Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, I heard Tobias's footsteps head down the stairs. Which was odd since he's never gone down stairs before Mary and I have woken up.
I ignored it.
Besides, what business did I have in it. None. He doesn't keep me here to be nosy.
I did my usual routine in the morning. Once I was in the kitchen I walked into the pantry room to get some ingredients for breakfast, humming a song by the Beetles that my mother used to like.
Suddenly the light that was given to me by the expensive lights in the kitchen were shut off, due to the pantry door closing with a soft click.
I tensed up and squeezed my eyes shut as my breathing accelerated. Slowly, it was as if the dark room became my head, making me shrink into a ball as I began to hear my screams collided with my mothers and my father shouting curses along with the loud shatter of glass.
No, no, no. I thought as I covered my ears trying to block out the noises, but my attempts were futile.
I felt my throat tighten and my eyes water when my fathers voice became over bearing as he yelled at me. I removed one of my hands from my head and quickly tried to search for anything in the dark, my hand came in contact with what felt like a bowl. Without a moments thought I threw it in the direction of my fathers voice, a second later there was a loud eruption of the bowl smashing as it came in contact with a wall.
"Angelica!" my mothers voice screeched.
"help me!"
My eyes burned as I tried to hold back my tears but before I even noticed there was already a steady stream of tears that had began to fall down my cheeks.
"Angelica."
"Angelica."
"Angelica!" this time the voice calling my name was no longer my mothers but instead Tobias's. Every voice that had been crashing over me like a tidal wave suddenly disappeared as if he had scared them away.
"Angelica!" he called again.
"If you can hear me knock on something two times!"
I sniffled, blinking as I tried to focus on his voice instead of the loud thumping of my heart. He repeated himself, this time sounding more concerned then before.
"Tobias! Just let her o-" came Mary's voice but was quickly silenenced by an authoritative hiss from Tobias.
"Angelica?"
I rapped my knuckles two times on the wall closest to me, loud enough for both of them to hear from outside the pantry.
There was an audible sigh of relief that came from what sounded like Mary.
"I hope your okay sweetie." Mary called with concern coating her words.
"Angelica the door seems to be locked. I'm going to slide two bobby pins underneath the door so you can unlock it."
But... I don't know how!?
My thought was answered a moment later when Tobias spoke again.
"I'll talk you through it."
I sucked in a deep breath before I opened my eyes and turned them to the slit of light that was shining in from the slim gap under the door. A moment later two bobby pins were slid under.
"Okay Angelica, knock on the door when your ready."
I stood and walked over to the door before I lowered myself down on my knees, sitting my hind on the back of my heels. I picked up the bobby pins and wiped the back of my palm against my eyes in order to dry my cheeks and wipe away my tears. After my actions where fulfilled I knocked on the door.
"Okay, insert the pins."
I obeyed his instructions as well as the following ones he gave. As he explained to me he also added in other information, such as, what else I could use to pick locks and other ways to pick more complicated locks.
I found that his constant string of talking in his deep British accent calmed me a lot. Taking my thoughts away from the dark room which felt highly suffocating.
With a click the door popped open. Tobias was the one to open the door and let light back into the pantry, both Mary and him held a smile on their faces. Mary's was much bigger and brighter than Tobias's slight smile.
"Well done." Was all he said, holding out a hand to me. I took it and let him pull me up.
Mary immediately engulfed me in a hug "Ohh I'm so proud of you."
I couldn't help but feel like this had been a test that I had passed. Now that I thought of it, why didn't Tobias just unlock it himself? He seemed to know a lot about picking locks.
And the door! How did the door close behind me? Someone would have had to close it. But who? And why?
Mary pulled away from me and inspected the damage done in the pantry along with Tobias who held a frown on his handsome face.
"Scared of the dark?" He wondered aloud.
I looked at the floor and bobbed my head up and down lightly.
"Ah, I wondered why you kept your bedroom light on all night," Mary said, "Nevermind, I'll clean it up and make breakfast. You can sit in the lounge room and cool off from your fright."
I nodded and walked away, once I was out of the room I could hear Mary begin to hiss at Tobias. I didn't stick around to listen to what she was scolding him about, instead I sat down on the couch and settled for looking down at my fingers, which I was twidiling in my lap.
My eyes snapped up when I heard heavy footsteps heading towards the hall, I watched as Elias sped passed the lounge room entrance and opened the door before closing it with a soft thud. Mary entered the room with a sigh and a tired look on her face.
I stood and helped her sit when I saw that she swayed a bit. She laughed lightly. "I guess taking an extra dose of medicine isn't such a good idea."
I frowned but didn't question.
"Tobias?" I mouthed to her.
She sighed again. "He's heading to work. It'll just be you and I tonight."
I nodded, a small frown adorning my face.
