Book One: Revelations - Chapter 3

When I finally woke up my mind was hazy and I struggled to remember how I got back home. I let out a small moan as I rubbed my forehead and tried to concentrate. What the hell happened? The wicked dream and horrendous stomach ache was the worst flu symptoms I ever had. It was the flu, it had to be. What else could explain it? I didn't want to think about possibilities, so my mind went with the safe answer. I had the flu.

When my head cleared I quickly realized I needed to run to my private bath and take care of nature. When I finished, I went to the sink to wash my hands, face and brush my teeth. When I finished I took a long look in the mirror. There seemed to be something different about me, but I couldn't figure out what it was. My long wavy dark hair seemed a little thicker and a shade darker. Maybe it's the lighting in my bathroom that made it seem darker? My eyes definitely looked different! My blue eyes are normally the color of blue jeans but now they were a bright aqua blue. How could the color of my eyes change? I must be losing my mind. Maybe I am still a little loopy from that medicine Mr. Thompson gave me.

When I came out, Charlotte was walking a tray of food over to my window seat. Hmm, it smelled so good. The smell made me realize I was starving. "I thought you might be hungry, so I made your favorite blueberry pancakes". She gave me one of her big warm smiles.

"Thank you Charlotte, I'm starving." I said as I went and sat down. I forgot my manners and started shoveling the pancakes into my mouth.

"When you are ready, I'll have Mr. Thompson bring your boxes from school up". She said.

"What? I thought the school was shipping those? They couldn't be here already could they?" I asked as confusion hit me.

Her face looked down at me and she tried to give me her gentlest smile. "Well, you slept for five days Honey. Don't worry. You are perfect now." She leaned over and kissed my forehead.

I gulped down a large bite and tried not to show my fear. Trying to sound nonchalant, "Wow, I must have really been sick!" I added a smile between mouthfuls of pancake. How I could have slept that long? I must have been close to dying if it took a week to recover. I looked up at Charlotte to see her studying my face so I gave her a big smile. "You are the best cook in the world." She beamed one of her perfect smiles at me and started stripping my bed.

Do they know what was wrong with me? I started running through different illnesses in my head that fit with my symptoms. Of course nothing made logical sense. I brought myself back around and stuck with the safe option, I had the flu.

When I finished eating I took a very long shower. I was nasty, sticky and did not smell too delightful. I scrubbed and scrubbed myself in the shower until my skin felt raw. I stood in the shower with water as hot as I could stand it and let it beat down on my achy shoulders.

When I dried off and got dressed, I took my towel and comb back into my room to sit at my window bench. The sun was bright and warm as it streamed through my window. It was a gorgeous cold fall day. I missed days like this. At school it was rare to have such a clear day in the fall. I didn't think about anything in particular, I just enjoyed the sun while I slowly combed out my hair.

When I was in the bathroom putting my towel and comb away, I heard a knock at my door. I went and opened the door to find Mr. Thompson standing with his arms full of boxes. "Where would you like your boxes?" he asked.

"Please put them over by the window and I'll go through them later".

He brought all the boxes into my room for me and his face was back to his emotionless self which made me a little frustrated

"When will my uncle be home?" I asked with as calm of a voice as I could muster. I hoped never would be his response.

"Not for several weeks. On Monday, you will start school at Stone Brook Academy. Charlotte will bring you your new uniform in the morning." He replied in a very authoritative attitude. He was back to being extremely formal again.

"What? Ugh, I hoped I somehow got to skip school for a while!" I plopped onto the edge of my bed feeling a little glum again. There went my good feeling! He sure does know how to burst someone's bubble.

I watched the corner of his mouth twitch up, before he turned toward the door to leave. "Sorry, but the semester has been in progress for two months now. You have much to catch up on". He shook his head as he walked out of my room. Though I couldn't see his face, I just knew he was smiling and laughing at me. I scrunched up my nose and stuck out my tongue at the back of his head. I know not very mature but he just ruined my mood. Another reminder of how my life is changing.

When is Monday? I've completely lost track of time and have no idea what today is! I would need to go find Charlotte later. What if tomorrow is Monday? "Ugh" I groaned. I glanced over at my boxes and I just didn't have the energy to go through them. I knew I would find gifts from my friends and it would make me too sad. I'm trying to pretend I am on vacation and this isn't permanent. I decided to go wander through the house instead.

