77 - Peace

"I love that word. Forever. I love that forever doesn't exist, but we have a word for it anyway, and use it all the time. It's beautiful and doomed."

- Viv Albertine

. . .

It was giant.

Ivies crawled up its white walls, curling on the railing of the massive balcony of the mansion. It covered so much land and the stairs which led up to it seemed to be neverending. The garage on the right was the biggest I had seen. The mansion towered over everything, it seems to be towering over the damn clouds. The windows were dark, showing nothing of inside.

We got out of the limousine. I forgot to wait for one of them to open the door for me but I was too eager.

The mansion was so glorious.

"Yours?" I asked them. "Or does it belong to the capo?"

"Ours," Ashton answered simply and I wondered just how many digits their bank balances had.

We climbed the staircase and on the top of it, stood two men. Michael Brown smiled at me. "Hello, Liv."

"Hi." I liked him. He was nice and always smiling. He put me at ease.

The second man extended his hand towards me. He was tall and broad with rough features. His golden curls were tied back in a ponytail and green eyes. His face was firm and there was a scar, a large vertical scar, on his neck. I took his hand in mine, feeling myself shift closer to the Creeds.

"This is Samuel Creed," Xerxes said. "He is going to be your head bodyguard from now on. In our absence, he'll keep you safe."

He looked like a man who could keep someone really safe or really unsafe.

"He is our only bearable cousin," Zavier added. "He'll protect you with his life."

I nodded. "Hello, Mr. Creed. You can call me Olivia." He nodded. "Call me Samuel."

"Or Sammy," Micahel added. "He prefers Sammy."

Sammy rolled his eyes. "I do not. Feel free to call me Samuel." "He really prefers Samm-"

"Enough," Xerxes grumbled. "Is all of our stuff here?"

"Olivia's is in one of the rooms on the second floor, the one with the balcony," he added and I knew my expression brightened. "Yours is in the rooms surrounding it. All rooms are prepared though, so settle your ass in any room. Your kitchen shit." He looked at Zavier. "Your million books." He looked at Ashton. "Your million files." He looked at Xerxes. "And your million art supplies are all here." He said, looking at me. "I will be accepting thank you by a raise," he added.

"You already get too much," Ashton pushed past him, taking my hand in his.

I waved at Micahel who waved back and I walked inside the mansion with the Creeds.

The doors opening into a large hall of luxury. I had expected golden things, but this place wasn't all that shiny. It was gloomy - vintage and gothic.

It was so perfect.

Dark staircase crawled up the mansion, crossing each other on every floor. There were about five. Every floor formed a square balcony, framing the large hall five times. There were multiple doors and corridors. The ceiling had a giant, a freaking giant, chandelier hanging from it. It was switched off but its crystals reflected the light from the other lights of the mansion. The floor was pure marble and some couches were set up in the middle of the hall.

My fingers twitched to sketch all of this. "Elevator of stairs?" Zavier asked me.

"Stairs."

. . .

I felt like a princess standing at the large balcony which overlooked everything. I could see the guards at the gates from here. I could see the woods around us. I could see the hint of the city but it was too far away. I could see some people working in the front yard.

I could see Micahel and Sammy sucking faces. Apparently, Sammy was supposed to be with me only when I went out - which meant that I could go out. But under disguise, of course.

Sammy had Michael pushed against a tree.

I sipped the white wine I had stolen from the large collection there was in the caller beside the gigantic kitchen Zavier was in right now.

I walked inside the room, sliding the doors shut but kept the curtains open. I sat on my large king-sized bed which seemed to be made of clouds. My room was large, with a large closet that already had my clothes inside and a large bathroom.

I got under the covers, opening my laptop.

Tell mom.

If I did, I'd have to tell her a lot. The Creeds had assured me of her safety when they wanted my forgiveness in the car when I wasn't talking to them.

She'd be safe.

My stepfather was a strong man. He could keep my father out and with the Creeds protecting her, too, I doubted anything would happen to her.

What if something did happen to her?

No matter how kuch I disliked her, I could not let her be in harm's way when I could do something about it.

A few days went by, nothing happened between me and the Creeds. Our conversation in the limousine was a ghost that haunted all of us.

Did they love me still?

Knowing just how pathetic I was?

They were so powerful, so magnetic, and share of themselves.

I was nothing but a bundle of nervousness and too many problems.

We co-existed easily in the mansion. We didn't talk much. Just pleasantries yet their eyes lingered and darkened when they fell on me. We are giving you time, they seemed to say. And when you don't need more time, we'll pounce and it will hurt.

I wondered if the hurt was what I needed. If them controlling me in the bedroom was what kept the worries away from me a little - knowing they were there to shoulder the worries, to control them as they controlled me. They couldn't control my demons they were mine to fight. But they pushed them say when they took me in their arms.

They might have lied.

And they were still lying to me.

But everything in me silenced when they touched me. In that silence was the peace that I had always chased.

They were the peace I had chased for so long, even though they looked to be made of pure chaos.

. . .