"I understand you had an accident?" He said looking unusually uncomfortable.
"Yes and I"m sorry I had to miss any lectures but the doct..." He cut me off waving his hand saying "Yes, yes, I know I heard all about it and I wanted to say that just because you have been fortunate enough to be in the good graces of the University"s headmaster and that he asked me to treat you differently..." This time it was me that was to interrupt.
"I"m sorry but I don"t know what you"re talking about, I haven"t even met the Headmaster."
"Don"t play coy with me Miss Johnson, I know that your employer is the University"s benefactor and that you are somewhat of a favourite of his but that does not mean that you will receive instant A"s without putting in the work!!" I think my mouth actually fell open, as I was stunned!
"I don"t know where you have your information from Mr Reed but I most certainly intend to work in this cla.s.s and any grades I get I want to have received them fairly and above all legitimately. Mr Draven had nothing to do with my absence and why he thought it best to speak to the Headmaster on my behalf, without my knowledge is beyond me, so if you will please excuse me I am missing the reason for me being here...to learn!" I stormed off back to my seat shaking with anger. I couldn"t believe that Reed had thought I was expecting special treatment and I was furious if Draven had implied so. What did he care and why go to the effort? My questions were soon going to be answered as I went back to sit next to the very person who could.
"Are you all right? Did he upset you?"
"I"m fine! Well actually I"m not fine. I would like to know why your brother decided it would be a good idea to speak to the Headmaster about me."
She nodded and looked over her shoulder at the boy behind. What did it have to do with him?
"Sophia?" I said again trying to keep my voice down.
"It was my fault, I asked Dominic to speak to him because I knew that Reed would kick off at you missing his lectures. I guess he took it the wrong way."
"Yeah, that"s a bit of an understatement, he thinks that I should be getting all A"s without any work and a pa.s.s in each cla.s.s! Reed was furious at the thought."
"Oh... ok well I"ll have it straightened out, but I"m sure that my brother wouldn"t have asked for anything like that. The Headmaster probably has it all wrong." I felt a pang of guilt as I had been ranting like a child at Sophia who was only trying to help me out.
"I"m sorry, and I appreciate you helping me, I really do, it"s just I don"t want to be treated any differently just because I"m your friend. I feel bad enough that your brother has gone out of his way for me for being your friend but he really doesn"t need to. I bet he thought life was a lot simpler before I turned up on the scene." I lowered my head in shame at the thought. I was like a pest, or some virus that was clinging on. No wonder he didn"t want me around, look at all the bother I had caused him already.
"I sincerely doubt that." She laughed before carrying on.
"Besides, I like having you around and really my brother doesn"t mind, you just need to relax." She nudged my arm and I couldn"t help but smile back at her.
"Ok, but no more special treatment, from now on I"m just an everyday friend that doesn"t expect anything but regular friendship in return." She laughed and said, "Regular it is, only in my life I"m not sure I know what that is."
"You"ll be fine, we will take it one day at a time, and it just means I don"t expect you to keep doing me favours, I"m going to be your friend regardless."
"Well I like the sound of that," she said and I noticed she wasn"t the only one smiling, as the boy behind had also found something amusing in our not so secret conversation. Great, was this going to be added to the next lot of gossip!
"So back at work tonight. Will you be ok?" Sophia asked as we exited the cla.s.sroom.
"Yeah, as long as nothing else goes wrong and I can refrain from making a fool out of myself for at least one night, then yeah sure." We both laughed and the boy that was sat behind Sophia walked past me giving me a wink. I frowned wondering what to make of it. I mean why wink at me when I was stood next to Sophia. Surely that was like preferring a gla.s.s of Perry over vintage champagne.
