Page 8 of Red

Suddenly, the events of breakfast come back, and I’m overwhelmed by the realization of what happened.

“What the fuck,” I hiss out in disbelief. How long have I been out?

Sitting up, I’m met with the overwhelming need to use the toilet.

“Jesus.” I shudder with disgust at everything that I've learned in the past twenty-four hours. I fumble my way to my feet, my bladder still screaming its need for release.

Turning to leave the bathroom, I stop short. My heart is beating wildly, my breath caught in my chest as I watch a shadow in the corner of my room. The shadow moves forward and Nicholas comes into view. In his deep voice, he says, “Come with me. I’ll take you to your grandmother.”

“Have you been watching me this whole time?” I snarl, trying so hard to not let the fear betray my horror of this man watching me while I was fucking unconscious.

He doesn’t answer just getting up and leaves through the door without looking back, expecting that I will follow him. What a fucking asshole.

As we walk through the house, I notice more guards. Have there always been this many? I knew she had a bodyguard when she would leave the house, but I thought that was just as a precaution. This seems to be excessive.

We arrive in the living room and my grandmother looks up at me and immediately tells me to sit, pointing down at the couch across from her. I do as I’m told. I don’t want to piss her off. No, I want her to answer my questions. Looking around the room, I ask the first question that comes to my mind. Probably not the one that I should be asking, but I ask her anyways.

“Grandmother, have you always had this many guards around? I don’t remember so many before.”

“Yes, dear, we’ve always had lots of guards around. You never know when your enemies will be coming for you. I just made sure they were hidden so as not to scare you or leave you questioning things you had no business knowing. You’re now old enough to know exactly what is going on. No more hiding your head in the sand, Blanche. Your family needs you and now is your time.”

I flinch when she says this. It feels like she just slapped me across the face with her words. She’s the one that lied to me and kept the truth from me, but it feels as if she’s saying that I’m not there for my family. How can she say something like that?

Taking a deep breath, I reiterate what I told her last night.

“Grandmother, I don’t want to give up my business or take over yours.”

She slams her cane down and it creates a loud noise. I jump, not expecting her to become so aggressive.

She yells, “Enough, you spoiled child! You will do as I say. I’ve raised you since you were young and gave you everything you ever needed. A debt is owed and you will be paying it. You will marry Nicholas and take over The Wolves. If you fight me on this, you will meet the same fate as your beloved parents.”

Did she just say what I think she said? Did she just admit to having something to do with my parent's death? No, not Grandmother. She wouldn’t do that to her own family, would she?

While I am contemplating all of these thoughts, I can feel the eyes of the room on me. I look up and can see the demand to respond to my grandmother in her eyes.

Grandmother and I are now just staring at each other. I refuse to back down. I tried to be a part of everything in the past, she wanted to keep it from me. I’ve moved on to the bakery. Still not wanting to look away, I feel a hand grab my arm. I look up and see Nicholas’ black narrowed eyes. As he pulls me off the couch taking me by surprise, I start to lose my balance.

Trying to catch myself so I can center myself, I am knocked off balance again when I hear my grandmother say, “Since you are still refusing to fulfill your responsibilities to the family. You will be confined to your room only to come out when I call for you. I won’t allow you to be a part of the bakery, but I will allow Nora to run it. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll burn it to the ground. Be ready because tomorrow we will start your training at 7:00 a.m. on the dot.”

With those words, she gets up and leaves me wondering what the hell is going on and how my life is changing so quickly.

The next few weeks are filled with the same routine. Nicholas comes to my room and takes me to my grandmother’s office where he goes over details about The Wolves’ business. Then at the end, my grandmother comes in and quizzes me on what I should know from that day.

Once we finish, Nicholas returns me to my room forcing me to stay confined for the rest of the day. I have my meals other than breakfast brought to me by one of the staff members. Usually Gregory. I’ve tried talking to him and begging him to help me, but he refuses. I’m not sure if he’s afraid of my grandmother or if he’s just that loyal, but I need to get out of here.

“I’m going fucking crazy,” I mutter.

I’m tired of only being let out when it suits them. I’ve had plenty of time to think about how to get out of here. I need to take the chance. I can’t be here any longer or I’ll start killing people. I’m getting out of here tomorrow. No matter what it takes.

When dawn breaks, I get dressed waiting for Nicholas to let me out of the room for breakfast. The hallways are still crowded with armed men. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get used to it. I hope they don’t mess up my plans to get away.

Once I get away from this place, I need to figure out what happened to my parents and how my grandmother is involved. The things she’s been saying make me believe she had a big part in their death. How could she be so fucking cruel? So cold?

When we reach the dining room for breakfast, I sit down and smile at Grandmother. I hope it looks as innocent as I’m trying to convey. If she thinks that I’m coming around to her plan and willing to follow her instructions, then maybe she’ll give me more freedom around the mansion.

I grab my silverware and start to eat breakfast. Pretending like everything is normal is harder than I thought it’d be. Even though my parents taught me not to show weakness and always present a mask of indifference, I’m not an actress. It’s hard to keep a straight face, but I know that my life rests on this performance.

Once we finish eating our food, I place my fork down and look at my grandmother. Deciding to take a chance, I ask her.

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