I started down the wide curved staircase to the main hall. At the bottom of the very large and grand staircase is a large cherry wood paneled foyer. The cherry wood paneling continues throughout the main hallway. There are two large sitting rooms on either side of the foyer. It represented a time when men and women would mingle in separate rooms. The room on the left also known as the north sitting room was very light in color and was decorated with Victorian furnishings. The fabrics were all done in large floral prints against a cream background. The furniture was grouped into one large grouping, so that all visitors would be within the same conversation. The north wall was solid windows. There were no drapes that covered the windows. This was easily the brightest room in the house. There was a white baby grand piano in the far corner of the room. The sitting room on the right of the foyer was known as the south sitting room and was true to the styling of the house. It had dark rich walls and furnishings. It was lined with floor to ceiling book shelves on the north and east walls. The same cherry wood paneling from the foyer continued into this room. The large floor to ceiling windows on the south wall were covered in large thick velvet drapes. There was a fireplace with a large ornately carved mantel on the west wall. It had several different sitting areas scattered throughout the large room. This was my favorite room. I loved to curl up in a large leather club chair and read for hours in front of the fireplace. Within this room I could feel my father's presence and his warm arms wrapping around me like a child's security blanket.

I turned down the formal hallway that takes me to the back of the house. I passed my Uncle's study on the right that had its large carved wooden door closed. I was not allowed in the study. The door was always locked when I was home. I assume my uncle kept business documents in the room, so they needed to be kept locked up. I remember going in the room as a small child when my father was alive but I barely remember the room. I remember floor to ceiling book shelves with a massive oak desk in the middle of the room. His desk was always covered in books and papers. I wondered if the room looked the same now that my uncle lived here.

As I continued down the hall I smiled at the oil paintings of my family members. There were generations of Townsends on the wall. It felt like they watched over our home and watched over me. They made me feel like I was never alone. I know some people would find it creepy having so many "eyes" watching them as they walked down the hallway, but for me it always made me feel safe and secure. There was no denying I was a Townsend. We all shared the same features. We all had very dark wavy hair and bright blue eyes. We had the same small pointy noses. The women had small narrow chins and full lips. The men all had squared dimpled chins and average lips. They weren't too full or too thin. Since I looked exactly like my mother in the paintings, I knew this was where I belonged. This was my family and they would never be far from me. I always felt a warm embrace when I was in this house.

I heard someone humming down the hall and knew it must be Charlotte. She always hummed when she was working. I walked quickly to the large kitchen in the very back of the house and found her baking. I peaked in the mixing bowl and it looked like sugar cookies. I winked at her and stuck my finger in the bowl to grab a taste of the dough. "Now Honey, you can't be eating raw dough. It ain't good for you." She gave me a half hearted look of exasperation, but I knew she didn't mind. I just laughed and pulled a stool over to sit by her.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"How about you just keep me company?" she replied. "Tell me how your school year's been going since I last saw you?"

"It was going great. A few weeks ago, I won the Best Regional Vocalist competition. I got a really pretty glass trophy. When I unpack, I'll show it to you." I tried not to be sad, but a wave of sadness washed over me as I thought of my old school and my friends.

"Don't be sad child. Real friends will never forget each other and never be apart. Did you unwrap your presents yet?"

"What presents?" I asked with a look of confusion on my face.

"Well I'm sure your friends sent you their presents. Did you open your boxes?" She glanced up at me while she was rolling the dough.

"No, not yet. I didn't feel like being sad today."

"I see, but what about your other present?" she asked with a sly smile.

"What other one?" I asked shooting my eyes up to her face.

"Now did you really think we forgot your birthday?" She smiled at me. "Down in the south sitting room Mr. Thompson has a surprise waiting for you."

"Oh thank you Charlotte!" I squealed and hopped to my feet. I gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before I ran back down the hallway. I wondered what my surprise was. They've never gotten me a present before. I was a giddy and I haven't felt like this in years. I hope it's better than a desk set or an old globe.

