The whine of metal hinges alerts me, and I sit up in the bed, placing the thriller I’m reading in my crisscrossed lap, wondering which twin it will be or if it’s Jessica finally deciding to visit me.
Cameron appears, walking up the steps in jeans scuffed with mud and a black T-shirt. He strolls to the foot of my bed, my heart unexpectedly thrumming when he smiles.
“Good morning,” he says casually.
I glower at him. Hard. “I. Want. Out. Of. This. Room.”
His neck slopes, his eyes narrowing on me. Standing up straighter, he flips his head back, gesturing toward the door. “Let’s go then.”
I taper a brow. “Are you serious?”
Because I’m not kidding around. I need to step out of this room, or else I will go stir-crazy. Then I’ll take apart the new lampshade they replaced and stab myself repeatedly with a piece of metal instead of using it to escape again.
“Yes, but I need you to listen to what I’m going to tell you first.”
The strumming in my heart ceases, the artery leisurely slinking into my throat. I attempt to swallow it down. “Okay.” My voice shakes nervously.
He paces back and forth on the wood floor, the look crossing his face a heady blend of discomfort and urgency.
“We told you we brought you here for them,” he starts.
Yes. I remember that quite well because I still have no idea who “they” are. Whenever I let my mind wander to theories about why I’m specifically here forthem, I want to throw up.
My eyes don’t stray from his.
He shakes his head, out of breath already. “We wouldn’t have done anything like this if it weren’t absolutely necessary.”Yeah, I’m sure.“They are really fucking important to us. And we were entirely serious when we said they have fragile minds. They need more than we can give them right now, and with Jess leaving—” He sighs, pulling his fingers through his hair. “We need someone who can be a constant for them.” He walks up to the side of the bed, his look stern as he points toward the door. “They need someone constant, Taryn. There is nothing we wouldn’t do for them, and though these are the circumstances, we’re still compensating you for your time.”
Wait…what?
My brows draw together, my eyes expanding with confusion. What the hell does he mean by ‘compensating me for my time’? I open my mouth to ask, but my jaw slams just as quickly when he continues.
“We are paying you triple what a teacher’s salary would be. Honestly, they’ll be a lot fucking easier than the things you probably deal with all the time. They have been through a lot. They’ve dealt withuswhile we run around doing all the other shit we have to do for this property, and they—”
I throw my hands up. “Who arethey, Cameron?” I shout.
Lifting his hand, he drags it down his face, groaning. He narrows his eyes at me. “And no cursing. Sometimes Bren, Colt, and I let it slip, but you have to try…not to do that.”
He’s breathing like he just ran a mile, his chest rising and falling in a way that makes me think he’ll pass out from lack of oxygen.
“I need you to promise me you’ll stay calm when we get down there,” he says. “Or at least hold all your thoughts in until we leave the room. Then, we’ll talk to you about it.”
“That doesn’t help my anxiety whatsoever!” My frantic heartbeat pulses to my fingertips, gripping the book on my lap. “You’re freaking me out more than you already have.”
“Promise me,” he whispers, a hint of pain seeping through the words.
My stomach is doing somersaults, flipping and swooping, making me nauseous. But I nod sluggishly.
My voice is steady despite all the questions creating a ruckus in my head. “Okay.”
He exhales loudly, his body visibly relaxing more than it was, and starts to walk to the other end of the room and down the stairs. I get up, my hyperactive bare footsteps on the polished wood floors telling him I’m following.
The door was already open; he didn’t even bother to shut it when he came up. He takes the last step, vanishing into the hallway. I speed up my pace, my eyes on his figure advancing down the hallway since I’ve already seen this fourth floor.
There are gray walls, the lower half with wainscoting to add texture, and white Victorian crown moldings, with one of those damn cameras I missed high in the corner. Ornate gold décor, sconces, and patterned runners line the hallway leading to the staircase. I pause a few times, admiring the few paintings of Douglas firs and the Pacific coastline encased in gold frames with a nearly illegible signature in the corner.
“How long has this house been here?” I ask, hastening my steps to catch up.
Cameron shrugs. Each hallway looks the same, with four doors on each floor. This house swallows me whole. It’s huge.
