The Skin Walker

04 | Educated Guess

"Don't you ever tame your demon, keep 'em on a leash,"

Arsonist's Lullaby Hozier

 R U T H

"What is this place exactly? You said the main house. Does anyone live here?" I asked Ander as he guided us up the left foyer steps.

"Yeah," He simply said, stopping at the top of the staircase. He turned to look at me as I caught up, and once I was, Ander gestured to the living room-looking space before us. "This place is where we discuss matters such as yours-"

"What do you mean by that?"

"And the place you'll be staying is only a few corridors away from here."

"But someone else is living here?"

"The Andinos reside here, yes. I will explain to you what sections of this building are restricted, and which ones you're allowed to enter."

Ander walked to the glass coffee table between three grey couches and retrieved an envelope from beside two beige candles.

"Who are the Andinos?" I paused as soon as I asked. "Wait, let me take an educated guess."

I spun around to the man behind me and inhaled sharply when I saw that he was closer than I anticipated. My eyes widened as I took an abrupt step back and met his gaze. All I had to do was lift my head, and take a closer look at him. His dark brown locks ornamented his head, some strands falling over his dark eyebrows. Mr Andino, I assumed, had a sharply structured face as his high cheekbones guarded his tense expression. A small scar was embedded on the right side of his cheek, almost disguised against his tan complexion. Another one was carved into the corner of his left eyebrow.

He was kind of beautiful.

"Mr Andino?" I asked.

The man only nodded once. He wasn't much of a talker, I noted.

"Right," I confirmed to myself before turning to Ander.

He handed me the envelope as Mr Andino retreated from the room into a corridor further away. Ander didn't speak a word of his sudden disappearance and began conversing to me about something else entirely.

"Reese has your suitcase in your designated room, which you'll be taken to in a few minutes," Ander faced an open archway to our left, where Reese walked out from.

"I'm taking you to Eloise. She'll give you a rundown on what to expect for the next few days, where and where not to go, and things like that," He said, his eyes not leaving mine until he began walking down the steps.

I was tempted to push him down the staircase for a moment. They were passing me around like a rag doll, and it had my heart beating speedily with anticipation. I wasn't sure how, but Ander picked up on it. He leaned close to me and watched my face with a softness I hadn't expected.

"Relax," Even his voice was gentle as he spoke to me, leaving me in a puzzled daze. "Nobody here is going to hurt you."

I tried to calm myself down and let his words reassure me, but it wasn't working, so I gave him a tight-lipped smile instead. 

"Ander, get away from her," Reese spoke from the middle of one of the staircases, his voice unbothered. "We wouldn't want Benny Boy to disown you now, would we?"

Benny Boy?

Reese continued down the stairs, and I followed him cautiously. His black boots clinked onto the marble, almost echoing in the empty foyer. I wondered who else lived here. Mr Andino must've had a family who occupied this home as well. It was large enough to inhabit three families. I also wondered who this 'Eloise' person was.