Castle

I stared at my bag-pack.

There were some clothes inside, a toothbrush, toothpaste, some makeup, my almost empty wallet that consists of two fifty-dollar bills and a hairbrush.

I looked around my room and knew I wouldn’t miss a thing about being in this place. The past six years that I’d lived here were nothing worse than a nightmare. I descended the stairs of the house, hoping to put it all behind me.

Nothing in this house was worth remembering anyway if it was possible, I wanted to forget everything; starting with my uncle Mark and his son, Ray. The only reason I stayed for as long as I had was only for my aunt who was ill and passed away last week.

Now, I had no reason to stay in this place.

Not a day went by after my aunt’s passing that I hadn’t planned on escaping this place.

I tiptoed down the hallway and threw a glance at the living room. Mark was seated on the raggedy old couch, a puff of smoke permeated the air, and the ashtray was decorated with cigarette butts. For a forty-five-year-old man, he looked at least ten years older.

He was intently watching something on the TV and chugging a large can of beer when his eyes rested on me and his face contorted into an ugly smile, “Where are you going, honey?" He slurred the words.

I dropped my bag on the floor out of his sight as I answered him, “I’m just going to Perry’s house. I forgot my notebook there.” I let the lie roll naturally out of my lips.

“Alright, but don’t be late. I hate to be kept waiting.” He sneered at me before looking back onto the television screen.

I masked the look of pure disgust as I pocketed some money lying around on the table. I open the door to the old rickety house and sniff the air of freedom as soon as I step outside. My Cousin Ray’s old beat-up truck was parked out front but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. I assumed that he was working on one of his useless cars in the garage.

The trees whooshed as I pass them. I looked once at the cornfields and tried not to think of all the vile stuff that happened back there.

The scarecrow standing alone in the dark looked like a prop right out of a macabre horror movie, like it was going to start following me.

Cars zoomed past me, some men passed dirty comments, and others offered me a ride. I looked down at myself, I’d dressed quite appropriately in jeans and a loose fitted tank top. I’d also pulled on a jacket to cover myself, so there was nothing scandalous to look here. I guess it didn’t matter, just as long as a woman was walking alone on the street; men were going to whistle and cat-call.

Twenty minutes later, I found the bus stop that was going to take me to my final destination. I had to wait for another thirty minutes before a bus pulled up before the station. I climbed in and took the very first seat that was vacant by the door.

Good-bye fucked up past, and Hello bright future!

This felt like an adventure, and I tried not to feel depressed about the fact that I wasn’t having much cash on me, or that I had lost a permanent home. If I wasn’t hired for this job as I planned to, I was going to be practically homeless.

I opened the app on my phone and checked all the jobs I’d marked important and only one of them was in the same location I was heading towards.

One ad read:

NEEDED FULL-TIME BABYSITTER. Should be beautiful with a curvy body no scars. Interested candidates kindly send your details : )

I rolled my eyes. Why did a babysitter need to have a curvy body? I knew this ad looked very sketchy and there was no doubt in my mind that this man was a perv trying to catch unsuspecting teenage girls. I reported the ad and scrolled through more. A few minutes later, I finally found the one that I was looking for.

The advertisement on the app read:

Looking for a nanny who can work FULL-TIME for a family.

Education: high school degree (At least)

Minimum work experience of two years.

Accommodation and food will be free.

An extra allowance will be allotted whenever necessary.

Interested candidates forward your CV at the below email Id.

I’d applied for this job a few weeks ago and was surprised when I’d heard back from them. The man said the family wanted to meet me before they gave me the job, and something in the man’s voice said that I could indeed be selected.

The signage for Ambervale town came into view and I asked the driver about the address of the house that I was visiting. His brows hit the roof when he read it and asked me if that’s really where I planned to stop and when I said yes, he laughed in a mocking way which was a little strange. I mean, it’s not like I’d asked him to drop me off on Planet Mars or something.

When I inquired what was funny, he shrugged off like it was no biggie.

It’s when he dropped me off the bus that I realized why he seemed to think I was crazy.

In front of me were two huge metal gates with the letter’s ‘M’ on them. I stared at it in awe and into the far distance, my eyes focused onto the very large and daunting house, a mansion that looked right out of an Architectural Digest magazine, or a horror movie. You take the pick. The opulence and the grandness of it was nothing like I’d ever seen before.

I decide to call on the number that was provided on the app.

“Hi, this is Millicent. I applied for the nanny’s job and received a call to come for the interview.” I said, a little anxious and shaky, “I just arrived by bus. Is this the right address?”

I heard a deep masculine chuckle on the other end of the line, “I see you, Millicent. Please come inside.”

He could see me?

Just then I noticed the surveillance cameras surrounding the area.

The gates to the house opened smoothly and I entered them completely unaware of the horrors that awaited me.

* * *

A.N: Hey loves, this is a New Romantic Thriller that I’m entering into Inkitt’s contest. I hope to see you all on this exciting journey as I will be making frequent updates. This story will be similar to some of my older works, Psycho Billionaire and Jack in the Box.

If you enjoyed reading the chapter, please share your thoughts in the comments below.