I said goodbye to Sophia and started to walk over to where I was meeting RJ. She had to chase up a book from the Library so I said that I would meet her at her car. I walked out and once again the cold hit me as it did this morning. It was still foggy and was going dark early. I pulled up my hood and zipped up my sweater. It seemed that I had done this just in time as the heavens opened letting down big drops of heavy rain. I started to walk faster but didn"t know why as there was nowhere to provide shelter. I noticed the boy that had winked at me had now re-joined his friends and they all looked the same. Baggy jeans and hooded tops with rap star logos on the front. I tried to change my route but a large muddied green area was in my way so I had no option but to keep to the path. I walked past keeping my head low when I overheard the same boy talking about Reed"s lesson.
"Yeah man, it was weird, I was like totally out of it! Dude what did I drink last night?" He looked different than he had done in cla.s.s and when I finally walked past, his eyes spotted me but there was not a hint of reaction, as if he didn"t even recognise me. Had I got it wrong? Maybe he winked at someone else.
The rain was getting heavier now, quickly becoming a downpour. The raindrops dripped off my hood onto my nose and I tried to shake them off when I heard footsteps behind me getting faster as though someone was running. I turned to see who it was but b.u.mped into some screaming girls that were worried about their hair and holding books over their heads in a poor attempt to keep dry. I apologised but it fell on deaf ears and I continued along my path. Then I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I jumped in response.
"Wow, hey Keira, it"s only me." Jack stood opposite me wearing a baseball cap that hid most of his face and the hood of his jacket over that for extra protection.
"Oh, hey sorry Jack, guess I"m a bit jumpy." He smiled down at me but I could barely see his eyes. He lifted a hand to my face and brushed my hair off my forehead that was covering the evidence of my fall. I blushed at the feel of his touch and one side of his mouth curved into a smile as he noticed.
"That"s looking better every day." He let his hand drop and I shook off the drips that had rolled down my cheek from my hair. He linked his arm around mine and said, "Let"s get out of this rain you"ll freeze in that jacket!" He was right, today was not the day to be wearing light weight material, especially one that wasn"t waterproof. He led me over to the trees near where RJ had parked and we huddled close under a large overhanging branch that acted like a protective green canopy.
"Look, about the other night, I"m sorry I acted like that, I was being a bit of a jerk."
"Only a bit?" I teased and lightly punched him playfully on the arm.
"Oh it"s like that is it?" He said and his long arm reach up above my head and grabbed the branch above as he was about to shake it.
"Oh no, don"t you dare!" I reached above trying to grab his arm down before he could soak me, only it backfired. I lost my footing and fell into his arms making him shake the tree anyway, soaking us both. We giggled like kids and his other arm wrapped around my waist steadying me. He leaned his head down and said in a deep smouldering voice, "Do you know how cute you look, all wet like that?" I stepped back and shoved him gently backwards in the stomach.
"Stop teasing me, or I will tell on you!" I threatened not being able to keep the smile from my lips as I tried to act serious.
"And who might I ask, are you going to tell... umm?" He said as he took a step closer.
"How about your sister?" His face changed and I continued, "Ha, I"ve got you there because I know that she can beat you up." He held up his hands and placed them on his heart in a dramatic way as though what I said had hurt. I giggled back as he replied, "That"s cold, I mean that hurts Keira, how could you be so mean?" He tried to look like he was about to cry but couldn"t keep a straight face and surrendered to laughter.
"What did I miss?" RJ"s pink head came into sight as she moved an umbrella out of her way, seeing both me and Jack standing there laughing.
"Apparently Keira here is under the impression that you can beat me up and she finds the thought very funny."
"Well naturally I can take you but that"s common knowledge." He then lunged for her taking her off guard making her drop the umbrella. He got her head in a headlock and starting giving her a noogie.
"Say the words!" He said as he dug his knuckles deeper into her head.
"Never!" She said as she squirmed to try and get free.
"Say the words Little Pink!"
"You"re a h.o.m.o!" She shouted "Now that racist RJ and not nice, just say the words and I will let you free."
"OK, ok ALL HAIL you, master of the rock, who can always kick my b.u.t.t. You happy now Jack -a.s.s?"
"It wasn"t your best grovel but I suppose it will do." He released her and she swung round punching him in the stomach. It was like watching a Punch and Judy show at the beach. The rain had eased off a bit allowing us to get in the car without getting drenched. I waved goodbye to Jack and he winked at me as it seemed to be my day for them.
