Entangled (Vice Games)

by Cooper, Alice

  ‘Phoebe will be fine.’

  Jace came in with two large cream colored empty suitcases. I noticed that they were Prada and was forced to pack my stuff in them. After emptying my wardrobe, it didn’t even fill the first suitcase. There wasn’t much in the living room except for my ancient second hand laptop and some photographs of my family. What was left was the old couch, coffee table and an outdated television set. I attempted to salvage the things in the kitchen but the rumble blocked my path. Within the hour, I found myself in the car with Anna as Jace drove us away, I looked out the window and something told me that it was going to be the last time I ever see the building again. The landlord finally got his wish without officially kicking me out.

  Chapter 5 – The home of Tristan Vice

  I was shocked to find out that I would be living in a mansion.

  ‘Don’t worry, this isn’t the Main House,’ Anna said when she caught the look on my face. I felt a wave of apprehension as the car pulled up the long driveway. ‘It’s Tristan’s house. Jace, please don’t make me go back to the Main House.’

  I peered out the car’s window and is thoroughly impressed. The structure was two stories high and seemed to be made of metal and glass. It was an architect’s dream design job and exuded with modernity and money. It was clear that Tristan Vice is incredibly rich as my eyes swept across the endless manicured lawns and topiaries.

  ‘No Miss Annabelle, I wouldn’t dare. It’s been a while since I’ve seen life in you. Phoebe is doing a great lot of good for you and I wouldn’t want to have her too far from you,’ said the gardener. For some odd reason, I began to feel that Jace was more than just someone who tended the lawn. Perhaps it was in the way he spoke to Anna and me.

  ‘Though,’ Jace continued, ‘I’ll have to move your things from the Main House, Miss Annabelle.’

  ‘Go for it. I’m not going up as long as she is still there.’

  ‘She?’ I asked.

  Anna looked out the window and crossed her arms. I sensed a darkness approaching in her mood and turned towards Jace for an explanation.

  ‘Mrs Karen Vice,’ said Jace, ‘Mr Elliot Vice’s second wife.’

  Oh. So that is the name of the mother that convinced her father to drug her with a cocktail of unnecessary pills.

  ‘I don’t want to hear her name,’ hissed Anna.

  ‘I apologize Miss Annabelle.’

  ‘Come off it Anna,’ I told her, ‘don’t spoil the fact that I’m forced to move in with you.’

  My words caused the effect that I wanted. Anna immediately uncrossed her arms and unbuckled her seatbelt. She bounced out of the parked car and pulled me after her. She went to the back and took out one the suitcases and rolled them inside.

  The large windows that made a large portion of the house’s walls allowed light in from outside. The floors were polished wooden panels and the walls were decorated with modern art and amazing panoramic photography. The furniture was also modern and plush but with a rustic feel to them. I noticed that the curved backing of a pair of seats were in fact the fenders of an old rusted truck. There was also a reclining seat made from metal grills of an abandoned Chevy. Tristan Vice certainly had personality when it came to decorating.

  ‘Which room should she have?’ asked Anna as I walked after her. Jace was behind us with the other suitcase.

  ‘The spare room next to Master Tristan’s is unoccupied.’

  ‘That’ll do,’ said Anna as she began to drag the suitcase up the steps.

  ‘Goodness me, Miss Annabelle, you’ll wreck them like that,’ a plump stout Spanish descent woman shrieked from across the room. She wore a black maid’s dress with a white apron and looked to be in her mid-forties. The woman quickly came forward and took the suitcase from Anna.

  ‘This is Lorraine,’ Anna introduced her to me. ‘And this is Phoebe Walters.’

  Lorraine swept her eyes over me and raised her eyebrows. ‘And she is to stay here?’

  ‘Yes,’ replied Anna.

  ‘And does the master know?’

  ‘Of course. Why else would he send Jace to pick us up.’

  ‘And where have you been these past two days? We were worried about you.’

  I felt a motherly tone from Lorraine and Anna did not seem to mind it at all. It was then that I realized that the gardener and the maid were like her surrogate parents. Lorraine was the type that was stern on the outside but soft at the core. She knew what had happened to Anna but was not informed about where she went.

