Page 4

As I listened to Devin reciting the tragic story of his family, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them.
It was all so depressing and I could feel the sadness creeping into the atmosphere. Devin had to shoulder all the responsibilities of being the only mature man in the family, and my heart went out to him.
The house was easy to get lost in; the passageways were endless and there were so many rooms that I could only cover them all in one week. There was also a private movie theatre upstairs, and a library on the same floor. Devin was quick to tell me I was allowed to use them in my free time.
We stopped in front of a room when he turned towards me, “Millie, just a heads up. About my brother Castle, he may not like you right off the bat and he’ll take his time to warm up to you, so I will suggest you learn to be patient with him.”
I placed my hand on his. “I will never give you a chance to be disappointed.”
He smiled, and then his gaze followed where I touched his hand. I quickly lifted my hand off his shirt sleeve.
“I expect you won’t.” he narrowed his eyes at me, heat radiated from his green eyes. “This is Castle’s bedroom. Are you ready to meet him?”
I nodded.
He turned the knob and opened the door. “Castle, look who’s here to see you.”
The room was empty.
The décor was masculine; the walls painted a deep gray, and the furniture was rich, polished wood, everything in gothic style. It was obvious they had restored the home in its original unique style from the 1800s.
A mini train moved over the tiny track, puffing out a little smoke, going inside the little tunnel and then zigzagging through mini-mountains and forests.
I stared at the train, and Devin watched me in amusement. “Castle loves trains. It calms him down to just look at them.”
There were other miscellaneous toys sprawled on the floor, along with a drawing book and crayons.A lot of loose papers were on the floor with scribbles on them, scribbles that madelittle sense like the person who was drawing it had an idea at first and then they abandoned it because they couldn’t remember.
I smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him. He sounds lovely.”
“He is.” Devin agreed proudly.
My eyes then rested over the wooden bedposts by the headboard. There were ropes tied on either side of it.
A chill ran down my body, thinking about the ropes.
Why were they here?
“What are those for?” I inquired, curiously.
Devin followed my gaze, and his smile faltered. “Well, as I mentioned before, Castle can be a little difficult. We only use the ropes for emergencies.”
Something about his tone told me this topic wasn’t up for further discussion.
What exactly were these emergency purposes?
Did his family tie him up?
That seemed cruel, but I decided not to push it.
He glanced at his gold Rolex. “I’m sure we’ll see him downstairs in the dining room, since it’s already time for dinner. Join me.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I couldn’t wait to meet Castle.
TWO
The dining tablecould have easily accommodated twenty people, but there were only seven seated with me. Eight, if you included me.