ORPHIC;

.:TWO:.

Bayew manor looked even bigger in real life. The large castle like house towered over me while i stood amongst the flowers in the front garden. Though the sky looked dark, and grey clouds were scattered across it, the flowers around me were beautifully bright. My chauffeur helped me get my suitcase out of the trunk of the car, but said nothing as he drove off straight after.

I walked towards the large wooden door, and just as I was about to knock, a tall man in a black and white suit opened up the door and looked down at me. He smiled and stuck his hand out towards me. I felt guilty. I had no idea what he was trying to communicate, and all I did was stare at my shoes. I at least hoped he was satisfied upon my arrival.

When i looked up at him again his smile grew wider and he stepped aside to make space for me to walk inside. "Welcome to the manor Miss Badger. I am James Bayew, owner of the residence and Bayew Pharmaceuticals. We have been looking forward to your stay for some time now, and we're very happy that you agreed to come and live with us." The man spoke in his unbelievably deep voice. Strangely enough there was nothing Scottish about his voice whatsoever.

I stepped inside with my suitcase and put it down again as i came to a stop. Before me was a huge living room parted in two, split by an open door frame in which you could see an enormous staircase. A beautiful, white, and pearly chandelier was hanging down from the ceiling in the middle of the room. It helped by giving the interior less of a creepy feeling to it.

Mr. Bayew came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, which startled me a bit. "What are you standing there for, don't you wanna go unpack?" He asked and looked at me with gentle eyes. I nodded yes and picked up my suitcase once again. He nudged me a bit forward and gestured for me to walk towards and up the stairs, and so i did. He stayed behind me at all times as he directed me through the various halls and corridors. He finally told me to stop when we walked past a large black door. I looked at him and he gestured for me to open it. Carefully i did.

Looking inside the room, the first thing i noticed was the king sized, framed bed. The sheets were black and the fabric was laced with golden threads. I walked inside and put my suitcase at the end of the bed, as I took my time to really absorb the room. Not only was there a bed, but also a desk, a bookshelf and an unnecessarily large dresser. There was no way that i'd be able to fill it up with the little clothes that i'd brought.

"Are you absolutely sure that you have shown me the right room?" I asked a little disbelieving.

"Well of course Miss Badger! We'd like for you to feel at home." Mr Bayew smiled.

I looked from him, out into the room again. I couldn't stop myself from thinking that this was way above my standards. It didn't remind me of home the slightest, but really, I didn't mind at all.

I walked over to the bed and threw my suitcase on top of the sheets. I slowly opened it and cautiously unpacked while Mr Bayew was still in the room with me. He looked a bit taken aback for some reason.

"So, eh, Miss... As you know you're here to test a new prescription drug that we have been experimenting with, and that means you'll have to follow a few guidelines to ensure that nothing goes wrong. That nothing you do can effect the result..." Mr Bayew spoke as he paced slowly around the room. "I'll be in charge of your medicine, of course. We can't risk wrong dosage. You are to start the medication tonight before you go to bed, and continue taking that dose for the next few weeks. Maybe after that we'll increase or decrease the dosage, who knows..?" He smiled and turned to look at me.

"Tonight at 6'pm we'll have dinner. You, along with my family and a few others. At that point I'll have a contract ready for you to sign. To ensure your safety." He said as he walked over towards the door again. "See you then." He smiled before disappearing and leaving the door wide open behind him.

I shrugged as I walked over to close it, and it creaked as it fell back into place. Returning to my still full suitcase, I started getting comfortable. I finished unpacking in less than a half of an hour, and I spent the rest of my time rearranging the room. Not a lot, just the small things that I found necessary. Like moving the carpet, so it laid more precisely according to the rooms structure. And like putting the books on the shelf in order from biggest to smallest. Not only did that visually please me, but I knew that it would help me sleep at night, knowing that nothing was out of place.

In my room was another door. A door which i assumed led to a private bathroom. I opened it and stuck my head in. It didn't surprise me that there was both a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet, but it did surprise me how luxurious everything looked. It reminded me of the time i spent visiting fancy hotels in New York with my mum. She was a very luxurious lady.

I shut the door again and went to lay in my bed for the first time. It was just as soft, maybe even softer, than i'd imagined. It felt as if laying on a cloud, and for the first time in days i felt just a little tingle of sleep tickle my brain. I let it come to me, and soon enough i was gone into a world of dreams.

Hours later i woke up to the sound of a faint knocking on my door. With an aching body i rose from my all too comfortable position of warmth, and approached the large black door. I opened it just a tad bit and peeked out with tired eyes. "Yes..?" I spoke, my voice cracking embarrassingly. On the other side of the entrance stood a young woman, no older than me.

"Mr Bayew has sent me to retrieve you. Dinner started ten minutes ago." She said and turned away from me again. She looked as if she was waiting for me to follow her, so i quickly put some more appropriate clothing on and stepped outside, into the hall.

She led me downstairs into the abnormally large dining hall, where a few people were sat patiently waiting. Mr Bayew and someone who i assumed to be his wife among them. Other than them there were four other people and three empty seats. One of the people i recognized as my chauffeur from earlier, another was a man whom i had seen cutting the roses in the garden earlier, and the third i didn't recognize.

"Ah, Miss Badger, there you are! I was starting to worry about you." Mr Bayew spoke as he rose from his seat and walked over to me. He placed his arm around my waist and pushed me forward, heading to the seat on the opposite of him. He pulled the chair in front of us out and i sat down, then he smiled and returned to his seat. Two seats left to be occupied.

"Sophia!" He yelled into the room, and out from a door behind me came a small old lady with short grey hair and huge round glasses, with a smile plastered on he face. In her hand she held a piece of paper and a quill, the tip already dipped in ink. She laid it out in front of me and gave me the quill in hand.

"You can read it through if you want to, but i ensure you that its not necessary." Mr Bayew spoke calmly as he folded his hands neatly on the table. Without a second thought i signed the paper, hands shaking, and handed it back to Sophia. She ran back into the other room again, but came out again soon after and took the seat on my left. One seat unoccupied. Nobody seemed to care that we were missing yet another person.

Across from me Mr Bayew fumbled in his pocket after something. As soon as i heard the clattering sound i knew what he was reaching for.

Seconds later he pushed a small, red pill towards me. Time suddenly stood still and my heart started beating just a little bit faster. I hesitated to reach out and touch the pill, but soon i was sitting with it in hand. Only moments passed as i carefully placed it on my tongue and swallowed.