Four Broken Pieces ✓

Twenty

The house looked the same as the last time I'd been here and this time, I decided to pay closer attention to it. It had a long winding staircase and the lighting was a pale yellow color that cast long shadows in odd places. The furnishing, however, was beautiful, in a gothic and exquisitely rich sense.

"You have a beautiful home," I complimented and Ivan's father turned to give me a smile. They had the same smile, from what I'd observed the few times Ivan had ever smiled in my presence. Except, Ivan's father's smile sent shivers down my spine.

"You wait here. I'll go get the boys," he said and he disappeared up the stairs. As soon as he was out of sight, I picked up the phone to send a quick message to Violet, warning her to come pick me up in case I didn't call her in the next half hour. I still didn't trust this man, and the atmosphere of the house was doing nothing to ease my paranoia. It was ridiculous how nervous this man made me when he'd done nothing so far that could warrant the amount of panic his presence inspired in me.

"Look who I brought home."

I looked up the staircase to find Ivan's father with a wide smile on his face. Beside him was Ivan himself, who looked he'd seen a ghost. His normally tanned complexion had gone ashen. Alexei just looked disgruntled and confused presumably because he had no idea what was going on, while Mikhail had a pained expression on my face. Oh god, I'd known this had been a mistake but it still hurt to see how the three looked at me like I'd physically hurt them by coming here.

"You know I just realized that I have an extra shift at the rec," I started but Ivan's father had already cut me off with a treacherous smile and proceeded to come down the stairs. Ivan followed closely behind, his jaw tightened so alarmingly I was afraid it would snap.

"This is my wife by the way. Lydia," he called out as he came to stand in front of me. A woman came over to stand next to him, looking equally terrifying. Something in the way she stood like she could take down anyone or anything was equal parts fascinating and intimidating. If she hadn't given me the same look her husband had, the look that sent chills down my spine, I would have been amazed by how her mere presence seemed to dominate the room. I noticed also, that she bore no resemblance to Ivan other than their similar skin tones. Was this his mother or stepmother?

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," I said, keeping my voice as firm as I could as I extended a hand to the woman. She shook it, still not saying a word but merely looking at me like I was a rodent she had been forced to observe for a science project. Equal parts bored and attentive.

"Let's have dinner, shall we," said the man and all of us followed him to the dining room. I saw Mikhail whisper everything that had just happened to Alexei and the panic flared for a brief second in his eyes before subsiding. I sidled up beside him and reached out to clutch his hand. He shook me off and I was surprised at the pang in my heart at that rejection.

"Not here darling. You shouldn't have come," he whispered so low, that I barely caught his words before Mikhail dragged him away. For a minute I stopped moving and just watched him walk away. Perhaps I could leave now and just bolt out the door. But Ivan's mother/stepmother looked back in my direction, over the top of my head, and I turned to see two women standing by the door as if keeping me locked inside the house.

With a reluctant sigh, I slowly followed the boys to what would no doubt be a disastrous dinner.

We gathered around the dining table, which was loaded with dishes I couldn't even recognize. As I moved to sit by Ivan, his mother all but yanked me to sit firmly beside her. Ivan's father sat at the head of the table, with Ivan right beside him looking cautiously between his father and me like a bomb was about to burst. The tension at the table was overwhelming and I could feel my heart beat rapidly as sweat dotted my forehead. God this had been a horrible idea.