XXXIV. Untouchable

Cara

The water felt like ice on my back. I turned up the knob, increasing the pressure at which the water poured down on me. The water came down on me from different sides - it was one of those multihead showers.

I grabbed the shampoo and applied some of it on my hair. A soft honey scent spread in the air. I rubbed the shampoo into my hair then washed it out and did the same with the conditioner.

The shower cleared my head and rid it of the harsh memories of my most recent nightmare. The dream had given me quite a shake. It had been so vivid. So real. Every moment had felt real and for a moment it felt like... I was looking into the future.

Without even dressing up, I secured the towel around my body and took my phone from where I had kept it in my luggage bag.

The first thing I saw upon unlocking the device was the my screensaver, a photo me and my father smiling, eating pancakes at this diner we used to go to before we moved to California. I remembered that day. It was the first day of the previous summer vacation, almost exactly a year ago. The memory brought an ache to my chest and I felt the urgent need to talk to my father.

It was a few minutes to six o'clock. After the having the nightmare, I had woken up suddenly, drenched in sweat and panting like a dog. It hadn't been the funnest of moment. Thereafter, I made the decision to just get started with my day.

I dialed my father's number. He immediately picked up.

"Dad." I stabilized my voice as best I could. I didn't want him to worry.

"Cara, are you ok? Is everything fine? Do you want me to come pick you up?"

"I'm OK. Are you ok?"

"Yes. Where are you?" He asked the same question he had the day before and I gave him the same answer. "Somewhere safe."

"Location."

" Ummh... " I used the back my hand to urge away the curtains and peered outside. Rays of early morning sunlight streamed into the room. Looking past the balcony of the room, I saw an endless wood, rising and falling in altitude. " About thirty degrees north of the house."

"A more accurate location that I can use to get to you," he ordered.

"That's all I can give you," I said.

"I can't believe you left like that. How could you? Why did I let you leave? Do you truly believe that that man can keep you safe? You don't hide from the mafia in the mafia."

"I assume you're witness protection ,"I shot back. He sighed audibly. I changed the subject. "How is Liza? "

"You are changing the subject, but she recovered. Whoever Ivan sent came and erased her memories...along with her parents. And she left....Cara, promise me you will never do that to me. Even if you need to. "

With a shaky breathe I responded, " I promise."

May it never come to that...

I cut the call short, careful not to start crying with my father hearing.

A knock sounded at the door, succeeded by a louder one and the door came ajar. I had barely taken a step when two neatly dressed women entered the room.

"My lady," one greeted and they both curtsied before me. It was weird seeing women way older than myself bowing at me. They showed so much respect just because I was their master's guest. I wondered how they treated the master himself!

"Good morning,"I greeted back.

"Master Vasiliev has sent us to ready you for the departure " Listening well as she spoke, I noted her Polish accent. It was light but still noticeable. "I'm Brienne, this is Anna."

Brienne was short with blonde hair and dim blue eyes while Anna was about the same height and had hazel eyes. Anna had tied a blue scarf over her hair but a dark brown lock peeked out whereas Brienne tied her blonde locks in a simple Dutch plait - almost similar to the classic French plait.

The two women shared a look and Anna walked towards the messy bed and began to tidy it up. She removed the sheets, went to the closet, grabbed a clean pair and began to spread it.

"You have already washed, my lady," noted Brienne. I nodded.

She went to the closet which was on the far side of the room and returned with a stark white silk robe. She stood in front of me as if she was waiting for me to just drop my towel. I did not.

"You shall wear this as you have your morning meal, " she said. I took the robe in my hand and wore it over the thick cotton towel that was tightly wrapped around my body then pulled off the towel from underneath the robe. I was unwilling to reveal my body to these strange women.

The door quietly swung open again and the girl from the previous night walked in. She silently pulled in a food service trolley and began to set up breakfast at the table.

Once the girl was finished she gave me a brief curtsy and exited. Brienne pulled up a chair at the table for me. I now realized that around here, they did everything for the guests. But I was going to change that -for my case that is, it was not my business if others liked to be pampered like newborn children.

"You do not have to do every single thing for me," I told the middle aged woman but it came out as an order.

