Chapter 10

Goldie Parson's room remained untouched ever since she passed. It was as if it had looked like that ever since she returned from college, almost as if she was still alive and just went out for a quick cup of coffee. There were lipstick tubes on the dresser, a bottle of Victoria Secret body mist with the cap on the floor, her brush that still had her blonde curly strands of hair in it and her laptop on her unmade bed.

The Parsons had been kind enough to let Colin have a look in the room, but now it felt like a bad idea. the room smelled soft and flowery, how he imagined that Goldie smelled before she died. The bed undone, her slippers casually lying on the floor like she had left it there.

It was all too much. And too soon too.

The Parsons had also offered that he could stay in their guest room, for the meantime but Colin quickly declined after seeing her room.

Her very essence still clung to the house. He could smell her, he could almost hear her laughter down the hallway. It was the house they had both grown up together in, running in the hallways while Mrs Parson yelled for them to slow down. Sleepovers in her room whenever his parents were out of town or having one fight or the other.

All the things he could never forget no matter how hard he tried.

"Stay for coffee."

Mrs Parson had pleaded.

He humbly obliged.

The two of them sat quietly across from each other. Mr Parson was away for work. Mrs Parson mentioned that he had been burying himself inside work and even more work since the incident happened.

"Sugar?"

She asked and he nodded.

"Two cubes please."

Mrs Parson smiled fondly.

"I see you still have a sweet tooth."

"Always."

"You and Goldie used to get so sick eating so much sweets on halloween."

Colin chuckled.

"We would wake up with the worst tummy aches."

"Ah yes! I'm glad you still remember. I can't seem to forget anything too."

"All day, everyday I am haunted by memories of her."

Colin nodded slightly.

"I know. It must be very hard on you."

Mrs Parson touched her face, the past few days had been hard on her. Her face seemed to have aged a decade since she got the news.

"No on prepares for the loss of a child. No on expects it..."

"And so sudden too.."

"You know Goldie just finished college. She had so many plans."

Colin nodded.

"Yes. I was supposed to come and see her. But I had work to do, I wish I had come earlier."

He remembered the last call they had, she had repeatedly asked to see him but all he did was complain of how much work he had to do. And how he was swamped with work. He told her he wouldn't be able to see her on her birthday, she had sounded a little bit unhappy. If he had known it was her last day on earth, he would have dropped everything and made his way to her.

Mrs Parson shrugged.

"You had no way of knowing."

"Nana took it very badly too."

Mrs Parson added, she had barely touched her coffee.

"Really? How is she now?"

Colin asked. He didn't see her at the funeral. The old woman lived in a nursing home and despite the fact that she was old and mostly sick, she and Goldie were really close. They were like two peas in a pod.

"Oh she wouldn't come to the funeral. She believed Goldie wasn't dead. She even threw a whole fit and all, she had to be sedated."

Colin shook his head. He knew Mrs Parson had a complicated relationship with her mother.

"That must have been very hard on you. I think Nana must have been in shock."

Mrs Parson nodded her head.

"The doctor said she'll come around, but she promised never to forgive me for burying her."

Colin reached out and held Mrs Parson's hand.

"If there's anything I can do to help, just know that I'm here. I'll help you."

Mrs Parson smiled and nodded. She wiped her dry eyes with an handkerchief.

"But you wouldn't stay here..."

Colin sighed. He looked around the room.

"I can't. It's too much."

"When I close my eyes I see her. I still hear her laughter, there's a lot of her here that reminds me of her and I'm not sure I'm ready to face that yet."

"I'll be close. I'll be around town and I'll visit as often as I can but I cannot stay here."

He reiterated and Mrs Parson nodded, tears blurring her vision.

They sat together in the silence, doing nothing but just drinking coffee.

The chef had prepared a feast. Lamb roast, which was said to be Marielle's favourite. With sides of mashed potatoes, salads and fresh green vegetables. After her walk in the garden Valentina had stuck to her room, the atmosphere in the house had changed due to Marielle's arrival, there was loud laughter, more people in the yard and everyone seemed to be happy. Valentina felt she was better off staying away.

Nobody came for her till dinner time, not even Remy. He had also been equally engrossed with Marielle, she saw them talking on the balcony snd they looked so serious. When they caught her liking they went inside, with Marielle slightly waving at her. She wondered why they never dates, or if they actually did. They were close enough and by all her accounts they grew up together. Marielle was stunning and Remy was handsome, they would have made quite a gorgeous couple.

"Sit here."

Ellen murmured as she pointed at the head of the dining table, it was directly opposite from Remy, but also far away from him. Marielle sat next to his left and Kale to his right, Valentina felt left out. But she kept her mouth mute.

Not that she cared for their little club anyways. She would still find a way to leave.

She ate her dinner quietly, while the rest made small talk.

"Are you enjoying the food? You haven't said much."

Marielle asked and Valentina shrugged. She was bored.

"There really isn't much to say."

All of the conversation did not interest her. Several times Marielle tried to pull her into the conversation and Valentina pulled herself out of it. Eventually she stopped talking to her altogether.

"Would you like to go out?? Perhaps we can go shopping for whatever you need. I know it must be tiring staying indoors all day long."

Ellen suggested and Valentina nodded.

"I'd like that. This house can be suffocating."

She commented and Remy shot her a look.

He scoffed.

"It wouldn't be so suffocating if you actually left your room and mingled with people a bit."

He retorted.

She glared at him as she picked up her glass of water.

"It's not that easy... striking a conversation with people you have no memory of."

"You could at least try."

He muttered.

Marielle placed a hand on Remy's shoulder, urging him to stop.

"Remy, you know it must be really hard for Valentina. Having such a traumatic incident then having to make friends all over again... I think she's doing great so far."

Valentina knew that Marielle was only trying to be helpful, but she didn't like the fact that she butted into their conversation.

She ignored the two of them and stabbed at her food, turning only to ask Ellen what time they would be leaving for shopping the next day.

"We need to leave a bit early, it's a bit of a long ride from here to the shops."

"Can I come along? I'd love to get some new stuff too."

Marielle asked and Valentina nodded. The more the merrier, Ellen would talk her ear off if it was only the two of them.

"Sure you can."

Ellen nodded, a smile on her face.

"Excellent!"

After dinner, Valentina retreated to bed with a glass of wine in her hand. Remy had given her the side eye, but he didn't say anything as she disappeared up the stairs with it. She wanted to take a nap, get ready for the new day and she was also looking forward to shopping. It would be a great distraction, a welcomed one too. At least it'll take her mind off everything that has been happening.

She couldn't wait.

Suddenly, a wave of hot heat flashed all over her body and she held the bed stand to steady herself.

What was that?!

She asked herself as she placed a hand on her forehead. Hot. She was hot.

Burning hot.

"What the fuck?!"

She murmured.

Her annoyance building up at the sudden hike in her temperature.

What the fuck is going on?!

She almost screamed.

At that very moment someone barged into the room. She turned and saw that it was Remy.

He examined her from head to toe and his amber eyes grew large and bright like saucepans. Anger and frustration flashed through her eyes. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, it was as if a deeply primal beast had stirred in him. He was all but struggling to keep himself from staying sane.

"Get out!"

She growled lowly and he sighed.

Kale was behind him a moment later, wearing nothing but his silk pyjama shorts.

"Fuck! Already?!"

Remy managed to force out a sentence.

"Yes. She's in heat."