When I raced into the south sitting room, Mr. Thompson looked up at me from behind a computer monitor. "Are you ready for your birthday present, Miss. Townsend?" He was trying to maintain his formality but a smile was playing at the edges of his mouth.

"Yes Sir." I said practically bouncing off the walls. "A new computer?" I asked as I raced over to join him. This was by far my best birthday present ever. I've been asking for a computer for years.

"Come over here and sit down". He instructed as he stood up from the computer chair.

I stepped around the desk to face the computer and couldn't believe it. I froze for a second when I looked at the monitor. On the screen was the smiling face of my best friend waving at me. Mr. Thompson had set up a video camera to my computer and had my best friend waiting for me online. I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a big hug and kissed his cheek. His face flushed as he patted my arm before he quickly turned around and left the room.

"Sarah, Sarah!" squealed Jessica.

"Oh Jess, I miss you so much. I'm so sorry we had to leave so sudden." As I stammered through my words tears gently rolled down my cheeks. I thought I would never to see her again, maybe a phone call here and there, but not actually see her. This was much more than I ever expected and I knew without a doubt it was not one of my uncle's ideas. I huge wave of relief swept through me as I saw her bright smilely face.

"That's ok Sarah. We still get to talk to each other everyday! Isn't this great? We will always be best friends Sarah. The miles will never keep us separated!" she assured me as she watched me cry. Jessica was rarely serious, but she was now. She'd never sounded more grown up than at that minute. I couldn't have gotten a better birthday present.

"Sorry it took a few days to get a hold of you Jess. I got sick on the way home. I think I had a really bad case of the flu. It was horrible. Has anybody at school been sick?" I was reaching and I knew it, but I had to try.

"Nope, no one! That really sucks you got sick. But you look better now. In fact you look fabulous!" she said with her head tilting to the side. I knew that look, she was studying me trying figure out all the changes.

"Thanks Jess. So tell me all the gossip. What has happened this last week at school?" Then we went on and on about all the weeks happenings. Somehow I still felt like I was part of the school. We talked for over an hour and Jess said she had to go because she had a date she had to get ready for. We promised to talk every day. I also promised her I would go upstairs and unpack and open her present before we talked again tomorrow.

When I closed the video feed to Jess, I decided to check out my new computer. I looked at the clock on the computers desktop and noticed that it was Saturday. Oh God, only one more day until I started a new school. I decided to look up the new school on the internet. At least I could get a feel for the place before I showed up lost on Monday. I absolutely hated the idea of being the new student. Everybody stares at the new student and you become the main topic of conversation. Jessica likes being on center stage and I hate it. The thought of it gives me butterflies. Maybe I'll be able to stay hidden on Monday.

I web searched "Stone Brook Academy" and found the official home page for the school. It was a group of lovely old buildings that had long corridors connecting the buildings. It had the old Ivy League charm that so many North Eastern schools had. I started scrolling through pictures and then I found a picture of students in their uniforms. I felt ill. The uniforms were as horrid as my previous uniform. Instead of Navy Blue and Hunter Green, I now will be wearing Black and Red. The pleated skirts were black with red plaid. The blouses were crimson red and the jackets were black with a gold emblem on the breast pocket. And of course the girls had to wear the God forsaken black knee highs! I seriously needed to start a writing campaign to the fashion industry to come to our aid and rescue us from Fashion Unlawfulness! I swear those damn knees highs were stocking me! No pun intended.

Trying to forget about the horrible uniforms, I started scrolling through the extra curricular activities. I really hoped they had a music department. Music was my only escape and I desperately needed it if I were going to start over at a new school. I looked through the links Chess Club, Rugby, La Crosse, Band, and Choir. Well choir would work! Hopefully I could make it fit into my schedule. I went to some of my favorite websites and surfed for new music. The speakers for the computer were stereo quality. I was impressed. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost time for dinner. I had been on the computer for hours.

I raced up to my room to clean up for dinner. I fixed my hair and put on a nice blouse. I quickly skipped down the stairs and hall to the formal dining room. I glanced at the clock on the wall just as it stroked 7 o'clock. One of the many rules of the house, is that dinner is always at 7 o'clock and you cannot be late. You also must be cleaned up and looking nice. Mr. Thompson glanced over at me as I slid into my chair when the clock said 7:01pm. He just lifted an eyebrow at me and didn't say a word.

