Page 12 of A Silence So Divine

She pulls a face at that.They’re dirty

ALL OF THEM?

She shrugs helplessly. I glance at the closet behind us, but it’s filled with white button downs and suit jackets. Not really sleeping material.

DO YOU WANT SOMETHING OF MINE?I write.

It’s the only solution I can think of, unless she wants to sleep naked. The thought of that makes my mouth run dry.

Apprehension has her eyes darting across the room. If she’s been here all her life, her interactions with men are probably more limited than mine are with women. Wearing someone’s clothes to bed is strangely intimate, but we don’t have a ton of options.

She relents with a dip of her chin, and I step out of the room. Again, breaking mynot even for a secondorder.

A few short minutes later, she's clad in her new pajamas: boxers that are rolled at the waist, and a black t-shirt that hangs to her knees. I stifle a snort.

Finally tucked under the sheets, she finger combs through her hair briefly, staring into space. Confident that she won’t escape into the night, I offer an awkward wave. Throwing a hand up, she begins flipping through the notebook, pointing to her earlier thank you message. Then she points at my hands.

It takes a moment for my tired brain to compute what she wants, but when it does, I’m stunned. She wants me to teach her a sign. It excites me more than it should, but Cecil is the only person I’ve spoken to in ages.

Placing my fingertips to my chin and pulling my hand forward, I demonstrate the gesture. Eden is quick to copy the movement. Though it isn’t perfect, a smile overtakes my face.

Despite all that could go wrong, I can’t wait to see her in the morning.

The moment sunlight creeps through the large window of my new bedroom, I’m shooting out of the bed. Silken sheets and a velvet comforter are strewn haphazardly back into place and the clock reads 6:54 in the morning. Hopefully it's early enough that Eden is still asleep and I can reach her before my brother. Cecil always wakes up at 5:30 in the morning. He’s never been much of a sleeper.

The drafty home rises goosebumps on my arms as I make my way down the hall. Rushing through a shower, I don’t take the time to appreciate the massive bathroom. My mind is stuck on Eden and her circumstances. Does she like sweets? Has anyone ever made her pancakes? What did her father feed her? Though my brother couldn’t cook to save his life, he at least bought me whatever groceries I requested.

My brother may be a controlling psychopath, but he adores me. It’s kind of cute, in a suffocating way.

Speaking of the devil, I bump into him on my way out of the steamy bathroom and gasp, palming at my chest.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”I use the back of my hand to swat at him. He swats me back and frowns.

“I told you to watch the girl.”

Averting my gaze, I reply,“She’s sleeping.”I hope.

“No, she’s walking around the house in your underwear.”

My eyes bug. I speed past him, worried how I’ll find her. Probably hog tied on the kitchen table if my brother had anything to do with it. I search the halls, scanning each room before moving onto the next. My level of anxiety heightens the longer I’m unable to find her. He wouldn’t actually hurt her, right?Right?

Bursting into the kitchen, I find Eden perched on a barstool. My entrance startles her and she looks up from her journal, throwing the pen down like it bit her. My eyes flick to the page to see what looks like an outline of a bird mid flight.

“Are you okay?”I ask, dropping my hands when I remember she won’t understand.

She looks fine. Her cheeks have more color, and her hair has dried perfectly straight, framing her face. While her eyes are still nervous and dart around the room, she looks less… feral.

My brother enters the room and crosses his arms over his chest, staring Eden down. The intimidation tactic is exhausting. It’s pretty obvious that she’s scared shitless.

Itching to ease the tension, I turn to a new page and write a message.

DO YOU LIKE OMELETS?

I feel Cecil watching our interaction, but I choose to ignore him.

I don’t know

Eden shifts uneasily on her seat.