by A. P. Jensen
Kelly passed the staircase to the left side of the house and poked her head into an open doorway. Mr. Parker sat behind a huge desk, talking on a phone. Three walls of the room were covered floor to ceiling in books with long ladders attached to the walls. In the corner of the room was a seating area with an unlit fireplace and the fourth wall was a wall made of glass with a door leading onto the porch. Mr. Parker scowled as Kelly sailed in. Jordan stopped in the doorway and made no move to enter. Kelly rounded the desk and plopped down on his lap.
“I’ll call you back,” Mr. Parker said into the phone and tossed it on the desk.
“I’m glad you’re home,” Kelly said and kissed him. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing me a daughter.”
“It’s a long story,” Mr. Parker said with a quick look at Jordan.
Kelly patted his cheek affectionately and rose. “I expect a full accounting later.”
Mr. Parker opened his mouth to say something but Kelly had already exited, taking Jordan with her. Beside Mr. Parker’s office was a tunnel made of glass lit by tiny globes hanging from the ceiling.
“That leads to the pool room. I’ll show you tomorrow.”
They walked beneath the staircase and entered a fancy dining room with a chandelier hanging above a long, black dining room table with a scarlet running cloth and huge vase of white lilies.
To the left of the dining table through an archway was another sunken living room. This one looked more lived in with a book face down on the coffee table and a huge bag of potato chips on the couch. Once more, there were no walls, just glass that looked out to the backyard and sides of the house. On the right, through another archway was a beautiful kitchen made of gleaming wood. Kelly started towards the tinted glass refrigerator and peered through at the contents within. Jordan stopped beside a huge marble island and watched.
“Hungry?” Kelly called over her shoulder.
“Um, no. Thank you,” Jordan said.
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Well, in that case, you must be tired. Let’s go to your room.”
Kelly bounded up a narrow stairway in the corner of the kitchen. Dubious, Jordan followed. She started up the narrow staircase which was plastered against the clear wall of the house. It was a bizarre experience, like riding a glass elevator. As she climbed the stairs she glanced out at the trees and the roof over the wrap around porch. Slightly disoriented, she continued on. At the top of the narrow stairs was a long hallway filled with closed doors. On the left side of the hall were two pairs of closed doors with the main staircase between them. On the right side were three doors, widely spaced apart.
Kelly turned to the first door on the right and paused. “This is your room.”
Jordan didn’t move.
Kelly gestured into the room. “Go on.”
Jordan shook her head. “I don’t need a room. I can sleep on the couch for now.”
When Kelly frowned at her, Jordan felt a flicker of confusion and embarrassment. What was she doing here with these strangers? Mr. Parker tolerated her for now but sooner or later, he would get rid of her. She kept expecting someone to show up and take her to another group home.
“You aren’t going to sleep on the couch. Well, not unless you want to. I think this room would suit you better,” Kelly said.
“I don’t think he would want me to have a room,” Jordan said with a glance down the stairs to the closed door of Mr. Parker’s office.
“He wouldn’t have brought you into this house if he didn’t intend to give you what you’re entitled to as his daughter,” Kelly said.
“He didn’t have a choice.”
Kelly raised her brows. “No one forces Donovan to do anything.”
Jordan didn’t reply.
“I think you’ll like this room,” Kelly said with a persuasive smile.
Too weary to argue, Jordan entered the room and was bathed in warmth and comfort. Her feet sank an inch into lush, soft carpet. Straight ahead were French doors that led onto an upper deck. To the left was a bed for a princess with a wooden canopy and filmy white curtains. To the right another set of doors led into a walk in closet twice the size of her room in Haven. The room was done in shades of lavender and pale gray.
“I’ve been working on this room for a while,” Kelly said with a broad smile. “It has the best view.”
In the corner of the room five steps led up to another pair of French doors. Kelly opened the doors with a flourish and Jordan stared. The room was a hexagon shape with floor to ceiling glass covered in the gauzy yellow curtains. There was a sitting area with two couches, a separate armchair and desk.
