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Chapter Fifteen
RAELYN
This may not be real life. There is a really good chance I am passed out somewhere, and I’m dreaming all of this. I’ll be honest, this is the better of my visions. I can never tell what’s real and what isn’t, but this… this I want to be real.
“You can stay here as long as you need.” Drew brings me through the front door and holy fuck, this place is beautiful. It’s like a Barbie Dream House, but less pink fluffy shit.
We walk through a huge front door into a foyer with beautiful wood trim and accents.
The floor is a white tile flooring with specks of grey and black.
I’m sure it’s like high-end marble or some shit.
Immediately across from the foyer is a room with a pool table in it.
I hesitantly step forward and take a look around.
The floors change to wood flooring, and there is a giant flat screen television on the wall opposite me.
A worn brown leather couch sits to my left, and French doors to my right lead to an outside area.
And oddly enough, as manly as this room is, there is a giant crystal chandelier hanging above the pool table.
“Don’t play Kayce. No matter what he says, he is a hustler and will take you for all you’ve got,” Drew laughs.
“Well, thankfully, all I have are the clothes on my back. But thanks for the heads up,” I say quietly as I fold my arms over my chest.
Drew hums. “Yeah, we need to do something about that. And I have just the person who would love to help. But we can talk about that fun later. Come on, let me show you the rest of the house.” Drew holds his hand out toward the stairs that are to the left of the foyer.
Slowly, I ascend the stairs and make my way into what I am guessing is the main part of this masculine Barbie Dream House.
The stairs have the same wood flooring as the pool table room.
But the steps are surrounded by a glass railing and a large window that lets in the sunlight.
When we reach the top of the stairs, we are met with a long hallway with openings on both sides.
To my left is a beautiful living room decked out with white and grey furniture.
A white fireplace sits against the back wall with a giant flat screen over it.
An entire wall made of glass doors stands behind the couch that opens up to the patio behind it.
And when I mean opens up, I mean Drew can literally pull back the entire wall to open the whole living room up to the back patio.
To my right is a sitting room with a giant piano in the middle of it, and a dining room off the sitting room. Both of these rooms look like they are the rooms you aren’t allowed to go into at your grandparents’ house. They are pristine. Clean.
We head to the end of the long hall and turn left toward the living room.
Across from the living room is a beautiful and very expensive kitchen.
Holy hell, I would be scared to make a mess in this place.
White waterfall countertops cover the two islands, with a huge fucking refrigerator to the right of the islands.
My eyes gravitate toward the stainless-steel stoves, plural, along the left wall.
The exposed rafters in the ceiling and the exposed stone wall that lead out to another balcony contrast against the clean lines of the kitchen.
Oh, and did I mention that the kitchen has a glass wall that can open completely to the outside?
This house is basically a Transformer.
“You thirsty?” Drew makes his way over to the gigantic fridge, opening it and pulling out a bottle of water. I nod, and he hands another one to me.
Slowly, I sip the cold water and let it cool me off. I fidget with the cap for a moment, unsure of what to say.
“Raelyn?” Drew says softly, and my eyes meet his.
“I want you to be comfortable here. This is your home for now. You are free to use anything in the house, eat anything you want, watch anything you want. You haven’t had it easy, and I think what I know is only a small percentage of the crap you have had to deal with.
But I am here for you. We are here for you. ”
The “we” being him and his friends. It’s strange to have someone be so nice, but the feeling isn’t too mysterious. I know I have experienced someone offering me a safe place before, but I just can’t remember what or when it was.
“Thank you. I promise not to get in the way.” I look back down at my water.
“You are never going to be in the way. You can stay here as long as you need to,” Drew offers, his expression sincere.
I can feel my emotion tightening my chest. I sniffle a bit, and it causes Drew to clear his throat.
“How about I show you where you’ll be sleeping?” he offers.
I nod and follow him down a hall past the kitchen. We reach a set of stairs, and he leads me to the second floor.
We stop at an open door right off the stairs. Another set of stairs is behind it.
