41. Chapter 41
Chapter 41
L ayla stretched and then opened her eyes. Something still didn't feel right, but it differed from the previous day. She didn't just feel mentally broken; she also felt bereft. Something was missing.
Maybe it was the fact she knew Jackson would see Britney and had left her stuck in this room.
She rolled over and punched her pillow several times before finally dragging herself to the bathroom. The stress had taken a more considerable toll on her than usual. She felt drained, just a shell of herself, as she stood under the shower spray.
She didn't understand why it felt worse this time when it hadn't got as far as it usually did. She hadn't even seen a wolf or heard the voices in her head, for that matter. All she'd had were hallucinations and feeling separated from reality. It had been pretty mild compared to her usual meltdowns.
But still, the feeling wouldn't let her go.
Once dressed in another t-shirt and jean outfit from Jackson's wardrobe, she walked over to the windows to look over the front yard. The sun had barely risen, but people seemed to be walking everywhere. Most were in groups and hardly talked. Some wore sweats and T-shirts, while others only wore shorts. They were walking up the driveway and heading to the side of the house that she couldn't see from this room.
Why did so many of them meet at such an early hour? But she was too exhausted to give it another thought.
She looked into the distance towards the gates that imprisoned her in this place. Something was drawing her gaze there even though she knew she couldn't attempt to escape again. Her whole body itched to go through those gates as if that was its only focus.
The pull to leave the house and walk out of the gates was so strong that she had to force herself to concentrate on something else.
Something safe, like the weather.
Since that storm, the heat had calmed down, so it looked like it would be a beautiful day. But she was going to be stuck in the bedroom. Alone.
Her gaze was forced back to the gates, and the cycle repeated. Why couldn't she shake it off?
With a sigh, she walked back to the bed and sat. She needed to be active to get out of her head and start thinking about what to do next. Instead, she was thinking of wolves, voices, and her mother, of all things. It was always that way. When she was younger, she imagined the wolf she could see and talk to was her mother. The school counsellor told her that was how she had chosen to cope with her abandonment issues. She'd never figured out why she'd see her mother as a wolf, of all things. And she didn't understand why she would still think about her when her mother probably never thought of her.
She was getting ready to lie back down for a day of doing nothing when there was a knock on the door. Since Jackson was gone, she knew he had left instructions for somebody to bring her something to eat. But she wasn't hungry and didn't want to see anybody else.
Especially after what happened the last time she opened the door when there was a knock.
But whoever it was persisted.
With another sigh, she walked over to the door.
"Who is it?" she called out.
"It's me. Diedre."
Was that woman there to try and give her another shot? Drug her up again so she would feel even more drawn to Jackson?
"Jackson asked me to bring you something to eat and then take you for a walk."
Her ears perked up. A walk? Jackson was going to allow her to walk outside without him? He seemed to believe she was safe now just because he had introduced her to his people, but there was something in the air in this place that told her she wasn't. And he had told her to stay in the room.
But to do that meant she would be alone with her thoughts for hours.
"I don't have a key," she called out.
But it seemed Diedre had. She heard the keys in the door, and then it swung open slowly as if Diedre was trying not to scare her. The woman stuck her head in and gave her a bright smile, the same welcoming smile that had sucked her in the first night. She couldn't fall for that shit again.
"Why did you knock if you have the key?"
"Just a courtesy, dear. This is your room; I can't intrude."
The woman knew it was Jackson's room, so she didn't bother arguing. Diedre walked in holding a tray of food, and took it to the coffee table.
"You look like shit," she said with the same bright smile.
"Thanks."
Diedre chuckled as she poured some coffee into a mug from a carafe.
"I don't mean it like that. You look like you haven't been resting well. It's good that Jackson is away then because we can have a girly day. After some fresh air, we can sit by the pool and drink."
"You have a pool here?"
"A couple. I see Jackson hasn't given you a proper tour," Diedre said as she gestured for her to sit in front of the tray to start eating. "I'll show you where everything is. It's quite beautiful here; I know you'll love it as much as I do. You might even consider staying forever."
Not likely.
She sat and resisted the urge to sniff the food in case the woman had laced it with more drugs. Diedre wouldn't have noticed, though. She carried on talking as if they were friends. She told her about having to wake up early to go and treat somebody's baby. She told her about the young boys who'd been fighting the night before, who she'd had to patch up.
Diedre was still talking when she finally put her empty plate back on the tray and wiped her mouth. She hadn't realised how hungry she'd been.
"Come on then. We'll start in the flower gardens."
Layla lifted her hand and touched the pendant that Jackson had given her. He'd said it would protect her out there; she hoped he was right. Maybe it was a sign of his ownership. Perhaps that was how men claimed people in his cult.
Diedre put her arm through hers as they walked down the hall. She was still making small talk and not giving her a chance to speak. She appreciated that. Having to think of something to say was the last thing she wanted right now.
Once they were outside, she was surprised nobody was there again. All the people she had seen from the window were gone.
"Nothing like fresh air in the morning," Diedre said as she led her in the same direction that Jackson had been taking her the day before.
It made her curious about what was on the other side where everyone had gone earlier.
She had no idea how long they walked, but Deirdre carried on speaking. She was right; there was something about being out in the open air. Her mind felt unburdened for the first time in hours since Jackson had been to see her. It felt like a weight had been removed from her body as she lifted her face to the sun. What would have made this complete would have been a run.
"We have an indoor pool and an outdoor pool. There are several public pools in the town, too," Diedre said. "Maybe one day we can even go shopping there. I feel like we're going to be good friends."
Again, that wasn't likely, but Layla nodded and smiled.
"The outdoor pool is on that side of the house. We'll stop there, then go in for some refreshments."
They turned the corner, and Layla stopped when she saw the last person she wanted to see blocking their path. The girl who had dragged her out of her room to get beaten up in the basement.