Seduce Me ~ The Path To Forgiveness

Path One, Step Three: My Awakening

They follow me upstairs and I show them where they'll be sleeping. "There are four bedrooms in both halls. Aside from the last room on the right in the right hand hall and, of course, mine you're welcome to any of them."

The walk up the stairs drained the last bit of energy I had and I feel ready to collapse, the sun already sinking in the sky. I watch Matthew pull open one of the doors and step in, his excited voice echoing back to us. "Whoa! This room is HUGE! Is this a bathroom? IT HAS IT'S OWN BATHROOM!"

"The bedrooms take up the whole top floor and yes, each room has its own bathroom." I call back, finding myself smiling once again.

"This is awesome!" He exclaims as Sam slips into the room behind him.

"Oi, out of my room brat." I can hear the smirk in his tone.

"Your room? I was here first!"

"And I called it. Dibs, see?"

"Sam leave Matthew alone." James reprimands but I can see a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Looks like you guys can handle it from here, I think I'll go to bed."

"Of course, it's been a long day. I'll try to quiet them down so have a pleasant evening, Miss." James smiles at me before a crash and shout grab his attention.

"OWW! HEY!"

"Sam, Matthew!" James shouts, stalking in after them. I glance around but Damien has already disappeared into one of the rooms and Erik is..

"Sweet dreams, beautiful." His breath tickles my ear but as I spin around he's moved to the door across from mine. "If you need anything you know where to find me." He winks and slips quietly into the room. I exhale sharply, not realizing I had been holding my breath, before retiring to my own.

I change quickly into a tank top and long night pants before slipping into my cool sheets. "Sweet dreams." I whisper quietly to myself. "I hope so."

I wake up the next morning groggy as always and force myself out of bed. I run my fingers through my hair, stifling a yawn, as I leave my room.

"Good you're already up." I freeze, suddenly very awake. Sam is standing at the top of the stairs just feet away from me with his hands in his pockets. I back up slowly, painfully aware of his gaze flickering across my exposed arms, and fumble behind me for the doorknob as I try to keep my left shoulder hidden. My heart races in panic as I stumble backwards into my room and throw the door closed. How could I forget they were here? I curse myself quietly for being such an idiot while I put on something more concealing.

I emerge a few minutes later to find Sam leaning against the wall across from my room with his arms folded against his chest.

"It's no big deal." He states simply.

"W..what?" I stammer, that wasn't what I had expected.

"Your scars. You don't even know how you got em right? So it's no big deal."

"Could you not mention it to the others? They just make me uncomfortable. The scars I mean." I can feel my face flush in embarrassment but he just shrugs, pushing himself off of the wall.

"Sure. Won't even think about it, promise."

"Thank you, Sam." I smile making him scratch the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yeah, no problem." He turns away from me and heads down the stairs. "Come on, breakfast is ready." I follow him down the stairs and into the large dining room. The curtains have been drawn, the morning light gently shining through the windows, and the glass doors leading to the backyard are thrown open letting in a soft breeze. Matthew and Damien are seated at the long table and greet me with a welcoming smile as I enter.