I spent the morning indulging in maple-syrup glazed pancakes. I hadn't had a complete and filling breakfast in a long time... and I was definitely going to make the best of this opportunity.
"Would you like some more tea, Lia?" Mrs Briffen offered as she watched me put away all of the food on my plate.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "Just a little more."
Her thin lips pinched into a smile as she poured the warm liquid into my cup, filling it for the third time. "If you like those pancakes, I could make them again for breakfast tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mrs Briffen."
"No worries. How was your sleep last night?"
"I couldn't sleep."
I spent the whole night in the guest room rolling around underneath the blankets. The bed was comfortable for sure, luxurious even but there was this fear convoluted so deep inside me that just wouldn't allow me to fall asleep.
I had my body squirm into different sleeping positions in an attempt to distract myself from my thoughts and the ghastly apprehension of what would happen to me in the next few days. I had a wild imagination and it was something I liked about myself but last night, I only wished for my mind to shut down.
"Do you plan on returning to school someday?" Mrs Briffen asked. We'd been talking the whole morning and I'd told her a fair amount of information about myself but she still wanted to know more. I didn't have a problem telling her things, though. She was an incredibly nice lady who just needed someone to talk to.
"I'd love to. But I don't think I can." I replied, moving the teaspoon in circles. "By the way,"
"Yes?"
"That guy," I cocked my head toward the kitchen door. "Why would his father get him a... 'Baby Doll'?"
Not that all of this is less frightening now but Richard had told me lies about him to scare me. I should've known better than to believe anything he says.
Mrs Briffen and I had been talking for a long time but neither of us mentioned a thing about the boy fast asleep on the living room couch. I wasn't sure if I was afraid to ask or if I just wanted to keep it at the back of my mind for as long as possible. Maybe it was both but my finally curiosity took over.
"His name is Harry." She explained in a murmur. "And he's um... well, he gets with a lot of girls and they never stick around. I think his father doesn't like that very much. Oh and it's also in their family tradition to uh... be with a virgin before the age of 20. Don't ask me about that though, I have no idea why. It's just their belief."
My lips parted to respond but I couldn't find the proper words.
"His mother died when he was thirteen. He became the way he is somewhere around that age. I've been with this family long enough to know that she was the person he was closest to and her death had quite an impact on him. The boy has trust issues and-"
"Mrs Briffen!" The masculine voice that repleted the house last night called out, interrupting our conversation.
"Coming!" She responded before turning to me, chewing on her bottom lip. "Perhaps I've said too much." She whispered before quickly toddling out of the kitchen.
I quickly tied my hair up with an elastic band. When the voice drew nearer to the kitchen, my first instinct was to hide. I jerked up from my seat as my fingers caught hold of the hem of my knee-length dress to tug it down lower.
My head turned to every angle, searching for some sort of hideout when the bifold door was pushed to the side, revealing the scruffy guy I had seen last night.
His hair was still tousled into a big mess and his plaid shirt was unbuttoned, exposing bits of his collection of tattoos as he strode in. He rubbed his eyes before they met mine and when they did, it didn't last long. I quickly looked down.
"Who's this?" He finally asked.
Mrs Briffen rushed over, placing her hands on my shoulders. "This is Thalia. I'm sure your father has told you about her."
"This is the girl...?" He raised his eyebrow.
"Yes."
"She doesn't look like one of them." He spoke as if I wasn't in the room. "How old is she anyway?"
"Go on and tell him, dear."
"I-I'm seventeen." I answered, keeping my head lowered.
I had always been socially awkward and I'd always found it difficult to maintain eye contact with strangers. It was my lack of self-confidence and courage - traits my father tried to instill in me before he died. Right before his death, I promised him that I would stand up for myself and that I wouldn't let anyone take advantage of me.
But look at me now. I was in the last position he'd want to see me in.
Harry sat himself down at the kitchen counter as Mrs Briffen asked what he'd like for breakfast. My eyes nervously darted across the kitchen as they searched for a place to rest at, but it was made difficult as I felt someone else's eyes on me.
Eventhough I wasn't looking at him, I could feel Harry watching me. A girl can always tell. I didn't dare to think of what was running through his mind.
If I had the courage, I could run out right now. But I didn't. I felt like a timid fawn taking its first steps away from the comforting warmth of its mother's side and openness of the field to the densely populated forest of the unknown. The expanse of the forest held a terrifying image; the unfamiliar sites, sounds, new scents and a primal urge to run and dart and hide.
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Note: I apologise once again for taking a million years to update. These past few weeks have been hectic but hopefully things will start loosening up a little. This time I promise I'll update sooner and have longer chapters. :)
An awesome wattpad user called breannaleee made a trailer for this story! You can find it on the side. Oh and check out her story as well!