The Stranger In Me

Chapter 6:Shadows,Whispers and Unspoken Lines

Marie's Point of View

•••

I hurried out of Sir Kelvin's room, my heart still racing, my face burning with embarrassment.

What... was that?

I pressed my palm lightly against my chest as I walked briskly down the hallway, trying to steady my breathing.

Of all the things that could have happened tonight... that had to be one of them.

I groaned softly.

"What kind of omen is this?" I muttered under my breath.

For a fleeting second, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind-one I had only ever seen in movies.

The accidental encounters,the awkward moments, the e quiet tension,the beginning of... something.

I stopped abruptly.

"No. Absolutely not," I whispered to myself, shaking my head firmly.

It was almost laughable.

"Sir Kelvin? And me?" I scoffed quietly. "That would only happen in my wildest dreams."

I adjusted my scarf carefully over my cheek and continued walking toward my room-but my feet slowed as I approached Mia's door.

I hadn't seen her all day.Guilt nudged at me.

Gently, I pushed the door open and tiptoed inside, careful not to make a sound.

The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. Mia lay still on the bed, her small frame tucked beneath the covers.

"Asleep already..." I whispered.

A small smile touched my lips.I turned quietly to leave,then suddenly-Something tugged at me from behind.

"AHHHHHH!!! Banshee! Banshee!" I screamed instinctively, my voice echoing through the house.

Within seconds, footsteps thundered down the hallway.The lights flicked on.

Sir Kelvin burst into the room, followed closely by two bodyguards, his expression sharp and alert.

"What happened-" I turned, my heart still pounding and froze.

It was Mia.Her small hand still clutching my shirt.

Her glasses slightly tilted, reflecting the dim light in a way that had cast a strange shadow behind me.I blinked,then exhaled.

"Oh... baby, it's you," I said softly, dropping to my knees and pulling her into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't know it was you."

She clung to me gently.

"I thought you were asleep," I added, brushing her hair back tenderly.

Mia pulled away slightly and reached for her notepad.

Behind us, Sir Kelvin signaled for the guards to leave. The room fell quiet again, leaving just the three of us.

Mia scribbled quickly, then turned the notepad toward us.

"I couldn't sleep without hearing the story of the ordinary slave and the king."

I smiled softly,but before I could speak-

"My princess, what is the story about?" Sir Kelvin asked.

There was a pause;a small, heavy pause.

Mi'as smile faded slightly.She looked down and in that instant, I saw it-The reminder,the gap,the silence.I stepped in gently.

"What Daddy means," I said softly, kneeling beside her, "is that he would love to hear you tell him the story yourself someday."

Mia's face lit up instantly.Her eyes sparkled.She nodded eagerly and began writing again,then she lifted the notepad high, a playful grin on her face.

"Goodnight, Mum and Dad."I burst into laughter, unable to hold it in.

"Oh my-Mia!" I giggled, covering my mouth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sir Kelvin stiffen slightly.For a second, it looked like he might correct her.

Say something,deny it,but I spoke quickly, still laughing.

"She's just a child..." I said softly.

He paused,then exhaled."Goodnight, my princess," he said instead, his voice calmer now. "Sleep well."

Mia beamed, then quickly switched off the light after I gave her a gentle hug.

We stepped out of the room together.

Silence stretched between us as we walked in opposite directions,until-

"Marie."

I stopped.Slowly, I turned.

He stood a few steps behind me, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you... for tonight."

I blinked.Did I hear that right?Sir Kelvin?Thanking me?.For a moment, I just stared at him,then instinct took over.

"It's my duty, sir," I replied quickly.

I turned before he could say anything else and walked straight to my room.

But the moment I closed the door behind me-a smile spread across my face;uncontrollable, unfamiliar and that night,I slept with it.

Sir Kelvin's Point of View

•••

I had just settled onto my bed when the scream pierced through the house.

"AHHHHHH!!!"

I shot up instantly.Marie.

Without a second thought, I rushed out, signaling the guards as I moved quickly toward Mia"s room.

My pulse quickened,something was wrong.The door swung open,lights flooded the room and there they were.

Marie-startled, breathless Mia clinging to her.Relief came first,then confusion.

Then... something else.I dismissed the guards with a slight gesture, my gaze fixed on the scene before me.

Mia moved closer to Marie.Comforted by her,trusting her,the way a child trusts someone... safe.Then she wrote on her notepad.

"I couldn't sleep without hearing the story..."

I stepped forward without thinking."My princess, what is the story about?"

The moment the words left my mouth,I knew I had forgotten again.Mia couldn't answer me that way.

Her silence hit me harder this time not because it was new, but because it wasn't and yet... I still failed.

My jaw tightened slightly,but before the moment could deepen,Marie stepped in calm,smooth,thoughtful.

She bridged the gap I had created again.I watched as Mia lit up at her words, her smile returning as though nothing had happened and I felt it;that familiar, uncomfortable weight in my chest.

Failure as a father,as a man then came the notepad.

"Goodnight, Mum and Dad."

My expression hardened instinctively.Mum... and Dad?

For a split second, rejection rose within me.That idea,that image,It didn't fit,It didn't belong.Not with her,not with... Marie,but then I saw Abi laughing.Happy,carefree and I stopped myself.

"She's just a child..."Marie's voice softened the moment.

I exhaled slowly."Goodnight, my princess," I said instead.It was easier that way and safer.

Outside the room, the silence returned;heavy,lingering.

I was about to walk away,but something held me back.

"Marie."She stopped.

Turned.For a moment, I hesitated gratitude.A word I had buried long ago,but Maya...

Maya had always insisted."No kindness is too small to acknowledge," she used to say.

Even when I disagreed,even when I ignored it.Tonight I didn't.

"Thank you... for tonight."The words felt unfamiliar,almost foreign and if I were being honest,not entirely sincere.Not yet,but necessary.Because she had done something I couldn't again.

She simply nodded and left.No questions,no expectation,just... acceptance.

I stood there for a while after she disappeared down the hallway,then slowly turned back toward my room,but sleep didn't come easily,because for the first time in a long while,I couldn't ignore it anymore.

Marie wasn't just part of the house.She was becoming part of something else,something I wasn't ready to name and didn't know how to stop.