Set Me Free

Chapter 4

The next day began with a light migraine. I knew it could have been worse but having sleep as a natural remedy thankfully eased the pressure in my temples overnight. Rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes, something seemed different. I sat up and nearly sunk further into a noticeably more comfortable mattress. This wasn't the room that I stayed in for the last two nights.

I played a short game of spot the difference with my memory, mostly from immediate boredom. This room was bigger than the last, but it still kept the modern feel. Apart from the standard dresser and, bigger, bed there were two couches separated by a coffee table upon a plain, large, rectangular and white carpet on a varnished wooden floor.

A mental note was made to pay close attention to the spotless carpet, having a history of getting things dirty, and I got up to perform a morning routine getting used to the technology of the shower among other things. I exited with heat radiating from my skin with the intent to get dressed but strangely there was no wardrobe in sight. The towel was draped tighter against my body once I found an alcove full of clothes, shocked that they were the clothes that Erica had given to me. Why were they here?

Nonetheless, I threw on some leggings and a V-neck, spinning in front of a mirror that spanned across an entire wall. With closer inspection and less spinning, I realised that the 'V' trailed down my back: my shirt was the wrong way around. I took the shirt back off but as correcting it, the tag caught my attention. 'Lyon', the word sounded so familiar as I voiced it. My mind predictably came up with nothing but a gradually growing headache so finding a medicine to get rid of it took over my priorities.

When I opened the door, a timid peek left and right was administrated. This was not at all the corridor that I endlessly walked up and down between my 'room' and the greenhouse. To my right was an indoor glass wall, beyond it a solid wall further ahead. To my right displayed what looked like an indoor balcony. I took to explore, investigating the glass wall first by passing two other doors. I was amazed to find the indoor garden down below, recognising that the glass wall corresponded to a part of the greenhouse. I had always seen nature from an immediate view, to soar over it was completely something else and my body clearly wanted to absorb more as it pushed against the glass in awe.

I eventually took what I needed from the view, remembering my initial course of action. The balcony was the only resort left to examine however it wasn't a balcony of sorts, it was the intersection of the twin staircases. My face paled as I recalled Nathaniel's prohibition of entry upstairs. How was I to explain that I randomly woke up in a new location? It doesn't sound convincing in the slightest. He must have known that I was up here, just waiting for my decency to come and admit it myself.

There was also a possibility that he had no idea. This was a conclusion that I preferred so I descended the stairs hurriedly to avoid being caught even remotely near the area and successfully created some distance between myself and it without anyone seeing.

After almost assuring myself that no one would catch heed of the broken rules, I heard a clatter of cutlery against ceramics in the kitchen next to me sending me back into my panicked state. However the problem was that I heard the clatter too late, I accidentally entered the kitchen before the audible warning.

"I think I'm more than capable of wearing my own cufflinks." Nathaniel appeared into sight in grey corporate attire, fidgeting with the sleeve of his dress shirt. However an unfamiliar woman was with him along with Erica that was busy by the sink across the room, uncaring about the scene that fell behind her.

Nathaniel promptly diverted his puffed attention from the woman to me from my abrupt entrance, but his face was indistinguishable. I was very convinced that he knew and I bowed my head in response, slightly dispirited. As soon as the woman found a distraction in his stance, she took the silver from his hands beaming at her accomplishment. Her voice was as smooth as silk.