“Slow down. I’ll give you a tour later. Yes, there is only one cafeteria, but they have pretty much everything you could want, including tea.”
“Yeah, but is it the one I like?” She wrinkles her nose at me.
“Yes, they have all the food you like,” I assure her.
“You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?” My mom pipes in, concern etched into her voice. Lifting her head, she runs her fingers across my forehead and into my hair like she did when I was little. Only now, she has to reach up instead of down since I’ve been taller than her for a few years now.
“Yes, I sleep,” I give her a washed-down answer.
The truth is the only time I slept well and through the night was when I was in Aspen’s bed with my body wrapped around hers. I keep telling myself it’s because I was drunk, but I’ve been drunk before and still didn’t sleep.
She frowns at me, knowing that I’m not being truthful with her, but luckily, she lets it go… for now, at least. I’m sure this is not the last I’ll hear of it.
“I’m also curious to see where you and Ren are staying. Will you show us the dorms now?”
The thought of me walking them through the dorms and possibly running into Aspen has my anxiety peaking. I need to stay as far away from her as I can with my father being here.
“Don’t you want to rest first before I show you around?”
“Rest?” Scarlet asks as if I just proposed the most ridiculous thing in the world. “Do you have any idea how excited I have been and how long I’ve been waiting for today? Resting is the last thing on my mind. I want to see everything.” Her excitement is almost infectious.
“Fine, I’ll show you around. You won’t need your jackets; everything is underground and heated.”
Everyone, including me, gets rid of their outerwear, and we head back out. I show them the rest of the castle before leading them to the classrooms and the cafeteria.
The entire time I’m on edge, walking a very thin tight rope. Scarlet and Mom are too excited to notice, but of course, nothing slips past my father. The tension between us is even thicker than normal, and it only grows as the day goes on.
When we get to the dorms, Scarlet is beaming with excitement while I’m sweating bullets, having a small heart attack every time I see a blond girl come around the corner. I’m not sure what my dad is gonna do when he sees her, but I know it’s not going to be good, and I won’t be able to protect her from him.
I open my room with my key card, and we’re immediately greeted with voices coming from inside. Ren, Roman, Sophie, and Luna are all piled on the large L-shaped couch.
“There you guys are,” Roman greets and pushes off the couch.
He comes over to me and slaps a hand on my back in greeting. He is the only one in our extended family who is actually taller than me. As the story goes, he used to be an underground fighter, entering fights for money where only one person exits the ring. Even looking at him now, as his age is showing, it’s no surprise that he won every time.
Luna and Sophie come over and greet me next, while Ren is greeted by Scarlet and my parents. The room suddenly starts to feel smaller.
“I love this apartment. Can I stay here tonight?” Scarlet asks.
I shrug, unsure if this is a good idea. I would like to have my sister here, but I don’t know if my father will allow it. Seeing my apprehension, she turns to my parents.
“Please, it’s been forever since I’ve seen Quinton, and you can’t tell me there is a safer place than this apartment.”
“I don’t know,” my father starts, but my mom cuts him off.
“Q and Ren will both be here, and in two years, she’ll be here in her own apartment. I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Plus, then we’ll have the suite to ourselves.” She smiles, and Scarlet fake gags. My parents' love story is one for the books. If there has ever been a person to bring my father to his knees, it’s my mother. However, that doesn’t mean I want to hear them talk about fucking.
“Luna is staying here as well,” Sophie chimes in, thankfully.
My father looks back and forth between Ren and me, his gaze penetrating. “You know the rules, and you also know if anything happens to your sister—”
“Nothing will happen to her, not here, not ever,” I interrupt.
“Fine.” He turns to Scarlet, who is ready to jump out of her skin. “You need to check in with me every few hours, and do not go anywhere without your brother.”
Scarlet nods, her smile growing with every passing second.
“Then it’s settled. You can stay.” A smile breaks across my father’s lips, and the tension in the air eases.