Chapter forty

Chapter forty
I was woken up by a loud knock on my door. The bedside clock said it was half eight in the morning. I quickly sat up, but regretted it when I got a bit dizzy.

“I’m coming,” I replied. I had woken up in the middle of my sleep to lock my door. I didn’t want to sleep in an unlocked room, especially when I was in an unfamiliar space.

I didn’t bother to prepare myself because I had a hunch it was Marianne. I hoped it was her.

I unlocked the door and opened it. Marianne was there with a wide smile, Mark right behind her. I didn’t want to invite her in, but she barged right in, looking around in my room.

“I hope you slept well. Well, you didn’t. You kept on turning the whole night. You kept most of the people up too. We could all hear your thoughts. But I do appreciate your excitement in meeting everyone. So, get ready because everyone is very much excited to see you,” she said. It was a lot.

She seemed way happier, friendlier and overall approachable. I liked her a lot better here. She almost felt like a normal person.

She lightly slapped my shoulder, saying, “I should probably do something about these thoughts of yours. Like I said, not everyone is accepting of humans. I’ll prepare something for you to drink so that no one can read your thoughts. I don’t want you saying the wrong things in front of the wrong people.”

I nodded, aware that I tend to think a lot of shit. “That would be helpful, Marianne. I would appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. So go ahead and prepare for the day. Breakfast will be served at nine. So, hurry up.”

They left after that. I went ahead and prepared myself for the day. I made sure to wear presentable clothes. I wondered what they had for breakfast.

I took my phone and went out of my room, making sure to lock it. I still remembered my way around the place. I went to the elevator; thankful I didn’t run into anyone. I hoped Marianne was downstairs.

When the elevator arrived, I got out. There was still no one around. Where is everyone? I went into the room on my right. It looked like some kind of home theatre. I left, finally running into someone. It looked like a teenager.

“Hello. How are you?” I greeted. She looked normal. What did I expect? That they would walk around with fangs and red eyes?

She smiled, greeting back. “Marianne should really help you with your thoughts.”

“I'm sorry about that. I didn’t mean to offend you.” At times, I hated myself for thinking too much.

“It’s fine. You’re looking for Marianne?”

I nodded.

“She’s outside. She sent me to show you to the kitchen. Your thoughts were too loud. Let's go.”

I followed her, the embarrassment eating me. We arrived at the kitvhen, which was too many turns and rooms away. It was practically at the back of the house. I wouldn't have found it even if I tried.

The kitchen was gigantic, the counter massive and chairs too many. The lady went to take out my plate in the microwave. She placed it on the counter, then went to grab a glass.

“Thank you,” I said, opening the plate. It was toast, eggs, sausages, which I hoped were vegetarian.

“They are vegetarian,” the young lady supplied.

I smiled at her. “What’s your name by the way? I'm Leon.”

“Im Melissa. Here is your juice. When you're done, come outside. Marianne wants to introduce you to everyone. They are excited to meet you. We usually don’t leave here. It's our preference. So we don’t see humans often.”

I didn’t feel better. What if my blood enticed them too much and they decided to feast on me?

“Marianne definitely needs to help with your thoughts before you go out there to everyone. Let me get her. You really can't go around with your thoughts out loud.”

She didn’t even give me a chance to explain before she left.

I sighed, then tried to eat. She had given me cranberry juice. I didn’t drink it. It looked too much like blood. I didn’t want to risk it.

It didn’t take long for Marianne to come. She looked at me as if she was disappointed.

“I'm sorry. I really can't control my thoughts. I promise I will try though.”

“It's fine, Leon. Let me just prepare you something to block everyone from reading your mind. It's very bitter, that’s why I wanted to give you in the afternoon. Is that fine?”

I nodded.

She left the kitchen. I quickly finished my breakfast, then took the plate and glass to the sink. I poured the juice down the drain, then washed both the plate and glass.

Marianne found me finishing. “You don’t have to do that. We have people around for that.”

“Maids?” I asked.

She chuckled. “No. We obviously have ranks and all, but there's also the general people. They usually rotate. They are not maids. We all have our roles to play.”

“I understand. So what am I supposed to drink?” I tried to look at the bag she was holding, but I was not able to tell what it was.

She took out a clear container that had red powder in it. I was so tired of drinking the powders.

She opened the container, took a spoonful, then poured it into a glass. She filled the glass with water halfway and stirred.

I accepted it from her, quickly drinking it. The way it was so bitter, I felt myself nearly faint from the taste. I saw black for a moment.

“It's working. I can't read your mind anymore. Let's go introduce you to everyone.”

I followed her, suddenly nervous. I tried to focus on the taste in my mouth so that I could take my mind off the introductions.

In no time, we were outside. The sun was out, and so was everyone. They quietened when they saw me.