xvii
Claire’s eyes were still locked to me as she now stood far away, by the door, whispering urgently into the receiver. I dropped back to the settee and closed my eyes. Shit. So much for discretion.
I heard her door open and shut, and I knew she had locked me in again.
I had nothing to do but wait. There really wasn’t any reason to worry. What could they do to me, anyway, that I wasn’t already paying for? Threaten to not kill me?
But it was a good time wasted. It was nice to be wanted, even if it was only as dinner.
*
I felt an unfamiliar, weird presence hovering over me.
My eyes snapped open and I started to my elbows. Standing over the couch was a specter, or the closest to one I’d ever seen. She was a shadow of white, dressed in a loose, gauzy gown, and her skin and hair were blanched. Her eyes, like so many of the girls, were hooded in dark shadow – they were the only thing with color, and they drank me in. She nibbled heavy, glossy pink lips, and dry-washed her hands as she peered down at me.
“Shhh…” She laid a finger over my mouth.
I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t settle down again either. It was difficult to distinguish her features in the mask of white, but I thought her unpretty and haughty.
“My poor dear…”
She kneeled on the edge of the settee, then draped herself over me like a death shroud. After a moment of resistance, I fell back to the cushions.
“Left alone, in this large, dark room… It’s dangerous here, you know.”
She stroked my cheek and the top of my head, and sidled and shifted and settled until she was snuggled up tightly against me.
“My poor dear…”