Once I was home I started on my a.s.signment for Reed as now I was even more determined to make the point that I didn"t require special treatment. No matter who my boss was!
I had made notes in cla.s.s but considering I had already seen the doc.u.mentary once before on the discovery channel I already knew what I was going to write about. The notes had been mainly ideas and a few reminders on important dates, so I got to work and before I knew it I was finished. The words had flowed right out of me as though I"d been having a conversation or debate about my views on the events. I realised, without really needing to think about what I was writing, that I had concluded the essay and looked at the clock to find I only had time to grab a quick bite to eat and enough time to get changed. I had wanted to get a shower before work but now I knew I would never have time.
I examined myself in the mirror and thankfully my hair had survived most of the rain with the exception of a few curly bits around my face. My hair had a habit of going wavy when wet and it would tend to dry this way if not brushed straight. I let down my hair giving it the once over with a hair dryer and re positioned it up once more off of my face. I pushed the clip through but little bits escaped and hung down curling by my neck. I re-did it again and again until I gave up, as it obviously wanted its own way. I pulled the hair in front of my face hiding the now greenish yellowish bruise and a small cut that I was hoping wouldn"t scar. My hair looked different but it did suit me with some tendrils hanging down giving me a softer look. I put on my normal uniform of black trousers and a long sleeved plain black top to which I added black fingerless gloves making it look part of the same sleeve material. And I was ready.
The car journey was like the first time when I had a lift there. I was still as nervous, if not more so. I"d been trying not to think about it all day but the more I tried to push it to the back of my mind the more it just pushed its way back to the front line. My hands started to shake as I walked up the stairs to the VIP and I had to squeeze them into fists to stop them. The sooner I got this over with the sooner I would start to feel comfortable again. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
I decided to walk in-between the other tables as I now knew where I was going and could get to the bar without having to walk past the top table. I noticed the other waitresses looking at me and the only one that waved was Rue. I was still dumbfounded that she knew it was me seeing that she was blind. Maybe it was my smell, but when I had smelled my skin before leaving (Checking I didn"t smell of BO from not showering) my skin had smelled different because of the rain. It had given it a fresh outdoor smell with a kind of earthy tinge.
Once past the scarier tables of people that seemed something more than just different I walked up to the bar to meet Karmun. I wondered if he ever took a day off?
"Here she is, back to fight another shift, how"s the noggin?" He pointed to his own head as if I needed an indication to where it was but it was sweet just the same.
"Fit and healthy and ready to be put to work."
"Well ok, put your bag in the back and I"ll get your first table"s drinks ready."
It didn"t take me long before I got back into the swing of things and everybody had asked if I was feeling better. Apart from the obvious, the ones that weren"t part of my table plan and of course Draven.
I noticed him at his table surrounded by his usual entourage. There was his sister to his left and his brother to his right. I had never really noticed his brother before, only seeing him briefly when they first arrived, as I could never usually get past watching Draven. His brother was very handsome but that was no shocker there. Their gene pool must have come from b.l.o.o.d.y royalty!
His eyes were a mix of Sophia"s and a bit of his brothers, but I could never imagine anyone in the world having the same eyes as Draven"s. He was fair-haired, unlike his sister or his brother. His hair looked like gold and it was cut short in a halo of tight curls giving him an angelic look. Only his eyes suggested otherwise. They looked cold and heartless when the person next to him spoke. He looked bored and not amused. I shuddered at the glare he gave them. His body was smaller, leaner than his brother"s but he too looked powerful. He also looked younger, with a softer skin covering his face and his chin was not as square as Draven"s. But again his eyes revealed there was nothing soft about him. He too was in a suit but he didn"t wear a tie or waistcoat like his brother did. His look was more smart/casual, whereas Draven"s look clearly stated that he was the one in charge.
