Ella was panicking. She hated to admit it, but she was. Sheâd fired out frantic SOS!! texts to both Jackson and Gus in her state of disarray, but she hadnât yet heard back from either of them. Admittedly, she knew that most people didnât consider their cellphones to be some sort of rare commodity that should be cherished as though it were gold dust, and that her friends didnât check their texts, calls, and voicemails as regularly as she might. Upon buying it, it was just about her only contact to âthe outside worldâ, so to speak, and had provided her with a great source of comfort. She couldnât be hurt by the fact that neither of them had seen her text yet, especially given that sheâd only sent it 12 minutes and 43 seconds ago.
Breathing out a shaky breath, she tried to compose herself. It was all going to be fine. Thatâs what she kept telling herself, anyway. When her English professor had informed the class that their next assignment would require pairs, Ella had felt that same tickle of anxiety that she had grown so accustomed to. It wasnât as though she took any sort of issue with any of her classmates, not in the slightest, but the idea of working in such close proximity with a stranger for an extended period of time did concern her, even if only a little. She didnât want to be a disappointment, or let her partner down, and she certainly didnât want to embarrass herself with her own lack of social conduct. There were still days where she found herself floundering when spoken to, entirely lost for words and unable to hold a conversation. Much to her surprise, however, sheâd been lucky enough to be paired with Livvy, and the smile that had warmed her face had been nothing but sincere, mingled with genuine excitement.
Livvy was sweet, soft spoken, and had a gentle nature. She wasnât loud or in your face, and she always put Ella at ease whenever the two interacted. She was, for lack of a better phrase, easy company, and Ella enjoyed being around the other girl immensely. Her excitement soon dwindled, however, though not for any fault of the English girlâs. When it had finally dawned on her that their partnership would extend to outside of the University, sheâd grown a little nervous. It wasnât going to be easy to find a safe and comfortable space for them both to set their heads down and get to work, an issue that only expanded upon hearing that Livvy didnât exactly have appropriate living conditions for a quiet, easy study session. Against her own better judgement, Ella had nervously asked Livvy if sheâd like to join her at her own home, Tremaine Manor, instead.
It had been a foolish thought, but the only option that Ella could see at the time. Despite the passing months, Ella had still, somehow, successfully managed to keep the truth about her studies from her step mother. She knew she wouldnât approve, that she would be outraged if she thought Ellaâs attention laid anywhere but at home. As far as Lady Tremaine saw it, Ellaâs job was to tend to her every need, and keep the house orderly, and there was no time for her to have any fun. While she was certain that Anne knew nothing of her lies, Diana still held this information over Ellaâs head, meaning that her step sister always had the upper hand. She wouldnât have minded, not entirely, if it werenât for the fact that Diana insisted on the use of Ellaâs bedroom, meaning that it was at her disposal whenever she so wished, and that Ellaâs one, safe and private space, was now being hoarded over her.
Sighing to herself, and nervously fretting over the hem of her sweater, she spotted a loose thread dangling the cuff. Frowning, she knew there was nothing that could be done right now. There was no use trying to pull it off, for it would only make it worse, and that the fabric would surely unravel until there was nothing left. No, sheâd have to leave it for the time being. Just then, she heard a loud knock, and rather skittishly scurried towards the sound, using all of her might to pull the heavy door and unveil Livvy on the other side.
âHello, Livvy!â Ella greeted her, attempting to smoothen out her features into a gentle, welcoming nature. She hoped she was convincing; sheâd never been a very good actor. âI canât wait to get started, come on in!â
There was a slight tremble in her voice, so she cleared her voice, trying to dispel any of her nerves. She knew her step motherâs schedule religiously. With Diana out for the day, her day backed up with classes, it still wouldnât be the end of the girl should she show her face, as she was the only other person in the house who knew the truth behind Ellaâs excursions away from the Manor. Anne had informed them all that she would be out for the whole day, her sights set on all of the upcoming sales, and so Ella was certain sheâd be in the city for several more hours. Lady Tremaine, however, if Ellaâs calculations were to be believed, would be making her way home in approximately 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 17 seconds. She always arrived, like clockwork, at the exact same time every week, after a brief reprieve (from doing nothing) at Mister Godfreyâs estate. Sir Colin Godfrey had lost his wife recently, meaning that Ellaâs stepmother was putting all of her undivided attention into winning him over, in the hopes that she might be able to piggyback his grief, manipulate him into marrying her, and claim his wealth as her own.