Charlotte came in promptly and served us our dinner. Charlotte never ate with us. It always made me a little sad since I thought of her as part of our dysfunctional family. I've never liked the formality of all the rules in the house. When I looked at my plate, I noticed that she had prepared one of my favorites again. Roast beef, mashed potatoes with pan gravy, green beans and fresh dinner roles. "Oh thank you Charlotte! You know if I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to fatten me up!" I said winking at her.

"Well Dear there is nothing wrong with a woman having a few extra curves!" She said as she winked back at me and left the dining room.

Mr. Thompson was trying very hard to ignore our conversation. I wondered what would ever melt his cold heart. I normally never got any kind of reaction from him. But I know he showed me compassion when I was sick. There is no way I dreamt that. Mr. Thompson and I sat quietly as we normally did and ate our dinner. I ate slowly and savored every bite. It had been too long since I had Charlotte's home cooking. Towards the end of dinner I started feeling quite drowsy and started yawning.

"Miss Townsend, I think you should head to bed after dinner." Mr. Thompson made it an order rather than a suggestion. I knew by his look and tone he was not going to listen to any whining on the subject.

"Yes Sir". I replied with another yawn. Mr. Thompson just nodded to prove his point and I resisted the very strong impulse to roll my eyes at him.

I sat there for a few more minutes waiting for Mr. Thompson to finish his dinner. I normally asked politely to be excused from the table when I finished eating. Tonight I wanted company a little longer, even if it was silent company! While he was eating, I was thinking about him. I wondered what he did for my uncle when I wasn't here. Now that I am permanently here I was wondering if he was going to have to do two jobs for my uncle. I've noticed as I've gotten older the secrecy around my uncle, my family's business and Mr. Thompson drove my curiosity crazy. When he took his last bite and wiped his mouth with his napkin then glanced back up at me. I could tell he was surprised to see me watching him. I normally ignored him as easily as he ignores me. He glanced at my empty plate then back to my face.

"You are excused. Please go straight to bed, you need your rest. You can worry about your new school tomorrow". How did he know I was worrying about my new school? Did he have some spy software on my computer? I will have to look at my computer a little closer tomorrow. Well at least he wasn't suspecting what I was really thinking about.

"Yes Sir, I will". That's all I responded as I walked slowly back to my room.

How does he do that? There wasn't enough time for him to check to see which websites I was surfing. How does he seem to know exactly what I'm up to? That is quite annoying sometimes. Maybe his knack for knowing what I'm thinking and doing is why I've always been a little frightened of him. Mr. Thompson would never harm me. The exact opposite was true! He was overly protective to the extreme. He would never allow me to do anything he deemed too dangerous. Thus I was forced to keep a few little secrets from him. Okay, more than a few if I'm being honest.

While I was looking up my new school today, I noticed there were boys at the school. Ah boys! I really wanted my first boyfriend as I imagined my first kiss. I started smiling and giggling to myself as I walked into my room. Let's see how Mr. Overprotective reacts when I start bringing boys home! I'll need a camera, for that moment!

Tonight I definitely didn't mind going to bed early. The flu must still have me a little weak. I undressed and put on a long short-sleeved nightgown. I went into my bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I pulled my hair up into a pony tail high on the crown of my head. I loved my long hair, but I hated it in my face when I slept. I noticed my curtains were already pulled closed and my bed was turned down with fresh clean sheets. As I crawled into my clean bed and pulled my blankets up under my chin I quietly thanked Charlotte for taking good care of me. I closed my eyes and fell fast a sleep. I slept like the dead and had no dreams for the first time in months.

*****

The next morning when I woke up I was surprised to see the time on the clock read 10 O'clock. I didn't feel like taking a shower this morning so I washed my face, brushed my teeth and hair then threw on some comfy yoga pants and a small T-shirt.

I sat down on my window seat and got myself comfortable so I could go through my school boxes. I would be here awhile. I had 6 boxes to unpack. I didn't have too many belongings. Jessica always complained how boring my room was and compared to hers it was. Her room on the other hand was so jammed full you could barely walk from the door to her bed.