"Very well then," she said, nodding in agreement. Her gaze held on my face and she smiled.

"What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"No. Your just so mundane."

Mundane? As in overly ordinary? Too human?

It seemed that everyone found me mundane. First Kogo : now Brienne.

"Oh. I'm sorry if I offended you, my lady, " she apologized, realizing that I was less than happy to be called 'mundane'.

"It's alright."

I was delighted to find that the meal consisted of blueberry pancakes with syrup, eggs, bacon and many other things which did not matter now that there were pancakes!

It felt as if this was Ivan's way of apogizing.

***

"How far away are we going?" I asked Brienne who was tying the ribbon of my dress. The dress ivory. It had little pink flowers at the bottom. It was long, ending just above my ankles. It had long lacey sleeves and v-shaped neckline.

The dress exposed very little and I liked it. Somehow, I felt that I needed to make a good impression wherever we were going.

"Far but not distant, "Brienne replied, putting the pendant Ivan had given me around my neck.

"Far but not distant?"

"You will see, my lady, " the woman said. I let it go.

"Are you coming?" I questioned, I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping that she would be joining us on our journey. So far she was the only one I was comfortable with.

"Yes. Anna and I are. We serve as your handmaidens," she informed me. "But we will leave after you do. You will find us there though."

"How do we travel?"

Brienne continued to fix up my hair as we talked. She had styled it beautifully. I was shocked to find that the pins she used to hold it up were decorated by bright white pearls.

I figured that we would travel by aeroplane to this place that was 'far but not distant'. What she said next shocked me.

"We shall use the main portal."

"What?"

"It's much faster than the others, and less draining." She studied my face and came to the realization that I had no clue what she was talking about. "Have you never portalled before? "

I shock my head vigorously, making it clear to her that I had never done such.

"Well then, you are in for a surprise. "

She never elaborated on whether it would be a good surprise or a bad surprise.

"Brienne, another question. Don't you think that this is a little much?" I questioned, gesturing at the gorgeous dress I wore and the pearl bracelet I now on my wrist." Are we meeting important people or something?"

She chuckled. " Oh silly, darling, you are important people."

***

Brienne escorted me to where I was supposed to meet Ivan before we left. I realized that the house was much larger than I had first thought it was. Just like in the dream I had had the night before, the mansion had many twists and turns.

We descended down a flight of stairs in the southern wing of the house. At the bottom Ivan stood waiting. I felt extremely exposed as his gaze raked my form top to bottom. Sometimes his stare made me feel as if I was about to fall, all body functions failing me. This was one of those times.

Reaching the last step, Ivan held his hand out to me. I took his hand as the handmaiden let me go. She gave a curt bow to Ivan and then -much to my surprise - to me.

"You look exquisite as always," he whispered, kissing next my cheek. A thousand men could complement me but it would never mean as much to me as when this one man did.

"Thank you," I told him.

"Dear Goddess! Your scent drives me insane, " he continued, unaware of just how much his own scent affected me. It seemed that we both drove each other to the brink of insanity.

He pulled away from my neck but still held by the waist. I never wanted him to let me go. His hold on me now meant safety. His scent promised security and comfort. It made me forget the rest of the world.

His soft breath silenced all the voices in my head that told me all was not well.

"How did you sleep?" He asked, gently stroking my cheek with the back of his hand.

"OK, "I responded, leaving out the part about my dream.

His suddenly slipped his hand around the nape of my neck and simultaneously used his thumb to force my chin up.

"You had a nightmare, " he stated, looking deeply into my eyes.

"How did y-"

He cut me off. "I can tell."

"Am I that transparent?"

"No. I'm just good at reading you, " he stated flatly. "What was it about? Tell me everything."

I could not disobey his command. He was not the kind to disobey. I told him all about it. From the wolves' attack in the forest to the sword in my father's chest. By the end of it, my cheeks were wet with tears.

Ivan placed soft kisses on my cheeks, wiping away my tears.

"I promise nothing of the sort will happen. You father is heavily guarded, no one will harm him and where we are going, you will be untouchable."

He kissed my lips, with great passion and I already felt untouchable .