Chapter Nine
1065 Words
They finished their meal without any further questioning from David.
"How is she?" Seth asked the question that had been on his mind since he entered the mansion.
"Better. She has a cold, and mental exhaustion –says the doctor that diagnosed her this morning."
Seth nodded. He was dying to see Ophelia. "Thank you for the meal. It was delicious." He complimented.
David smiled. "I'm a great cook when I want to be." He joked. "I have to make a call, but William will take you up to Ophelia's room if you want to say hi." He informed.
Seth felt his heart rate pick up and he suppressed a wide grin.
Mr. Clemonte rose from his seat and said a quick goodbye to Seth, calling for William and instructing him to take the young man up to his sister's room.
William led him up the stairs, glancing up at the stranger every now and then. "Are you Hades?" he finally inquired, scrutinizing him with narrowed doe eyes.
Seth chuckled, and grinned at the slightly chubby eleven year old. "What makes you think I'm Hades?" he asked, interested in the thoughts of the smart looking boy with ginormous glasses.
"Pale skin, handsome features, extremely tall, strong built, black hair, powerful aura. That's how the books described Hades." Will shrugged, and continued stomping up the steps like he hadn’t just dumped a truckload of compliments and vocabulary too sophisticated for boys his age.
Seth grinned, and followed him closely behind, feeling very pleased with the compliment, and disregarding the fact that Hades is almost always evil in books of fiction.
-
Ophelia groaned as she made her way out of the bathroom in a large bathrobe. Her whole body ached and her bones felt brittle and tired. She had thrown up almost three times before the doctor arrived and once after he left. She couldn't stomach any solid food, and could only drink the hot soup aunt Florence had begrudgingly made for her. The migraine still persisted after taking the painkillers and she opted to just spend the whole day in bed.
Not seeing the point of wearing proper clothes since she was going to sleep in anyway, Ophelia grabbed a pineapple patterned yellow onsie pajama, and shrugged into it. She plopped on her large bed, and searched around for her phone. With frustration, she realized she had probably left it in the red Lamborghini that drove her home.
Someone knocked on her door and she yelled "Come in."
"Dad, I think I left my phone in Seth's car. I can't find it anywhere." Ophelia said, rummaging through her drawers again. Her back was to the doorway so she didn't see the person that sauntered in.
"You did. And you remembered my name." A velvety voice chuckled from behind her.
Ophelia whipped around in shock, stumbling backwards and almost crashing into the lamplight behind her.
Seth reached out with incredibly fast reflexes, and caught her arm before she fell, pulling her small frame towards him to steady them both. His breathing quickened as he stared at her face which was inches away from his. He noticed the tiny speck of hazel color that swirled around in her striking emerald green eyes, and instantly became mesmerized. He held on to her and continued staring, even when she loudly cleared her throat.
"You can let me go now." Ophelia mumbled, breaking eye contact and staring down at her feet like they were an interesting piece of art. A flush crept up her face and she tucked in her chin, hoping for the blush to disperse quickly away.
"I don't want to..." he breathed, fascinated with the color of her hair, and reaching out with his other hand to ruffle it.
Ophelia smacked his hand away, and wrenched her arm free from his grasp. She put a little distance between them and crossed her hands, trying to hide her discomfort and apprehension. "What are you doing here?" she asked coldly.
"Are you always in a onesie?" he countered, shoving his long, slender hands in his pockets.
"Do you always answer questions with more questions?" she snapped in annoyance.
"You remember my name but you don't remember your father inviting me over for 'brunch'?" he scoffed, making sarcastic air quotes with his fingers when he said the word 'brunch'.
Ophelia had actually forgotten that part, but she knew it was something her father would do; invite someone over for a meal and use it as an opportunity to turn it into a questioning session.
"Do you actually live across the street?" Ophelia blurted out without thinking.
"Why? Do you want to visit me?" Seth teased with a smirk.
She sighed, dropping her arms by her sides. "Get out." She ordered.
The smirk widened and he let out a low laugh. "Okay." He obeyed, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Get better." He added, striding out the doorway and shutting the door carefully behind him.
Ophelia released a breath and ran to her window, craning her neck to see the spot he parked his car. A few minutes later, she watched him enter the Benz and speed off out of the property.
-
For hours, she sat thinking about what had transpired between her and Seth. When she finally couldn't stand her thoughts, Ophelia grabbed her phone and started making an online wish list of items she needed to decorate her room. She had been so flushed and anxious that she didn't even notice when Seth placed her phone on the nightstand.
After ordering all the needed items, Ophelia decided to retrieve her pentagram necklace. Arming herself with a flat-ended screwdriver, she wobbled out of her room to the hollow floorboard, making sure aunt Florence was nowhere in sight.
It took almost thirty minutes to slide free the floorboard, and Ophelia discovered a small storage space under it.
It was completely empty except for a single framed picture covered completely with dust, and her pentagram necklace.
She dusted it off, and the little particles that floated into the air made her sneeze.
Ophelia lifted the picture to her eye-level, gazing at it.
Her blood froze, and she dropped the frame. It landed on the floor and shattered into pieces, leaving the old photo bare.
In the picture, Seth Bonavich stood next to a young Robert Clemonte; her grandfather.
- Writer
