The Darkovs

#6 The Rooms

Melissa follows Pavel and Maxim through long corridors and rooms that look amazing. The decor could be more cheerful, but hey! In a family like that you can't be picky. Melissa sees a young woman in a state-of-the-art wheelchair with binoculars at the window. She doesn't seem to feel their presence:

"How silly! No! No! That'll be all wrong ... You're a good target for my binoculars."

Maxim makes her realize their presence:

"Hmmm ... Milenka?"

She almost drops the binoculars and turns the chair over.

"I apologize. I know the rules, but curiosity got the better of me. Hello!"

"Hello!" Melissa smiles.

Milenka watches Melissa meticulously from head to toe and it makes that meeting one more embarrassing moment.

"Well ... I feel like you're a simple girl. I Like you! I hope we become good friends." Announces the young princess.

Melissa nods, and Maxim smiles at them both.

"Pavel! Prepare one of the guest bedrooms and send the female circus away. We have already found the missing member of our family."

That expression touches Melissa deeply. Is she going to be received as a family member?

...

Maxim explaines to Melissa some of the family routines, schedules and shows her to her room. It is the largest room Melissa has ever seen. The Darkovs don't live in the palace, but in a mansion far from the main city of Dimitri Island. There is a room for each brother, a room for Pavel, and two guest rooms. There are two living rooms, huge corridors, a dream kitchen, a majestic Hall, an attic and a basement. There are rooms that look like museums with objects from the family history, a library that looks like it was in a movie, and lastly a little forest attached to the house with trees of various colors and sizes. Maxim talked about secret passages, but he overlooked the subject and that disappointed Melissa. The older brother also give the sad news that she didn't want to hear:

"The only problem is that your room is between Milenka's and Dominic's."

"This can not get any worse," she thought.

Maxim continues:

"And while Milenka's room is private, your room shares the bathroom with Dominic's."

"What? So... You mean... our rooms are connected by the bathroom."

Milenka smiles and solves:

"You can always come to my room if you want to go to the bathroom. So there are no mistakes this time."

Melissa thanks her very much. After all, that boy no doubt only makes problems wherever he goes. And she doesn't like to be in a mess.

When Milenka and Melissa are finally alone, Milenka confesses:

"I'm very nervous about starting college the day after tomorrow."

"Me too. I always dreamed of studying at that university. I never thought I could fulfill that dream. But thanks to you, I will succeed and for that I am very grateful."

"Oh! You really are a sweetheart. Which makes me worried."

Melissa observes the young girl and realizes that something is happening in the princess thought:

"Why are you worried?"

"I've had some ladies in waiting. But all of them have resigned or been fired because of my brother Dominic. He can be totally impossible. He is ruthless and ridiculous with the girls. I do not understand why, but he has to find a toy in the house and as you see ... He always finds a way to stay next to the room of the girl in question."

"A toy?"

"Yes. For him there's nothing serious. All his relationships are to pass the time. For pure fun. And he likes to be a vampire ..."

On hearing the last word, Melissa gets nervous.

"... He's always reacting strangely because of that. For years nobody has seen him eat. And so there are rumors everywhere about us."

Melissa realizes by the way she talks that Milenka is not a vampire. With her, she is safe.

"He even says that his eyes changed colors on a full moon night. What a jerk! He was born that way. Heterochromia is a genetic condition. Anyway... I'm very similar to him physically, we have the same brown hair color almost blonde and I also have made bad decisions. But I'm not at all flirty like him. Although ..."

She does not conclude the reasoning which leaves Melissa to imagine what she hides.

"You have to be careful with him. Please, I beg you not to leave me because of him. If you go away it will be another year inside this house, because it is too late to get my lady in waiting."

"I promise I'll do my best, Milly."

Milenka is thrilled and embraces the girl. After choosing the clothes that both will wear on the first day of College, Milenka reveals:

"My parents used to call me Milly. I hadn't heard that name in years. I do not know how you guessed it, but no doubt I feel even closer to you. Thank you for reminding me that they existed and that they were not just part of a dream."

Melissa hugs her and sighs.

...

Melissa wakes up and stretches herself with some laziness. She is anxious to prepare everything for the next day. Melissa is all disheveled and in pajamas full of kittens with big, cute eyes. She opens the bathroom door and almost dies. Dominic is inside, brushing his teeth, with only a towel dressing him up.

"I'm sorry!" She shouts shutting the door.

Dominic laughs inside the bathroom. She sits on the bed with her hand on her chest to try to calm herself. To her surprise, he enters her room.

"Good morning! How's my new toy?" His smile is sparkling and provocative.

"Can you leave my room, please? And to make it clear: I'm not nobody's toy."

He laughs:

"You're so sweet when you get angry. In your cute pajamas ... You look really funny."

She turns red with fury.

"I can scream for help so that your brother changes your room."

"Interesting!" His eyes twinkle and watch the girl.

She takes a little breath, but he repeats:

"I'll take back what I said about you being cute when you get angry. Because, in fact, you're very sexy! Irresistible even!"

He gets closer, his face almost touches hers and then he changes his gaze to her rosy lips, the young woman pushes him hard into the bathroom and locks the door.

He knocks on the door:

"Come on. Why don't you let me play with you? Do you have anything against me?"

"You're half naked in my room. I want respect!"

"You too can walk half naked, I do not care, actually I'd be thrilled to see that."

Melissa gets angry and yells on the cushion so no one can hear. Then it seems he gave up. And she takes a deep breath. How silly! How annoying! As soon as she puts on her pants and shirt, she feels someone opening the door of her room. It's him!

"Look, I think we started with the wrong foot. I'm going to start over again: I'm Dominic, Prince of the family ..."

Before he can finish the sentence, she pushes him again to outside her room and looks the door.

*****

I hope you are enjoying my story so far. I published a book "Speed ​​Dimension" in 2014 by Chiado Editora. It is in Portuguese.