Roses For Little Swan

Under My Roof

The mansion was big, gates, security cameras that were not hidden, lights that turned on automatically. White walls, black floors, glass everywhere. It looked like a magazine, not a place where someone lived.

Damien's bike stopped in front. Odette got off, legs shaky, her dress wrinkled from wind, his coat still around her shoulders.

"You live here?" she asked.

"My father did," Damien said. "I lived in the clubhouse."

He took his coat back, put it on, and walked to the door. It opened before he touched it. A man in suit nodded. "Mr. Rhodes."

"Wolf hired security," Damien said to Odette. "They will not touch you. They will not talk to you unless you talk first."

Odette followed him inside. Her cheap shoes squeaked on the black floor.

The entrance was huge. Stairs going up, glass railing.

"Where is my room?" she asked, holding her small bag. She had packed only one bag from her apartment. Clothes, books, notes, teddy bear she took without thinking.

Damien looked at her bag. "Thats all?"

"Yes," she said.

He led her upstairs. Second floor, long hallway, five doors.

He opened first door. "Yours."

She walked in. The room was bigger than her whole apartment. Big bed with white sheets, closet empty, desk, window with real blinds that worked, bathroom attached with no mold.

"Separate bedroom," he said, leaning on the doorframe. "As you wanted. My room is end of hall. Do not go in."

"Good," she said.

He stared at her for a second, then left, closing the door.

Odette stood alone in the big room. She put the bag down. She sat on the big bed. It was soft, too soft.

She looked at the window. No broken slat. It closed properly. It had locks.

She checked the bathroom. Clean. Towels folded.

She should feel safe. She felt more watched than in her apartment.

She changed out of her dress into sleep shorts and t-shirt from her bag. She put the dress on the chair.

She went to the desk, opened loan email again: BALANCE $0. She stared at zero for a long time. Zero.

She cried again, quiet this time, not because she was sad, but because she was tired and zero looked strange after three years of $47,820.

At 1:00 am, there was knock on her door.

She jumped. "Who is it?"

"Me," Damien's voice.

"I'm sleeping," she said.

"No, you are not," he said. "Open."

"Separate bedrooms was the rule," she said.

"Rule says no touching without permission. I am not touching. I am talking," he said.

She opened door one inch.

Damien stood there, black tee, sweatpants, hair damp from shower. He held a single white rose, thorns on, fresh.

"You left this in the truck," he said, lying. She didn't leave it.

She didn't take it. "You said no cameras, but how do you know I was awake?"

"I heard you cry," he said. It was also a lie. He had a camera in vent that Ethan put yesterday before she moved in, but he agreed to no cameras in the contract, so he removed the teddy camera feed from the phone an hour ago and kept only vent camera for now. He would remove that tomorrow if she asked again.

He held the rose out. "For your new room. So it smells less like my father."

She took it with a tissue, because of the thorns. "Thank you."

He looked past her into the room, at the bag unpacked, at teddy on bed.

"You brought that?" he asked, pointing at teddy.

"Yes," she said.

He nodded, like approved.

"Sleep, Little Swan," he said. "No one comes in this house without me knowing. You are safe under my roof."

He left, walking to end of hall to his room.

Odette locked her door, put the rose in the glass of water, thorns still on, and tried to sleep in the big soft bed that felt too big.

She woke up at 7 am. She had to go to college. She was a still student.

She put on jeans and sweater, went downstairs.

Kitchen was huge, white. A woman was there, older, cooking.

"Miss Sterling? I'm Mara, the housekeeper. Mr. Rhodes said you eat eggs," woman said.

"I do?" Odette said.

"He said you order eggs at Marty's every morning, no bacon," Mara said.

Odette felt watched again. How did he know her breakfast?

She ate the eggs fast.

At 8 am, she walked to the bus stop. A black car followed slow, then stopped. Window rolled down. Wolf.

"Prez says you take the car from now. Bus is not safe," Wolf said.

"I can take the bus," Odette said, stubborn.

"Contract says you live under his roof, he keeps you safe. Bus is not safe," Wolf said. "Get in."

She got in, because Wolf was big and she was late.

