Chapter 9
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." -Jane Austen
Reading Jane Austen had always been a guilty pleasure of mine, particularly her most popular Pride and Prejudice. My father used to read it to me when I was little, but at that time none of it made any sense to me. I used to hate when my dad would read me Austen because the words just seemed like garbled gibberish. I despised all the descriptive phrases that seemed to have no end, as well as I loathed the constant metaphors that I was too young to comprehend. I loved my dad so much that I would always bite my tongue and allow him to read without complaining.
The day my father died was the day I first opened up Pride and Prejudice and began reading it for myself. Finally, the words were easier to grasp, and they all reminded me of my father.
On that day, I also fell in love with the hero of the story: Mr. Darcy. I wanted my future husband to be just like him: tall, brooding, and completely in love with a singular woman. I used Jane Austen as a sanctuary for a long time. After Sam died, however, I never picked up her books again. I felt as if I didn't deserve the comfort.
Sitting in this room that should be described as a prison cell, all I wanted was a Jane Austen novel. Maybe if I could get lost in one of her stories, I could forget my surroundings for at least an hour or two.
Little Ali left my room early in the morning, informing me he didn't want Reuban to be madder than he was already destined to be. My heart gave a little thump as I pictured Ali's face; he was nearly identical to my Samie. They had the same dark windswept hair and the same penetrating blue eyes. Although, Ali was a great deal larger than Sam ever was. Sam was always the runt of our family; he was much shorter than he should have been at that age. I was always an average height, but my mother and father were constantly described as towers for how incredibly tall they both were.
After sitting perched on the end of my bed for a few minutes, I could take it no longer.
All my life, I'd always been a rebel. I'd never done what I was told. So why should I be Miss Listen Obediently and Do What Your Told now? There was sure to be a library in this place somewhere. I swiftly jumped from my bed and threw my hair up in a messy bun. I slipped on a clean black tank top and black skinny jeans before walking barefoot to my door. It seemed right that I should dress in full black to go sneaking around a dark castle. I decided against shoes since I could move much more quickly and quietly barefoot.
I hesitantly put my hand on the door and turned the knob.
I halfway expected Reuban to be standing there ready to beat me back into my room, but I was wrong. The hallway in either direction was completely barren. I grinned triumphantly as I silently took my first step outside the door.
No one came rushing to yell at me for disobeying, so I fully stepped out of my room and closed the door behind me. I noticed that there was a golden plate nailed onto my room door that said "Erikson." I briefly wondered when that had appeared, since I'd never seen it before. I brushed off that question for a later time as I turned right down the hallway.
In a short amount of time, I appeared at the grand staircase from when I first arrived. It looked the same as before. The red satin carpet stretched out beneath my bare feet and cascaded down the long staircase. Once again, I was immediately transfixed with the dark marble ceiling. It looked like a stormy night with the white marble walls giving off an appearance of light clouds.
I slowly descended the staircase as I allowed my fingertips to grace the solid wood handrail. I felt as if I was in one of those fairytales where the princess slowly descended the staircase in a beautiful dress, only in this case I was a cheap knock-off of a princess.
Suddenly, noises came from the left hallway, and I immediately went into full panic mode. I made a quick dash down the stairs and looked for a hiding place. The only things in the foyer were the large oak doors, which I knew led to the outside world, and another door to my right. The door to my right was light gray and barely recognizable against the white marble wall.
I hastily ran to the gray door, my curiosity over-taking me. Any normal person would have made a dash for the outside and attempt to leave this place. I was smart enough to realize they probably had guards, and even if they didn't, the voices were now getting closer and they would be sure to see the big doors closing behind me.
I prayed with all my heart that no one would be behind this strange gray door as I quickly turned the knob. The door opened with ease and made absolutely no noise as I closed it behind me. The room was dark, so dark that I couldn't even see my hands. I hesitantly searched around the door for any type of light switch but came up with nothing.
I felt a light touch against my neck, and I had to stifle a scream of terror. I reached out to where the tickling touch was coming from and was surprised to feel a long string extending to the ceiling. I only hesitated for a second before I pulled roughly on the string. A luminescent light filled the room as the string flicked on the bulb over my head. I let out a sigh of relief, but my celebration was short-lived as I took in my surroundings.
