Chapter 5
Someone had stolen my clothes while I was sleeping.
I’d left them folded on the chair beside the bed, but they weren’t there when I woke up.
I hated the idea that someone had crept into my room while I was sleeping, and the image of Caldwell or Matthew sneaking through the dark was enough to give me nightmares.
I probably wouldn’t miss the clothes. The jeans were slightly too small, and the top was pretty much ruined after being covered in coffee yesterday, but finding them gone still upset me. It felt like a small piece of me had been taken with the outfit.
My only option was to wear something out of the closet. Clothing selected for me by some stylist I’d never met. It was such a small thing, but I felt like Matthew was trying to mold me into the person he wanted me to be rather than the person I was.
I didn’t have much choice though, unless I wanted to arrive at my new school naked.
So, I begrudgingly ventured into the closet and selected a pair of black jeans, a cropped white top, and a leather jacket.
The outfit wasn’t all that different from one I might have chosen for myself, if I ignored the fact the clothes hadn’t come from a thrift store and the labels all bore the name of some Italian designer I couldn’t pronounce.
A knock sounded at the door just as I finished sliding the jacket over my shoulders. I turned as it opened, and Caldwell stepped into the room.
“Good morning, Miss Isobel. I trust you slept well.”
“Well enough.” For a captive. “And you can just call me Isobel.”
“As you wish.” He nodded in agreement, but I imagined Caldwell would rather eat his waistcoat than call me by my first name alone. “Breakfast is being served in the dining room, and then a car will take you to school.”
“Is my father having breakfast with me?”
“Mr. LaFleur left for New York last night.”
“Right.” After a ten-minute conversation yesterday, it seemed my bio dad was already done with me.
Luckily, I was done with him too. It was actually a relief to hear I wouldn’t have to endure the chill of his icy demeanor this morning, and I could hardly bear the thought of eating breakfast with his judgmental eyes watching my every mouthful.
“Well, lead the way,” I said, gesturing toward the door.
Caldwell gave another brief nod before returning to the hallway.
Breakfast was a lonely affair. I ate at a huge dining table that could have sat twenty people with two waitstaff watching from the doorway.
They both refused to engage in conversation with me unless it was related to serving breakfast. It was painfully quiet and uncomfortable, and it made me desperately miss my normal morning routine.
Mom and I would always eat at our tiny kitchen counter, propped up on stools, drinking our bodyweight in coffee.
Our peaceful mornings usually descended into a battle over who got the last refill when only dregs remained in the pot.
Mom always let me win, and the thought made my chest pang with sadness.
I felt betrayed by the way she’d sent me here, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from missing her.
When I was finally done with my food, Caldwell led me to the front entrance.
He opened the door, and as I glanced outside, I saw a large black car waiting in the driveway.
A man in a suit almost as smart as Caldwell’s was already loading several large suitcases into the trunk.
I didn’t recognize the luggage, but I knew it was all for me.
“I guess that’s my ride,” I said.
“Indeed.” I had no idea how Caldwell’s voice could both suck the life out of his words and also pack them full of judgment.
It was a skill. He held out a backpack to me, and I frowned as I took it.
It was most definitely not the bag I’d come with.
The leather smelled expensive, and despite the fact I’d spent my life steering clear of designer clothes, even I recognized the Gucci logo across the front of it.
“The personal items you brought with you are all inside,” he said.
I had a bad feeling my backpack had gone to clothing heaven along with my jeans and top.
“We’ve packed everything you might need for your time at the academy.
But this is in case you require anything else.
” He lifted his hand to reveal a credit card with my name on it.
It was black and shiny, and I wondered how high its limit was.
My father was clearly rich, but I had no idea just how rich.
I took the card and tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans. I had no intention of using it though. “Well, thanks for everything. It’s been …” My voice trailed off because I wasn’t quite sure how to describe the last twenty-four hours of my life.
Caldwell sensed I was at a loss for words, and he gestured toward the car. “We’ll see you soon, Miss Isobel.”
