Chapter Thirty

Chapter 30

“You want me to find your parents and your sister? Vanessa inquired, stunned. Jemima simply nodded her head in response as she laid down on the bed, covering herself with the duvet, signaling that she didn’t want to have the conversation again.

Vanessa stared in stunned silence at Jemima’s wrapped body and with a heavy sigh, exited the room.

Jemima laid down for so long, her eyes wide open and her mind racing with so many thoughts. She felt too tired to cry and too tired to think and wished that sleep would engulf her.

She peeked her head outside the duvet and saw the sun’s rays streaming through her window.

“How is it morning already?” Jemima queried to no one in particular as she got up from the bed and closed the blinds of the curtains. She fell onto the bed again with a heavy thud as released a wearied sigh.

Just as she was about to drift off into a slumber, the sound of glass slamming against her door on the other side startled her wide awake.

Jemima got up abruptly with her eyes widened in shock, any remnants of sleep that were in her eyes were gone.
She wrapped her robe around her body tightly and walked closer to the door, the voices becoming distinct.

“You coward!” Vanessa screamed from the other side of the door. Jemima opened her door to see Dimitri standing right in front of her door and shards of glass scattered across the floor.

At the same time, Jay came out of his room from the other wing and locked eyes with Jemima.

“What is going on here?” Jay demanded to know as he stared at the two couples. It was apparent that they were having a little lovers’ spat.

“Vanessa, are you alright?” Jemima questioned, her gaze shifting from Vanessa to Dimitri and the damage that had caused.

“If you would only listen to me, we wouldn’t be in this situation!” Dimitri yelled, causing Jemima's brow to further etch into confusion.

“You are just impossible!” Vanessa screamed, grabbing another flower vase and throwing it in Dimitri’s direction. He was quick enough to swerve in time to avoid the impending impact of the flower vase.

Jemima and Jay shared a confused glance while Lilith emerged from her room, staring at all the adults who were supposed to be taking care of her.

“Would somebody please tell us what the hell is going on?” Jay demanded again, causing Vanessa to groan in exasperation as she angrily shoved him aside and ran down the stairs. Jay and Jemima share another confused glance and with a shrug, she followed Vanessa down the stairs.

Dimitri ran down the stairs to, Jay and Lilith following suit.

“If you would have just shut the hell up and listened to what I had to say we wouldn’t be in this mess right now!” Dimitri yelled as the veins from his neck popping as it showcasing the depth of his anger.

“Would you two please tell us what is going on?” Jay yelled, adding fuel to the already raging fire.

“Your stupid cousin is just so condescending and won’t even understand where I’m coming from!” Vanessa yelled, rushing to pounce on Dimitri but Jemima stepped in right before she could cause any physical harm.

Lilith watched on in awe, surprised by how two grown adults who claimed to be engaged could be so visibly angered by the other.

“Dimitri! Vanessa!” Jay screamed, unable to contain his aggravation any longer.

“Yelling won’t help the situation, Jay!” Jemima reasoned, scoffing indignantly as she held Vanessa in place, preventing her from lunging at Dimitri.

“Well it got them to be quiet, didn’t it?” Jay retorted but his words were drowned by another shattering of the flower vase that Vanessa had thrown to the ground in a fit of rage. Palpable silence filled the room, everyone staring at the shards of glass splattered across the polished floor.

“Get him out of here, I’ll handle this!” Jemima instructed Jay. With a nod, Jay tugged Dimitri away from the scene.

“Lilith go into the kitchen and get me a broom and a pan. Be careful,” Jemima instructed firmly as she pulled Vanessa away who was still panting heavily with rage.

“Got it!” Lilith announced, reappearing with a broom and a dustpan.

“Give it,” Jemima instructed, grabbing the instrument from Lilith.

“Now do you want to talk about what is going on?” Jemima asked as she got to work, sweeping away the shards into one pile as she listened to Vanessa.

Vanessa burst into tears and buried her head in her palm but Jemima did not move. Instead, she continued the chore she was doing, the sound of the swooshing broom mixing with the gentle sobs of Vanessa to create a rhythmic backdrop in the silence that engulfed them.

Jemima glanced at Lilith who just shrugged in confusion.

