When I woke up, Batilda was already showered, her damp hair forming bouncy curls against her back, and made up, with bright pink lipstick. She stared at herself in the dresser mirror, holding two low cut, tight outfits against her body.
I sat up, having to squint my eyes because of the blinding sunlight that streamed through the windows.
"Which one?" She asked, looking at me through the mirror.
I pointed to the left one, barely caring at her choice. After last night, I needed to stay away from her, and be more cautious than I have been.
"Last night, the Prince told me there'd be a ball in a few days, and it'd be a good time to announce that he found his mate. In a weeks time, my job will be done, and it'll all be thanks to you. So for the next six and a half days, there will be no problems. Do you understand me?" Her eyes never left mine, and the frost in her voice brought shivers down my spine.
But I nodded. She would be out of my life in five and a half days. I could do that.
She grinned. "Great! So it's settled. Nice idea hiding in the library, by the way. Although the boys knew you ditched them, it was a smart idea."
She slid on the top, adjusting her bra to make sure her breasts were very obvious. I rolled my eyes and walked into the bathroom, wishing the world would just move a little faster.
* * *
I found myself once again in the library, obeying Batilda's commands like a slave. But the book I was reading was captivating, and I was hooked. I had finished last nights book hours ago, and although my stomach was grumbling, there were no clocks to alert me of when I was allowed to go downstairs.
Although, there were boys. And they decided to arrive just then.
"Goddess damn Dante, he's got legs, he could've came up here, that little–Florence!" Tristan spotted me. He grinned wide, and I noticed how white his teeth were. My goddess, they were blinding.
I returned the smile, going back to my book. They were obviously here to get something for Dante, not to spend time with me.
"Hey, you don't just get to avoid us for a day and then read a book! How awful! Are you feeling alright?" The other brother gasped, his expression telling me there was no worse torture to him than literature.
I raised my eyebrow, and they walked towards me.
"You've missed every meal. My mother is worried, and I think so are Sapph and Dante. I also think we need to show you the kitchen." Triton snatched the book out of my hands before I could realize what he was doing, and looked at the title.
"Ugh, The Scarlett Letter? What is this nonsense? I expected more of you, Florence, I really did. Let's go. I'm starving." Tristan tugged at my arm, and the boys made me leave behind my book and wander through the halls.
When we finally arrived at the kitchen, I was dizzy. The boys must've taken the craziest route to the kitchen, because I definitely felt like we walked in circles a few times.
The kitchen was as elegant and pristine as the rest of the house, and the white countertops shone underneath the bright lights above.
"I'm a shit cook, but we could always get Wilma in here, although she doesn't like us very much. We tend to get in her way often, and sometimes our pranks go a little too far..."
"You monsters put bottles of Tabasco in her cake. The cake she made for the Vampire King. She should've hung you." Dante said from the peninsula. I nearly jumped in the air. I hadn't even noticed he was here.
He had a mug of something in front of him, and a newspaper that he was reading. He was wearing a crisp suit, and it fit snugly on his arms. Oh my.
I shook my head, looking away from him. If I hadn't seen him, I could very well have missed Batilda. I wasn't even supposed to be near Dante, let alone in the same room.
Tristan rolled his eyes. "You suggested we put garlic in it, you hypocrite. Stop trying to make us look bad in front of our, um, guest."
Dante gave his brother a half smile. "If you knew how snobby the vampire council is, you'd want a little garlic in there too." He turned his smile to me now.
"Good afternoon. I'm happy to see you've finally discovered the kitchen. I'm surprised your sister didn't show you where it was."
I shrugged, not looking at him. Or, trying not to look at him. But that suit was fine, and on him it was exquisite. He was just so handsome, I couldn't help not looking.
"So, what'll it be, Flo? I'm gonna start calling you Flo, because Florence is long." I tried not to flinch at the name, but a sharp pain pierced my heart. I hadn't heard that name in so, so long. My brothers had always called me Flo. They had always joked that if any of them ever had a kid, I would be Aunt Flo, and that always made me die of laughter.
I closed my eyes, trying to stop the memories, trying to forget my family for just a second. At least in the presence of witnesses.
I shook myself out of my thoughts. Feeling my lips twitch upwards, I pretended to type on a phone. Triton got the memo quickly, and handed me his phone, opened up to the same typing thing I used yesterday.
I'm not really all that hungry. I'm fine with going back up to the library.
Triton took his phone back and immediately shook his head.
"No. Bullshit. You must be starving. Now, I'm a much better cook than this idiot, but that doesn't mean I'm Gordon Ramsey. I can make you a grilled cheese, and that's about as fancy as it gets. And you don't get to go back upstairs and hide until you are done eating."
Tristan walked over to his brother, handing him the laptop he grabbed from upstairs, and Dante smiled as thanks.