Sophia once again looked radiant in a black dress that was cut across the shoulders and went down into a pencil skirt around her perfectly shaped legs. The others around the table consisted of a mixture of people. There was another beautiful woman with flaming red hair that reminded me of Libby only she was very tall and athletic looking. She had a long neck and amazing brown eyes that looked like dark chocolate. Her skin looked as if it had seen a lot of sun as it glowed a golden colour. She was wearing a red suit as if ready for a day at the office. I felt a pang of jealousy as though a snake had bit me and the venom was making its way round my body via the bloodstream. That was the life I would never have, so why did I even bother thinking about it.
I pulled my eyes away from her perfect features and looked at the others. There was a j.a.panese man who wore a long black and red robe over black trousers. The material looked embroidered with red silk symbols that were encircled twice creating a pattern. He held his hands together in his long sleeves and looked content, not smiling but also not frowning like the others. I counted one more guy and one other woman but they were out of my view so I couldn"t make out any details.
The rest of my night went by without incident or more importantly without any notice from Draven. My tables were cleared of empties and I was just serving the last one before it was time for me to leave. Like before, my night went by so quickly that I thought Karmun was joking when he told me that I only had fifteen minutes left. I went up to the bar to get my last tray of drinks when the blonde waitress, the one called Layla, pushed into me saying, "MOVE IT!" Her face scowled at me and I could have sworn I had heard her hiss. She grabbed her tray and flicked her hair back as she strutted back to the top table.
"Whoa, what is her problem?"
"Don"t you mean what isn"t her problem, it would be a shorter list?" I laughed at Karmun who obviously thought the same way about her as I did.
I picked up my tray but before I could leave with it Karmun grabbed my hand and said the words to me that had my heart pounding in less than a second.
"Mr Draven wants to see you out on the balcony before you leave."
Chapter 22 - Unknown territory.
As soon as Karmun had said the words I found it hard not to shake. Since Sat.u.r.day I had wanted nothing more than to see him again but now I was very tempted to just run away. He made me so nervous, just the thought of going out there had my palms sweating.
As I went to deliver the drinks to my last table I noticed Draven was still at his. Well at least I could get out there first and get some fresh air. Maybe that would help steady my breathing. I handed out the drinks and as I walked past the bar put down my tray. I pulled my fringe down covering my damaged face and walked towards the balcony. The last time I had been out there unbelievable things had happened both shameful and blissfully wonderful. I opened the doors only to find myself not as alone as I had hoped as Draven was already there waiting.
He had his back to me and was looking out into the black night. I took a step closer trying to remain quiet but the gla.s.s doors closed behind me, making a noise that gave away my presence. He turned to face me and I couldn"t find my voice. Had he always looked this tall or was it just because now I was even more nervous and it made him look even more imposing?
He took a few steps towards me and I couldn"t help my actions as I took one step back. One of his eyebrows raised and he tilted his head slightly as if confused by my wariness.
"Sophia tells me you"re feeling better," he said as yet again he took another step closer, this time I didn"t move. I couldn"t say anything but I managed to nod my head to indicate a yes. He looked as though he was trying very hard not to smile at my behaviour, which just made me blush. What was wrong with me? I would have to say something soon or I would just end up even more embarra.s.sed. He carried on closing the distance between us and with every step he took my cheeks went a deeper shade.
"You"re looking well, indeed a lot more colour than last time." His face looked controlled but there was a slight smirk edging its way to his lips. He was so close now that if I were to see his face I would have to look up, as it was I didn"t have the nerve.
His hand reached under my chin pushing my face upwards to meet his eyes. They were as black as the night behind him but they had a softer touch. He then looked away from my eyes and moved his fingers to my cheek. I must have stopped breathing because my chest felt tight as though I was running out of air.
"Wh...What...are you..."
"Ssshh be still," he whispered gently as one of his fingers touched my lips briefly before going back to inspect my injury.
He was looking for my bruise and he pushed the hair hiding it out of his way. My hair fell in between his fingers and I couldn"t help but close my eyes. The trace of his warm fingers left a tingling mark on my skin and I had the strongest urge to put my hand to his. He continued to brush the hair away from my face so he could follow the red line with his thumb. He moved it over the cut from one end to the other and I bit my lip to hold in a moan. I could feel his eyes staring down at me but I wouldn"t meet his gaze.