  ‘I was at Phoebe’s,’ Anna explained.

  ‘Very well,’ said Lorraine. I saw how the house keeper gave me a sweeping assessment with her eyes. They were neither approving nor disapproving. ‘Welcome Miss Walters.’

  ‘Please call me Phoebe,’ I told her. Being called Miss Walters felt strange and unnecessary official. It was like being called out by the teacher when you’ve done something wrong or going to the doctors and the nurses call you by your surname.

  ‘Phoebe,’ Lorraine corrected herself and gave me a nod of approval. She smiled and I knew that I was going to like her.

  The room Anna had decided to assign me was the largest I’ve ever stayed in. It was furnished with a king size bed and goose feathered pillows. Against the wall was a mahogany dresser and large Victorian styled mirror. The white tasseled trimmed curtains were pulled back and the windows overlooked the grounds below. There was also a personal adjoining bathroom and toilet. I felt overwhelmed by the knowledge that I was going to stay here, that is, until I found my own place. Deep down, something told me that Anna would not let me leave without throwing a fit of some sorts. She feared her legal guardians and the doctors they hired. I was like her security guard and from the looks of things, her only friend and escape from her messed up reality.

  Lorraine and Anna aided me with the unpacking, which did not take very long. I noticed how she observed the clothes I owned with curiosity.

  ‘What is it?’ I asked.

  ‘They are thrift store quality,’ she said.

  ‘Yes they are,’ I confirmed, uncertain what Lorraine’s words were meant to imply. What she judging me? Or simply making a statement?

  ‘This one needs darning,’ she said to me with practicality in her voice. Anna took the old jacket from her hands and looked at it.

  ‘Phoebe needs to go shopping,’ Anna announced. She pulled out my phone from her pocket and began to text again.

  ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ I immediately reached out and tried to reclaim my phone. But she had anticipated my move and quickly took a step back. She moved around the room as I chased after her. The phone buzzed and Anna beamed with delight.

  ‘We’re going shopping,’ she said with a smile. ‘Lorraine, do you want anything?’

  ‘Me? Oh no, Miss Annabelle, although I am running rather low on tomato paste,’ the housekeeper replied.

  ‘Tristan said to take the grocery card,’ Anna informed her and Lorraine disappeared for a moment. She gave the golden card to Anna who ran off with it.

  ‘Phoebe, enjoy yourself,’ Lorraine said to me when she caught the uncomfortable look upon my face. ‘It is not often Miss Annabelle is happy. Let her do as she pleases before the other masters finds out that she is back.’

  Anna called out for Jace who had disappeared back to his tasks. I sighed and Lorraine gave me a reassuring pat on my back.

  ‘You are doing a great deal of good for her,’ she said with a nod. ‘Now go and have that shopping spree.’

  Within a split moment, I found myself in the backseat of the car again and Jace behind the wheel. It was mid-afternoon when we reached the mall and Anna dragged me into every possible store. She made me try on an endless array of clothes and we argued like sisters when our styles clashed. We eventually agreed on the comfortable things and I managed to persuade Anna to buy a few things for herself. It made me feel selfish to only get things for myself. I mean, I haven’t even signed the employment contract yet and cringed at the price tag of th
ings Anna picked. They were all high end items that I would never dare of touching with my ten bucks an hour wage.

  ‘You deserve this,’ Jace told me when Anna went to the counter to run the card through the machine. ‘You cured Miss Annabelle. Look at her, for the first time in a long time, she’s alive.’

  ‘No, she just doesn’t have all those pills in her system,’ I told Jace.

  ‘What are you two talking about?’ Anna asked with an animated sort of frown as she came back with a handful of paper bags.

  ‘Lunch,’ I told her. ‘I’m starved. Let’s go eat.’

  Chapter 6 – The Silent Contract

  I would have stopped after the first two stores but Anna would not relent until I had enough clothes to last me a lifetime. Lorraine came out and helped us carry the bags and packages to my room. Anna sat on the bed and went through them like a child opening her presents. I could not help but feel happy for her.

