TWISTED TORTURE

Elowen

I wipe a stray tear from my face and withdraw from the hug. Corey gives me a pained smile before noticing my damp cheek.

“Oh, honey,” she pulls me back into a hug, “I know, I know, I’m sorry,” she rubs slow circles about my back. I sniffle but refrain from crying. She lets me go and settles her gaze on the man behind me.

He is tall, he seems almost a foot above Corey, and Corey’s not short. He wears a navy blue suit with a white undershirt and navy tie. His shoes are black, yet they are so shiny the light makes them appear white. I smile at my new father. I’m so excited to be getting adopted, even if it feels like I’m sealing the deal on my parents’ deaths. His eyes drag from Corey’s to mine, and he smiles. He has faint dimples along with pearly white and perfect teeth. Knowing this friendly man is my new father and not some old scary grandpa feels right.

“Have you finished with the online consent?” Corey asks my father. He carries his smile from me to Corey,

“Yes, all set,” his voice is smooth and buttery. Despite making me sleepy, it has a roughness that keeps me alert and focused. His voice sounds like what you would imagine if you heard a panther talk.

“Then you are free to go. Congratulations on your new addition to your family!” The cheesy line catches me off guard. I laugh. Both adults turn to me, grinning like I was the one to say something hilarious. My laughter falls when neither of them starts laughing.

“What?” I squeak, my voice an octave higher than usual. Daddy just turns back to Corey and holds out his hand. Corey shakes it firmly.

“Thank you. You have been a great help, and it’s my pleasure, truly, to be able to adopt her.” His velvet voice graces my lips with a smile.

“Of course,” Corey replied, turning to me. She bends down one last time to hug me. I feel the familiar sting behind my eyes again. I shove it down before the waterworks can emerge. We both pull back and give each other sad smiles. I turn to Daddy, and he holds out his hand for me. I take it, feeling butterflies erupt in my belly. His smooth, calloused hand is warm and sends tingles down my arm. I was adopted. I have a new family. My parents are dead. But I have a new family. On the inside, I think I should be feeling more remorse, but I feel giddy and enthusiastic walking out of here with this man.

Daddy’s steps are much larger than mine, and I find it challenging to keep pace without stumbling. As we exit the orphanage, the April rain falls hard around us. I notice Daddy’s car parked on the opposite side of the road – or at least I assume it’s his car, as it’s the only one in sight.

I went to step down the two steps to the sidewalk but miscalculated the distance and started to fall. I swear my whole life flashed before my eyes before Daddy caught me, scooping me into his arms. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and shuddered from the cold rain and the near-death experience.

“I got you, darling,” he whispers, pulling my body closer to his. I rest my head on his shoulder and feel my cheeks heat. His smell is overpowering. It’s in all my senses and making me overwhelmed. He smells like he just stepped out of a refreshing shower in the middle of the forest in the aftermath of a storm. It’s soothing, and I allow it to calm my racing heart. He crosses the road and opens the back door. Setting me inside, I stand up in the middle of the car. I spin in a circle, looking around at the carriage-like seating. He gently pushes me out of the doorway and climbs in after me, sitting down on one of the couch-like seats. The front of the car has a glass thingy that shows a person in the driver’s seat. Daddy’s not going to be the one driving. Someone else is – that makes me feel uneasy.

“Come here,” Daddy pats the seat next to him. I walk over to him, and he lifts me onto the seat so I face forward. “I don’t have a car seat for you yet, so you’ll just have to hang on,” my eyes widened with fear, noticing the lack of seatbelts, “don’t worry, the driver is very skilled and won’t let anything happen to us,” he reassures me. I lean back in my seat and wring my hands, unsure how to feel.

“O-okay,” He smiles down at me, resting a comforting hand on my thigh. It makes my leg tingle and my cheeks tint. I glance out the window as the car starts to roll forward, surprisingly smooth as Daddy claimed.

“Elowen?” Daddy asks. I returned my attention to him, “Can I call you Winnie? I think it has a nice ring to it, and it would just be ours. No one else would call you that.” His voice takes on a more serious edge near the end. I beam. I would love for Daddy to have a nickname for me. It makes me feel special on a whole different level. Daddy always seems to know what to do to make me feel that way. Even in the short time I’ve been with him. While it isn’t the first encounter I’ve had with him. He came to the orphanage a week ago and visited with us all. He was kind to me even when he didn’t know who he would adopt.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, bobbing my head up and down.

