The Last Dynasty

Chapter Seven

"How do you know Celine?" Daniel asked. He moved closer to the bed dropping the green plastic bag he held on the cupboard and drew a cushion closer to himself slowly falling on it.

"Daniel!" She exclaimed in shock, resting her back on the spring end of the bed. Her back sank into the multiple springs curled into the end of the bed and she could feel the hurt and marks the poor state of the bed will leave on her skin.

"Oh! So you remember me? I thought you lost your memory," Daniel said as he reclined on the small cushion he sat on.

"The Inspector! He helped me identify each of you at the station," she replied.

"So, how do you know Celine?" Daniel asked again. Her lips were pale, dried and crusty. She would occasionally lick them wet, but they'd return back almost immediately to their dried state. She started palpitating, loud thuds of game over was all her heart sent to her. Her brain, racking its box of excuses for something. Anything. One that would get her out of the uncomfortable dilemma she had unintentionally drawn to herself.

"I don't," she replied swallowing something that had gotten stuck in her throat. "She was kind enough to pay me a visit when she heard I had been possibly endangered by your brother."

"Look I'm sorry I got you into all of this."

"No! You don't have to apologize. I was the one who wanted the job and you were just being extra nice by offering it to me. No one knew any of this was going to happen," Tessy replied and a brief nod accompanied her words by Daniel. He set out the food he had brought for her and watched her eat. She delved the plastic spoon into the accompanying plate of food and jabbed the spoon filled with jollof rice with diced carrot toppings right into her mouth. The plate was similar to the kind she saw at the uncompleted building earlier, but she was too busy to notice that as her stomach growled for more food.

*****

Celine walked into the house and trod the stairs by her right, knocking the soles of her shoes on the marbled floor. She turned towards her right and still sighted the locked room at the end of the hallway but diverted her gaze when she heard light sobs coming from Damian's room. She walked towards the door and pushed it slightly open revealing Duncan on a drawer comforting Laura with pacifying words but she was still sobbing from the pain caused by everything that had happened.

"Laura," Celine called out watching her numb face lift up from the pillow and turn to her. Her wedding dress still encircled the bed and swept a small portion of the floor around it.

"Duncan, let me stay here with her." Celine walked towards the bed and watched as Duncan nodded taking his leave. His footsteps grew fainter and she presumed he went down the stairs.

Celine grabbed Laura's tacky palms which were probably as a result of dabbing her teary face, and placed them into hers. She brushed the edges of her hair still sculpted with gel and assured her everything would be OK. Those sticky mascaras on her eyelashes were flushed away with tears and some of it stuck to the pillow and drew a long wavy line on her cheek.

"Let me help you change," Celine offered and she got a quick nod from Laura in response. She held her by the forearm and dragged her up to a sitting position. She made her turn to her back and slowly untied the rope that held her wedding dress in a crosswise manner. She dragged the fitted gown down with some of her might and placed the heavy layered dress on a sofa in their room. Celine grabbed the duvet and strapped it around Laura as a make do covering and proceeded to run her bath water. If care wasn't taken, she could have washed her up herself.

After almost an hour in the bathtub washing all form of pain she could feel, she came out dripping wet. Her long black hair dropped numerous beads of water on her shoulder which joined the other drops on her skin and trailed down. Celine was seated patiently at the edge of the bed awaiting her arrival.