"All I can do is say that these arms were made for holding you,"
18 One Direction
R U T H
The sound of a bird chirping jolted me out of the few minutes of sleep I had gotten. I lay tucked beneath the black duvet of the bed, not daring to drift into a deep sleep. I was sleeping in a home with multiple families and knew this because I heard the faint racket of men talking a few times as they passed my door.
I checked my phone for the twentieth time over the last ten hours, and still, I had no signal. Could these people afford no cell service when they lived in a mansion as large as a castle?
Deciding it was time to get out of bed, I sat up and scanned the room I had time to process overnight. The high ceiling was majestic, and the constellations embedded into it were the only things that calmed me down when I felt a sense of panic. There were two doors to my right, one which I discovered was the bathroom, and the other, a closet too large to be placed in a guest bedroom.
I noticed that, in the entire house (or of what I'd seen so far), there were no traces of silver. Only gold coated some of the furniture and housing items, like the doorknobs that encased every entrance. I got out of bed and walked to the closet where I didn't hesitate to pack my clothes. Sure, I might've only stayed for one or two nights, but it was too empty and beautiful not to put to use.
I opened the door to the walk-in wardrobe, sighing deeply at the sight of the wall-sized mirror taking up the furthest wall. Both to my left and right were empty shelves and closet rails. I'd only fit my clothes into one long shelf, and took out what I needed to wear today.
Closing the closet door, I moved to the one beside it. It was the bathroom, looking like a vintage, old-money-styled room. The tiles were black and white, and the walls matched the rest of the house, but the beige clawfoot bathtub took up an entire section. I wasn't surprised that the handles were gold in here either.
"So, they're rich rich," I whispered to myself in awe.
A knock from the main door caught my attention before I had the chance to use the bathroom. I walked to the unmade bed to place my clean clothes down before walking to the door and opening it.
Reese stood on the other end, wearing a black t-shirt that exposed his buff biceps as he crossed his arms, black cargo pants and boots. His dirty blonde hair was pushed away from his face, giving me a view of his stony blue eyes as he narrowed them on my bed hair.
"You're a sight for sore eyes," I sarcastically told him with a tight smile. He could've said the same about me.
"Freshen up fast. Everything is provided in the bathroom; toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, soap, and shampoo. If you need anything, tell me. I'm going to wait here for you so that I can escort you to the kitchen. Don't take your time." Without another word, he slammed the door behind him, and I could picture him sulking in the hallway, waiting for me.
I didn't want to make him any more impatient and went straight to the bathroom to prepare myself. I brushed my teeth with products I brought from home and was grateful I'd packed my own soap and shampoo. I used them in the shower, deciding I wouldn't get the chance to use the bathtub.
Once I was out of the shower, I used a clean towel that hung on a rack to dry myself and my curly hair, which had gone frizzy already. I made use of my hair tie and wrapped my hair into a low bun, a few short strands of hair swaying on my face.
I quickly wore my undergarments, black leggings and a grey shirt long enough to cover my lower stomach. I shouldn't have been so self-conscious about my body, but growing up in a society where only one body type was deemed as 'normal' made a person think otherwise. Walking back to the bedroom, I slid on some socks and put on my black sneakers.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, and Reese instantly lifted his head to meet my gaze. His eyes landed on my outfit, and I became hesitant to go downstairs in an outfit as simple as this. But what else was I supposed to wear?
"What?"
"Let's go," He completely dismissed my question before heading off.
I trailed behind him as he led us down the stairs and right through the space between the twin staircases. There was an open space with a dining table in the middle of it, and comfortable-looking seats surrounding it. Food, seemingly a feast, decorated the surface with breakfast of all varieties.
Ander was already sitting in a seat, his broad back facing me. Rueben sat across from him, unexpectedly. I would've thought, since he was the leader of whatever was going on, he would've sat at the head of the table, but I let it go.
It was no good making assumptions.
Eloise walked in from behind us with a smile on her face, her hair pinned back in a low ponytail. She dressed in the same style outfit as she wore yesterday, only this time, the colours were darker.
"Come on," Reese spoke to me quietly and began to lead me to a seat. He sat beside Ander and gestured for me to sit beside Rueben. I almost blanched at him but didn't want to make it a big deal, so I just listened.
Eloise sat at the head of the table, and it made sense now. Rueben held power around here, but his mother must've held a lot more. Maybe she'd earned a lot more respect, too. It was evident through the way they all greeted her silently.
When her gentle eyes locked on mine, she said, "Good morning, Ruth."
