Phonophobia

|17|

~Payne~

7:40 am.

I tugged at the neck of my turtleneck shirt as I approached her room. Her room was at the end of the wing, the same floor as me.

I don't know why I'm feeling uncomfortable, the air around me felt stuffy and my hands were clammy. It was unlike me to be nervous, all this lack of confidence is new to me.

I told Gerard to cancel gun practice this morning because Baybi was in. She sleeps like a baby whale, her snores are funny.

There were no guards in front of her door, there was no way she'd escape a mansion with sixty bodyguards, unless she's Tom Cruise or something.

I run my hand through my hair when I reach her door and after taking in deep breaths, I twist the knob and the door opens.

Orianna was sitting Indian style on top of her bed, a chess board in front of her. She hadn't changed out of her clothes. Yet. The room was lit and the walls were plain, it looked awful.

"It's one thing that you don't know how to stay out of people's lives but it's absurd that you can't fucking knock, daddy." She said, her tone blank but mocking.

I tore my eyes from the walls and looked at her. Her attention was on the board.

"Watch how you talk to me," I told her. "Not many people talk to me like that and live to see the next day."

She scoffed and moved a black pawn.

"Like I give a shit."

I sighed and walked to her.

"Orianna we have to talk." I said.

She chuckled humorlessly and shook her head.

"You want to talk now? I guess fucking my friend last night gave you the courage." She said moving a white knight forward. "She was screaming all night."

"Don't bring that into this." I gritted out, my palms clenching.

I can't believe my own child is talking to me like this.

"Should have known she was a fucking whore too." She muttered.

"Orianna!" I shouted.

She flinched and then tensed, her body went stiff. Blood was rushing through my skull to my pulsing heart and to the rest of my body.

I'm sure my palms would have imprints of crescents formed by my fingers digging into them. I know I get angry easily and I do shitty things when I am but what kind of father would I be if I hit my own daughter?

She's always been my sweet girl, the girl that had pretty grey eyes and long brown hair. The girl I've never shouted at, the girl that has always loved me.

But the girl in front of me had storms in her eyes and rainbow patterns for hair.

I don't know how that all got fucked up in less than two months.

I cursed and ran my fingers down my hair furiously before bringing them down to the chess board on the bed. I picked it up and flung it to the other side of the room.

Orianna winced from the act but didn't say anything, the board broke into two unequal pieces and a dent formed on the wall from the impact.

"Don't fucking call her that. Do you hear me?" I said, my voice shaky due to anger.

"Whatever." She muttered after a while and stood up from the bed, walking to her study desk.

My anger somewhat boiled down when I realized she responded to my demand.