Kingston

Chapter One

A cold breeze passed through my window bringing small snowflakes in. I shivered and closed the window, latching it shut. Dad always told me to never leave my window unlocked, along with my door. As a kid, he said the Boogieman would get me, but now I know that the Boogieman isn't real. He never told me why I still need to. But I do as he says because it's for my safety. He made me do a lot of things for my safety, never allowed to leave the house alone, never leave the house without him knowing. He's just overly strict, but it's only because he loves me and I'm all he has left. My mother was murdered a few years ago, since then he's never been the same. It seems like he's always falling apart, but he's good at hiding it. He's good at hiding a lot of things, I don't even know what he does for a living that makes us so rich. 

A knock on my door took me from my thoughts bringing me back to reality. 

"Come in," I said and closed my journal, shoving it under my pillow. 

"The charity ball is tomorrow, I thought I'd have Charlotte take you out to the boutique and get a dress," my dad says as he hands me his credit card. 

"Spend as much as you need, princess," he says and kisses my forehead walking to the door.

Short and brief, that's how it always was unless it was one of our late night talks that seemed to happen every night. I think that's why we're able to be brief with each other. I loved him though.

"Dad, I can wear the dress from last year," I say and try to hand him his card back. 

"No, no, go buy something nice, you won't let me buy you anything else," He says and leaves. I sigh but grab my jacket and shoes before meeting Charlotte. 

Charlotte is one of the only girls that live in the mansion with my father and me, she does work with him, I'm not sure what work really, but I know she works with him. She's about 20, whereas I'm only 18, so we aren't that close. She's more of like a bodyguard. 

"You ready?" She asks and I nod, following her out to the garage. 

-

I handed the cashier the card and the dress I'd picked out, she smiled and charged me, handing my things back. I said a brief goodbye and Charlotte and I left the boutique. 

"Do you like the dress?" Charlotte asked as we got into the backseat of my father's driver's car. 

"Of course, I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't," I replied. 

"I'm sure you'll catch a boy's attention wearing it, a cute one too!" She says and nudges my shoulder. 

I awkwardly smile and let out a small laugh. 

"You say that every year, Charlotte," I say as the driver pulls into the garage. 

"Have I ever been wrong ?" She asks and carries the dress inside. 

"I haven't noticed any boys who pay attention to me," I say and hand my coat to a servant and place my shoes on the rack by the door. 

"Never any you've liked maybe, but I've seen plenty of men trying to get to you, your father hasn't allowed it," She says and a cough interrupts us.

I look at my father as he takes the dress from Charlotte and hands it to a maid. 

"Hang it in her closet, would you?" He says and the maid nods and scurries upstairs.

"Thank you!" I shout toward her, she nods and disappears up the steps. 

"I plan to keep the boys away from her for a long time," He says and I smile, he's normal like all dad's in that aspect. 

"She's 18, Eric, can't keep the boys away forever," Charlotte says and walks up the stairs leaving me and my father alone. 

"I'm not interested in boys right now dad, no need to worry, I'm just trying to make it through the world day by day, preparing myself for whatever business I'll have to take over when you pass," I say and follow him upstairs into the kitchen. 

"About that, before your mother passed we agreed that we'd let my brother take over the business, just to make sure you don't have to live with that stress," He says and takes a drink of tea. 

"What? You're telling me this now! I don't have any other career planned! I didn't apply to any colleges! What am I supposed to do now? I'll be poor and living on the streets! I can't work at the art store for the rest of my life!" I say and run my hands through my hair. 

"Hey, you won't even have to work, I'll take care of you until the day I die, and I don't plan on that being anytime soon. Once I do pass my brother will take care of you, he promised, it's in the contract. You'll just live with him. If I die you get all my money, the company makes enough and so does my brother that I have you covered for a long time," he says and rinses out his glass, putting the tea away. 

"I don't want the rest of my life handed to me on a silver platter, dad! It could take me forever to think about what I want to do for a living! And then apply to a college, save the money to go to one!" I say. 

"Well, if you want to do something with your life other than what I had planned for you, that's fine, I'll pay for it as well, do what you want sweetie," he says as his phone begins to ring from his pocket. He pulls his phone out of his suit pocket and leaves the room to answer it.