Behind the mask

Chapter 6

Throw up was an understatement. Emily thought she was gonna pass out. She made sure not to look in his direction during the drive. She remained silent and she could have sworn his eyes were on her. The last thing she could have ever thought of was going to Jack's house for the holiday. For weeks. Urgh! Surviving was gonna be a hard task. Perhaps she could give up halfway and run away but if she was going to take a bus, she had no money or a bus ticket. Well, she could walk. She glanced out of the window. She could just open the door right there, jump out of the car and run but who was she fooling? She doesn't even know the route or where she could take.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"No." She replied subconsciously, not looking away from the window.

"What happened?" He asked.  When he noticed she wasn't paying attention, he placed his hand on hers that she placed on her lap. She jerked away. Well, out of fright. She was long gone in her daydream or escape plan that she didn't even notice someone was talking to her.

"Huh, what?" She aked facing him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing nothing." She rushed.

"But you said..... Never mind. You're okay, right?

"Yes, I'm fine. What did I say?"

"Never mind." He said and turned to look out of the window.

Emily fell asleep after a few minutes. The rest of the drive of silent. An hour later, the car pulled up in front of a mansion.

"Emily." Jack placed his hand on hers. She opened her eyes.

"Yes, what?" 

"We're here."

"Oh." She looked out of the window and gaped at the big house she was seeing. Big house? That wasn't a big house, it was a mansion. 

"You might wanna come down." Jack said when he saw her staring at the house like it was a wonderland. He smiled and stepped out of the car. This was where Jack lived? The driver opened the door for her, she climbed down from the car and continued to stare at the mansion. Jack climbed the stairs and looked back to still find her staring.

"Are you coming?" He smiled. She snapped out of it and with a nod, she trailed behind him. Before he got to the entrance, the door opened and a tall black lady wearing an apron on a white shirt and black pleated skirt ran out. She looked young. About their age.

"Jack!!" She exclaimed with a big smile on her face. She ran to him and gave him a big hug.

"Hey. Whoa! Rositta hi." He hugged her.

"I've missed you." She said pulling out of the hug.

"I missed you too." He smiled and pulled one of her cheek.

He had a girlfriend? Emily was startled.

"The house was so boring without you. No ones at home, only me and few of the guys." She pouted.

"Well, I'm home now. So you won't be bored anymore."

 Emily felt odd standing and looking at the two rub hearts together and just as if she sensed it, Rosita's eyes fell on Emily and she smiled. Jack traced her look to Emily. 

"Oh..... uhm, this is Emily. She's staying here for the holiday."

For a second, she looked confused and it was replaced immediately by her big smile again. "Hi." She moved close to Emily. "I'm Rose."

"Hi, nice to meet you." She smiled shyly.

"You're  welcome here. I'm  sure you'll  love it here. I'll show you to your room. Okay, come in, come in" she waved for them to go inside.

                                                                                  ~

 Emily was beginning to understand what Rose meant when she said "you'll love it here". Ofcourse, anybody who went to that type of house would love it there. The inside was so big and beautiful.  Beautiful.  That was the word. The house was painted white and gold. Gold chandeliers. The railings of the stairs were gold. Expensive paintings were hung on the wall. According to Rose, the house had 12 rooms. She led her a room Rose called "guest room".

"Are you sure this is a guest room?" She asked again, looking at the curtain for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, you've asked 8 times now." 

Emily moved her gaze back to the bed. The room was so big. Well, no one would expect any less from such a big house but the room she was in was as big as a master bedroom. It had a big bed. A queen size bed with lots of pillows. A center rug. A bedside table with a lamp on it. A reading table. A small bookshelf filled with books. A white comfy chair. Gold curtains. Those curtains looked so expensive.  Everything in the room was a mixture of white, gold and brown. Those curtains must have cost a fortune.

"Yeah. Those curtains cost quite alot." Rose said when she noticed Emily kept staring at it. Emily turned to look at Rose.

"You are sure this is not a guest room. Right?"

Rose sighed and moved close to her. "I have been working in this house for a long time. Well, not so long though but I have been here long enough to know the guest rooms in this house. For the last time, this is a guest room."

Emily looked at Rose like she had grown two heads.

"I mean it." Rose stated.

"You work here?"

Then, Rose was the one to look at Emily like she had grown two heads.

 "Ofcourse I work here. That's why I'm in a uniform with an apron." Oh Jack. Leave it to him to date his maid. "Oh! I was cooking. I have to go back to the kitchen. So this your room. Make yourself comfortable. Uhm, there's the bathroom door and that door leads to the closet." She said pointing at the doors in the room. "It's a walk-in closet. A tiny one though. Not tiny but small. See you around." With that she left.

Now a walk-in closet. She opened the door to the closet and walked in. It was a bit small like Rose said but she could walk in. Ofcourse that's why it was called a walk-in closet. It was filled with clothes that look so expensive but they were all children clothes. They were small. Perhaps the last guest that used the room was a 9 year-old. 

She looked through to find anything that could size and after a few minutes she found a tracksuit that could size her. All she needed to do was to take a shower and get dressed. She needed more clothes. She sighed. She already liked the house but would she like her stay there. 

                                                                         ~

She was so shy to tell him she needed clothes. She had to tell Rose and Rose being a big mouth that she is, went to tell Jack. She was quite the talker. Emily felt Rose could lend her  some clothes and she told her not to worry. Just for her to go and tell Jack about her misery. Her parents caused all that. At least, she wouldn't have been there stuck and not to forget, she was at his mercy. Her parents could have let her stay at home alone but who knows? Someone could bust into the house with a gun. She had never handled a gun before. She knew her mom used guns but she never saw her with it. She was so curious at a time in her time that she searched almost the whole house and still did not find a bullet not to talk of a gun.  Her mom didn't  want her around guns and didn't show her one.

And then, there she was. Right in front of him, confirming her misery to him. He went to talk to her after dinner.

"Yeah. The clothes in the closet are small."

"Okay, we'll get you clothes tomorrow and any other thing you need. "

"Oh. Thanks." She said shyly and looked down.

He sensed her unease. "You don't have to be shy. It's just shopping. You girls like shopping. Right?"

"Uhm...yeah." she looked up.

"I know you would have loved to go with Rose but she has a day off tomorrow and she doesn't live near. She'd probably have things to do."

"Yeah. I get it. It's fine."

"Don't worry, it'll be fun. I hope you have something to wear tomorrow or I could borrow you mine." He smiled.

She squeezed her face in disgust. "I'd rather wear our school uniform than your clothes."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know that." He sighed. "So do you like your room?"

"It's big."

"You don't like big rooms?"

"No..... no....." she slapped her forehead with her palm. "That's not what I meant. I was just like, it's big, obviously but it's nice. I like it"

"I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah." She smiled.

"So......"

"So......"