Page 145 of Poison Aches

Who is my father?

The guy at the gate denied that there’s a Teddy Hughes that lives here but looking at this…

The car I’m in doesn’t go to the huge front doors where the rest of the cars are.

Instead, we drive down another way, going away from the front, and then the car comes to a stop at the back.

Before I can process what’s happening, my door is opened and I see three men wearing suits, seemingly waiting for me.

The guy in the middle steps forward. He is way smaller than the other two.

He’s definitely not security.

He looks like he’s in his mid-thirties, with an impressively impassive expression on his face. No emotions. Carrying himself with a strict, professional air.

“Miss Irving?” he asks, looking straight at me, but the moment our eyes connects, his widen a bit as if he just witnessed a jump scare.

Then he blinks several times like a cartoon character.

“Uh, yes?” I whisper awkwardly.

“You are Miss Irving?” he questions, this time with a note of disbelief in his tone.

“Yes, that would be me,” I mutter like I’m also not sure of my own identity or what I’m really doing here, while lamely raising my hand as if this is middle school all over again and we’re doing roll call.

The man stares at me for I don’t know how long.

Several emotions flash in his eyes and as if he just got jolted by electricity, he claps his hands and perks up. “Please, this way.”

Without another word, he turns on his heel and starts walking toward the doors ahead, but just as I’m about to follow, I feel the hairs at the back of my neck start to rise.

That acute feeling…I’ve trained long enough to recognize that someone is watching me.

Feeling unnerved, I turn and discreetly look around, but I can’t see anything besides the large backyard where I can spot a swimming pool, a huge, fancy gazebo, and a pool house.

I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Of course, there’s nothing. I’m just out of my mind and my nerves are short today.

It’s all in my head anyway.

Shaking the feeling of being watched, I follow after the new guy.

I catch up to him just as he starts speaking.

“Your stuff will be placed in your living quarters, no need to worry about that,” he says.

“Uh, okay,” I start, my voice slightly squeaky. “By the way, is there something going on here tonight? Did I come at the wrong time?”

“No, miss. You’re right on time. This way. please,” he says as he opens the double doors ahead and then we are in what looks like a library and then he leads me out of that room, then past a huge, bustling kitchen with dozens of people going in and out.

It looks chaotic and busy and while I think I’ll go unnoticed, eyes glance at me with each step I take as I follow the guy in front of me.

My palms start getting damp, but I shake that off.

“There’s a celebration here?”

“Yes, miss.”

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