Lady Illea (Lady Illea #1)

Chapter Three

"Daddy!" I called.

  I walked into to my house slamming the front door shut behind me. That was the thing. If you didn't slam the door it wouldn't close. I was soaked beyond belief. I wrung out my shoes in the front of the house and now I set the down near the radiator to dry. We didn't exactly have money to buy all the clothes we wanted.

   In fact, did I remember to pay the heat bill?

   I tried my best to wring myself out but the water still clung to my clothing and soaked my hair. I hung up my jacket and sweater and walked further into the house.

"Daddy?" I called again. "Where are you?"

   I walked into the living room. His favorite rocking chair was empty and the tv was on. I walked over shutting it off and walked to the window. The curtains were thin but I pulled them back anyway. Our house wasn't pretty but it was always clean, I sought to that. The small coffe table was spotless as was the couch so it made me think daddy wasn't home. He usually left a mess.

    But I heard the faintest sound of laughter and I swung around. It was coming from the kitchen. 

"Daddy?" I said again.

"Oh! Alessandra? I'm in the kitchen honey!"

  Skeptical I left the livign and peaked into the kitchen.

"Daddy?" I said walking in. "Why were you-?"

  I nearly died.

  Sitting there at the kitchen table with my father was Thomas. He had the same tossled ash colored hair he always did, the same honest brown eyes, and model smile. When I saw him i couldn't help but smile but at the same exact time I wanted to laugh.

   For all his stunningly attractive good looks his forehead was pretty huge.

"Thomas"

He smiled and stood up. "Alessandra"

   I was smiling so much my cheeks hurt. I walked up to him to embrace him when I stepped back, away from his open arms.

"I'm soaked"

He laughed. "No umbrella?"

I crinkled my nose. "Forgot"

Thomas raised his hand and tucked a daisy behind my ear. "I heard you collect them"

My eyes widened. "Daddy!'

   It was true. Every time Thomas gave me another daisy I would it in this keep sake box I had and tied them all together with a ribbon. Only daddy knew and the only reason he did was because he walked into my room without knocking on the door.

Daddy laughed with twinkling eyes as green as mine. He stood up with his cane in hand and walked over to kiss my forehead. "It just slipped out!" he said.

  About a year and a half ago daddy fell off a latter doing some repair on the roof of the house. Ever since then his right leg has never been the same. Thus causing the limp, thus the reason for the cane he always walked around with. My daddy was a dashingly handsome man with dark chocolatey hair like mine, exotic tan, and eyes so sharp and green they could kill.

"I'll leave you two alone"

  Daddy walked out and it was just Thomas and I. Thomas loved daisys although I hated the flower. SO he bought one every single day and said "Maybe if you attache daisys with love you'll like them more"

    I did in a way attach daisys to love but not so much my love. Daisys were attached to Thomas's love for me. A love I didn't know how to feel about. I hadn't seen him in three, four months or so. He was filming this huge movie.

   Thomas leaned over and kissed my wet cheek. It was soft and slow.

"I miss you" he said.

"I missed you too," i replied, just as quickly. "Did you get my letters?"

"Every single one of them" he took my hand. "I'm sorry I didn't write back I was so busy"

    I kind of felt my heart sink a little. it wasn't exactly the response I had hoped for. I expected something more along the lines of "I wrote you every single day but they were lost in the mail!" or "I'm so sorry I never recieved them! i tried to call you!" something better than "I was so busy" It was basically just him saying he was too busy for me. Right before he left he said he'd loved me. I didn't say it back because for some reasons I had feelings for him but they weren't at all what I expected them to be like if I did love him in return.

   So now we're here months later awkwardly standing in my run down kitchen. The kitchen of the lowest of the low. 

  A six.

    Ever since the castes started dissolving the eights are gone. Daddy told me there used to be eights and sevens. Now that they have dissolved they've molded into the sixes. So now there are only six castes. Mine being the lowest.

     Thomas was a lovely famous actor, well known and loved by all of Illea. He was the closest to a prince I'd ever get to. I was found of him, very found of Thomas. He was kind and handsome and thoughtful. But while I don't really like the idea of love I can't help but feel disappointed this isn't the world wind romance that takes your heart by storm. The kind that causes a love to burn brightly, or at least that's what people say.

    I don't love Thomas, which is sad because he's head over heels for me. But I am comfortable with him and if I had no other choice, which I mostly likely won't, I will settle for marrying him. Its sad isn't it? Aren't people suppose to marry for love? I suppose this is my silly idea of love. Maybe my heart is just incapable of love.

   Thomas is a brilliant match though. He is stable, well grounded, of a good caste and family. He's succesful and wealthy and over all a good man that adores me. I have no doubt that when we do marry one day he'll treat me like a queen. I just wish I loved him as much as he loved me.

"I just came to stop by" he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I kind of detoured into Carolina to see you," he explained. "I need to be back on my plane. I'm supposed to be in Dominica right now"

I sighed and nodded.

"Hey" He lifted my chin. "I'm almost done filming this movie and then I'll be back for a few months. We can be together. Alright?"

The word together was intimidating but I nodded and forced a smile.

He smiled back, a little too brightly. He kissed my cheek again and said, "I'd hug you but I can't get wet"

I laughed.

   Before Thomas left he said good bye to daddy and kissed my forehead one last time before running out. I stood in the door way watching as the rain surronded him, bouncing off of his umbrella thinking "Why can't I even try to be a girl that desrves a guy like him?"

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