At college, she tried to be normal. Lit class.

Professor Harris, old man, 55, always stood too close, always touched shoulder when talking to female students. Everyone knew but no one said.

Odette sat at the front this time, because she was late.

After class, Professor Harris stopped her. "Odette, your attendance is bad. You need to come to my office to discuss grade."

"Okay," she said.

He put his hand on her shoulder, squeezed, fingers lingering. "You are a pretty girl, you know. You could get better grade if you... try harder."

She pulled away. "Don't touch me."

He smiled, not nice. "I am just helping."

She walked out fast, feeling dirty.

She didn't see across hall, Damien leaning on the wall, coat on. He was not supposed to be at college. He came because Wolf said the bus was not safe, so he came himself.

Professor Harris walked past him, didn't know who he was.

Damien watched him go, jaw tight.

He took the phone, texted Steel: "Professor Harris. City College. Lit. Shoulder. Handle."

Steel: "Copy."

Odette went to the library to hide. She stayed till 3 pm.

At 3:30 pm, her phone buzzed.

Unknown: Did he hurt you, Little Swan?

She froze. How did he know about the professor?

She typed: HOW DO YOU KNOW

Unknown: I told you, under my roof you are mine, I see.

She looked around the library, windows, doors. No one.

She typed: STAY AWAY FROM MY COLLEGE

Unknown: I keep you safe. That's my job.

She turned her phone off.

That night, she was back at the mansion, in her separate bedroom, door locked, doing homework at the desk.

At 10:14 pm, news alert on college group chat: PROFESSOR HARRIS FROM LIT DEPARTMENT FOUND BEATEN IN HIS OFFICE, IN HOSPITAL, CRITICAL.

Odette dropped phone.

Less than 24 hours after he touched her shoulder. Same as Leo.

Second man.

She ran down to the hall end, to Damien's room, she banged on the door.

"Open! Open now!"

The door opened. Damien in black tee, sweatpants, hair messy, like he just showered again.

"What?" he said.

"Did you do it?" she yelled, eyes bright, angry. "Professor Harris! Did you beat him? He touched my shoulder, now he is in the hospital! Same as Leo!"

Damien didn't deny. He leaned on doorframe, dark eyes calm.

"He put his hand where it doesn't belong, Little Swan," he said.

"You said no killing people was negotiable! You said first time lesson! You almost killed him!" she shouted.

"He is alive," Damien said. "Lesson."

"Lesson? He is in critical!" she said.

"He touched what's mine," Damien said.

"I'm NOT yours!" she yelled. "This whole thing is a contract! Fake girlfriend! Separate bedrooms! You said no touching without permission and you keep watching me at college!"

She was breathing fast, angry, scared, tears coming.

Damien stepped forward, into the hall, close to her. He was tall, she had to look up.

"As long as you are under my roof and signed that contract, you are mine, Little Swan," he said, low, quiet, possessive. "You live here, you breathe here, you are mine to protect. If anyone hurts you, they answer to me. That's the rule. You don't like it, you can leave and pay $500,000 penalty and go back to $47,820 debt."

She stared, tears running, angry.

"You are a monster," she whispered.

"I know," he said. "But I am a monster who keeps you safe."

He reached out, wiped her tears with his thumb, rough finger.

She slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me. Rule."

He put his hands up. "Okay. No touching."

He turned and went back into his room, and closed door.

Odette stood in the hall, crying, shaking.

She went back to her room, locked the door, and that night she found the camera in the vent above the bed, small black dot, blinking faint.

She took a chair, stood, pulled it out, threw it on the floor and stomped on it.

She texted him: I FOUND A CAMERA YOU LIED THE CONTRACT SAYS NO CAMERAS

He replied in 10 seconds: "I removed the teddy one. Vent was old. I forgot. Come to my room if you want to check I have no feed now."

She didn't go.

She slept with the light on, door locked.

Down the hall, Damien sat on his bed, phone in his hand, feed from vent now black because she destroyed the camera. He deleted the app from his phone, and threw the phone on the bed.

"Hard to get," he whispered, smiling a little, scar pulling. "Sunshine stubborn."

He liked that she fought.