Book One: The Viper's Bite

Ten

I woke up over-warmed and tangled in my sheets. Gingerly I poked my way out of the knotted fabric and stumbled to the ground, groaning and rolling onto my side instead of pushing to my feet.

Last night flooded back to me with painful clarity, and I felt my eyes burn as I thought of the way Randy had looked at me before I'd turned my back on him. There was an ache in my chest that I was pretty sure was going to be there forever.

I stood and saw AJ curled up in the fetal position near the end of my bed. Her hair had escaped its braid and fanned out over the pale beige sheets. I smiled at her, sleeping innocently and peacefully, as if the whole world hadn't just crashed into oblivion. I yanked shorts from my case, slipped them on before heading out the door and pulling it silently shut behind me.

I sat in the elevator after pressing all of the buttons. Every few seconds it would lurch, and my stomach would hit my toes - it was comforting, and familiar. From my starting point on the Fourth Floor, I had already gone down to the Ground Floor, where I hid my face from curious eyes, and was now again on the Second Floor. The door pinged open, but I kept my gaze down on the floor as feet shuffled in, seeing stilettos, high tops, and shiny men's dress shoes.

"Coraline?" I didn't move, gripped my drawn up knees tighter. A hand was rested on my shoulder. I looked up to see a familiar face, thick black hair combed back, above deep set green eyes and a hard, straight nose. My mouth fell open; I didn't speak.

My father's charcoal suit fell straight cut over his body, his hand gripping the handle of a briefcase, the other curled almost into a fist. His eyes went over me, taking over my sitting position, my puffy cheeks, my T-shirt and shorts. The elevator stopped on the third floor, and I could see him consider getting off, and was surprised when he didn't.

"Daddy," I faltered, getting on my feet and pulling down the ends of my shorts. "What are you... doing here?"

"A business trip regarding the merger of Dosian and Ritchetts." I was almost completely sure he'd just referenced businesses of some sort, but I didn't have a head for it, and didn't actually follow the reports in that part of the newspaper. I also didn't care. "What are you doing here? And why were you just sitting in here?"

"Ah..." My eyes went back to the little pointer that indicated the floor we were on, seeing we were going back down. "Thinking?"

One black eyebrow was raised, and the condescending, faintly judgemental look he was giving me made me feel seventeen again, when I told him I wanted to be a wrestler and he'd laughed a little harshly, telling me to be realistic. "The show was here, in Orlando, last night. I was in my room a floor up."

He nodded quietly, before turning back towards the elevator doors. I did the same, feeling the buildup of awkward that always started when I was with either he or my mother.

I turned back to him. "Where's Mum?"

He looked at me, his expression icing over. "She left early to get to the firm and arrange some documents in time for the conference." He smiled tightly, me nodding jerkily before turning back to the doors. They pinged open again, finally on the ground floor. I stepped out, prepared to go to the gym, before I felt a hand at my elbow. I turned to see my father looking at me solemnly. "Would you, uh, like to join me for breakfast."

Awkwardly, I turned and followed him to the hotel's breakfast room. It was sunny with the sunlight streaming through tall picture windows, washing the entire scene in a fiery orange-yellow glow. Walking in instantly made me warmer - the smell of freshly baked muffins hit me, as well as the mouth-watering scent of eggs and bacon and baps. We walked to a round table near the back, and he pulled out my chair fo me. I half smiled before sitting and touching the silver fork as he sat across from me.