The Rats

07|Care To Explain?

It's been one week since Elia was forced to move in with Nathan, and she hasn't left her room once. She stays stubbornly in bed, staring at the plain white ceiling and dead light bulb above her for hours and hours on end. Elia can't remember sleeping so much in her entire life. Other than staring at the ceiling and taking abnormally long baths, it is the only thing that fills her time. 

When she's asleep, she can't think about Savannah and Derek, either, as they plague her thoughts every second without fail.

Even though Elia knows it is not her fault for leaving them, she can't fight the gnawing guilt she feels eating her alive. They might not be her parents, but they've cared for her for three years now, and life without them simply didn't feel right. They were the only reason Elia got up every morning and went on with her dull life- she didn't want to let them down.

 Despite what it might've seemed like at times, Elia did care for the two of them, and carrying on her life without them was hard. Harder than she'd ever care to say out loud. They were the last two people in Elia's life who meant anything to her, and it killed her not knowing when she would ever see them again. If she would ever see them again.

Nathan was responsible for taking Elia away from Savannah and Derek- responsible for her failing them- and she hated him for it. He'd blackmailed her into coming with him, using his power and her fear to take control of her life. He made sure that every last flicker of hope and desire in her were put out, crushing what little life she had left in her bones.

And to make things worse, he didn't even look sorry about it. When he told her to pack her things and say goodbye to Savannah and Derek once they'd returned, he'd seemed eager. Almost like he enjoyed watching it. 

The thought of Nathan and his sinister ways made Elia sick, filling her with a deep, gurgling hatred that she was itching to release. She hadn't seen him since the day she first arrived, having deposited Elia in her new, nicely furnished prison and never returned.

Aside from the devil himself, the only other person Elia had met from the house was Zola, the heavy-set African chef. She was middle-aged, with stringy black hair that was always pulled into a bun on the back of her head, and brown eyes that held a wealth of knowledge in their depths. Zola intrigued Elia very much, no matter how much she tried to deny it. 

She had a presence about her that had Elia craving to know more. Zola, however, didn't seem too keen to share any of her knowledge or wisdom with Elia. In fact, she didn't seem too keen on saying anything at all. Whenever she brought Elia her meal, she would look her in the eyes for a moment too long before setting the plate down on the bedside table, turning on her heel, and waddling away without a word.

If Elia could have found it in herself to be annoyed, she would have been. Unfortunately though, the only feelings she had room for these days were self-pity and anger.

Letting out a deep sigh, Elia drags herself out of bed, padding softly over to her bathroom. Her feet are cool as they move from her carpeted floor to the baby blue tile, sending a shiver up her spine. Stripping herself of her baggy t-shirt and thin shorts, Elia begins to fill up her bathtub with scalding hot water, watching the steam rise into the air as she waits. Stepping in a few minutes later, Elia barely registers the blistering pain, letting herself sink into a hazy abyss.

Elia isn't quite sure how long she spends wallowing in the crystal water, but by the time she rises and steps out, her fingers are pruned and her skin no longer burns from the heat. Plucking her towel off the back of the door, Elia quickly dries herself off and slips her oversized t-shirt back on, not bothering with the shorts. Opening the bathroom door and reemerging back into her bedroom, Elia lifts her eyes off the ground to a startling sight.

Letting out a shriek of surprise, Elia backs herself into the nearest corner, watching the strange man hovering over her dresser with weary eyes. The man instantly stops what he's doing, turning towards Elia with equal surprise. Neither of them move for what feels like a lifetime, studying the other for an explanation.

"What are you doing in my room?" Elia mumbles. Letting her damp hair fall limply in front of her eyes, she attempts to shield herself from the stranger's gaze. To no avail, his forest green's still pin her in her place. His stillness makes Elia feel as if he's a predator and she is his prey.

The stranger raises his eyebrow quizzingly, studying her harder. "Your bedroom?" He clarifies, his voice a mix between confusion and an odd sense of amusement. When Elia nods her head ever so slightly, he responds with a shake of his own. "I hate to break it to you, miss, but this bedroom doesn't belong to anyone."

Elia, confused, simply nods her head again. "But-" She breaks off, not wanting to say anything that might make the man angry. He has a quiet authority about him, still but ready to strike. It's unnerving. "Nathan put me here."

She doesn't like having to use Nathan as a scapegoat, but Elia couldn't see any other option available to her. Nathan was an important man around here, that much has been obvious to her since the moment she laid eyes on him. And as strong as the man before her stood, at the mention of Nathan's name, he instantly backed off, taking a step away as if she'd just punched him in the face.

Straightening his back almost immediately, the man nods his head once curtly. Clearing his throat, his defenses instantly disappear, a look of bewilderment etched onto his features instead. "What did you say your name was, miss?"

The man's tone is softer than it had been before, his eyes slightly wider as if he was attempting to address an ignorant animal. Nonetheless, the gentler side of him was enough to prompt an answer out of Elia. After telling him her name the man nodded again, the softness vanishing. He puts his mask of professional authority back on, just like before, and turns around, already walking out of the room.

"Follow me, Elia." His words are short and sharp, leaving no room for discussion.

"But my pants..." Elia glances down at her bare legs, her faded black t-shirt ending just above her knees. It used to be her father's, but she'd managed to snag it from his bag before they were separated. It was Elia's favorite thing to wear now, no doubt, but she wasn't all too keen on being seen out in it. 

Especially when it was the only thing covering her body.

The man glances back over is shoulder towards Elia for only a moment, giving her one sweeping gaze up and down before continuing on. "We're not going very far," is his only answer, his figure already retreating out of the room.

Left with no time and absolutely zero say in the matter, Elia runs out of her room to catch up with him, dumping her damp towel hazardously by the door. Catching her breath a few steps behind the stranger, Elia's bare feet stick unceremoniously to the marble floors, their damp slaps echoing off the cream colored walls. Her hair is still dripping, leaving a small trail of droplets all the way from her room into the opposite wing of the house, ending at the double doors of a foreign room.

Without knocking, the stranger barges into what Elia can now see is a bedroom, flying in without warning. Elia stares in shock, hovering in the hallway for a moment before making her way in as well.

Nathan sits groggily in the king size bed, eyes still heavy with sleep. His bare chest is only partly visible thanks to the sheet pulled up in his fist, leaving Elia instantly mad at herself for even noticing. His gaze shifts from where it rested on the stranger over to her, his eyes going slightly wide at the sight. Taking in her full appearance of t-shirt, damp hair, and no shoes takes Nathan an agonizing eternity, his mouth hung open in shock.

Elia can only assume that he hadn't expected to see her. The fact is strange, since he was the one who brought her to the house in the first place, but she doesn't have the time to ponder it. The stranger is already speaking, interrupting both Elia's thoughts and Nathan's stares. He's talking, and he looks furious.

"Care to explain, sir?"