieved, happy, thrilled, and overjoyed. But I also felt hurt, scared, angry, frustrated, confused, ashamed, embarrassed, jealous, sad, depressed, and disappointed.

I'm a mess. A God. Damn. Mess. Nobody wants to see or be around an emotional woman who's this way, either. And no child should be around someone like me right now. Not at this time. Hell, I don't even want to be around me.

That's why I refuse to be social right now. I'm used to being unsocial, anyway. Usually, my only chances of interacting with people were when Marla came over to visit, when we went out with her and Caleb, or at the parties Chadwick hosted. Even then, I hardly talked to people. I didn't know who anyone was.

My mouth felt dry and like I had cottonmouth, so I finally opened my eyes to see if the room had a bathroom. I blinked the sleepiness from my eyes and scanned the room.

I was in an instant state of serenity. The room was much cozier and warmer than I stayed in at Chadwick's. The wall colorings were beige with white trim, and on one side of the room, what would be a wall, were floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding glass door leading to a deck. The walls featured beautiful nature paintings of valleys of mountains, green plateaus and snowy ridges, desert highlands, mountains of green hills, and lakes surrounded by mountains.

The art was so serene—relaxing and beautiful. I could stare at them all day. But I had to pee, and I was extremely thirsty.

Noticing a door on the other side of the room and assuming it was a bathroom, I flipped the blanket off me and swung my legs around as I sat up.

While standing, I noticed a glass of water on the nightstand with a handwritten note saying, Please drink me. It was Marla's handwriting. Below it said: Don't worry, Chadwick wasn't here to poison it, and neither Declan nor I would poison it either.

Instead of drinking the water, I headed to the bathroom, did what I needed to do, washed up, stuck my mouth under the cold running water, and drank until I choked from consuming too much water at once.

When I emerged from the bathroom, my heart stopped. I gasped, my hand flew to my chest, and I jumped high in the air after seeing someone standing in the doorway—Declan's daughter.

Looking away, not wanting her to see my face, I quietly said, "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the room."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Everly apologized. "Dad and Marla ran to the grocery store. They said they won't be long. So I, um... figured I'd see if you needed anything."

She sounds sincere and cute.

I shook my head, still avoiding her seeing me, quietly telling her, "No, I'm okay. Thank you."