When Leopold finally arrives home I notice he looks concerned about something. For a moment, I fear the Matrons called him to share with him their suspicions about me putting Eel ideas inside Eliza’s head. But after careful observation, I realize he is not angry at me, he is just restless. He takes a seat on the living room couch and looks ahead with a troubled expression on his face.
“Is there something wrong?” I ask him after a while.
“Please, take a seat, Aubrey,” he says pointing to the spot next to him.
I do as he says, feeling concerned, I can’t imagine what is wrong. The moment I take a seat I notice the black backpack that Leopold has next to him, I’ve never seen it before. I look at him awaiting for an explanation for his unusual behavior, he takes a deep breath and then he gently takes my hand and squeezes it lightly.
The hospital parking lot is dark and deserted, we get out of the car and walk towards the main entrance. Outside the hospital there is no movement, I hope it is the same way inside. Unfortunately, it is not. The closer we get to the main door, the easier it is for us to spot the doctors and nurses coming and going inside the facility. I feel goosebumps all over my body the second I step inside the main lobby. I feel as if all eyes were on me, watching me, scrutinizing my every move, it seems like everyone here knows I’m an impostor, a fake Shark. This was a mistake, there is no way we are pulling this off. I feel the impulse to turn back and run towards the safety of the car. My mind takes me back to the Detention Facility and my whole body shivers. I can’t go back there, I won’t survive it another time. Leopold must have noticed my commotion because he takes me by the arm and drags me to a corner.
I walk out of her hospital room, Leopold is waiting for me outside. My eyes are reddened and swollen from all the crying. He puts his arm around me and kisses my forehead gently without saying a word. We then start to walk to the elevators. When we cross the lobby, the nurses try to get a good look at me but Leopold holds me even closer to his body to block the view from them. We walk rapidly towards the car and then drive away. I can see now that Leopold was nervous too, he was just pretending to be chill.“Are you all right?” He asks me once we are far from the hospital and he seems to relax again.I nod with my head.“Aubrey, I’m driving, I can’t look at you, so I’m going to need a verbal response,” he says without taking his eyes
I wake up slowly and feeling wonderful. Leopold starts to kiss my neck while I stretch my arms lazily. A smile appears on my face with the sensation of his lips against my skin.“Good morning,” he whispers to my ear.His hands start to go down my belly provoking a frisson of arousal in me. This is how every morning should be.“Good morning,” I say as I turn my body to face him.Neither of us are wearing any clothes, so I feel his skin directly against mine. Leopold kisses me and I respond enthusiastically. I put my legs around him, totally awake and ready to make love to him again.All of a sudden, the doorbell rings and Baxter starts to bark frenetically outside our
Leopold is taking a shower, I go out the bedroom to make breakfast for the both of us. Before I walk down the staircase I notice the door to the empty room is open. I shiver, I hate that empty room, the one that reminds me so much about Grace’s presence in this house. I hasten to close the door but before I do I notice that Baxter is inside scratching the wooden floor, making one of the floorboards loose.“Hey, stop with that, boy,” I say to him. “Don’t do that, Baxter.”The dog moves to the side and I crouch down to put the floorboard back in it’s place, then I notice that the dog has a piece of paper in his snout.“What’s this, boy?” I ask as I take the piece of paper. It’s moist and it has Baxter’s bi
The Matrons have decided to give us a break from the kitchen, these last few days we have improved our culinary skills by a lot and we deserve a change of scene. We are practically ready for Bearer's Day, we don’t need to practice baking pastries anymore. Since we have been eating a lot of sugary treats lately, the Matrons decided that we should do some type of physical activity. They take us jogging and after that we do pilates. Everyone feels way better once we are done, even the Matrons look happier. Instead of taking us to the cafeteria for lunch, they decide to have a picnic at the central garden, everyone is delighted with the idea except for Eliza who walks slouching and has a swollen lip. It is obvious that her outburst from the other day got her in trouble, I don’t know who hit her if it was her partner or Mother Addison but someone did. The rest of the class pretends not to notice her wound, but I can’t look the other way, my blood boils just l
“Eels! Eels! Traitors!” Wendy yells.I jump out of my skin. Eliza and I get up immediately to try to contain her, but it’s too late, the rest of the class is already looking at us. The Matrons walk toward us to find out what’s going on.“Shut up, Wendy!” Eliza mutters angrily.“Eels! Eels!” Wendy keeps on shouting.“What is going on in here?” Matron Mary Ann asks upset.I’m about to reply nothing but I am so nervous the words just don’t come out of my mouth. I think Eliza is going through the same thing because she just watches the Matrons frozen in her place, pale and with a frightened expression on her face.
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)I take a deep breath and I aim at the target through the rear sight. This is easy, I’m a professional and I can hit a target under any circumstance. I hold my breath and shoot. I missed… yet again. I lean my head back and groan, frustrated.“That was… unexpected,” mutters Jareth standing next to me. “You are not yourself today, Commander. Didn’t you sleep well last night?”“Why don’t you mind your own business, boy?” I reply annoyed.I put the gun down. It’s been enough for today, clearly, I’m unable to focus. I gesture to Jareth so he takes over and keeps an eye on the rest of the Unit at the shooting range. I head to my office
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.) Fear is eating me up. My anguish grows as we approach Leopold’s house. I am sure that Mother Addison has already called him by now to tell him about the incident. I dread Leopold’s reaction, this past few days he has shown me how sweet and caring he can be but I am totally aware that there is another side to him, a ruthless and ill-tempered man that has zero patience for mishaps. I don’t know who I’m going to be dealing with once I get home. I can’t believe that after all this time everything is at risk over an insignificant conversation. I am so mad right now that if I had Wendy in front of me I would slap her. I was so foolish, I should have walked away the second Eliza started to complain about the Righteous Regime, it is better to be considered rude than a traitor. But it is useless to regret it now, what’s done is done and all I can do now is to face what is coming. I have to think very