“None of the above,” Thomas answered.
“I think your drug lord name would be Mr Slithers or…The Viper.”
“No. It would be Thomas the Drug Lord. Now get up and gather your things.”
“My things?”
“I’m moving you upstairs. I can’t traipse down here every day to invite you up for breakfast. I need to be able to holler at you from the hallway.”
“Does that mean I’ll get a key?”
“No.”
Scott slipped out of bed and tugged on his clothes from the day before. Thomas watched him with emotionless eyes.
“One sec,” Scott said before stumbling into the bathroom and relieving himself.
“Faster, Scott.”
He brushed his teeth, flossed, scraped his tongue and then gargled mouthwash before applying moisturiser –
“Come on,” Thomas hissed, no longer in the bedroom doorway but hovering in the bathroom one. “You can do all this once you’re upstairs.”
Scott shoved all his toiletries into his bag. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Homemade muesli with yoghurt and blueberries.”
Scott sighed. “I could get used to this.”
“One month,” Thomas reminded. “That’s your lot.”
Thomas backed out of the bathroom and scooped Scott’s charcoal-grey hoodie off the floor. He draped it over his shoulder as he led the way down the corridor, up the spiral staircase and into his quarters.
Thomas held the door open for Scott, and he stepped inside, waiting for Thomas to march ahead again and show him to his room.
“This one is for you to sleep in,” Thomas murmured, pushing a door open. He slipped Scott’s bag strap from his shoulder, then tossed it inside. The duffel hit the bed, then bounced off.
“Hey!” Scott snapped, stepping into the room. “I might have valuables in there.”
“Do you?” Thomas asked, gently laying Scott’s hoodie on the bed.
“No, but you didn’t know that.”
Thomas shrugged.
The room looked identical to the room Scott had stayed in downstairs, except there were only two doors.
“Bathroom and walk-in closet,” Thomas explained. “If you want to visit the snake room, you’ll have to go through the front door.”
“Wantis the keyword here. I’m never going to want to go back into that room.”
Thomas snorted. “This way –”
“This way? I thought this was my room.”
“It is. The room you’ll be sleeping in.”
Scott followed Thomas out of the door with a frown. He was led further down the corridor. “This is the room you’ll work in,” Thomas said, gesturing to the room.