Abruptly he dropped his hand and stepped back saying, "I am satisfied." I didn"t understand what he meant by this but when did I ever understand anything in the world of Draven. I knew that I would have to speak or I would never forgive myself, so I inhaled as much air as I could without looking obviously nervous and said, "I...I would like to thank you for what you did the other night and I"m sorry that I have been the cause of so much trouble." There, it was out now and there was nothing I could do about it but wait for his reaction.
"Trouble? I don"t know about trouble but it was definitely eventful wouldn"t you say?" I was pretty sure he was teasing me and I smiled back still chewing my bottom lip.
He turned towards the door and my heart dropped when I realised that this was the end of our little meeting. However my heart started hammering again in my chest as he stopped next to me.
"You"re more than welcome Keira," he said, saying my name with such pa.s.sion I thought I would need holding up again. I instinctively bit down that hard on my lip that my teeth nearly went through the skin. He hadn"t left and I wondered if he was waiting for me to say something. I only had to wait seconds to get my answer. He lent down to my ear as if he had forgotten something and looking at my face had just reminded him, so he whispered, "Oh yes and Keira... you"re biting your lip again." And with that he left me standing there alone trying to control my thoughts about not pa.s.sing out. I felt a sudden chill as soon as he left and didn"t know whether it was down to the cold night air or the fact that Draven wasn"t there anymore. Every time I got close to him the warmth I would feel was like being covered in an electric blanket from head to toe, resulting in the opposite when he left, like it was being torn away from me leaving me feeling not only cold but also empty inside.
When I finally composed myself I went back inside to get my bag and jacket ready to leave. I noticed the nasty blonde glaring at me from Draven"s table. She only dropped her evil eyes when Draven noticed it too.
Once I was at home I felt exhausted and my body ached. Not from working but after four days of doing nothing my body had become used to relaxing. No, working at the club was one of the easiest jobs I had ever had, all things considered. I thought about work and why it always seemed to go so fast? I realised it must be down to the fact that I spent most of my time thinking about Draven and what I would do if he spoke to me. Which is why I guess I didn"t have any more mental power left to think about what time it was. Being there was like a drug and the longer I was there the more I wanted to stay. The most I ever had was a four hour shift but that was better than nothing as I had learnt recently.
I was about to get into bed when the phone rang and Jack was on the other end.
"Sorry to call so late but RJ"s come down with something and isn"t going in tomorrow." Jack said sounding a bit too pleased about it.
"Oh no, is she all right?"
"Yeah she"ll live, she"s only got flu or something but it hasn"t shut her up yet so it"s not that serious! But I was wondering, do you want me to pick you tomorrow?"
"Umm, yeah... I mean that would be great but only if you don"t mind?" He laughed and said, "Why would I mind? So I will pick you up at the same time."
"Cool, thanks Jack. I will see you tomorrow then." He said good night and hung up the phone sounding a bit too happy about RJ"s condition. I also said goodnight to Libby and Frank and went back to my room to catch an early night.
I was back at the club for some reason but I didn"t know why, did I forget something? I sifted through my thoughts for the explanation but came up empty. I had already walked up the steps to the VIP and was standing outside the door not knowing what to do next. It was as if I had been in a dream getting here and now someone had just clicked their fingers and woken me up. I stood leaning up against the wooden door and placed my forehead against the warm wooden panel. My head felt as though I couldn"t stop it from spinning. The m.u.f.fled noises behind the wood were getting louder and in turn making my spinning head reel faster. I needed to get out but I didn"t want to go back downstairs, as it would be no better there. As soon as the thought had entered my head the door opposite unlocked and opened slightly. I couldn"t help but yelp at the sound as if waiting for something to burst through it at any moment. After staring at the opening for a while I finally got the guts to go inside. I pushed it open cautiously, still half expecting something to jump out from behind it but there was nothing there. I walked through knowing I was making the wrong decision but I could help myself, it was like I was being called... or summoned.