"Good morning, Eloise," I replied sweetly. She appeared to be nice and kind, so she'd earned my respect already.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" Eloise asked, gesturing for the boys to begin breakfast.
Even though we were all sitting, the three men towered over me. Eloise wasn't much taller than me when we were standing, so their heights loomed over her, too. None of them made a move to eat yet.
"Uh, yeah, I did," I answered distractedly, my lie being caught by all of them as they shared a look in silence. The truth was, I had gotten no sleep at all.
I met Ander's eyes from across the table and had to hold myself back from gasping at the fresh scratch adorning his cheek. Dark bruises patched his skin, and I knew they weren't there last night. The small wound looked as if it was a clean slice like it was done with a weapon of intricacy. Possibly a knife. Why would someone do that to him, and why with a knife?
I suddenly felt unsafe when Ander narrowed his eyes on mine for staring too long.
"Here," Reese spoke from next to Ander, directly in front of me, as he handed me a platter of pancakes.
"Thank you," I murmured as I lifted two and placed them on my plate. I added some berries and honey before the platter was passed to Rueben.
"The gala we mentioned last night is tonight. I know we asked for you on such short notice, so it's understandable if you didn't bring a gown with you from home," Eloise spoke up, filling the room with her voice.
"Oh, right. No, I didn't bring anything fancy," I told her, having to glance down at my food as my face warmed.
"That's okay, sweetheart," She chuckled, and I knew she sensed my embarrassment. "We have people for that. My daughters are fashionistas. They hire helpers for events such as these, and I've already told them about you. You wouldn't mind being measured?"
"That would be okay," I nodded, beginning to eat the pancakes on my plate to distract myself from the nerves.
"Perfect," Eloise sounded glad.
"Water?" Reese's voice made me perk my head up. He held a glass of water toward me, and I reached for it, murmuring a 'thank you.'
"How old are you, Ruth?" Eloise asked after everyone had food on their plates.
It was pretty awkward - too silent. I didn't like that no one else was talking besides me and Eloise.
"I'm nineteen," I replied.
"You're pretty smart for your age. I'm glad we chose you for this," Her lips jerked upward into a smile.
"Yeah, not many people can help us with this situation," Ander spoke up for the first time, and I glanced at him.
He was staring at Rueben, who was sitting back in his seat with his eyes glaring right back. I didn't know how Ander didn't cower away instantly. He did eventually, but I would've done it much sooner from the way Mr Gold Eyes glowered intensely.
"Yes, you're right," Rueben spoke from beside me, and it was the clearest I'd heard his voice. "That's why she'll leave tomorrow morning."
Reese tensed, possibly feeling the growing tension between the two men before him. Even Eloise darted her eyes between them, holding a hand to the table as if in preparation of stopping things from becoming worse.
"No, Ruth will stay with us until we know for certain that there is nothing she can do," She said in a strict tone, daring anyone to argue otherwise.
Rueben turned to face her, and the bareness of his collarbone caught my attention. Just as Reese and Ander adorned a mark at the hollow of their neck, Rueben shared one of a different Greek letter. Alpha. The symbol 'α' was deeper than the Gamma and Beta marks on his two associates. It almost looked like a scar, like it had been forced onto his skin. It didn't look as natural as the other marks. It was unusual. Everything here was strange.
"She will leave," Rueben repeated, his tone sounding superior to his mother's.
An uncomfortable moment of silence passed by, and I didn't dare to speak up or to even move. My eyes darted to Reese, who had been quiet the longest. He was glancing down at his food, his jaw tense. He appeared to have something to say but was too intimidated to speak his mind. I would've been, too.
"Right, well, thank you for breakfast, Eloise," Ander abruptly stood up, leaving his half-eaten meal on the table. "I'm going to visit Ezekiel if you don't mind."
"Of course," She nodded, a sombre expression etching on her face.
He nodded and left without a single word.
"Sorry about that, Ruth," Eloise's voice softened as she glanced toward me. "This town has been struggling for a few years, but we'll get better soon. Now that you're here, we'll get the help-"
"What kind of help do you mean?" I intervened, sensing there was an underlying meaning to what she was saying. "Environmental and forensic help? Because, with all due respect, I feel like you must need more help from me than that. I don't mean anything bad by saying that, I just mean that it feels like you're leaving something out."
"Don't think about it too much," Reese drawled, his eyes still on his plate. "With the rate of how bad things are going around here, you won't need to stay for too long."
Rueben sighed, and I knew it was one of relief. He seemed so desperate to get me away from this town. I wondered why Eloise was telling me they needed my help when he didn't want it.