“Perfect,” Daddy murmurs, smoothing my hair down with his hand, then leaning in to kiss my forehead. I’m unsure if he was talking about me or my response, but it makes me feel on top of the world.

We sat for almost the rest of the car ride in silence. Daddy’s hand was still soothingly on my thigh. Halfway through we hit a bump and I practically hit my head on the roof, so I have been clinging to Daddy’s arm for the remainder of the ride. We pull into a seemingly long driveway since I can’t see the house.

Almost as soon as we get in the driveway though we are stopped. I climb closer to the window to see a big black barred gate. I stare in awe as the driver opens his window and starts talking to a little black box. Then the gates swing open and we drive through. I was pretty sure that was only a thing rich people in movies had but here we are.

I’m almost positive I’m dreaming when we come to the house, no, palace. It’s huge. Bigger than any house I have ever seen, bigger than the orphanage. This is when my suspicion for how much money my new father has begins.

“Is… Is that your house?” I ask. Maybe it’s a hotel and we will stay here before going to Daddy’s home. He chuckles,

“Yes, princesa, this is our house,” he corrects and offers me a warm smile. Oh, well, not a hotel. Wow. This is my new house. I grin. This is my new home.

We park parallel to the house, and I start to get up, but Daddy stops me.

“I’m going to make a call real quick. You stay here. I’ll be right back to get you.” He insists and then gets out of the car, shutting the door and leaving me trapped. Although, I don’t mind. I take the time to admire the mansion. The impressive entrance has tall pillars and strong stone walls, giving it a palace-like look. With the aftermath of the storms, the dark sky makes the house look like something from a fairytale, with its lights highlighting its best features elegantly. There’s a lovely balcony above the entrance with a central lantern, making the home feel warm and welcoming. The entire house is adorned with windows, welcoming natural light. On one side of the entry, there’s a garage with six double doors and a tower-like structure on the other, giving the home a medieval palace feel. My favourite part is the small fountain right in front of the entrance, with its golden water illuminated by the lights from inside.

Daddy opened the car door, and I almost fell again since I was leaning on it. He catches me just like before.

“Woah there, always falling for me, aren’t you?” he taunted and laughed quietly. The comment throws me off guard. It’s strange. It makes me blush. Does he feel something for me too? He probably didn’t mean it like that, but it feels unnaturally friendly.

“N-no,” I stammer and hide my face in his neck. He chuckles and carries us toward the house. He sets me down in front of the door and takes my hand. He opens the door and pulls me through. The inside of the house is even more special than the exterior. The two staircases leading to the upper floor have red carpets covering their lengths. It really is a castle.

A lady about Corey’s age comes from behind one of the staircases. She has a short brown bob and tanned skin. She, also like Corey, is about a foot shorter than Daddy.

“Well hello there,” she holds out her hand and I take it. Her hands are soft and feel delicate. “My name is Darcy, and I will be your nanny from now on.” I’m not sure what a nanny is, but if it’s like a babysitter I don’t want her.

“What is a “nanny”?” I question letting my hand fall back to my side. She chuckles,

“Hm, well I have never been asked that, but I will take care of you when Spencer isn’t around. I will show you the house and you will come to me when you need anything. Kind of like a babysitter.” She explains.

“But I don’t want a babysitter,” I complain. She laughs harder,

“I guess “babysitter” was a bad term to use, I’m like your maid, I won’t be watching you constantly like a babysitter would,” she reassured me and it did make me feel better. But I get a maid? I thought only princesses and princes got those. I thought a lot of things that daddy owns only royalty possessed but here we are. Maybe daddy- wait- Darcy said Spencer, that must be daddy’s name. Spencer. I like that name. Maybe Spencer- no, Daddy sounds better. Maybe Daddy is royalty. Which would make me a princess. Then it would make sense why I have a maid! It’s all coming together. I was adopted by a king, this is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

“I have some paperwork to do, Darcy will show you around the house and to your room,” Daddy claims and lets go of my hand, straightening his suit. This information makes me sad but exploring the house makes me feel a bit better.

“Okay,” I agree, and Daddy kisses me on the forehead before walking off leaving me alone with Darcy. She grins and holds out her hand to me.