“Yes?” he asks sternly.
The groundskeeper, I presume.
“Hi, I’m here about the tutoring job?” I say, holding out the advert to him.
He snatches it through the bars, and without giving me a second look, he unlatches the large, rusted gate. It creaks at the hinge’s reluctance to open; the bars and hinges are a deep,rusted colour from years of neglect. The man pulls the hefty gate open, just enough for me to squeeze through and walks towards the house without another word.
I follow him into the large, dark, and grimy house, with a thick layer of dust coating every surface. Clearly lacking a housekeeper. Whether the governor can no longer afford to keep one or because he chooses not to, I couldn’t say.
The walls are layered with beautiful wallpaper, or it would have been beautiful if it were not peeling and mouldy. The patterns are ones I haven’t seen before, with gold and navy spirals cascading up an emerald-green backing. Mum would love a pattern like this at our cottage, to match Dad’s emerald armchair.
The man leads me into a sitting room, gesturing to sit on the ripped couches. Each is torn and damp, and I politely decline. The groundsman’s downcast expression reflects the bleakness of the house and grounds.
“The girls are upstairs. I will get them.”
He leaves, walking up the stairs that creak with each step. I take in my surroundings; cobwebs cover the ceiling and hang from the golden chandelier. Dark, damp patches sit in the corners of the room, dripping straight down onto the scratched and sodden wooden flooring.Water has been seeping into it for some time. No light comes through the windows, dark, thick curtains hanging from poles blocking all sunlight.
Every sense tells me to run.
Before I can take a step, a scamper of feet stampede down the stairs. Spinning on my heel, two girls come rushing into the room. Both girls have brown hair with a reddish tinge; loose curls fall on their shoulders, and they neatly have half their hair tied in a bow. Their faces are almost identical, except one has blue eyes and one has brown. So similar in features, if it weren’t for the slight height difference, they could be mistaken for twins.
“Hi,” I say with a wave, “my name is Andi.” The girls gawk at me before grinning at each other with a mischievous look. Like they’ve found a new toy.
I gulp down my fear, hoping I have read them wrong. Maybe they’re just not used to folk. Maybe they’ve been stuck in the house with only their dad, and a new face excites them.
Or maybe they’re going to eat me alive.
“These are my daughters, Megan and Eliza.” The man follows them through the door.
Startled, I take in the man once again. The governor, not the groundsman, like I thought, not that you could tell. His clothes match the house, old and worn, in dire need of repair or replacement.
“Megan is my oldest, at eleven years, and Eliza is the youngest, at seven. Both need to improve their vocabulary and basic math skills; this was their mother’s responsibility before... Well, they can be a handful, but I’ve warned them to behave. This will be their last chance before I send them to become wards.” The governor walks away without another word despite the girl’s protests.
They turn back to me, eyeing me up like their next meal.
“Okay, um, it’s nice to meet you both. How shall we begin?” I ask the girls, both of which stand staring at me with their hands clasped behind their backs, rocking back and forth on their heels.
“Where do you normally do your studying? What was the last thing you worked on?” The awkward silence makes me feel uncomfortable, more so than I already do.
Maybe I should have taken the modelling job instead. Compared to this, sitting hours on end for some eccentric artist would be a relaxing experience.
Megan and Eliza giggle and run away from me upstairs.
This is going to be a long day.
Chapter Sixteen
Wyatt
I’ve lost track of the days since Andi and Myles took off. Guards have since swarmed the town in droves and show no signs of leaving either. Spending their days drinking and picking fights with anyone and everyone, destroying shops and homes. Taking whatever and whoever they want.
It’s a sorry town to live in now. All under the watchful eye of Captain Auron. This once peaceful town has become abandoned under his ‘rule.’ If folk can leave, they do. The rest of us stay and deal with the consequences.
Leaving has never been an option, not while Nia and Elana still refused to go. I promised Andi I would look after them—although she didn’t need to ask, I would have done it regardless.
Nia looked after me when no one else did.
Not even my own blood.