  It was almost seven when the headlights of another car pulled up the driveway. I went peer out the window and saw that it was the familiar silver sports BMW. The tall dark silhouette of Tristan Vice slipped out of his car and he threw Jace the keys as he passed the gardener. They spoke to one another. I held my breath as Tristan looked up and for a quarter of a second, our eyes met. I felt a jolt of electricity down my spine and I quickly turned back into the room. Anna did not notice. She was too preoccupied looking over every item she had bought today with her brother’s money. I caught my reflection in the mirror and did not like what I saw. My hair was a mess, by skin tired from lack of sleep and the clothes I wore came from my old stock of things.

  The door was slightly ajar and Tristan pushed it open without knocking. The young god was still in his dark grey suit jacket and I saw softness in his eyes. Under the light, his complexion was perfectly smooth and I could not help but admire it. He glanced at me and our eyes met again. I could smell the lingering scent of his cologne. I held my breath, uncertain to what he would say to me. I felt guilty for using his money, or rather, allowing Anna to spend without restraint.

  The rustling of bags and tissue wrapping paper stopped.

  ‘Tristan! You’re back,’ said Anna.

  ‘Am I right to assume that you enjoyed yourself?’

  Tristan Vice spoke with a different tone. It was warmer and more personal. I’ve only had the chance to meet the cold and stern version and his ability to display gentility and warmth surprised me. It was as if I was looking at another person.

  ‘Miss Walters,’ he turned to me.

  ‘I swear I’ll pay you back, somehow.’

  ‘There’s no need,’ he said with restraint. I noted how he quickly switched personas when he spoke to me and there was the cold Tristan Vice that came to my apartment offering me employment about a week ago. ‘Take it as part of your employment allowance.’

  I wasn’t sure if it was because he disliked me, or because I was not his part of his family. It was probably both and only seemed to tolerate my presence because it benefited Anna’s mental health. His voice made me flustered and made heat rise to my cheeks.

  ‘Master Tristan,’ said Lorraine from the stairs, ‘would you like me to set up the plates? I’ve just finished the pasta for Miss Annabelle and Phoebe.’

  ‘Yes, set the table. I’ll be down in a moment.’

  There was the switch again. I guess Lorraine counted as his family. Tristan glanced at me and then left. Anna stood up and jumped down from the bed. She took my hand and I found myself in the dinner room. The happy teen pulled out my seat for me and she took the seat opposite me. Lorraine served us our dinner and we only had to wait a moment for Tristan to take his place at the head of the table. He had taken off his jacket and had casually rolled up the sleeves of his cream colored shirt. His hair was slightly tussled and fell over his forehead playfully.

  The pasta smelled delightful and Lorraine’s cooking was like eating at a five star restaurant, not that I’ve been to any but the food made me feel like I just did. Tristan did not speak as he ate and I didn’t dare to glance at him. Perhaps I should have eaten with Lorraine and Jace but Anna wouldn’t have allowed it. She had taken the effort to seat me down. I silent meal gnawed at me and I wished that it would be over quickly.

  It was Tristan that broke the silence.

  ‘Has Karen sent anyone yet?’ he asked his sister. Anna paused and pursed her lips.

  ‘No. Why do you have to talk about that witch?’

  ‘Annabelle, we’ve had this conversation,’ started Tristan. I noted the sternness in his voice.

  Anna threw down her utensils. It clanged loudly and I could hear Lorraine shuffling near the door. The housekeeper was preparing herself for an outburst. The chair scraped loudly against the wooden floor. Anna left and I suddenly found myself alone with Tristan Vice. I turned to watch his reaction and saw that he remained perfectly unaffected by his sister’s exit. It made me frown. He continued with his dinner as if nothing had happened.

  I took a drink of water and followed after Anna. She was in her room and the door was locked.

  ‘Anna, it’s me,’ I said softly with a knock. Lorraine loitered nearby with a worried face. I turned to face her and gave her a reassuring look. It was going to be alright. I would sort it out. The lock clicked as it turned and the door opened shortly after. I was allowed to slip inside.

