“What did you do?” I whisper.
“Took her memory and replaced it,” he says, tucking her in. Rose mumbles but doesn’t wake; she rolls over and snuggles deeper into the blankets. Kyan stands, turns to face me, and waves me over to him. “Now you,” he says. His eyes are so dark, as if there is a hidden agenda behind the shield of darkness, and my heart skips a beat.
“What?” I ask, taking a step back, not trusting what he means.
“You should shower.” He points to my clothes and hands, and I let out a breath, looking down at my blood-stained clothes. Oh, for a second, I thought he meant he was going to take my memories of what happened from me. I mean, as much as I wouldn’t mind forgetting that nightmare and what I had just done, taking my memories is not an option. That is something I will never be able to forget. I hug myself, gazing down at the sleeping girl in bed. If something had happened to her…
“I will find something for you to wear,” he says as he walks out of the room.
I watch him leave the room and glance around my surroundings. I nearly jump when Kyan comes back to look into the room. “Are you coming?” he asks arrogantly, cocking a brow.
“Oh, right, I thought you wanted me to wait here,” I reply internally kicking myself. Ugh, I sound stupid!
“This room has no bathroom; you can use mine,” he says and wanders off again. I quickly follow him, not wanting to get lost.
Passing through the long halls, Kyan walks to a set of stairs. The clock chimes as I walk past it, and I jump, clutching my chest in fright, trying to get my rhythm back to normal.
Kyan glances at me and raises an eyebrow while I glare at the old grandfather clock. “It’s a clock,” he remarks and I have a feeling he finds my fear and anger amusing from the look in those eyes of his.
“I know what it is, your house is creepy, and I didn’t expect it!” I hiss under my breath, still staring daggers at the darn clock.
“Wait until 1:11 am; that’s when things get creepy around here,” he says, stalking up the steps with a laugh and I exhale. Yeah, this place does have a strange, dark energy, one that is filling me with unease.
“What?” I squeak, chasing after him, and he chuckles.
“That’s when the poltergeist comes out to play. Oh, and my grandmother’s ghost, if you hear walking around, it’s just her,” he laughs, and I rush up the stairs faster, nearly running into the back of him. He laughs while I look down at the darkness of the foyer below. “I’m joking, Marabella, it’s just the energy of the place; there are no ghosts,” he says.
“Would it kill you to put a light on?” I ask. He sighs, grabs my hand and pulls me with him. I stumble to keep up with him. He stops by a wall and flicks a switch. Light brightens the stairs, and I gasp.
“Better?” I nod, looking around, and then looking up. A huge dome sits on the roof, and I can see the moon through its glass. I thought the place has three floors, but I can see another two levels above us, making it four. Yet glancing back, I notice Kyan still has a hold of my hand and he doesn’t let go, even when he starts walking off again, tugging me with him.
As we make our way to the next landing, I notice the walls are covered in photos and old paintings of men and women. Each division between doors has a man and woman, making me curious if they are some family members.
“This place is huge,” I breathe, and Kyan hums in agreement.
Stopping next to one painting, I see a man with a startling resemblance to Kyan. In fact, all the men look almost the same, just slight differences. The woman in the massive picture has a huge, round belly and is definitely pregnant. They both smile, and the man is side-on, clasping the woman’s hands. It takes me a good minute to realize it is a wedding picture. He is placing a ring on her finger.
“That’s my parents,” he says quietly, taking me by surprise. I glance at him to find him watching me, his head is tilted to the side. I look back at the picture and smile slightly.
“They look happy,” I tell him as I glance between Kyan and the photo.
“They were, but like everything else, that ended too,” he mutters under his breath, as if this is too painful to talk about.
I don’t dare to look at him, a little scared of the possible reaction, so I just focus on the photo as I ask, “what happened to her?”
“I was born; that’s what happened to her,” Kyan says, letting my hand go and walking off down the corridor.
His words still replay in my mind, and for a moment, I wonder just how much he has been through. I know how it feels to be alone… but I still have my parents and Eziah. Kyan doesn’t. From what I gather, he doesn’t have anyone but Jonah and his uncle.
I follow, peering around. So many doors make me wonder how many people live here. I should have been paying attention. The place is enormous, and I wander aimlessly, looking for which door he went through before he disappeared.
Stopping next to the stairs, leading to the floor above, I stop. I try to fight off the shudder that runs through me, a strange urge to go to the floor above tempts me, and my feet halt. My hand grips the banister. I look up into the darkness that looms at the top of the stairs, the light he had switched on only reaches so far. I slowly find myself placing my foot on the step when suddenly I hear something behind me.
“Ella?” Kyan’s voice pulls me away from the steps, and I glance down the hall. He is watching me curiously, his head tilted to the side, and his eyes darken for a second as shadows fall over his face.
My heart does flip-flops at the nickname. I can’t explain it. Yet when he calls me Marabella, I feel like I’m being scolded. Ella sounds more familiar for some reason.