by J. E Hanson
Erik is an intimidating man. He struts past me at first, and then he returns to the table with stacks of papers. Christian saunters over sitting on Erik’s left side, opposite of me. Alexander sits directly on Erik’s ride side. They have pens in their hands, ready to sign papers.
Willow takes a seat next to me. “I’m so happy that I will no longer be the only girl in the castle now.”
The men are chuckling. My eyes wander anywhere, but at Christian. My reddened cheeks stay flushed.
“You smell much better Princess, since you took all that shit off your skin,” Ian compliments me from across the room.
I want to duck underneath the table from the humility.
“Why were you wearing that shit again?” Erik asks me directly.
My head remains down. I close my eyes tightly, praying that Christian won’t speak to me.
Somehow, I’m able to face Erik and answer him, “I was burnt from the sun as a child. Those lotions make it possible for me to walk in the sun. That is how I’m able to leave home during the day, or travel to work during the daytime.”
Erik glances over at Alexander with amusement in his eyes. He starts to speak in another language that’s unrecognizable to me. He raises an eyebrow at me, “Are you telling me that you’re allergic to the sun?”
I nod a nervous yes.
“Are you also allergic to silver?” Erik asks me another question, and I nervously nod yes again.
Everyone in the room gasps at the same time. “That is unheard of!” Willow exclaims.
“What else should we know about you?” Christian asks me a direct question in his thick accent. I try to find the right words to answer him, and I even debate with how to answer his question. It takes me an additional five minutes to answer his question. He’s impatiently tapping on the table with his pen, waiting for my reply. I can feel my voice starting to crack.
“The only thing about me is my teeth, and that’s about it,” I managed to answer his question, but I never expect him to do, what he does next.
He abruptly walks over to me. There is fear in my eyes. He gently lifts my chin to meet his ultramarine eyes. The fear of my dark secret begins to creep.
“Open your mouth, please.”
For him, my mouth springs open as he commands. Now, he can see two fangs trying to descend or ascend. My dark secret is exposed, and now they will most likely make fun of me for having them.
Christian gestures with his head towards Alexander's direction. Alexander nods and joins us to see my dark secret.
“This is new to me Alexander. What exactly are the rules again?”
Alexander peeks inside my mouth. “She has a few options, but I will discuss those in private with you brother. I think for now, it would be best that she never ingests any foreign substances, if you understand what I am hinting towards.” Christian nods his head in agreement. They leave me completely in the dark with what they are discussing.
Christian motions with his hand for Zane to join us at our table. Zane carries something strange in his hands.
Zane gives me a sympathetic look. “This will feel incredibly uncomfortable, but we have to make a wax impression of your teeth,” he continues to inform me, “I will place this mold inside your mouth, and it needs to stay in for about five minutes. This will feel funny and taste strange. This is extremely important, and it has to be done.”
I do exactly what he asks of me. I bite down on the waxy mold, and it remains inside my mouth.
The men sit around shooting the breeze and discuss sports. A few men are sipping from their mugs, cups, or golden chalices from time to time.
Ian has a charcoal mug with a charcoal straw that he sips from occasionally. There’s no scent of beer. The unusual scent that comes from them is something sweet and salty. I expect the unusual scent to be beer, but the tasty scent throws me off. With a group of men this large, there’s always at least one, who drinks a beer. The scent isn’t what it should be, with this many men.
Zane watches the timer carefully. After the buzzard sounds, he takes the molds from my mouth. “I will have to take another impression of her other teeth in the future, Chris.”
Christian and Zane seem to have their own private joke between them, because they smile at each other oddly.
“I am sure she will love making another mold of her teeth,” Christian speaks for me, while he smirks at me.
“I do not want my name to be dragged through the mud. I will agree to this, but only Christian will remain the responsible party in charge of your welfare. I am also a leader, but I am a doctor, who is on call a lot. I hope you understand that I will do my part in training you, but you will be under his watch,” Alexander pauses for a brief second, and then he continues, “Willow is the other interested party to make sure that you will not cause any trouble. With those terms, I will say that it has been a pleasure meeting you, Princess, but I must leave. I have a long list of patients, who I must attend to today. Please accept my apologies,” Alexander confesses, and then he quickly signs all his necessary parts of the papers. I nod my head once in his direction. That man can move. He briskly leaves the library in a hurry.
~~~***~~~
Now, Christian is my guardian, and this feels extremely uncomfortable. “Your grandfather chose me, over everyone in this room. I am truly pleased with his choice. Your grandfather has exceptional taste.” Not only is he my guardian, but he’s a huge suck up too.
My opinions of my estranged grandfather will remain silent. “Is my grandfather even looking for my sister?”
“Saber is searching for your sister as we speak,” Christian doesn’t hesitate to answer my question.
I close my eyes, only to breathe a small sigh of relief.
“We have basic ground rules for this castle that you must adhere to. Do we have a mutual understanding?” Erik interrupts our short little conversation.
