Reprisal

(5)

Alex wraps me up in a lilac towel and exhales heavily. I sit down on a garden chair, shivering in both fear and the bitter cold.

"Skyler. You know what I said earlier. One more time and one more antic and you are gone. I noticed you had climbed out of one of the guest rooms. I'll give it to you. You have guts. But please do use them elsewhere." Alex tells me off.

"I am really sorry. I've just been through lots lately." I attempt to make excuses.

"What you did was technically illegal." Alex warns me.

"I'm sorry. It won't be happening again." I apologise.

This man is hiding something particularly strange.

"There is a dressing room next to the sauna over there." He points behind me briefly.

"Alright." I take myself over there with chattering teeth while tightening my grip on the towel.

I open the orange, sliding door and close it. I am embraced by a toasty warmth. I approach the walk-in wardrobe and strip myself of my wet clothes. I grab my spare underwear and tank top. I slide my legs into some jogging bottoms and exit the wardrobe. I rush outside and the sun is almost near to sunset. It's probably around four o'clock right now. Alex takes me to the living room and I turn on the television.

"See you tomorrow. I'm going to bed." Alex walks out.

I take a moment to remember what has happened. I found the library, found some creepy books, got caught in the library when it was meant to be locked, I tried to sneak back in later but escape through a window when he walks down the hallway. Something just isn't sitting right with this man. I decided to wait it out for half an hour. I can't believe that I almost drowned. I don't even feel grateful because I would rather drown than get fired from the only job keeping me away from the streets. I sneak upstairs, carefully walk around the halls and brush against a picture frame.

My spine tingles with anxiety as I manage to stop it from falling. I notice the library door is open and for a split second I swear one of the shelves moved. I approach it and pull a couple of books and it opens up, like a secret wall. I walk in to the pitch-black room and the shelf closes behind me. I find the light switch and flick it. The room was brightened by a harsh and hellish red. I notice a safe with a keypad attached to it. I rummage around the room and find a note.

'Date Of Birth'

Clearly this safe is important or dangerous. I rummage around and papers fly everywhere as I flick through countless folders of paper. A lined paper note floats down to the ground like a feather. I delicately pick it up and it reads '1997'.

I punch the numbers in and the safe clicks open. It is a key inside. I do not know what it goes to but I decide to close the safe and leave the room before I get caught. The only thing that caught my eye was the pile of paper. Maybe they were photos. I had no time to question and I fled the rooms.

I decided it was time for bed. I shout out to Alex but there was no hope for my voice reaching him on the other side of the mansion. If that is where his bedroom is anyway. I stroll through the halls and find a door with a little sign above it. It reads Alex's Room.

I open the door slowly and Alex looks at me. His slim build is shielded by his golden thick duvet.

"Your bedroom is the guest bedroom you jumped out of." Alex yawns. I make my way over to the room and I close the window shut. I wrap myself around the duvet and fall asleep.

The next morning I pick up the phone and the time says thirty past six. I drop it on the bedside table and get out of bed. I get undressed out of my pyjamas and into my other outfit, I put on yesterday after the swimming incident. I call Christopher and the phone vibrates and dials.