I suddenly wished I hadn't found the light switch.
The room, or should I say cupboard, was small, too small. The walls were all deep gray and uninviting, and no pictures adorned any of them. The roof and floor of the room were a marble white and my bare feet froze against the cold surface. Beyond that, the room was completely bare. There weren't any coats, like you would typically find in a closet, there was nothing. It was just a small gray room. The walls seemed to ooze a sense of foreboding.
Seeing as I was claustrophobic, this was the worst situation I could possibly find myself in. It took everything in me not to tear out of the room, and I took deep even breaths like my physician told me. The voices were now much closer, and they sounded as if they were stopped just by the grand oak doors. I could now clearly make out the voices.
It sounded like Reuban was having a heated discussion with... Seth?
Visions of the last time I saw Seth clouded my mind as a warm blush crept up my neck. The last time I saw him, we both seemed to be consumed by lust. I clearly remembered the way my mind had no control over my body. Luckily, Reuban showed up on time to separate us before things got out of hand. I tried as hard as I could to remember that night and the words Reuban said... something along the lines of "we aren't permitted to touch her." That was logical, seeing as they had something planned for me. Reuban also told Seth just before I blacked out that he wasn't allowed to be near me anymore. That was likely in the best interest for both of us anyway. I definitely didn't want to relive that night again.
I didn't have to try hard to hear what they were saying, as they were so close to the door.
"I don't have time for this! He will be here any day now, and I don't need you breathing down my neck as well!" Reuban practically screamed, sounding extremely frustrated.
"We have no idea if this girl is the right one Reuban! If we're wrong again, he will have our heads!" Seth was pleading with him in desperation. They were talking about me. I knew I had to be the wrong girl, and it seemed Seth felt that way as well.
"She is the right one." Reuban stated in a matter-of-fact way. Seth just let out a frustrated sigh, and I heard the sound of him pacing.
"She has done nothing, and I mean nothing, special with her life. She went to school and grew up like any normal person. Why on earth would he possibly have anything to do with her?" Seth babbled on a bit more about how it didn't make sense until Reuban let out a low inhuman growl.
"We will not under any circumstance question his authority." Reuban stated in a bone chilling manner. A shiver of fear went down my spine at his tone of voice. He sounded... murderous. Seth had no chance to reply before I heard a pitter-patter of high-heeled steps approach.
"Boys, boys, boys, must you always argue?" Charlotte's voice was clear and precise as she spoke to the two men.
"This is none of your concern." Reuban stated, resentful menace in his voice.
"Oh Ruby, must you always be so mean to me?" I involuntarily let out a loud snort at the nickname Ruby. My hands quickly flew to cover my mouth as fear laced my quivering hands. Luckily, it seemed as if none of them heard me as they continued their discussion without missing a beat.
"Charlotte... how many times must I tell you to stop calling me that." Reuban sounded like he was ready to rip her head off, but instead of being afraid it seemed to have to opposite effect on her.
"At least one more time Ruby... hmmm... how about tonight?" Reuban must have shook his head, or nodded, because I heard no reply. I made out the sound of her heels heading back up the stairs. Since she didn't push it anymore, Reuban must have agreed with her. My suspicions were confirmed when Seth awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Seth, we will have no more discussion on the matter. This one is the correct Erikson, and the Master will be pleased." I heard Reuban leave through the oak doors with Seth following in tow.
Standing in that small box of a room, I felt the strangest sense of not being alone. It felt as if there were someone standing right behind me, breathing hot air onto my neck. Goosebumps rose all over my body, and I felt my hair stand on end. A quick glance around proved that I was indeed utterly alone. Yet, I still couldn't shake the foreboding sensation.
After a few minutes of contemplating, I finally stuck my head out. When I saw there was no one there, I stepped fully out and shut the door behind me. Being outside of the closet felt like a huge burst of fresh air.
I'd always been a very determined person, so not even this scare could stop my search for the library. As I reached the top of the steps, I was faced with two options.
I could turn right, which was the way that led to my bedroom and Ron's kitchen. There were many doors that way which I never had a chance to look into, and one of them may be the library.
