As I entered the burning house, my screams for my mom were drowned by the cackling of the fire. I screamed louder and louder in hopes my voice would reach her; that I wouldn't have to step inside, but luck was never truly on my side.
Forced to enter into the roasting house, heat flared up against my skin. I was sure I'd have at least 1st degree burns after it. As I stepped further inside the house my screams echoed and echoed, but to no avail. I was quick to check every nook and cranny of the lower ground floor. She wasn't there. I rushed to the stairs, a beam engulfed with fire falling behind me.
With a shocked yelp and a glance to the back, I continued. There, on the stairs I saw her shoe before I saw her. It was a black pump made of cheap snakeskin leather with a bow on it with the same material. That was her favorite pair of shoes.
'MOM?' I asked as I ran to the stairs. I run up to her body. I straddled her head in my lanky arms. They hurt so bad from the heat, but all I could focus on was her. My mom's neat blonde hair were now sprawled onto my weak and soot-covered arms as I held her. Her lifeless eyes glared back at me with a frightening hollowness.
'MOM, NO PLEASE.'
She didn't reply though. Sobs escaped me. The fire was burning her hands, causing them to look so much different, so much scarier than the ones that pulled me into a hug at every occasion, good or bad.
I wanted to bury her, and I'll be damned if some shitty fire takes her away. I dragged her up the stairs to the window in front. It was sealed shut with a lock. I heard sirens.
I broke open the window with the crowbar and looked out, my lungs relieved to get some fresh air. The firefighters had set up a huge sheet for me down below.
'JUMP' one of them screamed.
'MY MOM. SHES-' a sob escaped my lips.
'IT'S FINE. WE'LL GET HER LATER.'
Trusting the man's words, I jumped. But when the funeral came around, the only thing that was buried was my memories piled in an otherwise empty casket.
I woke up. A shitty dream indeed. It was of the day my mother died, but now that I look back, there are lots of things that don't make sense.
How was I so sure my mother was dead? Smoke doesn't kill a person. Where did I get the crowbar to open the window? Why did I trust the fireman so much? I'm not usually the person who hangs onto your every word…
There was so much that didn't add up.
A knock on the door slammed me out of my daze. I got out of bed and walked to the door. I opened it to see a maid. She gave me a judgmental up-and-down look
'The family requires your presence in the dining room.'
I nodded.
'I'll be down in twenty minutes.'
She bowed and left.
Within the twenty minutes, I took a bath and changed into the only other pair of clothes I had, the one I was wearing when it happened. I sighed, opened the door and headed down the stairs.
The dining room was connected with the living room, so I had to go through there. The guards and maids standing outside the door all gave me the same judgey look as that weird pissy maid before. I walked into the room with a stride that showed them I'm boss.
'You're late.' My father called as soon as I entered.
'Well, I was explicitly clear in my message it would take me twenty minutes. In that case I'm early. It's only been 15.' I smiled. My father's eyes became stricter as he watched me sit down a seat away from the rest of the family. He clenched his jaw, but continued eating. The rest of the boys looked at me in shock.
The maid slammed my food down on the table. I noticed a bling on her finger, but didn't comment. It was the same maid that had come to my door. I continued eating without a hitch. Everybody was staring, except my father. I looked up at them.
'What?' I tilted my head. They instantly went back to eating.
My father finished soon enough. As he reached the door, he paused.
'Cressida, Arthur, Leo, see me in my office after breakfast.'
And then continued on his merry way. So dramatic.
I rolled my eyes.
'Looks like someone's in trouble.' Chris called in a sing-song voice.
'Looks like someone's an asshole.' I matched his tone, not even looking at him. I heard Leo choke on air and Will, the youngest, contain a laugh. I even got a laugh out of Ms. Crossford.
Chris was pretty embarrassed, to say the least. I gave him a smug smirk, mirroring the one from last night.
I finished my breakfast as quick as I could and rushed off, pausing only for a minute to look behind my shoulder.
'I'm leaving without you two. Come when you finish, k?'
As the doors closed behind me, I could hear the chatter begin.
'So…they didn't want me to be a part of the discussion.' I scoffed at myself for thinking otherwise. But honestly. They could have told me, I wouldn't have taken offense (BLATANT LIE).
I sighed, and called up some maid. It was the same one I had seen in the morning and in the dining room.
'Take me to Mr. Crossford's office.' I said with a tone of authority. I heard the door behind me open.
'Bitch.' Came the murmured voice of the maid mumbling under her breath. I pursed my lips. Arthur stepped forward from behind me. He strode in front.
'Follow me.' His gruff voice came. I walked after him. We stepped into the elevator and headed up to the penthouse. The penthouse was white in every nook and cranny you could spot. White marble tile and open kitchen (Separate) with white velvet couches and white fur carpet underneath a white ceramic table.
I was lead to a room behind the huge circular ceiling-to-floor aquarium filed with a variety of fish.
