by Tamara White
As we get closer, Dad starts to fidget. “Valerie, there’s something else you should know. Cassandra is very protective of her sons, and we’ll all be living under the same roof.” He says it quickly, as if he isn’t sure quite how to tell me. Is he saying that Cassandra thinks I’m going to hurt her sons?
“Wait, all of her sons still live with you guys? You have money, why haven’t any of them moved out and gone away to other colleges?” I ask, bewildered by the thought.
“We live in a community, Valerie. They chose to stay close to their mom while they went to college, so they chose to go to the local college rather than move away.”
Oh, I guess that makes sense. Besides, if they were used to living in a place like this, they may not want to move.
“Okay, so what are my new ‘brothers’ like? You haven’t really said much about them, apart from the fact we’ll be attending college together, which I assume means they’re in the same age range as me,” I prod, hoping to suss them out before we get there.
It’s bad enough that I’ll be meeting them for the first time now and after everything that has happened. I’m sure that won’t be a good first impression. ‘Hi, I’m Valerie. Everyone thinks I killed my best friend, but I don’t remember it. How are you?’
I’m sure Dad has probably told them what happened by now. And even if he only told his wife, I’m sure she would have warned her sons about me. I know I would if I were in her shoes.
“Let’s see, where to start? Hmm, how about... not all of them are the same age as you. Jax is the oldest at twenty-five. He isn’t actually enrolled in any classes, having finished a year ago. Now he stays on as a teaching assistant. He’s also the quiet one of the bunch. He prefers to keep to himself unless he has something to say.”
Huh, kinda sounds like me. Guess I’ll find out for sure when I meet him.
“Then there’s Zane. He’s, um, how do I put this nicely? He’s very blunt. He says what’s on his mind without thinking about how it will affect others. The first time I met him, he told me flat out I was too old and ugly to be dating his mother,” he says with a laugh. “He’s two years younger than Jax.”
We drive through the gate and Dad pauses in his description and in his driving to talk to a couple who are milling about near the gate.
“Hey, Joe. Come here and meet my daughter.”
An older man comes over, his dark eyes scrutinizing me in the passenger seat as he leans against the driver’s side door. “Hello, dear. I’m Joe.” He holds his hand through my father’s window and I lean over to shake it, trying to be polite.
My father smiles as I pull my hand back. “Joe is the head honcho around here. He is basically the sheriff, and will also be the person you report to for your monthly meetings.”
Joe nods at my father, before turning to me. “It all went well then?” he asks, a hint of concern in his voice.
“Yeah, just house arrest in the town until the trial. Hopefully they find the real killer soon, though. I don’t like the idea of my daughter being locked away, even if it is here with us.”
Joe nods sadly. “Alright then, I’ll keep an eye out. Go show her around.” Then he looks to me again. “I hope you feel welcome here, Valerie. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Then he tips his head and backs away from the car and Dad starts driving again.
“That was the sentry post. We have three of them set up, one at each gate. It’s to make sure outsiders don’t come in without us knowing, and to monitor who leaves. We’ve had people get lost in the forest, so it helps to have people keeping track of who comes and goes,” Dad explains as he drives us further into this new community.
It feels… off somehow. There’s something about it that has me both curious and nervous, although that could just be the feeling of moving to a new place. I’ve never had to move before, so I wouldn’t really know.
We drive through the middle of town and I notice the shops aren’t as small as I expected. They must have more people here than what my mother led me to believe. She always made it seem like he was in a small country town with barely anything to do. But this looks better than home. I even find myself looking forward to exploring the community.
As I watch people milling about, I remember Dad hadn’t finished telling me about my new housemates.
“Dad, what about the other guys? You kind of got distracted by Joe. Or are there only the two of them?” I ask, turning my attention back to Dad.
He turns down a main road before continuing onto a dirt road. “No, there are also the twins. They’re actually your age. Cooper and Carter. They’re the most laid-back of the boys. Doesn’t mean they’re not destructive as hell, but they mean well, I think.”
Cassandra, Jax, Zane, Cooper and Carter. I repeat their names over and over in my mind, hoping to burn them into my memory. The last thing I want is to embarrass myself by forgetting one of their names.
As we drive, I notice there are actually two campuses that appear to be colleges, instead of just the one I expected. The first one I saw on our way in, just past the. The other is huge and coming up on my side of the road. “Hey, Dad? Are there two colleges here? Which one am I going to?”
“The one near the gate is Dark Shadows. You won’t be going to that one. Only the poorer families attend there, and even if we were poor, I’d prefer you stay away.”
He slows the car outside the other school as we drive by and smiles. “You will be going here.” It’s pretty huge, even for a college campus. And it looks as if it’s separated into three buildings. The largest building is on one side of the road and two other buildings are on the opposite side. Kind of like one building has been segregated from the others. The lone building has the forest at its back, unlike the other two. Also, I notice that the buildings across the road seem to be designed for school children. At least I would assume so given and the playground equipment and little children running around.
“Uh, Dad? Why are those little kids playing at the college?”