Or I could turn left. This hallway was a complete mystery, and yet it looked identical to the other one. I could never turn down a mystery, so I made a split second decision to turn left. This hallway seemed darker than the other one, but it stuck to the same red and white color scheme.
The first door I tried was a completely empty white room with one bed, maybe for guests? The second and third door I opened revealed completely identical rooms. This annoying revelation continued until I reached the last door. This door didn't look the same as the others; it was completely black while all the others were brown mahogany wood.
There was a golden plate on the door, just like the one put on mine. However, mine looked as if it was made professionally, and this plate looked like someone had carved the name out with a pocket knife. It read:
~Suvorov~
The name was completely unknown to me, which only intrigued me more. I quickly tightened my fingers around the doorknob and pulled... and pulled... and pulled. I struggled as hard as I could to open the door, but it was completely stuck. I let out a sigh of frustration and walked my way back down the hallway.
What a complete dud. All I found was a bunch of white empty rooms and a locked black door. Not the excitement, or library, I was looking for. My frustration caused my shoulders to slump as I walked down the hallway. Suddenly, I had the sensation of falling as I lost my balance and landed on my butt with a loud 'oomph'.
My gaze snapped up and came into contact with Alex's angry brown eyes. I hadn't interacted with him since the day they kidnapped me. Was that only two days ago? It felt like much longer. Even then, he hadn't made a very good impression. He seemed quiet and easily agitated.
He roughly grabbed my outstretched hand and pulled me to my feet.
"What are you doing outside your room?" He asked with a lace of menace in his voice.
"Well, I was getting bored being cooped up so-" I could tell by the angry look that overcame his features that I would need a better excuse. I cleared my throat and started again. "I was getting way, way bored, and I thought a book would be nice. So I thought maybe a library would be somewhere around here, but I haven't had any luck." He shook his head and let out a deep breath.
"You should have called one of us to take you. Follow me." He turned and headed down the other hallway, where my bedroom was. For a moment, I believed he was taking me back to my room, but we kept going past that. Eventually, we ended up at a dark wooden door with a plate that read "Library." I let out a deep breath at how obviously placed this was.
"You have ten minutes, hurry." Alex stated as he leaded against the wall next to the door and crossed his arms. I wasn't expecting a time limit, so I hurried in. To say the sight took my breath away would be a major understatement. I'd never seen so many books in one place before. There were shelves after shelves of books, with tabs to tell you the genre and author. The walls were a honey green that seemed to make the room feel extremely comfortable.
This was the kind of place I would be able to spend the day in peace.
I had to remind myself that I only had ten minutes as I scanned the many selves desperately for Jane Austen. Finally, I found it on the fifth bookshelf. I grabbed Pride and Prejudice and made a dash for the door. I was out of breath when I finally made it outside the library. Alex gave me a smirk as I beamed up at him.
"Nine minutes and fifty seconds, you're lucky." He stated before he turned and headed to my room. Had he been counting that whole time? It was obvious that he had no watch on his arm and how else would he know such a precise time? I followed him like an obedient puppy as he led me to my room. Just when he was about to walk away from me, I grabbed his arm.
He pulled away quickly, as if disgusted by the contact.
"Alex... umm... I went down the other hallway and I was-" He cut me off quickly by grabbing me roughly by the arm and looking into my face. His voice was low and calm as he spoke.
"Are you telling me you went down the hallway that you were not permitted to enter?" I puzzled over this, trying to remember a time when they specifically told me not to go down there. They told me not to leave my room, but nothing about that hallway.
"Y-you guys never told me it was forbidden." I stated with absolute surety. He glared at me a few more seconds before quickly releasing his death grip on my now swollen arm.
"Now you know, it is forbidden." He turned to leave, but I stopped him once more.
"There was a door with a name plate... umm... I think it was Suvorov." Alex's back went rigidly straight when he heard that name.
"You will never speak that name again." He ordered before leaving my room with swift fluid steps. As soon as he left, I sat down on my bed and began to contemplate all that I'd seen. Why was there just one mystery after another? My head was swimming in questions when the door to my room burst open.
"I brought food!" Ron stated with a happy smile on his face. A creepy, sneaky, smile rose up on my lips and a hallelujah chorus played in the back of my mind.
Ron, being the informative person he was, certainly would have some answers.