I nod a yes, to answer his question.
Erik hands me the first huge packet of papers. The first set of papers list my current finances from my bank account.
“All of your assets are now under the control of Christian Hunter. You will no longer be in control over your finances until we can at least capture Reno. That’s who we believe is responsible for your parents’ deaths, and your sister's disappearance. He’s a dangerous individual, who will not rest until all of Saber's family perishes. We will promise you protection around the clock,” Erik explains my current predicament, to me in detail. I knew there were people involved with my parents’ deaths.
Ava told me nothing, but lies about our parents’ deaths. Erik just confirmed my suspicions as he flips through the first packet.
“You will need to sign over all your assets, to Christian until further notice.”
I notice for the first time that my bank account has more than five dollars in it. I’m in shock at what my parents actually left me from their estate. Their finances are here in black and white.
“How will I know that I can trust him with any of it?” I ask Erik a responsible question. But, Christian huffs at me.
“Your money will never equate to the amount of money I make just in one hour by sitting here. I own majority of this estate. I have zero interest in any of your personal things—or your money. So, you can stop insulting me. Oh, and you need to sign the deed to your house over to me. I believe it would be best at this time, if Reno believes that you are dead. If he believes that you are dead, he will become reckless, and make a mistake,” Christian taps on the deed with his pen.
“The deed is in my sister's name—not mine,” I shook my head. I don’t want, to stare at the deed, but Erik forces me to study it closely.
“The deed was never in her name at any point. How else, do you think we were able to enter your home?” Erik reveals that the deed is in my name alone. I cover my mouth with my hand in horror. He shows an additional paper stating that their property remained in my name only. Tears are starting to drip from the corners of my eyes. This whole enti
re time, I believed that Ava had the deed. Her deception grows astronomically, with each piece of evidence they reveal to me.
“Why would she lie to me about the property?” I sniff and continue, “Ava told me that our parents left her the property. This isn’t the same sister, I grew up with!” My heart starts to break.
“It is important that you should know people will do horrible things for property and money,” he answers dryly, and continues, “now, please dear, sign the deed, so we can keep you safe,” Christian taps on the deed with his gold pen. From his gentle persuasion, I sign the deed over to him, along with the other necessary paperwork.
I argue with myself not to trust these men. I look around the room only, to realize that I don’t have any other decent prospects right now.
“I threw out all your shitty lotions. You won’t need those ever again,” Ian just informed me, and now my aspiration to escape dwindles. I’m physically stuck here without any lotions.
I sign away all my assets and the estate over to Christian. I focus on him signing everything with his gold pen. Out of curiosity, my attention moves to his wrist. I immediately recognize that he’s really wearing an authentic Rolex watch. Fake Rolexes are incredibly easy to spot. He’s not full of shit either.
Christian has tattoos on the insides of his forearms. The slate tattoos match the gold symbol around his neck. The tattoos resemble Ankhs, but they make a dagger facing his wrists at the bottom, with loops at the top toward his elbows. At least his tattoos match.
Erik signs his portion of the documents. He is an attorney by profession. I watch him endorse the attorney’s section of the documents. I remember Willow explaining that he takes charge of all legal issues.
He hands me a second packet, and the primary page has a list of house rules. A few of these rules are simply absurd.
“The top page is a list of rules that we have collectively agreed as a whole to the following;
1. You will never ask us any personal questions. For an example ages; phone numbers; or emails are off limits.
2. You will never run away from us at any point.
3. You will remain courteous to all of us, by never discussing any of us to another person in this room. You will never talk about me to Ian, nor to Ian about me. We sort out the problems with the person afflicting the problem, and we rather squash out issues collectively. Never discuss another person, when you believe we can’t hear you. Rest assured that we are able, to hear exceptionally well. We would appreciate it, if you never complain about anyone here in public either.
4. Please, remember to pick up your things at all times. Our servants work for us, and not for you. Please keep that in mind, when you eat.
5. To add to number four; you will only eat in the dining hall at all times. Food isn’t allowed in your bedroom, but only with the exception of your first meal tonight. We prefer a clean castle, and please help us, to maintain it.
6. There’s no dating or procreation of any kind. Please remember not, to do anything unbecoming of a princess. None of that sort will be tolerated. This means that you can’t date Ian, Zane, or any of us for sexual intercourse. This means that you will keep your flirting, to a zilch. Christian will approve courting for you.
7. You will wear normal clothes at all times. You are not allowed to expose any part of your body, to entice men. This means that you are forbidden to walk around in lingerie at any time.
8. You must wear shoes at all times. We may have emergencies that could come up at any time, and this could affect your safety. This is in case. we need to move you out of the way of harm. Of course, the only exception is when you’re in your own personal bedroom.
9. You must adhere to the strict regimen set for you. You will listen, to all the trainers, who will give you illicit advice on each training session.