"That sounds like a threat," I narrowed my eyes at him. "Something else is going on here. You're saying you need my help, yet you want me gone as soon as possible. Why?"
My attention went back to Rueben. He refused to look at me, and it angered me. What was his problem? He didn't want to answer my questions. If he wanted me gone, all he had to do was answer my question, and I'd consider it.
"We don't mean to make you uncomfortable, Ruth," Eloise told me from the head of the table. Her voice sounded sincere. "Our intentions for you aren't harmful."
"And why should I trust that?" I asked, wanting a reasonable excuse.
"Because if we wanted you dead, you'd be dead already." Reese watched me as I looked over at him and a sense of safety washed over me.
I didn't know how the feeling of peace caressed my mind, but it made my heartbeat slow down as I sat back in my seat again. My breathing slowed, and I was calm again. I still questioned everything in my head, but my body was reacting the opposite.
"That's great to know," I murmured sarcastically as I finished my plate of pancakes.
Reese was the next to leave once his meal was ravished. Eloise joined him as they stacked the dirty dishes and aided the maids that walked in one after the other. It didn't come as a shock to me that Eloise had helpers around the large house. It resembled a castle and seemed like it needed multiple people to keep the building in order.
I didn't dare to look at Rueben as he remained seated beside me. He had finished his meal a while ago - they all had. I'd always been a slow eater, but these people ate with a speed I wasn't used to. When I was done with my plate, Rueben carefully took it from my hands and stacked it on his. He got up without a word and disappeared with the dishes into a room I assumed was the kitchen.
He'd been waiting for me to finish my meal, and when he came back to the dining room, Rueben found me standing behind the seat I tucked in. Helpers strolled in and out of both rooms, doing their jobs while Rueben's eyes locked with mine.
"You're going to leave tomorrow night," His voice drawled.
I paused, assessing his words.
"And refuse to help with your town's dilemma?" I asked, confused as to why he was refusing to improve the town he governed.
The sharpness of his eyes as they narrowed on me created cold shivers down my spine.
"To be frank with you, Ms Moon, I don't see how you can help," Rueben's honesty didn't make this situation any less comforting.
"I might as well try, seeing as how your employees practically kidnapped me from my bedroom," I pressed, crossing my hands over my chest.
The slight movement caught Rueben's attention as he glanced down at my short sleeves. I didn't realise how little they covered the bruises on my upper arms until he momentarily furrowed his eyebrows. His heated glare at the wounds almost made me feel the healing bruises all over again.
I thought he would take note of what he saw and move on with the topic. That was not the case. Instead of forgetting about it, Rueben stepped forward once and glanced up at me again. I could feel my heartbeat fasten with anticipation of the questions he'd ask. My breathing picked up, and I was suddenly thinking the worst.
Was he capable of doing the same? Had he ever touched a woman abusively and gotten away with it?
"Fine," I breathed out, desperately willing to change the subject. "I'll leave tomorrow night, right after the gala. But I'd like to request a ride back, please."
Rueben's gaze lowered again, and before he could reply, I walked right past him. My feet didn't carry me two steps away from him before his hand wrapped around my upper arm in a manner that caught me off guard; his hand on my skin was gentle and warm.
His hold made me turn back to face him. Rueben's eyes darted around the rest of my face, and I didn't think it was possible to feel so exposed at the feel of his wandering gaze, but it was as if he was looking into my mind, reading my every thought and concern.
"Why are you so persistent with this?" He asked, his voice softer, urging me to give him an answer.
"I could ask you the same." I tried to move my hand away from his grasp, but his thumb brushed along the bruises, and it was difficult to hold back a gasp.
His hand was keeping me in place as it glided upward. Rueben's touch was gentle as he lifted my sleeve with his slender fingers, revealing my upper arm. I wasn't sure why I was so still, unmoving. I should've moved away and told him not to touch me as he did, or told him that the bruises were none of his concern at all.
My eyes darted to the healing gashes from a couple of weeks ago, some blue and yellow bruises surrounding them. As much as I was afraid to see his reaction, I lifted my eyes and saw that he wore a dangerous expression - one that confused me because why did he seem to care so much?
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a/n: ...and scene!
hehe I love rewriting. I do this through google docs, and make comments where I need to so that I could make connections and plans for the next books in the series. it's so much more organised and I feel like I have less plot holes to worry about
and this original chapter was the most cringe worthy content I've ever written - it made no sense at all, idk why it got reads in the first place but thank you for trusting the process <3