CHAPTER 9: THE NORTH WING

OLIVIA’S P.O.V

Dear Diary

I don’t like her, Belinda Cassidy. I know that it is wrong not to like someone just because they are with the person that you want, I was brought up better than that, I was taught better than that, yet I don’t like her. And it’s quite clear that she doesn’t like me either. Why does he even need a personal assistant when I literally did all the work by myself. I organized his meetings, made phone calls on behalf of him, sent out emails on his behalf, etc…what did she do? What does she even do? It really doesn’t look like she can do anything! Anyways that’s enough venting for today, I really hope that everything gets better. I haven’t spoken to my father since I left New York, it’s not like I am not trying but every time that I try to call him his phone goes on voicemail. I need to ask Dawn to check up on him, she is literally the only person I can count on…but I will do that tomorrow because tonight I am exhausted!

I put down my pen and shut my diary. Turning over, I switched my night lamp off and as soon as I laid my head on the pillow I fell into a deep, much-needed sleep.

….

A loud shriek broke my sleep, not knowing if it was part of a dream or reality I laid still on my bed, listening for any other sounds. A few minutes have passed and I heard nothing, turning to my right I saw that it was already 1 am. I planned to wake up by 6 am, so I still had a few more hours to indulge in my sleep, which I loved so much. Closing my eyes, I decided to do just that until another shriek made my eyes shoot wide open!!!

I didn’t lay still in bed this time, I sat right up. Someone is in danger! Someone needs help! I pulled off the covers and slipped on the shoes that were beside my bed. It was freezing!!! Like I mean literally freezing!!! I could see my breath, folding my arms  and cuddling myself to keep warm, I made my way out of my room. Everything was dark. I was thankful for the bright moonlight which lit up the hallway just enough to see that there was no one present. I was scared! This beautiful house looked haunted at night and with my history of watching horror movies, my mind decided to run wild! What if this place is haunted? It’s quite weird that it can get so cold at night while it was quite warm during the day. With a house this big, there is a huge possibility that it is haunted. I just hope that it is not the old man from the portrait in the ballroom, if he is haunting this house, his ghost doesn’t even have to do anything, he will just appear in front of me and I would die of a heart attack…not that I would be less afraid of it not his ghost, the thought of just seeing a ghost makes me want to run. I slowly tip-toed over to Austin’s room.

“Austin?” I called out a while, knocking on his door, but received no answer. “Auuuustin?” I called out again while knocking. Too scared to explore any further in this dark house, I ran back to my room and locked the door. I quickly scanned my room to see that nothing entered while I was in the hallway, I watched enough movies where the person locks the door and backs away from it only to find out that they have locked themselves in with whatever they were running from and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be that person! After seeing that the room was clear, I ran into my bed and pulled up covers, the shrieks stopped which was good however I was definitely not getting any sleep tonight, my fear would not allow it. A loud growl got my attention, looking out my window to see what wild animal may have entered the Stermyertina grounds, I noticed that the lights in the North wing were on. I sat by my window sile and watched closely.

My eyes grew heavy again as an hour has passed and I’ve seen nothing, I decided to go back to bed and ask the Hunters about it in the morning, but just as I was about to get off the tiny space by the window sile, I heard laughter. Listening closely it wasn’t, I realized that it wasn’t the laughter of one person, but a group of men. It seemed like they were making jokes with one another and having a good time, the voices and laughter got louder as the lights in the North wing switched off. It was pointless sitting here because not all I could see outside was pitch black, but I knew better than to leave my room and wander the halls of this ‘house’.

Still listening, the voices and laughter were much louder now as if the group of men entered the main building, sadly I still couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I was able to recognize Keith's voice and it sounded like Jake was laughing at a voice that he made…no, wait…hold on…that is not Jake laughing…it’s Austin! He sounded so happy…so different from the strict and stern Austin that I knew!

Maybe they were drinking, I thought to myself. Maybe they have their only little bar in the North wing and they go there every night to drink! It all kinda makes sense now, that’s why they forbid me to go there because they don’t want me to judge them! Especially Austin, he threatened me not to go there, because he doesn’t want me to find out about the real him, the friendly and jovial him that I heard tonight! Maybe he thinks that I won’t respect him anymore?

On the other hand, maybe it’s true! All of the rumors! Could it be true that they have all their enemies along with their families in the North wing?

I heard the door of the room next door open and then shut, confirming that it was Austin that I have heard. As big as my room is, I could hear him humming…but that tune that he was humming sounded so familiar. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I knew it. For some reason this tune made me emotional, my eyes become watery and I felt incomplete…hearing his voice…hearing this tune…made me want to be with him…