5 The Morning After

Was last night real? The first thought to come to her mind, which of it is real? Her hands went up to her lips, they seem to sting with last nights kisses. How could it be a dream if she still feel it. His arms around her, blue eyes holding her own. His words. And yet the moon and the sea is all too wrong. Surely there is no beach down that cliff. And the moon was no where in sight the previous night. Did she not woke up soaked in rain? Her room flooded and Karl's angry voice waking her up.

Nanny made magic with her room making it immaculately clean when she was out of bath. Magic. Why is there a throb in her heart when she thought of the word. As if its a missing piece of her heart. There is no magic. It only exists in her books. All mythical creatures, the elves, dwarves, vampires, werewolf, warlocks, are just that. Myth. If there are angels and demons she sure have not seen one.

She looked about her room. Its pure white and its beautiful. Like a fresh canvass ready to be painted on. On her right is a french door to the balcony where she can see the large orchidarium which is Nanny's doing. All kind of those wild flowers that never seemed to stop blooming. The orchid flowers seem to last a month before they eventually die, but a new one is ready to bloom next. Below her balcony is the array of white orchids in vast numbers before they go yellow, orange, pink and purple on the farthest. Her own art room is filled with paintings of these flowers as she loves to paint on her balcony.

She also has two large french windows, one that she left open last night when she fell asleep on the window sill. It is now closed and covered in heavy draperies. Thick white curtains hang on her walls, intricately laced in patterns. Her floors are wooden and waxed, maybe thats why Karl was furious with her. On the corner is a small sofa set and table, and the tv she rarely used. She is more likely reading her books or painting in her art room. Thus mobile phones and the internet are not much of use to her. Except for research. There are book stands in her room, where her favorite books are lined up. As she is not allowed in the study without Karl there, she kept her books in her room. Romance, fiction. From Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Dan Brown, to teen literature. Cassandra Clare, P.C and Kristin Cast, Lauren Kate. She even have a complete set of Sweet Valley, and Sabrina, The teenage witch, and the Shopaholic Series. She has a few Shakespeare too.

To her left is her walk in closet and bath. Funny thing that she has a huge closet fit for a queen with a large wardrobe and numerous shoes, but hers is composed of jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers and boots. The only dresses she has are the ones she wore for her birthday which are the only glittery pieces she owned. Her bath is a big space too. That she loved Karl for indulging her this. He had it remodeled after she complained it to be too antique for her and it gives her the creeps. Thus on one of her birthdays she was presented with a bath the size of one's bedroom. She filled it with lavander scented everything. Oils, shampoo and perfumed soap. Nanny even replenish the lavander orchids regularly, thinking it must be her favorite color. Her bath is a jacuzzi, of a heart shape big enough for two. A big crystal chandelier hangs above it.

Her bed is queen sized, plumped with pillows. One can actually envy this room. She can imagine a princess in here. But she is no princess though she love her room just the same.

While Karl seem to hate that she's a girl, he indulges her a lot on other things. Her bedroom and bath, her art room, her car. He lets her spend on what she wanted, he just raised her without the frills and glitters a girl would like. She doesnt wear makeup, her hair cut short above her shoulders, she dont own skirts and heels. She own paints and books, boots and jeans.

She went into the bathroom and showered herself. Wondering if Karl is still angry. If he is, she's sure to hear a word at breakfast. Later on, in sneakers and skin tight jeans and a white tee, she went down to the breakfast room.

*****

"But mother! You and father has to come. Its getting out of hand." Karl said on the other line. He had not slept the whole night. He came home late and when he did, Nanny was upfront waiting for him, he had asked what is for dinner, but her answer is different. Rick is asleep on the sill and wont wake up. He ran upstairs, two steps at a time. When he found her, she was sitting on a chair by her window and drenched in rain.

"Do you realize Karl the risk if we were to come home? We could be followed. It would be war. And all our efforts wasted. Go on with the plan. We can still stop this." His mother said calmly. Karl collected himself then. It had been fifteen long years since he saw their parents. He had raised himself and Rick. He had not known what to do with a girl. He was angry at her. Why does she have to be born only to tear their family apart. If she had been a boy. Thus he raised her like that. Somehow, their parents knew he would be cruel. They bought this estate just before Rick was born, and fled right after. They chose this as the Morteza's live nearby. Where Mrs. Morteza would regularly check on Rick, and made her friends with Mar. Nanny is not to defy him, but he is not allowed to hurt Rick.

Rick herself is brave and sweet. He cant help but love his sister too. She had been stubborn before. Fighting to talk to their parents, throwing a fit when he threw her dolls, even had hunger strikes in the past when he cuts her hair. But as she grew up, she got used to it and did not complain anymore. She thinks their parents hate her she dont want to talk to them anymore, she stopped asking for them. He had wondered though, if she would be all the same if her true self would awaken. He hated all this. Why did it have to be them?

"If only you and father had been careful enough…" Karl cant help accusing them.

"We've been over this Karl. Just carry on and when its over, we will come back" at that the other line went static. Ofcourse they cant talk long enough. For fifteen years its been like this. While his sister is living the ordinary human life, with only him as the wicked brother, he deals with all the wickedness and cruelty outside. Rick doesnt know the things he does to keep her safe, hell she doesnt even know who she really is. What chaos it will bring forth if she were to be found.

"Karl?" he heard her knock on the door of the study. He calmed himself but did not answer. She wouldnt come in here without his permission. Would he face her knowing he look this troubled? He went to the couch and lay to rest. He will face her later.