Chapter two

Nesrin Lopes

My body convulses on the inside as I take a step down from the car.

I keep my eyes down as I wait to be directed on where to go.

"Ma'am please follow me" a young lady that was in the car says as she steps in beside me.

We walk out of the garage and a scratched metal door lowers behind us and blocks the entrance. 

We walk into a broad surrounding decorated with exotic pot plants and flowers at the corners.

The whole land mass from where my eyes stretch up to is covered with bright green carpet grass and the scent of freshly cut grass hovers around in the air.

Poles of light stand out at the corners of the house illuminating it varsely.

I catch an espy of a large gray building at a distance ahead of us and my gut churns in remembrance of my father's house.

The three men and two remaining women chatter quietly behind us.

I struggle to keep up the pace with the young lady beside me as she strides steady and calculative.

I see the massive building in its fullness as we approach.

We walk up a three step construction and burst out at a door that seemingly leads into the building. 

I hear a lot of bickering coming from the inside.

She presses a combination code into a panel at the side of the door and it parts.

Goosebumps dot my skin as we walk inside and the cold temperature hits me.

We walk through a passageway painted in red that has paintings of symbols and signs. I couldn't decipher the meaning or what they symbolize.

We walk up a spiral staircase and I see a manly frame at the top.

My heart jumps at the sudden sight as he walks down.

The lady beside me steps backwards to the corner before he advances closer.

My eyes zap up and our eyes meet and lock for a moment. 

"Amelia" he calls out.

"Yes master" The lady behind me answers as she bends her head in respect.

"Who's this lady you're bringing in here?" 

He asks with a plain face.

"Another maid?" he adds.

"Oh no sir. I believe she's your new sister."

Amelia says.

His eyes dart back to me. 

I couldn't help but carry my eyes down at his gaze.

I stare at his shoes.

Black and freshly polished. 

"Won't you look up at your step-brother?" 

He says with a demanding tone.

Ice pour down my spine as I feel the tip of his fingers on my chin.

He lifts my face up to meet his.

My eyes travel from his shoes to the black trousers that reached down to his ankles to the red full sleeve shirt that had two buttons undone at the top to his face.

My eyes stare at his deep emerald eyes and my gut performs a flip.

His gaze bores into me as his fingers leave my chin.

I fight the urge to look down again.

"Fair enough" 

He mutters to himself and walks past me.

His cologne infiltrates my nostrils as he leaves me wondering what he meant.

Amelia and the rest of the guys bow slightly as he walks past them.

She steps in beside me again and we finish our walk up the remaining stairs.

 When she turns to her left, my eyes meet one of the symbols I saw as a painting on our way up, marked at the side.

I look away.

"Be quick with your feet" 

She says to others behind us.

They hurry up at once and she hesitates for a moment before stepping aside.

One of the men steps in front of the door and knocks at a succession of three with trembling knuckles.

"Who's going there?"

A loud manly voice asks from inside.

"It is Jag Sir. We've got her"

The man I hadn't known his name was Jag responds. 

My eyes catch a glimpse of the same symbol I had seen on the lady, peeking out at the top of his shirt.

"Open it"

The voice orders.

Jag opens the door with such carefulness and all of them bow to the man.

 Jag ushers me in.

"Ah - well done all of you" 

He tells them and dismisses them with a wave of his hand.

They leave the room and shut the door with a heavy click.

The room is stiffly with the stench of alcohol and burning tobacco leaves.

I struggle to suppress an itchy, choking cough rising at the back of my throat.

My knees tremble and my palms are chilled.

Uneasiness bubbling inside of me.

"Come here" 

I hear the same throaty voice that allowed us in, say.

I force my eyes up from the golden carpet beneath me and I meet the sharp gaze of an elderly man.

I flinch inwardly.

His face lacks smoothness and his nose is dotted with irregular patterns of freckles.

His salt has pepper hair and wrinkles in his cheeks aging him down to sixty.

Two other men sit comfortably on a chair slightly apart from his.

I move carefully and steadily to his side and stand with my hands folded in a nervous ball on my laps.

As though awaiting judgment.

I strongly feel the gaze of the other men on me and cold sweat pricks my skin.

I gulp down series of saliva waiting for him to speak but seconds of keyed up silence of drag by as their gazes bore into me.

"What's your name?" the elderly man in front of me finally asks.

"I'm Nesrin Lopes" I say as my eyes fall back to the carpet.

"Wrong answer!" he says with all speed at the drop of my last word.

His raspy voice interwoven with discreetly rising wrath.

"You are now a Laurel. That surname Lopes should be deleted from your lips. Not to be used ever. Do you understand?" 

he hollers sternly.

"Y-yes" 

I say clutching hard until the hem of my dress.

 My voice barely above a whisper because of the fear churning in my guts.

"Do you realize who you're speaking to?" 

A voice from behind startles me.

Rising rage ticking from the depths.

The elderly man before me pours all agitation into one scowl and sends it my way.

