Captivated by a Highlander

Chapter 2 - Discord

I walked up the stairs to the third floor. I couldn't help but notice how the temperature dropped the further I climbed. I hugged myself, my hands rubbing my arms, my bag slung over my shoulder. "Come on, Pepper," I said, walking quickly to the hall Alan explained earlier. The walls were lit by flickering lights, almost appearing to be torches. Pepper mewed and dashed ahead of me, evoking a laugh from my lips. It wasn't long before I found my bedroom, and I nearly fainted when I stepped inside.

It was like walking into a historical fiction novel. On one side of the room was a monstrous bed, compiled of a thick fluffy mattress with wool blankets to protect against the cold October air, four tall bedposts, and drawstring curtains that gave its user privacy.

One of the walls seemed to be dedicated purely to windows that looked out over the ocean. The waves crashing hard against the craggy cliffs, roaring with the howling wind and coming storm.

Another wall contained a large hearth to heat the room since heating a place so old like this must be extremely expensive. There was already a fire burning, contained by chain mail-like curtains. The wood was already crackling and filling the room with the sweet smell of smoke. The hearth was surrounded by bookshelves on both sides. As I gazed at the titles I saw some that I recognized, though many were completely alien to me. An entire row was dedicated to family records and histories.

I turned back to my bed. A trunk rested at the foot of the bed and atop it my suit case and belongings. Pepper ran in the room from the hall, acting like the insane kitty she was. I laughed softly, picking up the cat. "You're silly, Pepper," I said softly, nuzzling the cat's fur before letting her go. The cat meowed softly before walking around the room.

I laid down on the bed as Pepper claimed a spot in the center of the windowsill, the cat almost immediately falling asleep. I checked the time. It was 16:30. I still had just over an hour to myself before I had to be down for dinner.

I pulled my headphones above my ears, switching the playlist. I switched to something more lively: a playlist combining Zedd, Krewella, and Martin Garrix. In short: dance music. Sometimes I went running to this playlist. Of course there were a few odd ones out, like the dubstep remix of Lindsey Stirling's Elements and Beyond the Veil, "Who We Are" and "Monster" by Imagine Dragons, and a few songs from Thirty Seconds To Mars' album, This is War.

I dozed off by mistake, opening my eyes to look at the clock with blurry vision, only to see that it was 18:30.

"Shit!" I yelled, jumping out of bed and running my hands through my messy hair, tossing my headphones and phone on the bed.

I practically ran down the stairs and had to clutch onto the railing once to keep from falling. When I arrived in the dining room, I immediately noticed mother wasn't there, and it was just Alan. I froze and composed myself, walking in very slowly as if to show I hadn't rushed down the three flights of stone stairs. His hands were folded nearly on the table; the calm, yet cold look on his face not setting right with my stomach. Jeez, what was off with this guy? Despite my sudden uneasiness, I seated myself across from him, glancing at Melissa's empty seat.

"Your mother wasn't feeling well," Alan said, as though to answer my unspoken question. "Her dinner has been taken to her room."

I nodded with a grimace. "Must be the jet lag," I said quietly. "Mom never has done well with it."

He nodded and smiled thinly, a look that was not good on his face. "Indeed," he sneered. "And ye're late, Christine. Dinnae tell ye' not to be so?"

I shifted my gaze away and adjusted myself in my sear. "I-I know Alan," she stammered. "I went to lay down, and I fell asleep. It was just a simple mistake."

"A simple mistake indeed."

Silence. I bit down on my bottom lip. And in three, two, one...

"A simple mistake, Chistine," Alan said quietly, directly on cue, "'tis not an exception. Ye' were told to be down for six o'clock. And ye're half an hour late, are ye' not?"

I gave a silent nod.

"Ye' will have to learn the hard way then. I will teach ye' how to obey orders when they are given. Return to yer room."

"But I haven't had anything to eat," I replied in protest, my head shooting up as I tried to keep the glare out of my eyes.

"I said ye' will have to learn the hard way."

I stood up so quickly and slammed my hand on the table. My chair clattered to the floor and made a hollow echo in the high-ceilings. I haven't even been with this guy for a full twenty-four hours and I was already fed up with him. "I heard you!" I yelled angrily. "And quite honestly, I don't give a damn about your rules. I'm not changing who I am to become another one of your little loyal puppies around this place! So suck it up and deal the fuck with it, Alan!" I put emphasis on every single curse.

Alan stood and walked around the table and grabbed my arm in the matter of three seconds. Startled and completely caught off guard, I struggled to pull my arm away but his grip was like iron. And deadly cold.

"What the hell! Get your hands off me!"

He forced me down the hallway and practically dragged me up the stairs before tossing me carelessly into my bedroom. Pain jolted through my hip and my head as I fell back. I was gasping for the air that was knocked out of my chest. "This will be the last time ye' defy me, ye' disobedient cur."

Before I could even dare to shoot a comeback he slammed my own door in my face.

Pepper appeared by my side and mewed softly before curling up in my lap. I had tears in my eyes.

My father wouldn't have pulled me around like that, like I was a rag doll.

My father wouldn't have sent me to bed hungry.

My father wouldn't have even dared to insult me like that.

This man wasn't my father, he was a demon.

I picked myself up, walked to the bed, and collapsed on it weakly. My arm was throbbing and I was sure there would be bruising tomorrow. I laid down on top of the blankets. The night seemed to get colder as I laid there thinking about my dad, tears running across my temples as I cried in silence. Eventually, I dragged myself out of a corpse pose and changed into sweats and a sweater as pajamas, wary of the pain in my arm and hip, then curled up under the blankets. I grabbed my music, selected a new song, and put it on loop. I softly hummed the words as I laid there until I fell asleep.

If you want it, take it. I should have said it before. Try to hide it, fake it. I can't pretend anymore.

I only wanna die alive, never by the hands of a broken heart. Don't wanna hear you lie tonight, now that I've become what I really am.

This is the part when I say I don't want ya. I'm stronger than I've been before. This is the part when I break free. Cause I can't resist it no more. This is the part when I say I don't want ya. I'm stronger than I've been before. This is the part when I break free. Cause I can't resist it no more.

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