Better Off Away (BOOK 2)(Wattys2016)

Belonging More Than Ever Before

Jack's chauffeur drives the limousine away from the city and down a long, winding road until he stops in front of a large, wrought-iron gate. Behind the gate lies a long gravel path which leads to the Creal Home. Mind you, this wasn't their actual mansion. Their mansion was on Long Island; their home was where the interns were housed.

It was by no means a small place.

As Robert drove through the now-open gates I took in the home with eager eyes. This was where I was going to be living. The Home was made of large stone, a warm honey brown color that was soaking in the afternoon sunshine. Ivy clung to some of the walls, trailing near the large windows that sailed up and down the sides of the home. I looked to the sides of the large Home to see trails of gardens winding around the house.

I could only imagine the grandeur on the inside of the Home.

Roger stopped the limousine in front of the main entrance and opened my door. I step onto the gravel and instantly I'm welcomed by a gentle voice, tainted by a slight accent. "Hello and welcome to our Home."

I turn to see a kind looking girl near my age. She has dark, wavy hair and chocolate colored eyes that are warm with kindness.

"Hello," I say back, awkwardly standing next to the limo without any luggage.

"I am Mia Thompson; I'm going to be the one in charge of your room and board here in our Home."

My lips purse as I process the beginning of her sentence. "You aren't a Creal?"

"I am going to be one... eventually. I'm soon to be engaged to a Creal, you see." Her eyes twinkle, but I sense that there's an edge of... victory in her voice. She can't be much older than me, but I think she's much more competitive. I feel she's marrying for the position. Not the man, whoever he may be.

"Do you have any bags?" Mia eyes Robert, probably wondering why he's just standing there, waiting to be dismissed rather than getting my bags.

I shake my head. "No... they're coming later." I figure Jack can't be that much of an asshole. Surely he'll send them back later with Roger.

Mia arches an eyebrow. "Alright, well, come with me." She begins leading me through the hallways, past numerous rooms. I take it all in: the chandeliers, the ornate wood floors, the Persian rugs, and the immaculate furniture - all of it.

Finally, Mia motions to a door with a small sign on it. The sign reads: Lavender Room.

"Lavender?" I question.

"It is named after Lavender Creal, one of the first to marry into the Creal family." Mia's voice takes on a sense of pride.

I nod, becoming somewhat weary of her motives to marry in. "I see."

"Dinner is in two hours. It's a formal occasion and takes place in the East Wing dining room. I'll be around to collect you shortly before it begins. Settle in for now. Your roommate is already in there." She motions to the Lavender room.

Mia glides away, already gone before I can ask her what I'm supposed to do if my bags aren't here by dinner.

I open the door to my new bedroom. Inside is a cavernous room, filled with luxurious furniture and plenty of space. The walls are cream-colored and directly across from the door is a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a garden as well as a small door leading to a balcony. There are two beds to the left side of the room and they both have canopies of soft-pink fabric embroidered with metallic gold. To the right of the room are three doors. One of them is opened to reveal a bathroom which is just as ornate as the bedroom. The other two doors, I imagine are closets - one for me and one for my roommate.

One of the doors open and a girl my age walks out, jumping slightly at the sight of me. She's dressed in a sport bra and yoga pants, but that's not the first thing I notice. She has bright, stop-light colored hair and as she crosses to me, she smiles genuinely.

She waves to me with just her fingers and when she speaks I notice a rich tone to her voice that makes it deeper than average, but not manly sounding. "Hullo, there. I'm your roommate, Lola Bradford."

I smile back, instantly liking her. "Hi, I'm Macey Littlefield."

"So where are you from, Macey?" Lola begins carrying an arm full of clothes from a suitcase at the end of her bed to the closet.

I follow, taking in the vast array of items in her wardrobe. "I'm from California. A small town there."

Lola's still smiling. "Really!? That's so cool. I'm from New Jersey... Not far from here, actually."

I nod, handing her a pile of skinny jeans that she'd dropped.

"Thanks, hon. So, how was the trip from Cali?"

I roll my eyes, an image of Jack immediately popping into my mind. "Oh, I've had better."

Lola looks up from where she's organizing her clothes. "Oh? Why's that?"

I shrug. "Well, my parents bought me a first-class ticket to, like, give me a gift and it turned out being worse than sitting in coach. I was put next to a first class asshole that took more than just my sanity. He stole my luggage."

Lola's eyes go wide. "What?!"

I nod. "Yeah, he told me he'd help me get a cab and then he ended up giving me his chauffeur and his limo.... And then I realized he had kept my luggage."

Lola shook her head, confused. "Why would he do that?"

I begin the whole sordid tale of the airport and what fell down between Jack and me.

Lola laughs as I finish up and I notice she has a beautifully raspy laugh. "Sounds like a jack ass if you ask me."

I laugh because she's right: Jack is an ass.

"Well, until then, you can borrow my clothes. As you can see I have plenty and we're about the same size so you're in luck."

I sigh. "Thanks, I was a little worried about this dinner we have to go to. I didn't know what I was going to wear."
Lola smiles and there's a devilish smirk in it. "I have just the right dress for you. Help me take the last of my clothes in and then we can start getting ready."

I look around the room once more, taking it all in. I have nothing here. Nothing. But I think I may just belong more than ever before.

•••

A/N:
On the side is a pic of the Creal Home.

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Love alway, Samantha <3