Chapter 3: Special

Marcella gasped in horror as I entered the ballroom. “You ought not try to push Mr. Jerrick’s nerves. It certainly isn’t a good idea. I would rightly have you go to your room and clean up, but I don't know if it is worse to make Mr. Jerrick wait or to have you looking like this for dinner”.

“Oh, I’m not cleaning up” I said in a mischievous tone. “I either go to dinner like this or I refuse altogether. Which do you think would make Mr. Jerrick the most upset?”

“For heaven’s sake Leoni, I guess I will take you to him, but I want no part of whatever shenanigans you are cooking up, no part”. She led me through a set of doors that opened to an absolute utopia. The dining room looked as if it was right out of a magazine. Everything was set like the stereotypical fantasy dining room. A long table, dim lighting, candles, and even a fireplace; the scene sent shivers down my spine. If that wasn’t enough, the most delectable smell graced my nose as it mingled its way into the room from the nearby kitchen. I suddenly remembered how I looked and thought maybe I made a mistake. This is the most elegant dinner arrangement I have ever seen.

Mr. Jerrick had not yet graced us with his presence. “Marcella, do you think I have a few moments to go clean up a bit? I wasn’t expecting all of this”.

Marcella was not at all amused. “You made this mess, there is no time, Mr. Jerrick will be here any moment and you mustn’t be late. You chose this path, now live with your decision”.

“I-I---you’re right. I did make this decision. I do not regret it. I just had a momentary lack of judgment forgetting I was being held prisoner by complete lunatics!” Just as the words rolled off of my tongue, I felt a presence behind me and again a look of horror on Marcella’s face. “What?” I asked. “He is behind me, isn’t he?”

Marcella nodded her head slowly, still in shock.

“Well, that is rather rude don’t you think?” Mr. Jerrick did not seem amused. “Leoni, you are new and do not quite get the order of things around here so I will give you a pass today, but do not think for a second that I will ever let this slide again. You must think you are awfully cute pulling this little stunt”.

I put my fingers to my fake dimples, tilted my head, and moved my fingers like I was showing off. “Simply the cutest”. I said without a second thought but immediately regretted it.

“Very well, go on about your charade. It just proves my point why you must be here even more. You truly are a sad little girl. Always escaping your reality just to get a wink of comfort or attention. Let us sit down before the food gets cold. I would hate for the meal to be completely ruined”.

He gestured me to one end of the table, and he sat at the other. Marcella pulled out each of our chairs after which she seemed to disappear quickly out of the room.

“It is a wonder I haven’t lost my appetite, but I have lost my interest in having our little ‘orientation’ this evening. I will allow you to eat at my table because I will not let you get away easily as we both know that is what you want. So, finish your food and we will try this again when you are ready to behave”. He just stared deeply into me, the disappointment on his face as he spoke, yet unamused. I am not one to cower but tonight I felt like a piggie set for the slaughter. Mr. Jerrick seemed to have been able to blow my house down after all. But who was this big bad wolf? I quickly scarfed down my food so I could break free of his intoxicating presence.

He didn’t blow off the handle as I had expected he would. Is he not human? Is this some kind of Alien abduction? All I knew was that I was barely able to stay awake as I walked back to my room. Anxious to get to my bed and sleep hoping maybe, just maybe, I would awake in the morning to my own plain life, I was a bit perturbed to have Marcella greet me in my room.

“What do you want Marcella? Haven’t you done enough damage for the day? I just want to sleep and you are in stopping me from that. What now?”

“No need to be rude Leoni. I am just here to run a bath for you and explain how the day tomorrow will be going”.

“I can tell you how tomorrow will go. I will wake up, in my own life not in this psychotic dream world and go back to living as mundane as possible”.

“Ok think what you will, but in case this fantasy of you returning home doesn’t come to pass, know that tomorrow is Monday, and it will not be as much of a free for all as it is today”.

“This was a free-for-all” I chuckled sarcastically.

“Laugh all you want, but there is order around here. You will wake up at 7:00 am and breakfast will be brought to you. After breakfast, you will get ready and meet me down in the ballroom to which I will take you to your classes. I will discuss the rest with you in the morning. Now get some sleep”.

“Classes?”

“Yes, Mr. Jerrick shares top-notch education, especially in the arts”.

“He has abducted more people? Of course, he has”.

“Oh, I’m sorry Leoni, did you think you were special? This isn’t one of your little fairy tales where you are the center of the universe. But Mr. Jerrick does care for you and wants you to feel at home. Maybe you can make friends which you were lacking in your ‘perfect’ life. Now get some rest”. Marcella smirked. I began to realize that she wasn’t this sweet and caring lady I had thought her to be.

I just sat there at a loss for words as she left. I curled up in my blankets and lay there crying until I fell asleep. Just wishing that somehow a miracle could happen, and this was all just a dream. It had been such a long day and all I wanted to do was go home.