“This is where my room is. The master suite is the entire top floor. So if you ever need me at night, just head up these stairs, alright?”
I give him a nod, and then he continues past the door to a hall that has multiple doors off it. We make an immediate left into a beautifully furnished room. Another crystal chandelier hangs from the center of the space over the huge bed.
“My mother picked out the chandeliers.” He purses his lips. “I had to make Mom happy. She said it adds a feminine touch.” He shrugs.
I let out a little chuckle, and my heart warms a bit to know he did that for his mother. I suddenly frown and feel a longing in my chest. Where are my parents? Why don’t I remember them?
Drew notices my discomfort. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? If it’s the chandelier, I’m sure I can find something better for you.” He goes to reach out but stops short of touching me.
I don’t know how to explain it. How I wish I could remember who I was before all this, how I wish I knew if I had someone who loved me as much as his mom loves him.
“This is all so much. I was on the street yesterday, and today I am in the Barbie Mansion,” I murmur.
Drew’s hand goes to his chest. “Barbie Mansion? This is Ken’s bachelor pad.
I’m offended.” His arms fly out beside him as his lips turn up into a smirk.
I break out into a smile and give him a slight chuckle.
“It’s the chandeliers, isn’t it? The chandeliers give off Barbie vibes.
” He shakes his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have let her pick anything for the house.
Maybe some dishes or something. Damn light fixtures. ”
For a moment, I get lost in his beautiful smile. I almost forget what I was thinking about before I insulted his Ken bachelor pad.
“I wish I could remember. It’s like the memories are there, yet so far in the back of my mind that I can’t reach them. I just want to know who I am. Where I come from,” I say quietly.
He pauses for a moment, taking this in. “Can I hug you?” Drew asks.
I nod, and he pulls me in and wraps his arms around me. Instantly, I feel an odd sense of being safe here. His hugs are warm and protective.
He whispers, “We will figure it out. Asher thinks your memory will come back the longer you’re off the ketamine.
You will get patches of memory, but eventually it will come back.
Thankfully, I think you are past the worst of the withdrawals, but the memory thing may take a moment.
And we have John, my FBI friend, who is going to help you piece together what you remember. We will figure it out, I promise, Rae.”
Rae.
Rae.
Instantly, that name causes a flash in my head, and the world around me changes.
“Rae, sweetie, you need to do your homework.” I look over at the woman standing before me. Her red hair is in curlers, her face covered in some sort of beauty mask. She stands before me in a plush robe.
“Ugh! I hate trig. Seriously, when will I use this?” I groan.
“When you become some famous architect and build me the mansion I have always dreamed of!” she chimes with a laugh.
“I’m not becoming an architect, Trixie. I told you I want to be an author.” I slam shut the book of nightmares in front of me.
“Look, I have a long night at the club tonight. Do your homework and get some sleep. You have school in the morning.” With that, she sashays away.
“You’re not my mom!” I yell at her.
“No, I’m not, but I’m a close second!” she calls from her room.
“Rae! Raelyn!” Drew’s voice pulls me from my memory. “What happened? You completely spaced out.” His eyes watch me carefully.
“I… I remembered something. At least, I think it’s something.” I bite my lip and shake my head. “It felt real. Like it really happened.”
“What? What did you remember?” he presses.
I shake my head. “Someone named Trixie. I don’t know who she was. But I knew her. I think. I don’t know.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “It felt familiar. The memory. Trixie.”
“Hey, don’t be hard on yourself. We will get there. Just write down what you remember. Eventually, the pieces will fit.” Drew rubs my arms. “What seems confusing now will make sense eventually. Come on, let’s get something to eat, and you can pick the movie. How does that sound?”
I smile and nod. He heads out into the hall, and before I follow him, I look back at my room. It’s so beautiful. Much different from the hell I was in before.
If this is a dream, it’s official. I don’t want to wake up.
In this dream, I can die happy and safe and not in the room made of nightmares.
Table of Contents
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- Page 17
- Page 18 (Reading here)
- Page 19
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