Beyond the Pain

Chapter 10

I WAS ON EDGE FOR  the remainder of the day. Every small sound made me jump. I kept looking over my shoulder, feeling as if someone was watching me at all times. The bit of confidence I had gained from my routine throughout the week had completely vanished.

Thomas had proven to be unpredictable and impulsive. The other man's chilling stare had sent shivers down my spine, and I had no idea what the other Evergreen people were like. This place could become deadly if I was careless, and possibly even if I was not. It was going to take me longer than I had expected to get a good enough idea of Evergreen before I could start digging for secrets but the need for answers and solutions only seemed to grow with every passing minute.

                                                                       *****

During our evening free time, after Ashley wished her daughter a good night as I got out of the bathroom after my shower, I told her what had happened in Thomas' office that afternoon. She asked me a hundred questions, making sure he hadn't hurt me and that I was okay, but she didn't seem surprised.

"That guy has issues," she said authoritatively, as if she was teaching me an important life lesson I ought to be taking notes on. "He creeps me out! When I first got here, he kept looking at me from a distance like I was some wounded animal. It was weird! I get the vibe he has a foot fetish. Don't take your shoes off around him. Not that you'll have any reason to, but just in case. And stay as far away from him as you can. That's what I do."

I let out a small laugh, imagining Ash hiding behind Ben's teddy bear body, trying and failing to be subtle about it. That thought helped relieve a bit of the tension I had been feeling since the afternoon, but it came back as soon as Ash opened her mouth again.

"There are actually four Evergreen people that I make an effort to stay away from. And you clean for three of them," she said, as if that fact had just occurred to her.

I already made a conscious effort to stay away from all the Evergreen people, but knowing that I cleaned for three out of four of the people who Ashley thought were worst didn't reassure me. On the contrary, it put me ill at ease. But if Ashley had reasons to keep her distance from these people, it would be smart for me to do the same.

"Who are the four people?"

Ashley repositioned herself on her bed to face me better. Her eyes shone with excitement, and she smiled from ear to ear. She must have been thrilled that I had invited her to gossip. I couldn't imagine her previous roommate was very interested in that kind of thing.

"First up, in no particular order, there's Thomas, for obvious reasons. Ben and I call him Creepy Tommy and that nickname fits him like a glove. The second one is Eve. She's so intimidating, it's terrifying and sort of sexy at the same time. She always ignores us, but every time she walks into the room, my blood feels like it freezes over and boils simultaneously. She's like a real-life siren, without the fish parts and the singing. So, she's not a siren at all, but she's got the vibe."

I tried to remember a moment when Ashley's attitude changed after a woman walked into a room, but I couldn't think of one. It reinforced my belief that I'd never seen Eve. From the way Ashley described her, she probably would have made a lasting impression on me if I had.

I must have looked worried because Ashley's smile fell, and she put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you that," she said apologetically. "Forget what I said. That's just what I've seen. I've been here for a while, so I'm pretty sure I know what they're like, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't think I am, but I might be. I should stop now!"

I shook my head and gave her a genuine smile. It was reassuring to have someone who cared about me again. My old friends... Let's just say I didn't keep in touch with them anymore. I hadn't realised how much I'd miss having friends. But maybe the difference with Ash was that I didn't see pity over my dead parents in her eyes every time she looked at me.

"Please continue. I want to know. Plus, I can see you're dying to tell me, so spill it before you explode."

I gave her another smile to convince her that her words didn't faze me and that I wanted her to keep talking. The information she told me worried me a bit, but I preferred knowing.

"If you insist," she said returning my smile, her previous excitement returning faster than it had left. "The third person is Daniel Phillips, the owner. He has a resting angry face and he's even more intimidating than Eve. Also, I've never, ever, seen him smile. Not once! And I've been here almost five years."

I suspected that Daniel Phillips stood somewhere at the top of the Evergreen hierarchy since he owned the mansion. This led me to believe he was probably one of the worst of the Evergreen people, but I couldn't help but feel bad for the man. He must have been miserable in order to never smile. My dad had often told me that, whatever the situation, there was always a reason to smile; we just needed to find it. I guess this Daniel Phillips guy never got that message. And I guess I had forgotten that too, since my dad wasn't here to remind me anymore.

"Who's the fourth person you stay away from?" I asked, curious.

"Bastien, the security guard. I mean, have you seen him? He's a giant! And his muscles are huge. His biceps are the size of my head. I'm sure he could lift a car with his bare hands."

We laughed at the hyperbole, but even if she had exaggerated her description, the security guard did, in fact, look like a strong giant. He had to stoop a little when he walked through doorways, even though the ceilings at Evergreen were higher than the norm. He must have been about seven feet tall. And he had muscles in places I hadn't known the human body could have them. I wouldn't have wanted to pick a fight with him, but he seemed friendly enough, despite his gun.

Most of the Evergreen people ignored the Cleaners, and a few even looked at us with a sense of superiority in their eyes. But he smiled at me whenever I entered the room or passed him in the hallway. I understood why Ashley felt intimidated by him though; he looked like he wasn't completely human.

Susan walked in, putting an end to our conversation. Ash's eyes became round and she placed her index finger to her lips. That girl was the most expressive person I had every met.

The light sound of clinking metal caught my attention as Susan fiddled with the door handle for a moment. She was locking the door! I had to see where she would put away the key. I stood up and took a step closer as she disappeared behind the screen dividing her side of the room from mine. When I reached the end of her bed, the keys were already nowhere to be found. Susan was sitting on her bed, taking off her shoes.

"Can I help you with something, Lily?" she said, her eyebrows drawn together, and her arms crossed.

"No... Um... Good night."

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. In the week I had been at Evergreen, I had never been nice to Susan, or even polite. I mostly ignored her. So, she must have been as taken aback as I was by my sudden civility.

"Oh... Good night to you as well."

I gave her a quick smile and rushed to my bed. Before falling asleep, I looked at the hiking picture of my family that I kept next to my bed. I hadn't had the strength to take anything else out of the box. Yet memories occupied my mind again that night, and I spent most of it trying to push them away. I couldn't close my eyes, or I would see my mother's heartbroken expression as she looked at me expectantly. I could also hear the steps of my parents as they left through our front door, closing it behind them. I heard it louder and louder until it sounded like the door slammed shut on my head.

I soon ran out of energy and fell into a haunted, restless slumber.