He laughs. “That’s their school. The building over here,” he gestures at the one on my side of the road, “is the college campus. It made sense to build the grade schools and the college campus close to each other, because most of the students have siblings at one school or another.”
“Oh, cool.”
As we pick up speed again, I see the sign displaying the school’s name and can’t help but chuckle. The two schools are called Dark Shadows and Light Shadows.
We drive on in silence for another twenty minutes until Dad pulls up to a gated property. Why does a property in a gated community need to be fenced as well? I don’t get it. A huge, ten-foot iron fence surrounds the property as far as the eye can see, and I lean forward in anticipation. What on earth would they need such a huge fucking fence for? Is the crime here really that bad or something? Or is this a prison specifically for me, to ensure I can’t out and hurt anyone. No, it can’t be. They wouldn’t have had enough time to build something that elaborate.
There’s an intercom system set up a few feet away from the gate, but thankfully it’s already open, so Dad just drives on in.
As we pass through the trees on either side of the road, the area around us feels dark. As they thin out, I get my first look at the elaborate house in front of me. It’s painted black with white trim and in the dark shadows of the forest it looks absolutely morbid. Maybe they’re trying to keep people away by making the building blend into the dark forest itself?
We pull up by the stone front steps, and an awe-filled gasp escapes my lips. With gargoyles on either side of the entrance, it looks more like a castle then any house I’ve ever seen. Even the brick walls are painted an ominous black, like it’s meant to help the building blend into the darkness the woods provide.
My father opens the massive wooden front door and drags my bags into the house behind him. I follow after him, absorbing everything I see.
In front of the entrance, there’s a massive staircase that looks as if it le
ads up three floors. Dad walks ahead of me, “Come on, Val. You can explore later,” he calls back, noticing that I’ve stopped to stare. I quickly follow after him down a narrow corridor. He stops by a door and opens it, practically throwing his bag into the room. Then he shuts it firmly before I even get a chance to glimpse what’s inside.
He grabs my bag and opens the door directly opposite of the one he just threw his stuff in. “Keep going straight down that way to the kitchen. I’ll be there in a sec, I’m just going to take your bags to the pool house.”
With that, he leaves me and I freeze, unsure if I should just be gallivanting around this house before even meeting its occupants.
I slowly make my way to the kitchen as he instructed, but as I get closer, the sound of shouting reaches me.
“I don’t fucking care! You get rid of her or I will!” The stranger’s voice is filled with hatred and I instantly shrink away. I’m obviously not wanted here.
“Watch your tone and language with me, young man. I don’t care how old you get, Zane, I am your mother and you will respect me as such.” She has such authority in her voice that I can imagine Zane hanging his head in shame. When the woman speaks next, her voice sounds softer. “Besides, there is nothing I can do. Troy will be here with her any moment. I’m not asking you to be her friend. Just show her around the school for the first few days. After she’s settled, you’re free to ignore her. We’ve told everyone who she is, so they know to keep their mouths shut.”
“No. You screwed up by inviting her here. She’s not one of us!” he shouts, his anger surprising me. He hasn’t even met me yet, but apparently that doesn’t matter.
I take a step away to wait for my father, who calls out from behind me a moment later. “Cass, we’re here.”
He pushes me forward into the room and I step into a massive kitchen designed to cater for large numbers of people by the look of things. Turning, I see the backs of a man and woman I assume are Zane and Cassie. Zane doesn’t bother turning to face me, he just storms from the room. The door slams behind him, making flinch. Maybe prison wouldn’t be such a bad option after all.
I hear Cassie sigh. She turns to face me and I try to pull myself back from my wayward thoughts. I see her face and for a second, I forget to breathe.
Cassandra is astonishingly beautiful. Actually, beautiful would be an understatement. Blonde hair runs down her back like a golden waterfall and her gray eyes sparkle, seeming to hold a wealth of knowledge. She looks to be just over six feet tall, easily matching my dad in height.
He reaches her and goes in for a kiss. It almost makes me swoon seeing the obvious love they have for each other. Dad never looked at Mom that way. I’m glad he’s finally found someone who makes him happy.
Cassie shakes herself out of my father’s loving gaze and steps forward to greet me with a hug. “Welcome to our home, Valerie. I’m sorry if you heard any of that. Just ignore Zane, he doesn’t like change,” she says softly, before pulling away and offering me a kind smile.
Her expression immediately sets me at ease. I smile back and relax, no longer feeling like an invader in their home. “Thank you for letting me stay with you. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t. You’re family, so I want you to feel at home here. However, while you’re here, I ask that you respect my rules. If you do, then we’ll get along perfectly fine. If not… well, you know what happens if you can’t stay here,” she threatens, her eyes going hard.
Well okay then…
She smiles quickly, erasing the hard look from her face and giving me whiplash in the process. If her mood swings stay this unpredictable the whole time I’m here, then the next few months are going to be painful.
“Now then, let me show you where you’re staying. I thought you may not like living in a house with the boys, so I gave you the pool house. There’s not much in there besides the bed at the moment, but you can decorate it any way you wish. It should do for now, though.”