10. We will give you a special kind of shot to curve your periods, and this will keep everything clean.
11. In light of your current predicament, Christian will continue to control your funds. You will have to work for him from time to time. You will become his employee, to relieve vacations. This will offset all your necessities. This means that you will work for Christian, whenever he sees fit.
12. You will no longer have access, to any communicative devices of any sort for the time being. This includes the following, but not limited to; cell phones, computers, rotary phones, or writing letters.
“Do you have any questions about these twelve simple rules?” Erik eagerly waits for my answer.
There are no objections from this point. I give them a quick shake no. A part of me wants to laugh hysterically, and then the other wants to roll my eyes. I sign all the rules and regulations pages. Christian signs his name after me. His penmanship is impeccable—unlike mine. He accidentally bumps his hand into mine, emitting sparks of electricity. The sparks take us both by surprise. We stare at each other awkwardly, for a brief minute.
Erik distracts us, by handing me another packet. He flips the first page over. “The first page is your copy for each trainer, to sign for the week. Alexander will collect your paperwork at your final training session. This is a calendar for the rest of the year,” Erik pauses for a minute, and then he continues, “since, we are now in the month of June, and today is June the second, tomorrow you will start training with Ian, for the next two weeks. From June the third, through June the seventeenth, you will be working with Ian. From June the eighteenth, through June the thirtieth, you will be working with Zane. From July the first, through July the fifteenth, you will be training with Brennan. I believe that both Brennan and Brannon may combine their training sessions together if they want, but I chose, to go ahead and explain this to you. Brannon will train you from July the sixteenth, through July the twenty-ninth. If you make it that far then you will have Thomas Hawthorne from July the thirtieth, through August the eleventh.”
Christian already leaves, to take an urgent phone call. I try hard not to gawk at him, when he disappears from his spot. He exits the library—or his library. On another note, my birthday is on August the thirteenth. I don’t plan, to mention my birthday to them.
Erik continues explaining the training calendar, “From August the twelfth, through August the twenty-fifth; you will be working alongside with Louie. From August the twenty-sixth, through September the eighth, you will be with Leo. September the ninth, through September the twenty-second, you will train with Sam. September the twenty-third, through October the sixth, you will be working with Charlie. This is my favorite part of your training schedule. From October the seventh, through October the twentieth, you will be working one-on-one with me. You will train with Christian, from October the twenty-first, through November the fourth. To finish your training; from November the fifth, through November the nineteenth; Alexander will end your training session with us. This is extremely important that we follow this calendar precisely. We don’t want to confuse whose week is whose.”
I gawk at him with confusion. “You will commit, to twelve hours of training every day. This includes learning every single specialty; martial arts; extensive weight loss, and proper dieting. You will have, to work for Christian, at his sole discretion. That could take anywhere from two, to four hours of your time, since he’s such an affluent business executive. You may serve as an escort for him, or become a liaison of sorts in the future. As for right now, he only wants you to grow accustomed, to this training schedule first.”
Erik hands me the training schedule, and points at the spots he wants me to sign. Christian returns and he wears a musky cologne, smelling completely amazing. His musky scent arouses me.
“I should apologize for my abrupt departure, but I had to dodge a business emergency. Erik, what did I miss?” Christian apologizes and asks. I can listen to Christian speak all day long.
“We just finished explaining her training schedule,” Erik never grins, or even smiles at me as he answers his question.
“That is excellent news, and are these the last set
of papers I need to sign?” Christian sounds relieved.
Erik nods his head yes.
“I am certain that we will meet again extremely soon. Until then, I have to leave. I have just enough time, to make it to a business conference. I sincerely apologize, but I am leaving you here with Willow,” he apologizes again. The man no longer makes fun of me. To my amazement, he actually apologizes to me. This is a first.
I watch him as he leaves again, and I inhale his musky scent one last time.
Erik distracts me from my lusty stare. “Do you have any questions, or comments pertaining to anything we have gone over thus far?”
I answer him with a brisk no. Erik hands me another paper. “You must write down everything that you will need; for example; clothing; toiletries; shoes; and anything extra. Oh, and before I forget, I will remind you that you won’t have any access to cell phones; internet; or any other communicative device until we gain our full trust in you. You will make our jobs protecting you incredibly difficult, if you use these devices, to state that you’re still alive. Reno won’t give up on his prey, and he’s an exceptionally dangerous person.”
The point of arguing with Erik proves ineffective. From his urgent request, I write down everything I need on his piece of paper. My long lists of toiletries are sitting on this list. For an extra item, I hope they will allow me, to have at least an iPod. I double-check my paper for accuracy. I make sure, to add things that are missing. After viewing my paper for a second time, I hand the paper over to Erik.
Erik orders Ian, to purchase what’s on the list for me. He hands him Christian's credit card that has no limit on it. Erik dismisses me, and he sends me to my bedroom for the rest of the night. Willow leads me to my bedroom, as a jailer would do for inmates.