“It’s beautiful,” Jordan said.
Kelly’s smile wavered. “Donovan asked me to decorate this room a year ago. Maybe he was planning to bring you home.”
“That’s not possible,” Jordan said through stiff lips. “He’s never wanted anything to do with me.”
“Donovan can be stupid and he says a lot of things he doesn’t mean but you wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want you to be.”
Jordan held her tongue. Kelly walked back into the main room and walked onto the deck. A cool breeze swept into the room. Jordan stepped out and saw that the deck extended along the top floor of the house.
Jordan inhaled. “What’s that smell?”
“Country,” Kelly said with a smile.
“Country?”
Kelly stared out into the darkness. “No place smells like Texas. Where are you from, Jordan?”
“Nevada.” Jordan absently scratched at her bandaged arms.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Kelly reached out but Jordan tucked her arms behind her back.
“It’s nothing.”
A strained silence fell over the two women as they examined one another. Kelly cocked her head to the side as she took in Jordan’s ill fitted clothes and gaunt appearance. Jordan had faint bruises and scars around her neck and both of her arms were bandaged. There was a dark stain on the knee of her jeans Kelly suspected was dried blood.
“Who raised you?” Kelly asked.
“Mostly foster parents.”
Kelly took a step closer and Jordan waited for her to lash out. It was what she’d come to expect.
“I don’t mean to be intrusive. It’s just- Donovan never told me about you.”
Kelly looked out at the pastures dusted in faint moonlight and tried to get a hold on emotions that skittered everywhere.
“I’m not at my best right now. I’m still in shock. Forgive me.”
“You’re his wife?”
She nodded. “We don’t have any children.”
“I found out he existed a few hours ago,” Jordan said.
Kelly waved a shaking hand. “This is… a lot.”
“I don’t have to be here,” Jordan said. There was no way Mr. Parker would let her stay if his wife didn’t want her here.
Kelly’s eyes widened. “I want you here. It’s just that when he told me to decorate this room I assumed… Never mind.” She clasped Jordan’s face between warm palms. “Welcome home, daughter. Whatever you need, consider it given.” Kelly kissed her on the forehead. “First things first. Clothes. Have any?”
When Jordan shook her head Kelly clucked her tongue. She whisked out of the room and came back carrying a pair of sweat pants and an oversized shirt that said The Academy across the front. “You’re tired. In the morning we can make a list of all the things you need,” she said and handed over the clothing.
“Thank you,” Jordan said, fingering the soft material that caught on the calluses of her hand.
Kelly smiled. “No problem.” And with that, she walked out.
Jordan moved unsteadily over to the bed and sat gingerly on the very edge of the mattress. Only in magazines had she ever seen a room so beautiful. Mr. Parker was wealthy and Jordan had absolutely no idea what to think of him. Kelly thought she would be staying indefinitely. The thought of having a h
ome and family was so foreign she couldn’t conceive it. Maybe Mr. Parker had another unknown daughter and this was all a mistake.
Banishing further thought for the moment, she walked to the bathroom and flipped on the lights. The bathroom was done in lavender and white tile. The bathroom contained a tub, shower stall and beautiful vanity with a huge rectangular mirror covering one wall. Even the towels matched.
Very cautiously, she tiptoed on cool tile. Any moment now, she expected Mr. Parker to barge in and tell her that she didn’t belong here and show her to the door. She remained motionless for several minutes but when Mr. Parker didn’t appear she began to strip. Slowly, she unwrapped the bandages and winced when she had to pull her jeans from her knee wound which began to bleed again. She didn’t look at the nasty puncture wound on her arm, courtesy of William. Her whole body was battered and she swayed with exhaustion.
She stepped into the shower and let warm water beat soothingly over her. Out of habit, she washed quickly. She crossed the tile to the vanity and opened up a cabinet on the side of the mirror. On the shelves were a hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, facial cleaner, rubber bands, headbands and moisturizer. Jordan stared in patent disbelief. She couldn’t understand why Kelly would buy all of these things for an empty room.
