“Yup. And she said even if she didn’t become my friend, she was happy to meet me.”
I touch my chin. Strange. That’s unlike her. She was excited to play with David just yesterday and she was determined to beat him. Well, at least, she was determined to try. What happened? Why does it sound like she’s giving up?
Once again, my intuition is shouting that something is wrong and that something is about to go even more wrong.
I have to get to the bottom of this.
Safe Haven
Sabrina
I check the bottom drawer of the cabinet for the last time, looking all the way to the end to make sure it’s empty.
It is. I haven’t left anything behind. All of my things are already in my suitcase. Now all that’s left to do is to leave.
Leave.
Strange. I was the one who made the decision to leave, thinking it’s best. But now that the time has come, I’m reluctant. Afraid.
I don’t want to go.
Looking around the now empty room, my heart sinks.
I remember when I first entered this room. I felt full of hope. I remember the first night I slept on this bed. It was so soft I fell asleep almost at once in spite of all my worries. Even after I knew Zombie could open the door, I felt safe here. I may only have stayed a few days but, for those few days, this room was mine.
I remember seeing Randall in the bathroom earlier. What was he doing here? I don’t believe that lipstick reason for a second and yet, I also can’t bring myself to believe that he’s snooping around. He’s been asking questions about my past lately, yes, but he wouldn’t go so far as to snoop around.
Would he?
It doesn’t matter. He’ll never know my secret. Tonight, I’ll leave. Tomorrow, I’ll be a memory.
It’s a pity. Who knows what might have been if I stayed here? Who knows long I would have been able to resist him? We could have been happy.
Could have been. I guess I’ll just have to spend the rest of my life wondering.
Taking the goodbye note I’ve written on the bedside table, I fold it and place it under the vase of roses, the roses that Randall gave me just this morning. Come to think of it, he’s the first man who’s ever given me flowers.
And he may be the last.
I pause to sniff one rose then on impulse, decide to take it with me. At least, I’ll have something to remember Randall and this mansion by, something to let me know that this all wasn’t a dream.
Putting the rose inside my suitcase, I turn off the lights, give one last look at the room and leave it. I walk slowly, careful not to wake anyone up.
After a few minutes, I hear scurrying and I look behind me.
Zombie.
I guess I couldn’t have fooled him.
I put a finger to my lips then petted his head.
“You take care of David now, okay? Go back to him and never leave his side.”
For the first time, he obeys me, returning to David’s bedroom without making a sound.
“Good boy.”
I have to say I’ll miss him, too.
I keep going, carrying my suitcase down the stairs. As I do, I can’t help but think that I’m sneaking out again. It seems like I’ve been doing that a lot lately.
Once again, I’m trying to escape from a mansion, only this time, I’m escaping from good people, trying to keep them out of danger instead of escaping from people who want to do me harm. It feels better. Thinking about it that way makes my heart feel a little lighter, my feet move a little faster.
Hopefully I won’t get caught.
“Where do you think you’re going, Sabrina?” The question stops me in my tracks, the deep, familiar voice piercing the deathly silence of the mansion and bouncing off the walls.
Shit. It seems I’m not so lucky this time.
Slowly, I put my suitcase down and turn to face Randall, who is sitting in one of the chairs in the living room, one leg crossed over the other.
He looks like he’s been waiting for me.
How did he know I was leaving? Did he leave a camera in my room earlier? Was he snooping around after all?
“I thought you were in bed,” I tell him, trying to keep myself composed.
Relax, Sabrina. He’s not Vince. He’s not going to hurt you.
Right. I may have been found out but I can still leave. I just have to talk my way out of this.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Randall says. “I was worried about you.”
“There’s no need to worry about me.”
“You say that yet here you are, obviously running away.” He stands up and approaches me. “I have to say I’m dying to know why.”
“I’m just going to meet Carol, that’s all,” I tell him, fumbling.
“With your suitcase in tow?” He glances at it.
“I borrowed this suitcase from her so I’m returning it. She’ll give me a new one.”
“It’s packed with all your things, though, isn’t it?”
He reaches for its handle, but I step back.
“Carol thinks I’m not the best nanny for you, after all,” I tell him. “So, I’m leaving.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Carol will explain everything in the morning.”
“No.” Randall steps forward. “I think I deserve an explanation from you.”
I step back. I have to say he can be intimidating when he wants to be. If he tries to stop me physically, I have no chance.
“Sabrina?”
“It’s a mistake. I’m not supposed to be here. I was not the one she was supposed to send.”
“Carol doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman to make such a big mistake.”
“I deceived her. I’m not who she thinks I am. It’s all my fault, not hers.”
“Then who are you?”
“A nobody.” I grip the handle of my suitcase. “You can just forget all about me.”
“Do you really think I can just forget all about you? That David can just forget about you?”
His words make me feel a pang of guilt but I fight it, reminding myself that I’m doing this for them. It’s for their own good.
I turn around. “I have to go.”
Randall grabs my hand. “I’m not letting you leave until you tell me what’s going on, everything that’s going on.”
I look at him, his expression serious, unflinching, his grip firm.
I have no choice but to tell him the truth. Hopefully he’ll understand why I’m leaving, agree it’s for the best, and let me leave– even if it’s with a heavy heart.
I take a deep breath. “You asked me why I decided to be a nanny. I didn’t. It wasn’t my decision. It wasn’t my choice. I had no choice.”
He lets go of my hand, his arms falling to his sides. “I’m listening.”
“Two years ago, I dropped out of college. I was studying biology because I was going to be a veterinarian. That was what my aunt and uncle, the people who took me in, wanted me to be so I could help them. They had a farm so I could take care of the livestock.”
“I understand.”