I jump so hard that the dress falls from my hand in a soft rustle. And there he is. He's leaning against the door frame, his legs crossed at the ankles casually as he takes in the sight of me. My heart thunders in my chest for many reasons. Why's he here? While this is sweet…..we are not really going to consummate anything tonight…..are we? Look around, my consciousness tells me. What man goes through all this effort if he doesn't have the intention to have sex? That doesn't make me feel any better. I clear my throat awkwardly and straighten. I've not even had the chance to get out of my party dress and breathe properly."Hello….". I call out lamely. I shouldn't have said that….I should have said something more witty."Do you need help?". What's he even talking about? Do I look like I need help?"No". I reply smartly. "I don't need any help thank you". I glance around the room and turn back to him. "You….you actually did all this?". He pushes from the door frame and makes his way furt

I head towards my mother's room, dreading the moment I'll open the door and what I'll find beyond it. As much as I think about it, Adrian has no reason to lie about this. I push the door to her room open but I'm stopped in my tracks as I make my way in. Her luggage is all packed up, the two boxes she had brought along ready to be wheeled away. Ever the perfectionist, she had also smoothed out the bed and folded the sheets orderly. She looks ready to leave….but she's not here.I hurry into the room, heading straight towards the bathroom where I expect her to be. But I'm surprised to see that she's not there either. Where could she have gone? Together with Edna, I make quick trips round the room as we search for her but she's nowhere to be found. Or wait…maybe she's at Jade's room. I bolt out the door and head down the passageway to Jade's room. I push the door open urgently."Fuck, can't you knock?". She scowls and snaps at me as I make my way in. She's still very disgruntled with me….

Much against my will, I decide to do something that I'll most probably regret. I invite Adrian to have a private dinner with me a few days later. At this point, I'm a hundred percent sure that there's something going on, bigger than I know. The only person I can think of who can help me with information no matter how little is Adrian Ventura. I walk into the gazebo where we'll be dining, Edna behind me. I've not seen or heard from Draaven since the last time I saw him and frankly, I don't care. I've been a fool. Everything has been a lie. I had been stupid to think that he cared about me even a little bit. It's obvious now that that's not the case. No man who had feelings for a woman would treat her family so dishonourably. “How was my message received?”. I ask Edna. Earlier on, I had sent her with a message to Draaven informing him that I wasn't going to be a Luna who just sat pretty. I want some work on my hands already. After the incident with Eva, once again I can't get her word

“Someone will die”. The smile falls off my face so fast. I can tell I'm not the only one who's shocked as the group of people around me all go silent. And the girl…she just keeps looking at me, her odd eyes boring into my soul. “Alana!!!”. Euli rushes forward and wraps her arms tightly around the girls shoulders. It's subtle but I see her dig her fingers into the girl's shoulders as she pulls her way firm enough. She more or less shoves her towards one of the attendants. “Take her away!!!”. She whispers aggressively to her. When she turns around to face me, I'm amazed by how fast she has once again returned back to the smiling, cherubic person I first met. “I'm so sorry about that. That's Alana. She's ummm….”. She places her hand over her mouth dramatically. “....a nut case. She's one of our special needs children, you see. She's suffered from hallucinations from little and that has made her quite….loose. Poor girl”. I don't know what to say, and when I realize I'm just standin

I bury myself in work all day all alone in my office the next day. When I finally stand up, I hear my back audibly creak, a testament of how long I've been seated. This is what I do best to ease the thoughts in my head. I've been unable to process the murder of Euli and no matter how much I think about it, it makes me uncomfortable. Something just doesn't feel right. A murder they had called it. Who would murder someone right under our noses in such few minutes? It's nearly 5pm at this point and I intended to go see Alana. I head out of my office and Edna is right there…. waiting. Is she obligated to wait outside my office like this always? “How long have you been standing there?”. I ask her as I make my way towards Alana’s room. “Not long”. She doesn't offer more than that and I don't ask. Everytime I look at her, I can't help getting the image of her being railed by Adrian. And what's amazing is how she's so good at acting like nothing happened, not as much as batting an eyelash