Page 5 of Into The Darkness

“Walsh is here and is going to watch me. You said you were going to try and visit weekly on Sundays for dinner when you can.” Dad narrowed his eyes at me. “You went here with Mom. Did you guys have security?”

I knew the answer, but Dad shaking his head only reaffirmed it.

“Walsh promised. You promised.” I sounded pathetic, but I needed this for me.

I think I’d always suffered from depression, but when your mother was murdered and you happened upon her body bleeding out at eight years old, you had some unresolved shit stirring inside your mind. Between that trauma and the forced isolation my dad put upon me, I saw coming to Isles as a place I could finally figure some of that shit out.

We finally got to the third and top floor of the apartment complex. The building was the exact opposite of my home. It was a simple square brick box with dingy underground parking. No fancy gates, no special door codes, and definitely no doormen. There were only four apartments, one in each corner of the floor, and the center housed the elevator bank.

We strolled out of the elevator to the door with a number two sign barely hanging on. My dad’s eyes went wide as he stared at my brother.

“I can see if there is room at the Alphas, but I am really going to be busy, Dad.”

The floors were a dark gray . . . or was that once white? I couldn’t tell. The overhead fluorescent lighting had a small flicker to it, making the whole place feel spooky.

“Yeah,” my dad said as my head shot toward the light giving off a consistent hiss above us. “Maybe you should see. After all, those fuckers owe me.”

My mom and dad met in their freshman year of college. Although he wanted to be a poet, my grandfather, my mom’s dad, forced him to join the Alphas and rise in the ranks in order to be considered a viable husband when they graduated. It was a weird thing. The fraternity almost felt like a funnel for people destined to be part of the rich and famous later in life. Most of the Alphas even worked in the stock trading operation my dad ran.

“No,” I barked, then pulled the keys from my backpack. As I opened the door, I was pleasantly surprised at the state of the apartment. There were wooden floors, a little kitchen, and a huge living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. The best part was the view right into the thick wooded pine trees.

“This is dope,” Walsh exclaimed.

My roommate and I had discussed furniture, and because she arrived a week before me, my entire room was set up with the help of one of my father’s assistants.

The living room was furnished with a small brown leather couch, a fluffy white rug, and a big bookshelf in the corner, but the coolest part was the abundance of plants. It felt cozy and not stuffy like the house I grew up in. To the left was my bedroom, and as I opened the door, I was surrounded by the familiar smell of my books. A large bed in the center of the room welcomed us, but the three bookshelves and small desk in the corner would be my favorite spot.

“This isn’t bad, Dad,” Walsh stated as he brought some of my bags in.

“See, I told you.” I stuck my tongue out at them, and my father ruffled my hair.

“I just hate that my baby is growing up. The house is going to be so quiet without the two of you running around.”

“Don’t start with that again,” I joked, but I felt bad for my father. It was really hard for him to step up when my mom passed away, and become CEO of a huge corporation where thousands of people relied on you to make the best decisions.

“Walsh is going to graduate this year and then take over after his Master’s program is finished.” Walsh was attending an accelerated business program, so he would get his bachelor’s and then his Master’s in Business all in five years. While he technically had two more years of school left, this was his last undergrad year. “I am going to go on and become a writer.”

“And make me a grandpa,” my dad joked, but I stuck my tongue out and made a gagging gesture. I appreciated that my dad wasn’t like my cousins or uncles. He wanted to see me succeed, and that’s probably because he didn’t grow up in this culture. He fell in love with Mom at school, but he always encouraged her to follow her dreams. While he was overprotective, he still wanted me to follow my path and not pump out babies back-to-back.

We all suffered after Mom’s death, but I never told Dad, and now, as an eighteen-year-old, I regretted it.

“Hi.” A bright and cheery voice came from behind us, and we all turned to see who it was. My dad lifted his coat, pulling it aside, as if readying for a fight, and Walsh leaned down to . . . tie his shoe? I shook my head and stepped forward toward the girl.

Her beautiful red hair cascaded down her shoulders in loose curls. She was the total opposite of me. While I wore an oversized tee, some flared jeans, and minimal makeup, she wore a tight red miniskirt with a matching crop top and leather jacket and a full face of makeup, like she was ready to hit the town bars.

“You must be my roommate.” I offered a smile and extended my hand. For a brief moment, I swear I saw my brother’s excited grin fall into his typical cold grimace. It felt like I was missing something, but when he looked away, turning his back on my roommate, I figured it was just his way of being protective.

She looked down, then back up before bursting into laughter. Her voice was soft, yet powerful at the same time. It’s clear she could command a room with her confidence. “Don’t be silly.”

She wrapped me in a hug, and I stood frozen in place. I hated physical affection of any kind, so I went limp noodle until she pulled away with a deep scowl on her face.

“We will work on that.” She gestured to me, then looked behind me and said, “My name is Madison, but my besties call me Maddy.”

“Hi, Madison,” my dad said as he went over to shake her hand, but she went in for a hug. Oh boy, this was going to be a long year with a shit ton of physical affection.

“I can’t believe you were able to score this apartment as a freshie!” Maddy exclaimed. I didn’t dare look at my brother or dad, fearing one of them may tell her the truth. Maddy had signed up for a program that the university had sent out via their social media pages to look for new roommates.

Students could sign up for random roommates to help split rent and make it cheaper. Everyone had to have a background check and confirm they were attending the school. My dad thought it was another ridiculous plan but agreed when I showed him the safeguards.

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