Inferni

Chapter 4

"This is your room," Patrick said, gesturing towards the room in a grand gesture. "Does it meet your expectations?" He looked back at me to see that I was standing at the doorway and not following him in. "Blaire?" he asked, worriedly, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

"Hmmm?" I asked from where I was standing. I was hesitant about stepping in because I felt like I was... too dirty. I didn't want to mess up this room, nor did I feel like I should have this huge of a room. "Oh, sorry, I'm..." I cleared my throat and looked away from him, licking my lips. A blush appeared on my face because I felt a little self-conscious about the way that I looked. "... not used to this at all."

Patrick blinked and nodded. He offered me a small smile and held out his hand. "Well, this is yours," he said. He smirked, waiting patiently. "So, come on, you don't have to be sacred."

I forced a smile on my face and took his hand. "This is a nice room," I said, stepping into my new room. "Is this all for me?" I glanced around, not really caring for the all white room. "Am I able to add color or something in here?"

Patrick shrugged. "I don't think that it would be a problem," he said. "Mom really loves individuality. She might give you an amount of money to spend on the room and clothing." He let go of my hand and cleared his throat, looking around the room. He pointed to the other door in the room, looking at me. "There is a bathroom with the closet in there." He gestured to the dresser near the window. "You can move that in the closet if you want."

I shook my head, not even worried about the dresser. "I think it is fine where it is. She's done a good job with the decorating as it is." I cocked my head when I sensed someone behind me, but I didn't turn towards them.

"Thank you," Jill said. She patted my shoulder, and I tensed up slightly because I had no idea that she was there. She smiled at me and took her hand off of me, probably feeling me tense. The smile was still on her face, but I could tell that it was a little bit off. "I am glad that you like it. We will get you some stuff if you are choosing to brighten it up."

I nodded my head hesitantly. "What about the children at the orphanage?" I asked. I had to start getting them out soon. I knew that they wouldn't be able to survive for long, and I had no idea if Sky would be able to keep the secret hidden for long.

"We'll talk to Jason about it," Jill said. "He is the mayor of this city. He knows a lot of important people and will be able to help." She frowned and cleared her throat. "Will you be alright with telling us some of your past?"

I hesitated but nodded. "I can try. When will he be coming?"

She licked her lips and looked kind of guilty. "Well, I was wondering if you would be alright if he came tonight. I... might have invited him and his family over to dinner." Jill shifted on her feet and looked at me with puppy dog eyes. "I... was excited that there would be a new female in the house, so I didn't think about you. I am so sorry. I can cancel if you want."

I felt a little unnerved by the number of people that I was going to meet, but I knew that I was going to meet them later. I forced a smile on my face and played with my sleeves. "It's... ok," I said. "They can still come. I just..." I looked away from them and cleared my throat.

"We'll use some stuff for that black eye and cover it. How does that sound?" Jill asked, smiling. "I do have clothes for you that should make you comfortable and hide your scars."

"Hide scars?" Patrick asked curiously. "What scars?"

"Scars that I got from a bear," I said, shrugging my shoulders. I bit back a smirk when I saw him raise an eyebrow, and Jill snorted. "It's mainly from scuffles that I had at the orphanage. I had to fight to survive, which is why I am worried about my friends."

Patrick patted my shoulder. "We'll help with that," he promised. "And we'll show you that not everyone is bad." He grimaced and moved a hand across the back of his neck. "Some... are just a little misunderstood."

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. "Ok," I said. I looked at Jill and smiled. "Help me get beautiful. I don't think we have time to waste."

Jill smirked and jutted out her hip. "Oh, Darling," she all but purred, and her son snorted. "We have all the time in the world. You are already beautiful the way that you are."