Corrupted Jewel

Thursday- Chaste House (Chapter 4)

Ø  Thursday 5:00 pm-Chaste House

“Tiffani! It’s time for dinner. Are you ever going to come down and talk to us?” asked Lillian while standing in the middle of their mansion’s entry way. “I mean seriously, are you still mad at us for what happened today at lunch?”

The Chaste house was a miniature version of the White House. They have a huge round-about driveway that was the size of half a football field. The house has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, an in-door pool, a library, two living rooms, a dining room, a game room in the basement, and a three car garage.

“I’m not mad at that. I was not even thinking about that,” Tiffani says while walking down the master staircase. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.” Lillian was still standing at the end of the stair case as she descended the last step. They walked together passed one of the living rooms to the dining room in the back of the house.

“What have you been thinking about?” asked Lillian while the three girls and Parker found their spots around the dining table. The dining table was filled with turkey, potatoes and gravy, corn, rolls, and beets. The dining room had a long and wide window on the back wall where you can see out to the back yard. There was also a huge picture of the cousins on a mountain.

“In first period, my intro to art class, I drew a picture of a wolf. I have no idea why I did it. Ms. Lowe yelled at me because I was not drawing a human with a three pm shadow, whatever. And then after lunch, I went to go and sit at my favorite bench in the commons, and some guy came and sat next to me. I thought he was Parker trying to get me to go back inside the lunch room, but then he just said that women should be loved and not understood. Anyways, we talked for a few minutes then I looked up from the ground to his eyes, and I ran off before I could actually take a good look at him,” Tiffani said while trying to remember everything that happened.

“Why did you run away and who was the guy?” asked Parker with a curious and questioning look in his eyes.

“I have no clue why I ran away. Scratch that, once I looked up, I saw him and his friends running after us in a field. You know that guy that was looking at me at lunch? Well that was him. He told me his name is Jonny,” she explained.

“WHAT?!” screams Eleanor, Lillian, and Parker at the same time while their forks hit the plates. Eleanor got up from the table and started to pace. Lillian and Parker’s faces turned red like they just got done running a marathon.

“I told you that I had a bad feeling about them,” said Eleanor sitting back down in her chair, still furious but calm enough to finish eating. “I knew something was wrong with them. I can’t believe this. We have been here for almost a year, and now things have to get difficult.”

“I can. I knew they were up to no good with those outfits they have been wearing,” Lillian said. “I wonder if I could get that muscle man to leave the girl with the auburn hair.”

“Lillian! Knock it off. We have more serious things going on here. Why would they be running after us?” Parker said thinking out loud. “Eleanor, what were you mumbling at the lockers today? I meant to ask you earlier, but it slipped my mind.”

“I was trying to figure out what they are blocking.”

Parker looked puzzled, “Why would they be blocking anything? Do you think they know about us?” He took the chance to look at everyone once he asked. They all shook their heads.

“I don’t think they even know their blocking anything,” answered Eleanor. “It didn’t seem like they were forcing it. It seemed like it was natural.”

The room went quiet. The cousin’s had been in Cape Town, South Africa for over a year with no problems. They were hoping to stay there longer than just two years. But now since things had started to get a little weird and confusing, they might have to leave before they actually want to.

“Oh that reminds me,” Lillian shouted like she just found out that Ricky Martin was gay. “Two of the guys from the group, I think their names were Taylor and Vincent, you know the sexy muscle man. Anyways, they stayed after to make up the points in Home Ec. like Parker and I had to. The guy named Vincent caught Parker and me starring at him. I was only starring ‘cuz he was hot as hell. But then he started calling us nosey and stuck up. He got so mad at something that Parker said. He started to shake and then he fell on the ground like he was having a seizure. The smart one, Taylor, had to pick him up and then they pretty much ran out of the building like the cops were after them ‘cuz they robbed a bank.”

Eleanor looked a little more curious now. First not being able to read them, now one of them was having a seizure. She wanted to figure out who these people were.

“Parker, why were you looking at them?” asked Tiffani with a look that was sensing something deeper than what was being shown on the surface. All of the cousins could tell when each other were lying or when there was something that needed to be said.

“I don’t know why I was looking at them. I guess because Lillian was looking at them,” explained Parker.

While Parker was trying to explain himself, Eleanor put her hands to her forehead like she had a headache. It felt like all of their thoughts were being pulled in at the same time. “Okay, you guys need to stop thinking for a minute. Parker, you need to think about the real reason why you were looking at them and you also need to be honest. Lillian, you need to quit thinking about taking that muscle man from that girl. You are going to get in a lot of trouble one of these days and I am not going to be there to help you either. You know what you are doing is wrong. And Tiffani, you need to quit thinking about that guy. At least wait until we know what is going on with them.”

“Eleanor, what you need to do is quit slipping into our heads!” Tiffani yelled. “I hate it that you know everything that we are thinking. I would like some privacy.”

“If you want privacy, then find a way to block your thoughts or something. I hate knowing every single detail that happens in your dreams, daydreams, fantasies, and just things that happened in your day,” Eleanor said with an attitude.

“Fine, if you need me, I will be outside drawing,” Tiffani added. She got up from her chair, grabbed her plate and took it to the kitchen sink. Luckily, her book bag was on the kitchen counter. She unzipped the bag and found her sketch pad inside. She was thrilled that she didn’t have to walk all the way back up to her room to get it. She turned toward the back door and slid it open. A rush of cold air blasted through the door and sent shivers up and down her back. She looked around the kitchen and spotted Parker’s jacket on the back of one of the chairs. Not even having the jacket fully on, she was already out the door and heading to a chair.

“I am starting to worry about her. She is always running off after we get into a disagreement. Tiff used to argue back and she would usually win too,” Parker said with a little sadness in his voice. “I wish I knew what she draws in that sketch pad.” Parker was trying to picture himself getting the pad from her and seeing what was going on in that head of hers.