“Calm down, will you?” he says with a chuckle, reaching across the table and resting a hand on mine. “I meant actually let you sleep in the same bed, not fuck each other. That would just complicate things. Besides, that’s not how this works. Your pussy belongs to me and no one else, so don’t worry about it.”
Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better. If he’s allowing this, it means the worst is yet to come, and he’s giving us a peaceful moment before the end.
“Thank you, Pater,” I finally say softly.
“Luke,” he corrects evenly.
“Thank you, Luke,” I correct with a sigh. “Where would you like us to sleep tonight?”
“Anywhere you want,” he says, his grin returning as he pushes his chair back and stands up. “But remember; no funny business. That would be wrong.”
With a wink, he grabs his plate and leaves us in the dining room. My eyes move toward the clock on the wall and I’m amazed at how much time has actually passed since we’ve sat down. It’s eight o’clock at night, maybe a little after, and as I look across the table at my brother, I can’t help but feel like this is the last time I’ll ever see him again.
“Come on,” I say quietly, getting up from the table and holding a hand out toward him. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow, you’re getting out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
When I wake up the next morning, I’m relieved to realize I didn’t dream. It’s not uncommon for me to have sleepless dreams, but when I do, they terrorize me. They’re almost always dreams of life outside these walls. A life without Pater; one where Eloy is still alive, and he and Vaughn are happy and thriving.
Since Pater had given me the choice of rooms, I chose the one I slept in as a little girl, yet untouched and undefiled because it still held some meaning to me. It was a place where I could go and be innocent again; a place where Pater didn’t exist, and nothing bad could happen to me.
I blink my eyes a few times to remove whatever sleep is still lingering, and smile sadly when I feel his frail body so close to mine. When we went to bed, I held him while he cried, until he was so exhausted he finally drifted off. I’ve woken up with his head under my chin and his arms still wrapped firmly around me.
He’s stirring slightly since I’ve shifted in bed, and I kiss the top of his head. I don’t want him to wake up just yet. I want to remember him like this before he leaves me. Asleep, innocent of the horrors he’s lived through, and finding it in himself to forgive me, even if he doesn’t mean it.
I run my hand gently over his hair as he stirs again gently, before he finally opens his eyes and pulls away from me.
“What time is it?” he asks groggily, using the back of his hand to rub his eyes. Before I have a chance to answer him, the door swings open and Pater walks through.
“Get up and get dressed; they’re here.”
“Now?” I ask, sitting up, now wide awake.
“Yeah,” he replies with a grim nod. “Hurry up.”
“Fuck,” I mutter pushing myself off the bed. “Okay, listen, go throw some wat
er on your face and get as alert as you can.”
I walk quickly toward my closet and pull out a dress, changing quickly behind the door so Vaughn doesn’t have to be subjected to any more than he already has been. When I’m done, I get up onto my tiptoes and run my hand along the top shelf.
“Here, take this,” I say, walking back toward him and shoving all the money I managed to save as a child into his hand. “It’s not much, but it should get you far enough away from here that you won’t ever have to worry about this place again. I love you, okay? Don’t ever forget that. I love you.”
I give him a quick, tight hug, and walk out of the room before he can say anything. If I hear anything come from his lips, I’ll burst into tears and fail the interview, and he won’t have his chance.
He’ll take it.
He has to, because he knows that life is better on the outside, no matter what Pater tried to tell us last night. Maybe one day I’ll see him in the world; maybe I won’t ever leave these walls. The latter doesn’t matter to me because I know I deserve this, but goddamn it, he doesn’t.
“There she is,” Pater says with a huge, fake smile when I walk into the living room. “Crystal and Aaron were just asking about you.”
“Sorry!” I reply as brightly as I can. “I guess I overslept. I honestly thought you guys meant seven o’clock at night.”
“Oh, he’s an early riser,” Aaron says, nodding down at his dog. It’s got beautiful brown fur that shines majestically as it sits there looking up at me curiously. I don’t know what kind of dog it is, but it’s definitely friendly. As I approach it and crouch down to pet its head, I can see the tail begin to wag furiously.
“What’s your name?” I ask him, scratching behind his ear.
“Tiberius,” Crystal replies with a warm smile.