With a towel wrapped around her wet hair and dressed in Kelly’s pajamas, Jordan walked back into the bedroom. She flipped on the light for the walk in closet and gaped. On either side of the closet were long metal poles to hang clothes. At the far end of the closet were cubbies for shoes. Hastily, Jordan closed the closet doors and faced the grand bedroom and shook her head. This can’t be for me, she thought. She draped the towel around her shoulders and walked onto the deck. The fresh air cleared her mind and she leaned against the railing, staring out into the night. First her desperate escape from Haven, the massacre and now her father showing up after all this time… He was wealthy and angry and she so didn’t belong here. He would realize that soon enough.
“Jordan?”
Mr. Parker stood two feet from her.
She turned to him and blurted, “Kelly showed me the wrong room.”
“No she didn’t.”
She tried to find the words to apologize for her presence. “I’m sorry Mr. Penn forced you to take me. I don’t have to stay here.” Her chest quaked and the fear of being put back into the system choked her but she knew that world. This one... She didn’t belong here in this nice house with these people. She felt as if she were tainting the room just by bathing in it.
“You don’t exist, Jordan. If the government found out that someone faked your death they’re going to launch an investigation.”
“I don’t know why,” Jordan whispered. “I don’t belong here.”
Mr. Parker raised one brow. “There’s nothing to go back to. Kelly would kill me if I let you go.”
Jordan blinked. “She doesn’t even know me.”
“She doesn’t need to. All she knows is you’re hers now, the daughter she’s always wanted.” When Jordan stared at him he shrugged. “Is it the room?”
“No.”
“It’s not too purple?”
“No. I like purple.”
He didn’t look surprised by that revelation. He waited for her to continue but she didn’t know what else to say.
“There’s no way out of this for either of us. Get some sleep,” he said.
Mr. Parker walked down the length of the deck to the opposite end and turned into what she assumed was his bedroom. Jordan walked back into the room and stared at the bed for a minute before gingerly crawling across the soft covers and sliding beneath.
The house was enfolded in silence. The quiet seemed menacing somehow. She sat up in bed with her back against the headboard and stared around the room. She lay back down and stared up at the canopy. After an hour of tossing on the soft bed she dragged the comforter to the floor and lay with her back against the wall. She looked around the dark room and felt edgy and restless. She grit her teeth and lay face down on the floor, rubbing her face into the carpet which smelled of lavender.
Her body tensed as faint throbs of pain drifted through her body. Another hour passed without sleep. She wrapped the soft blanket around her and walked into the bathroom and locked the door. She clambered into the bathtub, curled into a ball and finally drifted into uneasy sleep.
Chapter Six
Jordan was in the peach colored room. Chocolate brown couches were overturned, stuffing strewn everywhere. The soothing sound of running water clashed with the violent destruction of the room. Jordan’s limp body lay on the floor, trembling. Her face was unrecognizable. William stood over her, a splatter of red marring his perfect white shirt. His fists bore the evidence of her beating and he leaned over her, waiting for her to return to consciousness. Slowly, she opened one swollen eye.
“Are you ready to yield?” he murmured in a crooning tone.
She made no reply. Every inch of her body screamed in agony. She lay very still and stared up at William’s face. His blonde hair was sleeked back, not a hair out of place. His eyes weren’t full of evil as they should have been. They were calm, almost tranquil but Jordan saw the fleeting moments of madness that came and went. William leaned down and set his warm cheek to her icy one and nuzzled. A cut on her cheek reopened and blood sealed their skin together. Jordan shuddered and let out a whimper. William made a sound of reassurance and drew away to look down at her with a paternal expression of concern. His cheek was smeared with her blood.
“I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted. All you have to do is trust me. Yield to me and I can take all of your pain away.” William’s voice was gentle.