The night air hit me as instead of walking into another room I had entered a long open balcony. It was part of the house and it had a roof connecting it to the main building. I could make out a door at the other end but I didn"t want to go that far yet. I went over to the stone bal.u.s.trade that rose up in arches connecting to the roof, allowing you to lean over the top of the stone wall and see the open air. There was a ma.s.sive portion of the house cut out like a giant courtyard. I looked around to find the same balcony on all four sides, which seemed to go on for miles. This wasn"t a house it was a castle! I looked down to see in the middle and found a huge domed roof, that reminded me of a mosque, sat at the bottom. It glimmered in the moonlight making it look like polished copper. There was a sculpture at the very top of the dome but I could only make out a pair of wings so imagined it to be a bird.
I was amazed at what my eyes were seeing and couldn"t get over this actually being here. It felt wrong, as though I should be somewhere in Europe but then looking at the domed section more like the Middle East. None of it made sense. I felt a sudden chill up my body as though I wasn"t welcome here and this was something I shouldn"t have seen. I turned to walk back through the door I had just come through but it had no handle. My hands went up and down the wood searching for something but there was nothing. I pushed with all my body weight but nothing happened. I was stuck! I was trying not to panic but I could tell it was coming and soon. I now had no choice but to walk down the rest of the open hall and try the other door. I couldn"t help but think about the trouble I was going to get into because of this. What had I been thinking!
Unfortunately the moon was going behind a cloud and I was about to be plunged into darkness. My breathing started to get heavier and I couldn"t stop my hands from shaking. I walked forward only a few steps when as if by magic the lamps on the wall lit up in a ball of fire, then calmed down to light flames at the top. I clamped my hands over my own mouth as a scream erupted from my lips.
The lamps were made of wrought iron cages, which came down into long points at the bottom that looked deadly sharp. The iron twisted up in strips curling round iron bars, which held burnt gla.s.s in between the gaps. The flames licked the air as if the oxygen was making it angry.
I continued forward and when I reached the next lamp it did the same thing as though working off a sensor. There were five in total and they all lit one after the other, illuminating my way down the hall until I reached the door. This door thankfully had a handle and when my hand touched the cold metal the door opened automatically. I turned around before entering and saw all the lamps die one by one making a popping, cracking sound followed by the sound of gla.s.s smashing to the floor. It was like they were exploding, so before the last one was extinguished I quickly stepped through the door.
Once inside I tried to calm my breathing the way the doctor had shown me to control panic attacks. I slid down the door and put my head in between my knees and concentrated on counting my breaths. I hadn"t even seen where I was or what room I was in, but from the warm air I gathered I wasn"t outside any more. I finally looked up and once again I was in the dark. I was really frightened now and just wanted to get back to a safe place, one where I wasn"t so exposed. I stood up on shaky knees and heard a door open but knew it wasn"t the one behind me. I freaked out and tried to get back out onto the balcony, as at this point I would take weird exploding lamps over this any day!
However my hands searched in vain as it was like the last door... no handle...And no means of escape.
"Who"s...who"s there?" I said trying to control my shaky voice but with the rest of my body trembling I didn"t have much hope.
"You shouldn"t be here!" A deep but shocked voice said and I jumped at the words.
"I...I got lost!" I stammered hoping the voice belonged to someone who would help me.
"Oh no, you"re not lost...you"ve been found." The voice was getting closer and made my skin give way to Gooseb.u.mps. I was trying to move but something had me frozen to the spot.
Then the voice ordered "Hala Olmak" (Means "Be still" In Turkish) I couldn"t even move my arms, hands, anything on my body apart from my head. I tried to block out whatever it was manipulating my mind and concentrated by pushing out the control that was over me. I tried to think of a way to free myself so started by drawing in my mind an image of me moving. First my fingers wiggled and then one of my arms was set free, it didn"t take long before my body was my own again and I quickly shifted to the side.