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"Come, I’ll take you to your rooe the stairs?"
What a ridiculous question, I think as I follow him to the stairs But I’m only halfway up before my pace slows from exhaustion
"You need to take it slow, Harper You’ve been drugged too many times in the last several days" And then he scoopssteps with ease
He sets et to the top and retakes my hand to leadand stop in front of a set of double doors "This is my room," he says as he opens the door and waves me in "You can stay in here and I’ll sleep in my office"
I look back down the hallway "Why can’t I have my own room?"
"Because this is your roorowl "And I don’t want to stay in your rooe it toht, this is your roos," I snap I can’t help it I’ to feel sick Probably frohtfully res, Harper It’s a Company house built for us Let me show you your closet so you can choose a dress for dinner"
Dinner? Fuck I cannot do dinner Please, no "Can’t I eat in my room?"
"No," he says kindly but sternly "It’s better for you not to have too much time alone to think Especially when you haven’t taken your pills"
I scrunch up my eyes "I don’t take those anymore James doesn’t want me to take them"
"I don’t want you to take them either, Harper I want you to be in control at all times I don’t even want to offer you a drink at dinner, but my mother insisted we have a drink to celebrate"
"Your mother?"
My repulsion must be evident in my voice, because he chuckles "Don’t worry, she’s not here We’ll have plenty of tiet to know one another before I unleash that horror on you"
I can’t stop the huff of relief and then a smile follows before I can stop it
"See," Vincent says "See, it’s not so bad here Now look," he says, leading me into the massive room The decorations are as traditional as the ones downstairs The wood is dark and thick The fabrics are rich colors--blood-red reens The drapes are closed tight so there’s no view outside But the s must be spectacular, since the curtains flon the entire length of the wall and spill out into a puddle of fabric on the floor There’s a sitting area on the far side of the rooton Beach "Here are the closets," Vincent says, leading me over to another side of the room "Mine is on this side and yours is over there"