The office was the complete opposite of the outside, filled with matte grays and blacks. Mr. Crossford sat on his desk, signing some papers.
'We have arrived father.' Arthur spoke.
I stayed quiet. My father motioned to a seat. We sat down on opposite ends of the sofa. It was a few minutes before he came and sat in front of us. He looked at me, then at Arthur, then back at me.
'Where's Leo?'
'He's on his way, father.'
My dad nodded. He turned to me.
'The reason I've called you here is to give you a list of rules. I'm not home over half the time so Arthur will be enforcing them. Disobeying any rules will end in severe punishment.'
I scoffed.
'What am I, your pet? Don't piss on the sofa Cressida! Bad Dog! Bad! You're gonna sleep outside for a week!' I boldly mimicked. My father's glare sharpened as I heard Arthur sigh in hopelessness.
'Rule one. Do NOT make sarcastic comments.'
MY eyes widened as my mouth fell agape.
'You can't do that.'
'If you think that then you have yet to realize the extent of things I can do. Rule two. You will not in any way hurt your brothers.'
My eyes narrowed at the term brothers.
'Okay, now there's something I wanna make clear. This family is not mine. I do understand that you have lost an essential part of it, but I am not here to be a replacement. I appreciate you taking me in, but you are not a dad to me. Your wife is not a mom to me, and your sons are not brothers to me. Consider me a... exchange student from abroad.' I smiled. The tension in the air had become thicker than
'Well, then I'd like to make clear that we had no intention of using you as a replacement. You're not worthy of it.'
Okay that hurt. Although I did respect that they lost a person they loved, but to say I'm nothing compared to her…
Even so I nodded in compliance, with the same smile on my face.
'I'm glad we've reached an understanding. Rule three?'
'No drugs.'
'That's a given.'
'No boys.'
'You mean monopolizing hormonal teens with a dick, yeah no thanks.'
'Eat breakfast with us every day.'
'I don't mind that,'
'Take one of the boys out with you wherever you go.'
'Okay, let me negotiate that.' I stopped him. My father raised a brow.
'What's there to negotiate?'
'I don't think you realize it, but your family wants to kill me. I'll be damned before I give them an opportunity.'
'So you want to go out alone then?' My father narrowed his eyes.
'Oh no. I'll take body guard with me wherever I go, but that's it.'
My father pondered for a moment.
'I'll allow that, but only if you take two.'
'Fine with me.'
'Arthur, arrange it.'
'Yes father.' His monotonous voice rung throughout the room.
'Other than that, there are a few things you should know about your living situation. You will receive a black card in which I will personally transfer $100 every week. You can spend that as you please. And-'
Leo picked that moment to enter.
'Sorry I'm late-'
'- Leo will be taking you shopping.'
'What' we asked in sync. He and I looked at each other. I pursed my lips, knowing I wasn't his favorite person on the planet, yet his mouth remained agape.
'What for?' I asked, desperately trying to get out of it.
'School.' My father replied like he didn't just shock me with an imaginary taser.
'I'm going…to school?'
'Well, how else did you expect to receive your education?'
'That's the thing… I kind of didn't.'
My father raised a brow.
'A child born out of wedlock isn't exactly one you'd enjoy having to provide for… I thought you'd only give me the bare minimum.' I quickly explained.
'This is the bare minimum. It's illegal to have a kid not going to school in England.'
'OH. Now that makes sense.' I nodded to myself. The people in the room stared at me. I tilted my head, even though I knew exactly what was going on in their heads for the moment.
'What had she been told of us to make her have such low expectations? Is her opinion on us that shallow?'
But at the time, I ignored it. It would be gone soon, and soon they'd go to ignoring me and pretending I didn't exist.
'Well… when?' Leo asked to try and change the subject.
'About 3.'
It was 10 in the morning, so I had plenty of time to mentally prepare myself. I looked down at my lap.
'I'll clear up my schedule.' Leo puffed out his chest a little. It was a decision made without my consent.
'You all are dismissed until further notice.' My father waved us away. I bit back a retort. Causing trouble on my first day wouldn't be good. We all shuffled out of the room and into the elevator. It first dropped them on their floor, then took me down to mine. Richard was once again supervising the area, so I requested him for some paper and a pencil. He had it delivered within the minute.
It was a common hobby of mine to draw, another trait I had picked from my very talented mother. It was a pity she never leaned towards the career of an artist. I just always knew she would have more commissions than she would have been able to handle.
And so I drew away to get away from my current situation. I got lost in the flow. One knows when they are enjoying something, time seems to fly by. It was what those 2 hours felt like for me.
Perhaps whenever I was doing something that was important to my mental health or personal life, there was a slamming on my door. It sounded angry so I rushed to see who it was. When I opened the door, Ms. Crossford stood there, disheveled, crying angry tears, her face contorted into seething rage.
And then she slapped me.