Taliah
I 'm escorted up the cracked cement steps towards the large wooden double doors that appear to be splintering from age. The brass knockers have started to tarnish, and cobwebs have gathered in the corners. The stranger grabs ahold of one of the knockers and hauls the heavy door open.
I couldn’t conceal my shock even if I tried. The inside of this place is a huge contrast to the outside. I step inside and my ratty Converse squeaks across the black-and-white tile floor. Above me hangs a vintage chandelier with crystal drops that are reflecting rainbows across the walls. The walls are bright white and house black frames full of old photos and news articles.
The too-happy stranger leads me through the hallway by several closed doors with frosted glass. An ominous feeling starts building in the pit of my stomach. I take a look behind me all but forgetting that Mr. Adams and his goons are following us. He gives me a reassuring nod as he urges me to keep walking. I follow the man into a plush office at the end of the hall.
A large cherry wood desk sits in the middle of the room with a black leather chair behind it. The man flings himself down into the leather chair and folds his hands in his lap while giving me a chilling smile. He waves to the set of leather chairs in front of his desk. Mr. Adams and I each lower ourselves onto the stiff seats while his men line up along the back wall by the door.
The still nameless stranger picks up the phone on his desk and dials a number before requesting for someone to meet him in his office. He leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers and eyeing me like a predator. His smile makes my stomach roll with nausea, but for some reason I feel like he’s not the one I need to worry about.
His wandering eyes gleam with sinister intent as goosebumps raise on my skin. I grip the arms of my chair tight, my nails almost piercing the leather. My leg bounces up and down against my will with my anxiety. The door opening behind me makes me tense, and my back goes ramrod straight when I hear the footsteps padding across the carpeted floor.
Another man walks up beside the nameless man's desk. He’s dressed in a suit without the tie and shiny leather dress shoes. His brown hair is longer on the top and shorter on the sides. He has it gelled back from his face so tight that his wrinkles seem to be non-existent. His hands are clasped in front of him, and black tattoos peek out from the cuff of his suit jacket. Dead brown eyes peer at the other man as he starts to speak.
“Thank you for joining us, Dr. Logan. You know Mr. Adams already; he’s brought with him Miss Taliah Barlow. She will be our new resident here.” He sweeps his hand out in front of him, gesturing to me. The other man still doesn’t look my way, though. “Taliah I’m Mr. Pickett, the headmaster here at Harmony Heights, and this is our resident doctor, Dr. Logan Mitchell.”
The other man, who I now know is Dr. Logan, finally looks over at me. His dead eyes make shivers run down my spine. The ominous feeling that I had when I walked in here I now realize is fear as he stares at me. As he scrutinizes me from across the room, there is a flicker of something in his eyes. I’m not sure what it is, but his eyes seem less dead for a few seconds.
“Mr. Pickett, as I mentioned on the phone, Taliah is here to pay off the large debt from her parents.” Mr. Adams speaks to the man behind the desk. “We don’t need to sugarcoat any of this, but I do ask that your doctor over there keeps himself in check.”
The hardness in Dr. Logan’s eyes is back as he stares down the bridge of his nose at Mr. Adams. I’m not sure what Mr. Adams means about the doctor keeping himself in check, but it makes my heart beat faster.
“Well, I can’t promise anything, as you very well know, sir. You did agree to bring her here in exchange for payment, and you know exactly what that entails. The moment you walk back through those doors, her fate is in our hands.” The smile that Mr. Pickett gives Mr. Adams makes me want to vomit up everything I ate earlier.
I shift in my seat, sweeping my eyes around looking for a way out of here. My odds of escaping without being caught are slim, but the fear that I have right now makes those odds seem much larger than they are. Bracing my feet on the floor, I go to stand up, and Mr. Adams grabs my arm, tugging me back down into the chair with a glare.
The deep timber of a male voice resonates through the room, making me freeze. The hairs on my arms raise, and a funny feeling happens in my lower stomach as he talks. The baritone of his voice vibrates through me in a way that makes my brain go blank.
“I can assure you Mr. Adams that Little Taliah will be in very good hands here with me. She will be treated with the utmost care here at Harmony Heights.” His smile promises malicious intent as his eyes flicker with an emotion I can’t quite place. Mr. Adams scoffs next to me like he doesn’t believe a word that just came out of Dr. Logan’s mouth. Somehow I’m not sure that I believe it either. I look over at the headmaster as he leans back in his chair. His eyes are traveling my body with no shame, and when he sees I caught him, he winks and smiles back. Leaning forward, he grabs some papers and a pen and tosses them to the other side of the desk near Mr. Adams. He slides a checkbook out from a desk in his drawer next and places it in front of him while grabbing another pen.
“You know what to do from here, I’m sure. Sign by the X's, and then you’re free to go.” He states snidely.
The look that Mr. Adams gives me is one of sorrow. I didn’t think a man like him could even feel sorrow, and I have a feeling he actually means it too. He reaches for the papers and signs by the X’s as he flips through them. When he’s done, he tosses them back onto the desk and moves to stand. Mr. Pickett scratches away on the check and tosses it at Mr. Adams, who grabs it out of the air and stuffs it in his pocket.
“I’m sorry that it had to come to this Taliah. I hope that someday you may be able to forgive me, but I understand if you can’t.” He peers down at me, and the sadness he’s feeling emanates from his eyes and his voice. Giving me one last look, he turns and walks out of the office with his goons trailing behind him.
Their shoes clicking through the hallway is the only sound that's heard in the office. I watch as his back fades from sight, then swing my gaze to the front of the office. Dr. Logan and Mr. Pickett are both staring at me in very different ways. One stare is full of creepy sexual intent, and the other is full of harsh curiosity. I shiver from their burning gazes on me. I have no idea what is in store for me now, but I have a feeling that it won’t be a walk in the park. I thought my life was shitty before, but now? Now I think it just got worse.
“Welcome to Harmony Heights Little Lamb; I think I just might be your favorite host during your stay.”