I really hoped not, but I nodded and gave him a tight smile.
As I stepped from the house, I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders.
The air was crisp and fresh, and a gust of wind seemed to clear the dark cloud that had been billowing around me since the moment I’d arrived at my father’s mansion.
I was being forced to attend some school I’d never laid eyes on before, but at least I didn’t have to stay in the large hollow void that was Matthew’s home another night.
The driver opened the car door for me, and I thanked him as I made myself comfortable in the back seat.
My phone buzzed as the car set off, and I glanced down to see my mom’s name lighting up the screen.
I wasn’t quite ready to talk with her yet, so I ignored the call and stowed my phone back in my pocket.
I kept thinking about how she’d acted when she’d said goodbye to me.
Her hug had been a little too tight and her smile a little too forced.
For days, she’d been looking slightly ill.
I’d thought she’d been sleeping badly because of the heat or because she was worried about how I would react to seeing my father for the first time.
But now I knew the truth. She was readying herself to send me away.
I stared out the window as the car slowly drove back through town, and my heart gave a sad tug as we passed the bus stop.
That was where I should have been headed this morning, and if my mom hadn’t been so resolute on the phone yesterday, I might have considered jumping from the car and onto the next bus home.
I had a feeling she’d just ship me straight back here though.
A part of me didn’t want to go home right now anyway.
Not when I was still so angry with my mother.
I wasn’t thrilled to be going to this fancy school Matthew had arranged, but at least I didn’t have to see either him or my mom when I was there.
There was also the added bonus of not having to deal with Nina or Levi as well.
I had never thought of myself as a girl who ran away from her problems. The more I thought about it, the more I came to terms with the fact that going to a new school might not be the worst thing in the world.
I would never admit that to either of my parents.
But, my mom was right; I’d been dreading my return to Rapid Bay High all summer, and a small part of me was relieved I wouldn’t have to face it on Monday.
The car headed out of town, but it didn’t follow the highway the bus had taken yesterday.
Instead, it traveled down a winding road that led through a gorgeous leafy forest. Specks of sunlight danced across my window as it broke through the trees, and every so often, I’d catch sight of a river that wove its way alongside the road.
We drove for about ten minutes before the car started to slow, and the driver glanced over his shoulder to me. “We’re here.”
Any brief feelings of optimism I’d had quickly vanished. I swallowed down a lump of nerves as the car pulled to a stop.
A set of huge wrought iron gates towered over us.
They were elaborately designed with swirling metal thorns and roses, and a large golden emblem featuring two roaring lions took pride of place in the center.
The gates had sharp spikes protruding from the top as though they were protecting the entrance to a palace—or a prison.
Although the gates were huge, they were set back from the road enough that the forest surrounding us effectively concealed them.
You could easily drive straight past and not even notice them if you weren’t looking at the right time.
“I have Miss Isobel LaFleur,” the driver said into an intercom box.
“Grace,” I corrected him.
His eyes flicked to look at me in the rearview mirror. “Sorry?”
“My name is Isobel Grace.”
“Oh, my apologies, Miss Grace,” the man replied.
It was a simple mistake, but one that made the hairs on my neck bristle. I was not, and never would be, Isobel LaFleur.
Whoever was on the other end of the intercom didn’t seem troubled by the driver’s confusion, and a moment later, a buzz sounded as the gates began to squeak open.
I took a deep breath and held it as I watched them scrape wide.
Any irritation I felt quickly dissipated and was replaced by a flutter of nerves.
This all felt so sudden. Despite having a night to sleep on it, I’d barely had time to process the idea of a new school and being separated from the only life I’d ever known. My whole world had been upheaved in a day, and my chest tightened as the car started forward.
Perhaps if my mom had talked to me about it first, I wouldn’t have felt so anxious. It was only now as I entered the school that everything seemed to hit me. I wasn’t headed back to Rapid Bay anytime soon. This place was my new home.
I glanced out the back window and watched as the gates closed behind us with a clang. The sound felt so final, so permanent. There was no turning back now, whether I wanted to or not.