Jordan swallowed the blood in her mouth. “Go to hell.”
William’s eyes narrowed. He rose and looked down at her broken body from his considerable height. “So be it,” he said and raised his shiny shoe.
Jordan sat up and for a moment she had no idea where she was or why she was sleeping in a bathtub. The shirt she wore was soaked with sweat. The familiar pain was back full force, raking her senses unbearably. She fell out of the tub and stumbled into the bedroom, staring around with desperate eyes for the jeans she’d worn. She yanked out the prescription bottle with hands clumsy and slick with perspiration. She was almost sobbing with panic as she finally got the cap off and tossed it. She held out a hand and shook the contents out. Only one white pill appeared on her palm. Not enough.
She downed the pill and opened her bedroom door. She started down the narrow staircase to the kitchen, not caring that she stumbled loudly down the stairs. In the kitchen she reached up towards the wooden cabinets which normally contained canned goods, dishes and medication for the common headache or cold. Instead, she found the shelves empty of even one stray coffee cup.
“Jordan.”
She whirled around to see Mr. Parker standing at the foot of the stairs. Jordan panted for breath as if she’d run a marathon, one hand clasped to her chest. Her eyes glowed silver in the faint moonlight.
“I need pills. Anything. Now,” she hissed and moved towards the island for support when her legs began to shake.
He made no move to assist her. Desperation scalded her throat and when she spoke her voice was deep as if she were possessed by a demon.
“You don’t understand. You don’t know what I can do.” Her eyes pleaded and demanded that he give her the one thing that could keep the monster within her leashed.
“I know exactly what you can do.”
“No! You don’t know!” she shrieked, voice breaking as fire burned her chest.
She hunched over the island in agony. The cold marble of the island went hot beneath her touch. She threw herself backwards and turned towards the double doors that led out to the backyard. As she reached for the door handle the glass panes shattered. Hands gripped her shoulders and it felt as if someone were twisting a knife between her shoulder blades. She whirled with her fist balled but Mr. Parker was already releasing h
er, shaking his hand which was red as if he’d dipped it in a pot of boiling water.
“What the-”
Heath appeared in the hallway that led from the kitchen to the formal living room at the front of the house. He stared at Jordan who shook uncontrollably, standing barefoot on shards of glass.
“It’s time,” Mr. Parker said.
“You’re doing it now?” Heath asked.
“Yes. Now.”
Mr. Parker held up a hand and started purposefully towards Jordan. Terrified and sensing danger, she tried to back away but found that she couldn’t. She tried with all her might to move as Mr. Parker advanced a forbidding expression on his face. Her head began to swim as the pain escalated.
Kelly appeared between Mr. Parker and Jordan. She was dressed in a bright pink nightgown with old fashioned curlers in her hair. She held out a placating hand towards her husband who stopped, glaring at her.
“Get out of my way.”
“Do you know what you’re doing? Maybe we should call Mary Ann or Gideon,” Kelly said.
“There isn’t time,” he said impatiently and stepped so close their faces were only a foot apart. “This needs to be done.”
For a long moment, the couple stared at one another. In the hallway, Heath waited for instructions. Kelly hung her head and moved to the side, giving Mr. Parker access to Jordan whose eyes began to roll back in her head from the overwhelming pain.
“Leave us,” Mr. Parker said.
Kelly and Heath backed out of the room as the chandelier above the dining table began to glow and shiver, glass tinkling ominously. The doors shuddered and splintered. A drip of sweat trickled down Mr. Parker’s temple as the room began to heat. Jordan’s hands curled into claws. When he heard the wooden floorboards crackle beneath his feet he moved forward and placed his hand over Jordan’s heart.
Pain crashed through both of them but he didn’t pull away this time. Jordan’s head snapped up. She stared into Mr. Parker’s face, the dark blue of her eyes gone, replaced by a merciless black that promised death. Mr. Parker stared into William Stan’s eyes and closed his eyes as Jordan’s first scream of torment split the night air.
