Page 6 of Seren

I reached under the sink to grab the cleaning supplies and discovered a huge half-empty box of condoms. Of course he’d be stocked up. I reached behind the box and grabbed what I needed, cleaning the bathroom as quickly as I could.

By the time I finished in there, I was wiped out. I said goodbye to my mom and hurried down to our basement apartment. I stripped out of the ugly uniform and jumped into the shower, ridding myself of the dirty feeling I got from being in Seren’s room.

After dressing in jeans, a hoodie, and my Chucks, I walked around the grounds to get some fresh air. I texted with Holly and Laney before stopping by the pool. I crouched at the side and glided my fingertips over the cool water. I couldn’t wait for the day when I’d be working by the ocean as a marine biologist. And, if things went my way and I got the summer internship at the Tampa Marine Life Rescue Center, that day would come even sooner.

I stood up and eyed the lounge chairs on the patio. It wouldn’t hurt to soak up a little sun before retiring to the basement, so I lay down on one of the chairs and closed my eyes. Lawnmowers hummed in the distance as the bright afternoon sun warmed my otherwise cool body. The morning hadn’t been so bad. Sure, cleaning other people’s rooms wasn’t the ideal job, but it made me money for college and cut down on my mom’s workload. Besides, once I returned to school next week, I’d be moving to the kitchen to assist during dinner.

“What the fuck?”

My eyes shot open.

Seren and a skinny blonde girl stared down at me. He looked different than he looked all dressed up in the photo in his brother’s room but just as cold as he had when I found him in the pool house. The same glare was firmly in place on his surly face. “The help isn’t allowed on the grounds,” he said.

I jumped up. “Sorry. I must’ve dozed off.”

“Who isshe?” the girl asked him.

“The creeper from yesterday,” he informed her.

A cold chill rushed over my body. “Creeper?”

“Yeah,” he said, pegging me with his eyes. “The one watching us in the pool house window.”

My mouth dropped open. “I wasnotwatching you. I thought you were assaulting her.”

He scoffed before his eyes cut to hers. “Was I assaulting you, Kiki?”

“Only in the best possible way,” she assured him.

Poor pathetic fool. He’ll clearly dump you for the next best thing.“Well, moving forward I’ll be sure to stay away from people who seemed to be calling for help.”

“You best keep your eyes and ears to yourself around here,” Seren warned, his green eyes boring into mine.

“Is that your idea of a threat?” I asked, totally unaffected by his attempt to intimidate me.

“Yes,” he said matter-of-factly.

Kiki snickered, and I suddenly felt like I was caught in the middle of some bad teen movie.

“The help’s quarters are that way,” Seren said, pointing toward the house and dismissing me.

My eyes narrowed. “I’m well aware of where thebasementis.” I spun away from them and walked toward the house in no hurry at all. Let them look. I wasn’t intimidated by rich assholes.

CHAPTER 5

Grace

The following day there was another note on Seren’s unmade bed.Scrub the shower. Wouldn’t want tonight’s brunette to find last night’s blonde hair in there.

Was this guy for real?

I cleaned his room in record time, paying extra attention to the shower per his request. Thankfully, I didn’t find any blonde hair, and now his latest conquest would be none the wiser.

* * *

The next day, per his third note, I entered the pool house. My eyes scanned the spotless living room and kitchen, and I was glad that I wouldn’t need to clean in there. I moved down the small hallway to the bedroom in the back of the house. True to what Seren had written in his note, this was a disaster. Handcuffs, petroleum jelly, and lingerie were strewn on the unmade bed.Gross. I quickly changed the sheets, straightened up the room, and threw out the garbage and accessories. This kid was eighteen, but it was like he was a porn star.

I hurried to our apartment, never feeling dirtier in my life. I showered, washing all the icky-ness of that pool house off me. I went to my room with a towel wrapped around my body and my wet hair up in a knot. I dropped onto my stomach on the bed and grabbed my phone. I checked my newsfeed. And, before I could even stop myself, I searched Seren Grayson. He didn’t have any social media accounts, but that didn’t stop people from creating their own “fan” sites or hashtagging him in their posts. Most of the photos that appeared were recent and there were girls in many of them. Blondes, brunettes, pink-haired beauties. And despitetheirwide smiles, he didn’t smile in even one of the photos. His emotionless eyes stared straight at the camera, eerie and cold. A shiver raced up my spine. He wasn’t who people thought he was. There was something else there. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

---