"Answer me!" the same voice thunders again and my heart jumps in fright.

I slowly turn towards him, wondering what I did wrong.

A pair of beady, brown as chocolate eyes meet mine and my eyes drop again to the carpet.

Selfloathe consuming me.

"You dare refer to my father without proper reference?" 

he says, disdain and a cross of fury, dripping from his baritone voice.

"I-i I'm sorry but I - i don't quite understand"

I say utmostly shaking as fear breeds tears in my eyes.

"On your knees" 

the man says glaring poisoned daggers at me.

My chest is rippling with different kinds of emotions as I get down on one knee and carefully lower the other aching one to the ground.

Confusion messes with the cords in my mind.

He stands up and charges towards me, my heart beating frantically as he approaches in front of me.

Helpless whimpers escape from my lips as his hands rise high into the air and I brace myself for what's coming.

"Elvis wait."

The elderly man says before his palm strikes my face.

Elvis shoots a surprised look at his father as he brings his hands down slowly.

"Father, what do you mean?. This girl just treated with such disrespect and yet you are calm"

Elvis says furrowing his eyebrows, confused.

"Do you want to counter my orders?"

the elderly man says with a nut hard expression.

"I'm sorry father, I can never go against your will" he says as he dramatically drops to one knee.

"You may rise" 

"Thank you father"

Elvis says as he spares me another warning-filled glance before he moves back to his chair.

"Nesrin." the elderly man calls out to me and my muscles tighten.

"Stand up" he says.

I obey and struggle to a standing position.

My knee bones throb as they leave the floor.

"I will not punish you, at least not now"

The man says and another wave of confusion hits me.

"Tomorrow I shall hold a feast for you. A feast of welcoming. For you to be officially introduced to the family"

he says and my heart slightly tingles for joy at the mention of the warm word family.

"Amelia, come now" he says as he dials up a number on his phone. 

Within a few seconds someone knocks on the door. 

"Come in" The elderly man speaks as he billows smoke out of his mouth. 

"You sent for me sir?" Amelia says with her eyes glued to the ground.

 "Yes yes. Take my daughter to her room" he says as he pauses to take another drag from his cigar stick. 

His order replays in my head and the specific word 'daughter', resounds as a gong would.

This is now my father? 

My pulse quickens at the thought of that. 

"Make sure she gets enough rest and is well fed. I presume it's been a long day for her."

he says basking in the high of his tobacco roll before he dismisses us both with a careless wave of his hand as he sucks in more smoke from the massive stick.

"Right this way ma'am"

Amelia whispers gently, tearing me from my thoughts.

She motions me to go first before she comes out and pulls the door cautiously shut.

"So what do I call you ma'am" 

She says cheerfully, stepping in beside me.

My head snaps to the side to meet her elastic warm smile.

'Ma'am?'

I thought to myself.

"My name's Nesrin"

I say feeling awkward at the newest way I'm being addressed.

My eyes come across more symbolical paintings as we walk towards my supposed room.

"Okay madame Nesrin. This is your room"

She says as we stop at an old wooden door and she pulls on the knob on the door.

"Ugh! It's locked"

She points out with effortful groans.

"Please wait right here while I go get the keys madame Nesrin"

She urges me politely as she walks off.

I seize the opportunity to look around the hallway.

Carefully taking in the structure and its features..

The circular dimly lit bulb above, casts its heavy dark shade upon the hallway.

A dark coloured rug marks the middle section of the floor from the width and is stretched lengthwise from the far end to the narrow hallway to the other.

The grey and white paint coating the walls are all peeling off in solid cracks onto the floor, leaving holes where they used to be.

Paintings upon paintings dutifully line the grey walls in an ascending order according to size..

Something hits me hard as it diverts my attention.

Oh my goodness.

Amelia is a maid and the others that were in the same car were even commanded by her.

This could only mean one thing.

My thoughts were completely wrong.

They're not my supposed father's children.

They're his servants!

I hear light footsteps approaching from the bottom of the stairs pulling me from my assessments.

They pad closer and the person climbs to view.

My guts twitches at the sight of him.

His remarkably depthless emerald orbs still threaten to pull me in as our gaze meets.

Chills sparrow down my spine in battalions, short circuiting my senses.

.

.

.

Zack

Mark reminded me of the bag of solid crack he kept under my watch for safe keeping.

He needs to sell to an addicted client and he wouldn't like him to be kept on the waiting any longer.

I haven't been able to deliver it back to him.

Owing to the reason that my father and brothers have just been too versatile lately.

Can't do something personal without getting invaded by nosey snopes.

But now they're all packed up in my father's study.

I jog up the stairs and my head turns to the right when I notice someone there.

It's her again.

Our eyes lock for a moment and I notice how quickly she looks away.

"What are you doing standing there?"

I ask and her head pops back up like she was startled.

"I- uh I'm waiting for Amelia to get back with the keys"

She stutters before looking in another direction like I wasn't even there.

An unexpected snicker bounces up my chest and I saunter off.

Timide creature.