All the boys then went to work, with Triton at the stove, Dante typing away furiously on his laptop, and Tristan sitting next to Dante, chomping away on some potato chips he found in the two seconds he was out of my sight.
"Hey Flo, unless you find staring around the room really interesting, you can sit here." He motioned to the seat next to Dante, on the peninsula.
I froze at both the name and the idea. No. I couldn't sit next to Dante.
So I smiled, trying to cover up my fear. Batilda would kill me without a second thought. 'I'm fine here.' I mouthed. Hopefully he would understand me in short phrases.
Dante glanced up for just a second, his expression unreadable, before he dove back into his world of typing.
"Ah, shit. I burnt it. I told you, I can't do these things. Do you want me to make you a new one?" He looked over at me.
"'Much better cook than this idiot.'" Tristan mocked, shaking his head. Dante snickered.
Biting my lip, I shook my head. I didn't need to waste their food.
But as he lifted a black sandwich off of the pan, I started to rethink my decision.
Triton grimaced as he placed the creation onto a plate, and slid it over to me. "I'm sorry. Are you sure you don't want me to make a new one?"
I didn't want to insult the poor boy, so I shook my head. It wasn't even the worst food I've seen. It was fine.
"Oh Goddess, don't eat that. You are obviously too nice to turn it down, but that is not food anymore." Dante got out of his chair and took the plate away from me, throwing the sandwich out in the trash and taking the burnt pan into the sink. "Grilled cheese, right?"
I blushed, nodding. Why was he so nice? So handsome? So talented? So perfect?
I watched him as he cooked. He obviously knew what he was doing, and his was cooked to perfection, even for something as simple as a grilled cheese. When he took it out of the pan and placed it on my plate, it was the perfect golden brown color.
I watched as Dante then went the extra step and cleaned all the dishes, unlike his brother who had left them on the stove.
I took the first bite of my sandwich as he was cleaning the pan. And dear goddess, it was amazing. I practically moaned at the taste. Or maybe I did. Nobody would know.
But having real food—and such delicious food, too, after a very long time of eating broth and the occasional stew—was a gift. I was ready to cry.
I didn't realize how fast I had wolfed down that sandwich until the plate was empty. Dante had even cleaned all the dishes in the sink, not just the ones we dirtied.
I walked over to him, placing my plate next to the last few dishes he had to clean.
"So you were hungry, huh?" I couldn't help but look down at my feet.
"Did you like it?" His eyes must've still been locked on my face, because I felt their gaze.
But I nodded, glancing up to give him a small smile. It seemed that around Dante, I couldn't quite give him my full smile. But my full smile was usually fake.
"Maybe, if you came down to the meals I know you're avoiding, you would actually enjoy Wilma's cooking. She's much better than I am, anyways. I would also advise you to never accept their," he motioned to the bickering boys who say at the counter, "cooking again, because it usually starts fires."
I nodded, but the heavy weight of guilt settled in my stomach, knowing I was lying. There would be no coming to meals when everyone else was there.
"Flo!" I shut my eyes tightly. It stung. "Do you want to go spend your time in that dreary library, or causing trouble with us?" Tristan raised his eyebrows.
I gave one last smile to Dante. 'Thank you' I mouthed, before going over to the boys. They were still munching on chips, obviously not ready to go cause this trouble they wanted to do.
"So, that boring book, or us fun guys?"
Triton slid me his phone, and I started typing.
That book was really good. It's going to take a lot for me to want to do something else.
He finished reading it with a smirk. "Are you saying we aren't as exciting as a book? Or are you just waiting for us to show you how fun we are?"
Oh shoot. I just wanted to let them down easy, not challenge them.
That's not what I meant. But I–
"Oh, there you are, Dante!" Batilda's toxic giggle came from the doorway. I froze, my typing seizing immediately. She glanced over at me, and we locked eyes. Her eyes were not as bright and bubbly as her voice. Oh, she was pissed. And then her eyes locked on the phone that was in my hands.
I put it down immediately. But her eyes got darker, and narrower.
I walked out of the room without thinking. I heard the boys say my name, but I kept walking all the way down all the corridors and up the stairways.
My heart was racing as I got back to the library. Oh my goddess. She was so angry. I'm sure I was the only one who saw it, but it was unmistakable.
I paced the room, my hands on my head, and my heart beating rapidly. I wasn't even supposed to look at the prince, let alone be in a room with him. And she would find out that I sort of communicated with him. She would find out how kind he was to me. Oh, she would kill me tonight.
I collapsed on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I was so dead.
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yo this took a while to write. idk man. I've been lacking creativity.
bUT my finals went pretty okay!!! I got like 1 C but it was in my hardest class but the rest were a's and b's!!! isn't that exciting! I didn't failllllllll!!!
If you guys are already back in school, rip. I'm sorry. If you aren't in school rn like me, cry with me Bc I'm running out of time and happiness and freedom.
but happy 2017!
~S.