Chapter 2: Second Thoughts

Stepping into this room was like stepping back in time. As Wess walked through the door, the antique rolltop writing desk was the first thing to catch his attention. He walked across the room to open it. But someone had It locked! Why, what good is a writing room if I can’t get the desk opened, he thought. He decided to ask about that later. On the side of the room that he had entered was what looked like a comfortable recliner. There was a small table on one side of the chair and a tall floor lamp on the other side. On the other side of the room was a conversation set. It had a low table with a love seat on the left and two chairs on the other side. There was nothing else in the room except for the plush carpet and the bookshelves that lined the outer walls.

He went back out to his bed-chamber. Then he walked across the room to the other door. It had a thin pocket door that He slid open and walked in. The changing area was extremely spacious. On one side, there was a vanity with a mirror. There was a bench right beside it. On the other side, there was a bar all the way across to hang his clothes. Above that, there were shelves. Drawers were also going all the way across, at the bottom.

The bathroom was the largest that he had ever seen. It was even more spacious than the restrooms at his school. There was a toilet with a built-in bidet, two long vanity-style countertops with sinks and mirrors, a jacuzzi-style bathtub, and a walk-in shower. He went back into the sleeping chamber. It was all too much for him. He had to get out of there.

Without giving it much thought, he ran out of the room. From there, he ran down the hall to the stairs, down the stairs, and out the door. He just kept running down the driveway to the street. From there, he realized that this estate was in the middle of nowhere. But he didn’t give it too much thought. He just picked a direction and continued running. He wasn’t sure how long or how far he had run, but it seemed like a very long way. As he stopped to catch his breath, he realized that he recognized the area.

This area was where his abandoned house was. When He got there, he went around to the back. Someone had boarded The house up with thick security locks on the doors, so there was no way to get in. Or, at least that’s how it seemed. Wess went to the far corner of the house, where there was a loose section of skirting. When he pulled it out, and there was just enough room for him to squeeze through. Then Wess would just stand up, lifting the trapdoor panel. Then he would grab the string and pull the stairs down to climb into the attic.

He thought that this was the best room in the house. When he learned how to get in last year, He decided to fix it up. He mostly worked on the attic, though, because it was his favorite room. But it didn’t matter what he was doing in the house. He enjoyed working on it. So far, it was the only thing he was good at, and it took his mind off the bad stuff. As soon as he got to the attic, he realized that his property was indeed gone.

It just hit him, and he finally realized that all of his belongings from here were in that truck. How did they get in here to get it? He couldn’t take anymore. He just laid down on the floor and curled up in a ball. The next thing he knew, he was asleep. He dreamed about C J. She was trying to tell him something important, but he couldn’t understand her. There was something about his destiny, and it put him in danger. He suddenly woke up, looked around, and realized where he was.

In this place, alone. The gloom of the night cradled him like an old worn blanket. It didn’t feel suffocating like in the brightness of the room he had just fled. In this drafty old house, he could hear the sounds of the night. It was like a lullaby tugging him back into slumber. This was the only place that he felt at home. His very own house was abandoned and forgotten. It fit the story of his life.

It was still the middle of the night, so he laid back down and fell back to sleep. From here out, he just had nightmares. As the night progressed, they got worse, but he couldn’t wake up. Until the morning, something woke him up. He didn’t know what it was, but he was glad to be awake. He just sat there staring at the trapdoor like something was supposed to happen. He didn’t think something would happen, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was supposed to happen.

He was about to force himself to look away from the trapdoor when it suddenly opened. Then, a head popped up. A girl’s head! It was C J. What was she doing here, and how did she get in? She answered the question as if she had heard him think it.

“Daddy owns this house,” she said, “The land is part of his estate, so he has a key to get in.”

“Did you hear my thoughts?” He asked.

“No,” she said, “It was just the obvious question for you to ask. I thought that I would save you the time of asking it.”

“Do I have to go back?”

“No,” she said, “I told you that you’re not a prisoner. You always have a choice, remember? If you would rather live here, Daddy says it’s yours. He will even provide the materials to fix it up, but until it’s finished, you’re welcome to stay at the mansion. If you want to, that is.”

“I don’t know. The only decisions I ever made were to run away from the group home and to fix this house.”

“That’s a start. But why did you want to fix it up? My guess would be; that you didn’t want to live like this. Why did you run away from the mansion anyway? Is it not good enough for you?”

“I don’t know. I guess that’s the problem. I feel like it’s too good to be true,” Wess said, “I’m not exaggerating when I say that no one has ever been nice to me, so why would things suddenly go my way?”

“I see what you mean. It’s just too much at once,” C J said, “And I can’t expect you to trust me. You don’t have to let your guard down, but I do ask that you try to give me the benefit of the doubt. Have a little faith. You’ve been through so much bad stuff, and you’re way overdue for some good.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so! And if you come back to the mansion temporarily, I’m sure there’s a room that’s more suited for you.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

They climbed down from the attic and walked through the house. As they walked out the front door, Wess noticed that a car was waiting for them. They got into the car, and it started moving. Wess couldn’t see who was driving because the divider between the front and back was up, so he just sat back and looked out the window. They didn’t talk the rest of the way back to the mansion. When they arrived, they got out and walked through the front door.

“So, where’s this room that you think is better suited for me?” Wess asked.

“Explore your wing,” C J said. Then she walked up the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

Explore my wing? He thought to himself. He walked up the stairs. What did she say before? “The top half, including the attic!” He started walking down the hall. He already knew what was in the first two doors on the right, so He started with the doors across from them. He went through the first door. This room was enormous, like a studio of some kind with large windows across the entire back wall. The middle of the room was mostly empty, but tables and countertops were lining the room. He couldn’t tell what was on the tables. Sheets covered Everything in this room.

This room was the size of two rooms and had a second door. Wess exited through the other door. The other three rooms were just spare bedrooms. The one thing that he didn’t see was a way to get to the attic. He couldn’t find a staircase, ladder, or even an access panel. Why would they even mention the attic if there was no access? He decided to give up for now and went back to the suite.

He sat on the bed to think. He was looking around the room when he noticed that there were pictures on the wall. All of the paintings seemed to go together to tell a story. It started with a king. It was King Arthur holding Excalibur. The stone from which he pulled it was behind him. As Wess walked around the room, the pictures told a story. The last in the series was Merlin, the magician. As he studied the painting, he noticed a scroll on the ground by Merlin’s feet.

The writing was too small to read. At the top of the scroll, however, there was a word. It looked like a name. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like his name, Wesson! He needed something to help him get a better look. He looked around the room again. There, on the vanity, was a magnifying glass. “Where did that come from?” he asked out loud. Never mind, since it’s here, I’ll use it. He picked it up and went back to the picture of Merlin.