“I’m sure it will be great,” I offer with a smile. She watches me and shakes her head before taking off the way my father and I came in. Then she ducks through the door Dad went through with my bags.
My dad follows after her and I hurry to catch up with them. Then I just stare all around at my surroundings as they give me a quick rundown of the house. They explain that the first floor is for my dad and Cassandra. It has the kitchen, an actual ballroom, and a grand living room. The second floor is apparently where the boys each stay. All of their rooms are up there, and while there’s a spare room on their floor, they chose gave me my privacy instead, for which I’m grateful.
They explained that the third floor is just attic space. Cassandra and Dad have both warned me against going up there it may not be safe. Well, that’s not exactly comforting, but it does make me curious.
They lead me back downstairs and through the kitchen to the pool house, which is a few feet from the main building. Inside the pool house is quite cozy. It’s the size of a large apartment and has its own bathroom, kitchen area, bedroom and a living/dining room. It’s actually quite homey.
Once Dad and Cassie are sure I am okay on my own, they decide to leave me be and head back to the main house. I sink to the floor, the enormity of the situation finally hitting me. I’m not longer at home. My friends are gone, and one is possibly even dead. And now I realize my dad has put me out here, so I’m as isolated from his new family as possible without making me camp in the woods.
Then Zane’s words spin in my mind. I guess I just have to prove to all of them that I’m awesome and most definitely not a murderer.
Seven
“Do you feel that? There’s power reacting to everything in the air.” The voice comes from in front of me, but it’s not one I recognize. How did I get here?
Then I start to hear voices from all around me.
“Yes, she’s here. We finally found her.”
“Really? What do you think she’s like?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. She’s just going to be a bitch. They all are.”
I listen to each of them and something inside me stirs, causing me to try to find them, but all I see are shadows all around me.
It had been one of the longest days of my life, so I dropped my bags by the bedroom door. Then I headed straight for the bed, where I pretty much crashed, dead to the world.
Some time later, I wake up, feeling refreshed but starving. Judging by the clock on the wall, it’s already four in the afternoon. That means I slept for over twenty-four hours. Damn, I must have been exhausted.
My stomach gurgles, reminding me I still need to eat. The last meal I had was cake at the club. After all, I didn’t eat while I was locked away in that cell, nor did I on the drive here.
I grab my bags and throw them on my bed before rummaging through them for some clean clothes, having decided to take a quick shower. The last thing I want is to introduce myself to the others smelling like sweat. Although in my defense, you would too, if you had spent hours in a car. And I didn’t shower when I first got here, so the smell has probably gotten margainly worse. I stretch out my limbs and then make my way into the bathroom, relishing in the feel of the carpet under my bare feet.
The room is elegantly appointed, with marble counters and tile. A huge, claw-foot bath tub lies in the center, practically begging to be used, and I know I will be trying it out tonight. I take in the expansive space around me, marveling at how big this bathroom is. It’s almost as big as my new room. Seems a bit elaborate for a pool house if you ask me. Although I have to admit, the privacy is kind of nice. It gives me the chance to pull myself together away from everyone in the main house.
A wide shower, which is large enough to fit a few people in it, is built into the corner, and I notice it’s equipped with multiple shower heads. I quickly flip the lock on the bathroom door, more out of habit than anything. Then I head over to the luxurious shower and reach in to turn the water on.
As soon as it reach
es the right temperature, I hop in and the feel of the spray hitting my body it feels like heaven. I turn the heat up a bit, sighing as it loosens up all my tense muscles. Looking around, I can see Cassandra left me a bunch of bath products I could use. Choosing one from the rack, I rub it into my skin, moaning in ecstasy. The soft scent of vanilla and caramel coats my skin and feels absolutely heavenly. I take my time, enjoying the heat of the water and the calm it brings me. Maybe I could just spend the rest of my time here locked away in the shower?
But then I shake the thought away. Nat’s killer is still out there somewhere. Hiding in the shower isn’t going to get me any closer to finding out what happened to her. With a renewed determination, I climb out and wrap a towel around my body. I reach out to grab another towel for my hair when I see a man’s reflection in the mirror. The sight has me spinning around in shock.
“Who the fuck are you?” I blurt out. How the hell did he get in here? I know for a fact I locked that door!
I stare at him in defiance, waiting for an explanation. He’s tall, easily a full head and half taller than me. His brown hair glistens in the light and sweat coats his skin. And he’s shirtless, his sculpted chest shining under the fluorescent lighting. I see intricately designed tattoos crawling down his ribs, stopping just above his hip bone. I take a moment to appreciate his six-pack abs. I’m tempted to look a little lower, but then remind myself that his eyes are not located below his belt line.
So I quickly look back up at his face, feeling slightly embarrassed. His pale brown eyes fascinate me. There’s a depth and wisdom to them that don’t quite seem to fit with the youthfulness of his features.
He has a strong jaw framed with a smattering of stubble that makes me want to reach out and touch it. But then I catch myself ogling him once more and school my features. “How on earth did you get in here? I locked the door.”