The first box I opened contained all of my desk and study items. Hmm, well crap, where am I going to put that stuff? I don't have a desk in my room. My computer is downstairs. I guess I will need to ask Mr. Thompson if I can put my desk items with my computer. The South sitting room would be the best place to set up a studying area. I pushed that box to the side and opened the second box.

Ugh, my school clothes were right on top. Yeah, someone might want to keep their school uniforms for nostalgia but not me. I hated the dreadful uniform. There is no way I would have bothered packing the crappy uniform let alone pay the cost of shipping it. I wonder if Charlotte would let me burn my uniform in the burn barrel! The rest of the box was stuff from my bathroom, hair products, soaps, make up, etc.

"Okay box number 3 let's see what you have inside!" I said to myself. I opened box number 3 and found all of my memorabilia. There were pictures of my friends, cards from my friends, my music awards, and my school yearbooks. Wow, Headmaster Robins must have pulled some strings in order to get my senior year book six months early. The year book committee had just turned in the final pages only three weeks ago. I pulled out my senior year book and started going through all the pages. I was surprised to see my friends had signed it! I even had signatures from a few teachers and Headmaster Robins.

I curled my legs up under me and leaned back against the large fluffy pillows to start reading my yearbook. I had a huge flood of mixed emotions as I read through the kind words written throughout the book. I laughed at the jokes and cried at the sincerity in the comments. I will cherish this yearbook for the rest of my life. I looked around my room for a good spot for all of my memorabilia.

On a wall alongside my bed were two large white shelves that were currently holding old stuffed animals. Well, I'm too old for all of those stuffed animals, but I can't quite get rid of them either. I put the stuffed animals into the chest at the foot of my bed. The chest currently held an old quilt that was my grandmothers. I took all the animals down from the shelves and sat them nicely inside the chest. I started by arranging my music awards on the shelves first. Then I put up my yearbooks using two trophies as book ends. I liked that, it looked more like my old dorm room now. I pulled out some tape and thumbnails I found inside the first box holding my desk supply and put up pictures and old cards from my friends.

The next two boxes were full of my clothes, so I quickly threw those into my closet and dresser drawers. The last box must be my surprise box. Inside the last box, I found a cork to the bottle of Champaign that Jessica had gotten. There was a photo album in there as well. The album was full of pictures from my friends. As I went through the pages, I noticed my friends were looking a little drunker with each turn of the album pages. I started laughing as the last few pictures showed some very drunk girls pretending to do a strip tease. The last shot was all of them holding a sign that read, "We love you Sarah." I pulled that picture out of the album and hung it on my wall. In the bottom of the box was a small gift from Jessica. Inside I found a gold necklace with a music note charm hanging from it. I quickly put it on then went and looked in the mirror at it. I loved it.

Speaking of friends, I glanced at the clock to see if it was time to connect with Jessica online yet. I still had forty minutes. Plenty of time to go down and grab some lunch first! I skipped down the stairs in my bare feet and pony tail bouncing. I was truly feeling much lighter and happier today. I meandered down the hall to the kitchen. As I passed the study, I heard voices coming from behind the door. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could tell there were unhappy men behind that door. I moved quickly past the door into the kitchen. The last thing I wanted was to be caught eaves dropping at the door.

When I entered the kitchen, it was empty. Today was Sunday which was normally Charlotte's day off. I rummaged through the refrigerator and decided to make myself a sandwich out of the left over roast beef. I grabbed a Coke and a few sugar cookies that Charlotte made yesterday. I tried to eat slow and not scarf my food down like an animal. Plus I wanted to avoid running into the men who were hiding in the office. When I finished the last of my sandwich and cookies I cleaned up my crumbs and headed down the hall with my coke in hand.

The closer I got to the office door the louder the men were shouting. They were loud enough this time to make out words. As I tiptoed by I heard, "she's not ready for this!" I froze in place. Were they talking about me? A cold chill ran down my back and I got a horrible nauseas feeling in the pit of my stomach. I quickly ran on my tiptoes to the south sitting room. I did NOT want to hear the rest of that conversation!

I tried to put what I heard out of my mind and logged into my computer. I started up the video conference and was glad to see Jess was on a little early. "Hey Jess, what's up! Um, Jess what the hell did you do to your hair?" Jessica normally has beautiful strawberry blond hair that lay in big ringlets around her shoulders. The color of hair sets off her hazel green eyes perfectly.