âNo, oh, of course not, itâs perfectly alright,â Ella insisted, nodding at Livvy. She didnât want to come across as rude, and she knew that the Diner would be much too loud for either of them too focus. The library was always an option, but even then theyâd be surrounded by other students with the same prerogative, and that theyâd have a hard time finding somewhere to set themselves down.
Stepping aside and gesturing for Livvy to delve further into her childhood home, Ella wondered if she should invite her up to her bedroom, before thinking better of it. No, it was probably for the best that Livvy didnât know she lived in the loft â especially when there was such a wide expanse of land surrounding them, with various empty, unused rooms going spare. Instead, she gestured towards the living room, where the fire was roaring, a sleepy Lucifer contentedly splayed out in front of it.
âWe could get started in here, if youâd like?â she suggested.
Pausing in the doorway, chewing nervously on her lower lip, she wondered if she should leave it at that, and merely hope that theyâd somehow grow tired and finish up in less than 2 hours. It was unlikely, though, and she found herself rambling on before she could stop herself.
âWe might have to head away in a couple of hours, though, before my step mother returns home! She⊠well, she doesnât like guests,â Ella exclaimed, blushing profusely and adopting a rather meek expression.Â
As soon as she stepped inside the foyer to Ellaâs home, Livvy felt the pressing need to wipe her feet on the mat just so she wouldnât trail in dirt or dust or anything else that her brogues had picked up on the walk over. Everything was kept in such a pristine and spotless condition, one which rivalled her current living arrangements. Benâs house wasnât dirty by any means, but it did have a tendency to grow a little cluttered. Livvy didnât think that Poppy was the kind of person to leave things lying around but Livvy herself had been known to scatter paperbacks around the place and she was always finding Benâs paintbrushes tucked into the side of the sofa, and Jane and Michael refused to limit their toys to the sole confinement of their bedrooms. Plus, her own Bassett Hound, Toby, was terrible for dragging in goodness knows what from outside and it was up to Poppy to muster up the courage to pick the mucky and sometimes wriggling pieces of nature-grown debris from his fur. But all in all, that just meant Benâs house was lived in. Livvy was almost scared to breathe in the Tremaine manor, lest he breath fog up a well-polished countertop.
Hoping her hesitance wouldnât show on her face and be mistaken for judgment, she smiled and followed Ella into the living room. As much as she didnât want to seem like she was gawking, she couldnât help but tilt her head back to drink in the high ceilings and murals on the walls with wide eyes.
âYou have such a lovely house, Ella,â she said honestly, wandering slowly after her friend into the spacious living room. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she thought that she rather comically stuck out amidst the grandeur of Ellaâs home. She wondered if there had been any other beret-sporting brunettes stood here, looking rather like a child ready for evacuation to the countryside during the war rather than a 2017 millennial.
The fire crackled welcomingly and, too afraid to sit on the sofa, Livvy simply set her bag down on the floor and knelt beside it. She gasped after realising sheâd nearly sat herself right down on a fluffy black cushion only to discover that it wasnât a cushion at all, but a beady-eyed cat that didnât look best pleased about being woken up.
âHello,â Livvy cooed softly. She hesitantly reached out a hand to pet the animal, but when it hissed at her menacingly she retracted her arm at once, clutching her hand to her chest and emitting a nervous and stuttered laugh.
âI must smell like dog. Tobyâs been laying on my lap all morning,â she told Ella, shrugging off the hiccup and unclasping her satchel so she could pull out her books. Halfway through the task, she looked up at Ellaâs words and nodded understandingly.
âThatâs alright! We can map out a plan and jot done a timeline for when we need to have everything done by. That should fill up the next two hours and once weâve done that we can head somewhere else.â She noted the rather embarrassed expression Ella wore and didnât want her to feel bad about her step-motherâs lack of hospitality. It didnât really matter to Livvy, who figured that some people were probably just wary of strangers wandering into their home, especially when it was a nice and clean as the Tremaineâs was. They must have had an exceptional housekeeper and having a bunch of people traipse in and out would probably seem like a threat to any house-proud owner. Smiling kindly at Ella she added, âPlus, weâll probably be hungry by then, so we can stop off at the diner!â
Stacking her books up in a pile, she plucked the top one off and held it out to Ella for her to inspect.
âFrankenstein by Mary Shelley,â she explained. âI was thinking about how she pretty much invented science-fiction and I figured that maybe we could angle our project and talk about how female authors can influence certain genres?â
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