“Uniform? School?” Of course, I had to go to school! How did I even skip this? Ben! I jolted at the thought. “I need my bag, my phone! Do you know where my father is?”
She eyed me warily. “Yes, he is in his office, but he hates being interrupted for any reason. I would strongly advise you against going there unless you’re being summoned.”
I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of it all. “I don’t really care what he wants.”
“You will,” she replied, the warming clear in her voice.
I shrugged. “Please Sophia, just show me where his office is, I’ll go door to door if I have to.”
She sighed with resignation. “I’ll show you, but please don’t be long. Anika will be here any minute.”
As we walked down the corridor and down the massive wooden staircase, I couldn’t help but look around for a glimpse of Archie. I’d hoped Sophia was wrong, that he would come to me, I was his blood after all. I read somewhere that twins had a special bond – I’d hoped to prove it but so far, I was nothing if not disappointed.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, she pointed to the corridor which I remembered she said led to the garden.
“Third door on your right, I’ll be waiting in the salon for you,” she added pointing to a room closer to the main entrance.
I nodded and turned to leave when she caught my wrist. “Pick your battles wisely, Esme,” she whispered, glancing in the direction of the office.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, not yet, but the urgency in her whisper made me nod, even if only to placate the woman who seemed to have my best interests at heart. She smiled, as if I just gave her a gift, and let go of my wrist.
I walked to the office and took a deep breath before knocking, I knew he was my family, and this was technically my home, but I never felt more foreign than I did at this moment.
“You can do it,” I encouraged myself before knocking briskly.
“Come in!”
I opened the door to find my father sitting behind an imposing mahogany desk, on which sat an open folder and a tumbler half-filled with an amber-colored drink.
“Esmeralda,” he said closing his folder and leaning back in his chair. “Come in.” He gestured to one of the brown leather chairs in front of his desk.
At least it didn’t seem to bother him that much to have me around. I quickly took in the massive room as I walked forward. The two leather sofas, matching chairs in front of his desk, the long window giving a breath-taking view onto the back garden, the bookshelves taking all the back wall and filled with what seemed to be ancient leather-bound volumes.
The crystal ashtray, the open cigar box… it really was like in the movies.
“I’m actually glad you came; I’ve got some documentation you will need to familiarize yourself with as soon as possible. Sophia cannot find her copy of ‘The Guide of a Good Socialite Woman’,” he sighed, as if his wife disappointed him. “I had to order you a copy – it’ll be a couple of days before we get it. This is all a crucial part of your education.” He added removing his glasses, resting his hands on his desk. I could see why my mother and Sophia fell for him. He was a good-looking man, but his aura of power was off the charts, most likely making him irresistible to women looking for a comfortable life.
“Sure, I’ll study these carefully.” I stated not meaning a word as I looked at the two impressive thick purple folders he just pointed at. Seriously how much did he want me to learn? And how much commitment did I really want to put into it when I intended to leave and never come back the day after graduation.
“I’d like my belongings please.” I asked as politely as I could.
“Please whom?”
I frowned. He couldn’t expect - I mean his eyes, shining with challenge. He wanted to break me, what I wouldn't do to get my phone back. “Please, father.”
He beamed, but not with fatherly pride – he was just happy he’d won. “No”
I jerked back in my seat. “Excuse me?”
“You asked for your belongings, and I said no.”
“But –” I frowned; he couldn’t do that could he? He had to be joking right?
He sighed. “Those clothes are atrocious, I can’t have my child wear those rags – I couldn’t even give them to charity stores in this town. They have been discarded.”
I kept opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water. It was true that most of my clothes came from thrift stores but there was nothing wrong with that.
I could hear Sophia’s words in my head ‘pick your battles’. Clothes were only clothes and maybe I could sell them when I went to university, it would be some good money.
“What about my backpack? I want to call my friends and my fa-… Luke.”
“This is exactly the problem.” He extended his hand toward me as if it explained everything. “I think it will be easier for you to adapt to your new life if you don’t keep a connection with your old one.”
“But, but you can’t do that!” I shouted with indignation, jumping from my chair.
He chuckled as if I was an amusing domesticated animal. “I can assure you, Esmeralda, I can.”
“But,” I shook my head, it couldn’t be true. It had to be a nightmare. “You can’t keep me as a prisoner, I didn't do anything wrong.”
“I never said you did, but this –” he pointed to the chair on the floor and to me. “This is not acceptable behaviour in society, Esmeralda. Show me you can act with the decorum that is expected from you and I will reconsider the communication ban.”
“How long?” I asked, balling my hands into fists so tight I could feel my nails biting painfully into my palms.
“It will all depend on you. As soon as I believe you understand your role and your place in the world, I will give your computer and phone back.”
I was about to ask if what was expected from me was to be a broken robotic doll, but I was interrupted by my savior, and who I suspected would become an unlikely ally, my stepmother.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she apologized opening the door after only one knock, she took the scene, the toppled chair, my tight fists and sent me a quick warning look before looking at my father with her bright proper smile I now understood was no more than a facade. “Anika’s here to take the measurements and the sooner she’s done the sooner our Esmeralda will look like the Forbes she is.”
My father’s face lit up, and I realized she really knew how to talk to him. “Yes,” he said as he put his glasses back on. “Tell her I expect at least a minimal wardrobe by tomorrow.”
For the next 30 minutes I was measured and assessed and questioned by Anika, the woman who looked so much more like a punk groupie than a personal shopper, but I was sure she was legit. My father wouldn’t hire anyone who wasn’t the best.
“Do you have any preferences, Esmeralda?” Sophia interrupted as Anika took notes. “Colors? Types of clothes? Fabrics? It needs to please you too, honey.”
The woman turned toward her in surprise. “I’m the best there is! I know what will optimize her already tremendous beauty.”
“I know you will. But she is a teenager, Anika, and we know how they need their own marks.” She said that as if it was an inside joke, a way to pacify the woman, and as Anika relaxed, I realized how good Sophia was at navigating this life. Maybe I should take example from her.