“You were right Jemima, I just wanted you to open up to me so I could listen to someone else’s pain and absolve myself of the guilt I felt for abandoning Zora with my negligent parents,” Vanessa announced, wiping away the tears that fell with the back of her hand.

Jemima finished the chore she was engaged in and handed it over to Lily to dispose of it.

“I know,” Jemima simply stated and stretched out her hand for Vanessa to take which she did. Jemima was not the empathetic type and did not know how to react most times in situations like that. She would listen sure, but to offer advice, she oftentimes wouldn’t know what to say.

“I deeply apologize for trying to do that to you Jem,” Vanessa apologized, still holding onto Jemima’s hand as they walked up to her room.

“So how did that cause an issue with Dimitri?” Jemima inquired with her arms crossed as they got to her room, Lilith following suit.

“I told him I wanted to go over to see Zora and bring her back but he refused and said I did things impulsively without thinking things through which was kind of true but it hurt nonetheless and the argument ensued,” Vanessa elucidated, bringing Jemima up to speed about the recent incident.

“Don’t touch that!” Jemima exclaimed, addressing Lilith as she tried to touch the dagger on the counter. Lilith flinched from her tone and withdrew from the dagger before proceeding to wander around the room.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Jemima asked as it was the only thing she knew how to offer to someone in distress.

“I just don’t want to see him or confront him anytime soon,” Vanessa whispered, her expression solemn as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress nervously.

“Well you are welcome to stay in my room for as long as you want,” Jemima offered and made her way to the bathroom.

“Don’t touch any of my stuff Lilith!” Jemima declared, addressing Lilith who was trying to touch Jemima’s makeup on the counter.

“Sorry,” Lilith stated softly, her expression morphed into one of a grimace.

“Jem, there is something else we could do,” Vanessa uttered, halting Jemima in her tracks.

“What’s that?” Jemima inquired, wrapping her hair in a shower cap.

“I wouldn’t want to stay cooped up in this room for so long, so why don’t we dress up and go out?” Vanessa suggested, causing Lilith’s head to snap towards her with her mouth agape in the realization that it was all an act.

“Okay,” Jemima acquiesced without hesitation, shrugging nonchalantly.

“You’re not going to object?” Vanessa asked, her expression morphed into one of shock as she stared at Jemima.

“Why would I? As long as it’s just us girls, I’m good to go. Besides, I haven’t experienced the beauty of Rome since I got here so why not?” Jemima replied with a shrug, making her way into the bathroom.

“I’ll pick out your outfit,” Vanessa called out after her and took her silence as a yes. The water rustled down in the bathroom and drowned out whatever noise Jemima could hear on the other side of the door.

“You tricked her!” Lilith exclaimed in a low whisper, causing Vanessa to chuckle softly as she got to work in Jemima’s closet, looking for a suitable outfit for her.

“For a good cause at least,” Vanessa muttered with a wink. She sighed satisfactorily, her stellar performance earlier had drained out the energy in her.

“What is that?” Jemima queried looking at the dress Vanessa had picked out for her as she emerged from the bathroom moments later.

“A dress, you didn’t have anything suitable to wear in your closet so I went to the closet in the other part of the house to get you this dress, I’m sure it’d look good on you,” Vanessa explained, oblivious to Jemima’s look of disgust.

“That is hideous. Why do I have to wear this? I thought it was just going to be a regular hangout. Why does it look like a dinner outfit?” Jemima protested, picking up the clothes as if they could burn her.

“You’ll be fine,” Vanessa stated, shrugging nonchalantly.

Hours later, the three ladies were ready. Jemima was clad in an off-shoulder red dress that sparkled under the light and had a slit that ran up to her mid-thighs. It was complimented with diamond pieces of jewelry and a silver heel to match.

Her hair was packed up in a bun that complemented the contours of her face and a daring red lipstick was also put on her.

“You look stunning!” Vanessa complimented, clapping in elation.

“I look like a clown!” Jemima stated, her look disapproving. She was not used to these kinds of dressing and would rather wear her usual outfit; trousers and T-shirts.

“A beautiful clown,” Lilith added which caused Vanessa to laugh and Jemima to glare at her.

“Let’s just go,” Vanessa urged, ushering them out of the house.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a classy restaurant which left Jemima in awe until her eyes rested on a pair of familiar black eyes.

“What the hell is he doing here?”