“You’re really throwing me for a loop today. Do I need to take a belt to you and make you behave?”
Humiliation makes my throat constrict. I stare down at my hands.
“Look at me,” he says, and his voice has lost its warmth. He takes hold of my cheeks, squeezing them in a vicelike grip, and forces my head up. “What’s wrong?”
I stay silent.
“Did something happen?” he questions, his voice severe.
His face blurs behind the veil of tears gathering in my eyes. He notices and lets me go, then strokes my cheek soothingly. My head falls back against his chest, and this time, I can’t help it. I find myself relaxing without meaning to.
I had a bad night, what little sleep I managed to get punctuated by bad dreams. I’m exhausted, and his fingers threading through my hair make my eyelids droop.
“Everything’s alright, little pet,” he murmurs. “Take a deep breath.”
My gaze drifts up toward the ceiling. The ceiling in this room is plain white, like the stretch of wall in the living room. Not humid, not stained, like my childhood one. Old images burn my eyes.
His arm is heavy, a crushing deadweight on my stomach. The spot on the ceiling is a polar bear, a great big furry one with massive paws. If I close my eyes, I can feel its heat against me, its fur like a thick blanket surrounding me, protecting me from the world.
You never know when the Beast will wake. That’s what Mama always tells me. Keep quiet, don’t move. Make yourself invisible.
But I don’t want to be invisible. I want to fly away, just like Wendy, and have a boy like Peter to protect me against the Beast.
“Seraphina. Seraphina!”
The name startles me awake. I look up and see Damien’s face looming over me. This time there’s no mistaking the concern in his eyes. And he just called me by my name.
“You fell asleep. You were having a nightmare. What were you dreaming of?”
His words float to me from far away. “Peter,” I answer.
“Peter?” His voice is harsh, cold. “Who’s Peter?”
“Peter… Pan.”
The tear that had threatened to fall before winds its way down my cheek.
He squeezes me to him, exhaling deeply, and when he speaks next, his tone is soft, kind even.
“Peter Pan. Is that one of the two books you’ve read?” There’s a glint of humor in his voice, but I don’t mind it so much now.
I nod.
“What’s the other one?”
“An… an animal encyclopedia.”
“An animal encyclopedia,” he echoes, more amused than ever. “Do you like animals?”
I bury my face in his chest, seeking his soothing warmth. “I like jellyfish. And polar bears.”
He takes hold of my chin, gently this time, and lifts my face to him. “You’re a very odd girl, do you know that, Seraphina?”
But he’s not making fun of me anymore. His expression is tender, and it awakens an ache in my heart.
He holds me to him silently. I sink into his embrace, willing it never to end. His hand is stroking my hair absentmindedly, and I find myself drifting off once more. But he pulls me away from him before I fall asleep.
“You’re very tired today, my pet. Didn’t you sleep?”