"Oh, don't make me start crying! Sharon convinced me to color my hair! Thank God I was too chicken to use permanent hair color. This ghastly color is supposed to washout in 14 days. Does it really look that bad? You're my best friend you better tell me the truth?" I could tell she was really upset but this was the time to be honest with your best friend.

"Well, it's not you! You look like you are trying to look like a freaky punker chick. Well actually your hair is so dark you're bordering on Goth!" I bit my lip to try to keep from laughing. It didn't work and a small giggle escaped my lips.

"Don't laugh at me! You are supposed to be here to keep me out of trouble! You were the one who always talked me out of my stupid impulsive ideas before I could regret them!" She said sadly as she sat there pouting.

"Ah Jess. I'm still your best friend and I'm still here to talk you out of doing something stupid. You really couldn't control your impulsive decision for just a few hours? How did you cave to Sharon's fashion insanity? You know she has no fashion sense and can't dress herself!"

Jess started laughing. "Thanks Sarah! Yeah sometimes I think Sharon has to be color blind. But you know that I'm impulsive! I miss you. So what's new with you?"

"I finished unpacking today, thanks for the necklace Jess! I love it"

"It looks good on you! I hoped it would be long enough."

"It's perfect. Well I start a new school tomorrow, and of course I'm freaking out. I'll have a bunch of stuff to tell you tomorrow that's for sure. And I started...." I abruptly came to a stop when Mr. Thompson suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Miss. Townsend, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you are needed in the study". He remained in front of me looking very serious. My stomach clenched into a knot. I knew I had to go immediately. I tried to swallow and not let Jess know I was terrified.

"Um Jess, I need to go, I'll talk to you tomorrow." I said with my famous big plastic fake smile. She never seemed to notice the difference. I was thankful for that.

"No problem Sarah, I heard. Hopefully I can get this crap washed out of my hair by then". I laughed at her and disconnected the video feed.

I followed Mr. Thompson to the study (AKA my Uncle's office) and felt a little sick to my stomach. I was never allowed in that room, and now I was being told I had to go. To say I felt a little unsettled would be an understatement.

Mr. Thompson did not speak as we entered the room. His jaw was clenched down tighter than usual and his lips were pursed so tightly together they were turning white. I could tell he was not happy. I quickly glanced around the room and noticed it looked pretty much the same as the last time I was in this room when I was a small child. I don't know why, but the realization that my Father's Office was still untouched made me relax a little until two men stepped around Mr. Thompson to see me. I did not recognize either of them. I stood very close to Mr. Thompson's side. I glanced at Mr. Thompson's face to see his gaze was fixed on one of the two men. His face had an expression I had never seen before. Suddenly I understood. He was flat out pissed. He did not want me to be here. If my protector didn't want me here, then I sure as hell didn't want to be here.

A tall thin man with long white hair stood behind the large desk. His eyes were ice-cold and dark as night. His eyes stayed fixed on me as I entered. I glanced over at the other man. He was average height and a little pudgy. His hair was salt and pepper and he kept it very short. This man was not looking at me. Instead he was looking at the man with the long white hair. I turned back to the man with the long white hair who was obviously in charge of this situation. When he knew he had my attention he introduced himself. "Sarah Townsend, I am Charles Thornton and this is Robert Tinsle. We are friends of your Uncle's. We heard you were ill and we came to check on you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." He reached out to shake my hand.

Everything about this moment seemed off to me. Something inside me told me to run like hell, but Mr. Thompson was here. Wasn't he supposed to protect me from anything bad? I tried to tell myself it was just irrational fear. I moved slowly and cautiously closer to him to take his hand. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Thornton" I said in a plain matter of fact tone trying to keep my voice as steady as possible even though I was becoming quite frightened of this very strange encounter.

As I took his hand the oddest feeling hit me. I felt very faint and I felt the blood drain from my face. I felt an electric pulse run from Mr. Thornton's hand, up my arm and into my head. I was not dreaming this, this was beyond comprehending but I knew Mr. Thornton was doing something to me. My irrational fear was not so irrational after all. Mr. Thornton kept a firm grip on my hand and would not let go.

