Games of Power and Prowess

Chapter 16: She's What?

The school day today was... meh. It wasn't especially good or bad. Just. Meh. Morgan and Jodie were elsewhere during lunch so it was just Emily and I. Don't get me wrong, Emily is still one of my best friends but she and I just don't have the same dynamic that I do with Morgan or Jodie. I think it's because even when I met her, she was always preoccupied with Logan.

She's gotten better about being on her phone all the time, though. I think when they broke up for that short bit of time, she realised how much she was missing. We talked about this and that, nothing really important. She did well on an exam in her Psych class despite not studying but I'm not surprised. She's a smart girl.

I knock on Nat's office door, hoping she opens it up before Janelle gets back to her post in the front. I don't know where she is but if she questions me one more time about "making Mrs Rocher happy again" I might scream. It's great that she's interested in making sure her boss is happy but I'm worried she'd flip out of she knew what was really happening.

"It's unlocked, idiot. Why do you always need me to open the door for you?" I hear from behind the door and laugh quietly as I step into the room. Natalie stands up and smiles at me, looking at my outfit and smiling wider. "You look nice." She compliments and I roll my eyes as I sit in the leather chair in front of her desk.

"I always look nice, Mrs Rocher." I quip, trying hard not to smile. Natalie scoffs and raises her hands playfully.

"My bad. I forgot the queen can't be complimented." She responds sarcastically, finally breaking my composure and making me smile. She laughs quietly and I look away from her dark eyes because of the emotion I feel for her.

"So, uh. Have you got any work for me?" I ask to change the subject. She takes a breath and walks around the large desk between us. When I finally look at her again, she's standing in front of me with her hands linked in front of her body. "What?" I question, a little laugh bursting from my lips to ease the tension that's building between us.

"Are you going to let me tell you about Caroline or are you going to keep avoiding it like it'll kill you?" She asks with seriousness in her eyes though the words are lighthearted. I look around, a smile still written on my face.

"I mean, I'm your assistant. You have complete control over me for an hour, you can do what you please." I answer simply, looking into her eyes. She sighs and comes closer to me, her hand travelling down my face and resting on my jaw as she looks at me before speaking again.

"That may be true but you know that I would never make you do anything that you don't want to. I care about you too much." She says softly, making sure I'm looking at her. She kisses my hairline and moves back to her previous position of leaning on the edge of the desk.

"I am curious to know more about her. You said you figured out why she looks like me?" I try to get the conversation started. She closes her eyes, not impatiently, more as if she were thoughtful, as she nods her head slowly. Once her eyes open, she sighs and crosses her ankles below her.

"Simon was right about one thing: you do look really similar to her. I thought it was just a coincidence but the other night, I was bored and maybe a little drunk." Her laugh pauses her little monologue for a moment. "I looked you up on social media, then I found your mum. When I saw your mum's photo, it all came back to me." She looks at me, gauging my reaction as she continues, "I recognised her almost immediately."

"Haven't you seen my mum before? You've seen photos of her on my phone..." my voice fades as I struggle to grasp what she's saying. I think I'm more in denial at this point.

"No, sweetie. You— Your mum's maiden name was Hood." She pauses once more, her eyes never leaving my face. "Caroline was her younger sister. I recognised your mum because I spent a lot of time with her after our parents split Caroline and I apart. We fell out of contact and I guess I kind of forgot about her."