  Anna’s room was not what I had expected – plain and almost empty except for the bed and dresser. It was much smaller than my room and I felt that this should be my room and not hers. Anna threw herself on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

  ‘Talk to me,’ I said and sat down next to her. She shook her head at first. ‘Come on,’ I urged. ‘Talk to me.’

  ‘I hate her,’ she said, her words slightly muffled by the pillow she held against her face.

  ‘Alright. And?’

  Anna paused. She then swiveled her body around and her face was suddenly looking up towards the ceiling. ‘She ruined my life.’

  ‘She’s not exactly here, is she?’

  Anna frowned and turned to face me. She wanted an explanation of what I meant.

  ‘You’re at your brother’s house and he’s old enough to be your guardian. Why don’t you just stay here?’

  ‘I’m not allowed,’ Anna informed me, ‘he always sends me back there.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because there’s no one here to take care of me,’ Anna said.

  ‘You’re sixteen and there’s Jace and Lorraine.’

  Anna shook her head. ‘Father doesn’t acknowledge them as my supervisors. They’re only servants in the house and Tristan is not home often enough. That’s why I have to go back to the Main House.’

  ‘Well, you have me now.’

  Anna looked into my eyes and allowed me to see the intense fear she felt. ‘When I go back there, they’re going to make me take the drugs again. I don’t want to feel like the living dead.’

  I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head to the side. ‘How big are the pills?’

  Anna was slightly confused by my question. She had expected me to comfort her. ‘Small,’ she said.

  ‘And what exactly are they for?’

  ‘ADHD, insomnia, hyperactivity, psychotic outbursts and depression.’

  ‘Alright,’ I said. ‘Do you feel depressed?’

  ‘Only when I’m at the Main House and after taking the pills. Please don’t make me take them.’

  ‘I’m not going to force you to do anything,’ I said to her. ‘Let me talk to your brother and maybe you can stay here permanently instead. Come on, you still have half a plate of dinner to finish.’

  It didn’t require much coaxing to get Anna back into the dining room. I knew she was hungry after all that jumping and bounding around in the mall. I certainly was. Tristan was not there when we went back and Lorraine was surprised as to how I managed to Anna back out again. She was already clearing the table.

  ‘Goodness me, I thought that was the end of it when you
left, Miss Annabelle,’ she said and placed the plates back down. I moved to sit next to Anna. She ate every morsel on her plate and once we had finished, I sent her to my room.

  ‘Go through the stuff and pick out something for me to wear tomorrow,’ I told her. That lightened up her face and brought life back to her again. She went without the need for a second telling. ‘Lorraine, where’s the master?’

  ‘He is in his study,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll do the dishes,’ I told her. ‘You go and relax.’

  ‘But it is my job,’ the housekeeper began.

  ‘Please let me do it, I need a little time to think.’

  Lorraine hesitated.

  ‘Go and help Anna,’ I said to her, ‘I don’t want to leave her alone on her own for too long.’

  Lorraine eventually gave in. I cleared the table and took the plates to the kitchen. Apprehension rose to my chest as I dragged out my imminent conversation with Tristan Vice. It did not take long to wash and dry two plates. I just as I placed them away, I felt someone behind me. I turned around and found that it was Tristan Vice. It made me gasped with surprise and instinctively stepped backwards. I crashed to the open pantry doors and hit my head against one of its corners. Pain moved through my skull and I clutched the back of my head. I wasn’t usually a like this but something about Tristan Vice’s presence that made me act strangely. He reached out and caught the pantry door to prevent it from hitting me again a second time from the rebound.

  ‘Are you alright?’ he asked with a hint of concern in his voice. He was much taller than me and I felt dwarfed by his presence. The silhouette of his strong solid torso could be seen beneath the shirt.

  ‘Yeah,’ I managed to say, ‘I’m fine.’

  The back of my head continued to throb and Tristan Vice did not move. His close proximity to me restricted my ability to breath. In one decisive move, I slipped away by taking a side step and stumbled across the kitchen as if I had two left feet. He caught me before I could fall, his strong grip on my arm. The touch was electrifying and we momentarily gazed into each other’s eyes.