I looked up at Mr. Thompson with my eyes full of fear and I was pleading with him. His were looking at me with the most unfamiliar face I have ever seen! He looked sad and helpless. Oh, my God! He knew! As I realized that he knew what was going to happen to me, I felt betrayed. He could see the change in my expression. He dropped his eyes from mine so he wouldn't have to watch the hatred in my eyes build.

The room started to spin around me and I started to loose my balance. There was an incredible sharp pain in my head and my back arched as the muscles clamped down in the worst muscles spasms I have ever felt. What is happening to me? What the hell is he doing to me? I looked up at Mr. Thornton who had a death grip on my hand and I saw sparks flash in his eyes before everything went black.

****

When I woke I was back in my room lying on my bed. My head was throbbing and I couldn't think straight. The clock said 7:30pm which means I missed dinner, and I really didn't give a damn. My head was killing me. I still needed to go downstairs and get some aspirin. The migraine was so bad, I couldn't imagine turning on a light. I slowly fumbled my way through the dark down the stairs and hallway. When I passed the doorway of the dining room on my way to the kitchen, Mr. Thompson called to me. "Miss. Townsend, please come in and sit down." I was still rubbing my head with my fingers so he spoke much quieter, "There is aspirin beside the plate".

I walked into the dining room and blinked through the bright light at him. The bright light made my head pound even more and I could see a damn thing. He looked at my face and nodded toward the aspirin. I sat at my chair and started swallowing the pills, when he got up to light the candles on the table before he walked over to turn off the lights.

"Better?" He asked. I simply nodded. My head hurt so bad I couldn't think hard enough to form a coherent sentence. I was still trying to comprehend what happened to me earlier. I barely remembered my own name right now.

Thankfully tonight's dinner was on the light side. By the time I finished my soup, the sharp edge of the pain in my head had dulled. It was not gone, but at least I could think. I started replaying what happened earlier. I was trying to make everything fall into a nice little logical explanation, but there wasn't one. The reaction I felt when I touched Mr. Thornton was frightening, but his eyes... the electric current that pulsed in his eyes scared me to death. A shiver ran through me as I remembered the flash in his eyes. Then I remembered Mr. Thompson's face. He knew I was going to be hurt, and he did not stop it!

"Mr. Thompson what happened to me earlier?" I asked sharply when my mental clarity returned. I was not in the mood to be nice. He knew what was going to happen to me. Protector my ass! He purposely put me in harms way.

"You simply fainted, Miss. Townsend". He said in an offhand tone not meeting my eyes.

My eyes narrowed and my eyebrows pinched together. I knew that was not the full story. He was going to play the game with me huh? Fine! I glared at Mr. Thompson waiting for a real answer. After a long silent moment I decided I was going to have to drag this out of him. "Why did you let that happen? You knew what they were going to do and you did not protect me!" He kept his eyes fixed on his food and did not respond. I saw him flinch when I accused him of not protecting me. My temper was flaring and my face was getting hot, how could he just sit there?

"Then tell me what it was that I saw in Mr. Thornton's eyes?" I yelled at him while I threw my spoon down.

He stared back at me with the same narrowed eyes, "What do you think you saw Sarah?" There was so much contempt in his voice when he spoke.

I was shocked! Sarah? Since when does he call me Sarah? Now I knew something was off. "Don't treat me like a child! I saw his eyes pulse with electricity before I blacked out!" I was practically shouting at the top of my lungs at him by the time I finished.

"That's absurd Sarah, I think you need to worry more about school than some wild imagination of yours!" He was livid and losing his own temper.

I was so furious I jumped to my feet so quickly my chair fell over backwards. I threw my napkin on the table and stormed out the door. I was so upset I had tears streaming down my burning cheeks. In the doorway, I turned towards him. "I never thought you would treat me like HIM!" I saw him flinch at my words and I ran to my room.

I threw myself onto my bed and sobbed. How could he treat me like that? How could he not trust me? I was always the "goodgirl". I deserved the truth. He was the only person that I had ever partially trusted. I trusted him with keeping me safe and now I didn't even have that with him. My whole world just turned upside down and I was more confused than ever. I curled up on my side and cried myself to sleep.