Virginia awoke groggy again, just like she had the morning before. It was only the second morning she was there at the Prince Mansion and she was already exhausted.
She hoped she would be able to get used to it soon.
She wasn't sure what had her so on edge other than the creepy paintings, but something was amiss in the mansion. Maybe it was the sheer size or simply the foreignness of it.
Angela came to Virginia's room at the same time as she did the morning before, and she led Virginia down to breakfast again. But this time, she didn't say anything.
Angela looked better this morning than she did the night before. The strange yellow tint under her eyes was gone, but she was quiet, which was off-putting for Virginia.
"You may put your plate in the sink again once you are done. I'm going to get started on my assignments" Angela said. She didn't sound mean, but she also didn't quite sound like herself.
At least, she didn't sound like the person Virginia thought she was. Virginia began to worry that Angela was just being kind to her at first because she had to. Maybe she didn't care about Virginia after all.
"I'll find you in a couple of hours to officially give you your assignment," Angela said before disappearing out of the room.
Virginia ate the same meal as she did the morning before: eggs and toast. It was served on the same plate even, she recognized it by the tiny, stray speck of white paint on the edge. She ate it alone.
She ate slowly. She thought about her odd dream last night. She thought about Charles's appearance in it. She blushed a bit as she recalled how he held her in his arms and soothed her as the trees thrashed around them.
About halfway through her meal someone came barging in through the kitchen.
Virginia nearly choked on her toast when Eliza jerked her chair back and leaned over her.
"I thought I told you to stay away from Charlie!" Eliza yelled.
Her eyes looked crazed and her mouth was twisted up in anger. Her body heaved with furious labored breaths. She was clearly unstable.
Virginia didn't know what to do. She stayed seated in the chair with Eliza's pale arm grabbing the back of the chair beside Virginia's head. She peeked at each side of the room, hoping someone was nearby. She didn't want to be alone with Eliza, not when she was clearly angry.
"Don't just look around. Answer me!"
Virginia didn't know what she meant. Eliza hadn't even asked a question. She had only yelled at her.
"Why didn't you stay away from Charlie like told you to?" Eliza said, she bared her teeth like a wild animal. It looked as though her canines were sharpening before Virginia's eyes.
"I don't see the harm in having a conversation with him," Virginia said.
Eliza shoved back on the chair, nearly knocking Virginia backward. She must have been much stronger than she looked.
Virginia held on to the seat to keep herself upright.
"He's mine, so you better back off." Her voice came out almost in a growl.
Virginia wasn't exactly scared, though she was feeling rather uncomfortable in this situation. She didn't like being yelled at for no reason, and she was growing irritated with how Eliza seemed to cling to Charles.
"That's not your decision to make. You can't just possess people," Virginia said. She looked Eliza in the eye but tried not to glare.
She wasn't looking for a challenge. She just wanted to make Eliza understand that she was being irrational. And she didn't want to be made to feel guilty over something as harmless as talking with a man about art and books.
Eliza's fists balled up at her sides. "What do you know about Charlie anyway? He loves me!"
Her eyes were wild and her white teeth seemed to sharpen even more. Virginia was hesitant to do or say anything else. She was not expecting to hear the word 'love' tossed out there. It caught her off guard but woke up the jealousy that had rooted in her when she first met Eliza. But there was something strange going on that she didn't want to get in the middle of, so she didn't say any of the mean things that swarmed her mind.
Plus, Eliza was right. Virginia didn't know the situation. And she hardly knew Charles.
Suddenly, Eliza's eyes darted off to the side for a split second. Virginia turned her head in that direction and saw a man standing in the doorway.
He was of average height and he had dark, curly hair. He was fit in a stocky way. It was obvious that he was Italian except that he was missing that bronzed glow. Instead, he was strangely pale and his eyes were a dark, ashy gray color. Still, he was an attractive man. Virginia guessed him to be about thirty.
"What's going on, Eliza?" he asked. He had the slightest hint of an accent, but it was barely perceptible.
Eliza glowered at him. She was kind of scary for someone so small. Virginia was beginning to think that rather than the "empty threat" type, Eliza was actually the "choke you until you pass out" type.
"I was just putting this little girl in her place" she spat, looking straight into Virginia's eyes.
Why did she keep referring to Virginia as a little girl when Virginia was taller and probably a couple of years older than her? It was borderline insulting.
The man stepped into the kitchen and stood between Eliza and Virginia.
"You have no business here, Eliza. Get out."
She grunted and smacked her fist against the side of her leg before dashing out the door and bumping into the man's arm along the way.
He looked over his shoulder at Virginia who was still sitting in the chair behind him. She loosened her grip on the seat.
"You good?" he asked.
Virginia nodded. She was more shocked and confused than anything. Was Eliza so threatened by her for having a simple chat with Charles?
Well, she told herself it was a simple chat, but really she knew there was some definite attraction between the two of them. Maybe Eliza somehow picked up on that, too, though she wasn't sure how.
The man turned around to face Virginia then, and he reached out his hand. Eliza shook it instinctively.
His hand was cold and firm.
"I'm Giovanni Hutto. I work with Charles," he
explained. "You must be the new girl. Virginia, right?"
Virginia nodded. "Yes, that's right. It's nice to meet you" She released his hand and folded it nervously into her other hand. "Thanks for stepping in here. I wasn't sure what to do."
Giovanni snorted. "Ah, you were doing great. Eliza's hard to deal with."
Virginia stood up from the chair. She stood about the same height as Giovanni. "What's up with her anyway?"
Giovanni rolled his eyes. "She's just upset because Charles doesn't like her anymore. And after she found out that you were here and you were talking to Charles yesterday, she got mad" He gestured out the door that Eliza stomped through. "As you can see."
"Right," Virginia said. It wasn't impossible for Eliza to be that high-spirited, but she was unconvinced that that was all. "There's something more going on though, isn't there?"
Giovanni pressed his lips together. "It's not really my place to tell you the whole story. But all I can say is that Eliza and Charles used to date."
"That's what Angela said. But I can't picture that at all" Virginia said. She suddenly wasn't sure whether or not she should have said that. She didn't want to be disrespectful, but Giovanni was friendly and easy to talk to.
Giovanni shrugged and gave a small laugh.
"I can't see how anyone could date her. She's a bit ..." He trailed off and swirled his finger in circles beside his head. "But she's been through a lot, so I try to be patient with her. Can't say it's not getting old though."
"Wait, so if Eliza and Charles aren't dating anymore, doesn't it make it kind of complicated for her to be staying here? In his house?"
"Like I said, it's not my place to tell you the whole story. But it is complicated. She's basically Gabriel's and Charles' to worry about, so you'll have to talk to one of them"
Gabriel? The name sounded familiar, but Virginia couldn't place it.
"Anyway," Giovanni said, placing his hand on Virginia's shoulder, "I would just try to keep your distance from her for now. She'll cool off eventually"
Virginia nodded, though she wasn't sure she believed that.
Giovanni excused himself and Virginia put her plate in the sink as she did the morning before. It wasn't even eight in the morning and already it felt like a long day. She needed some space to get away from the negative vibes in the kitchen.
There was only one place in the whole mansion she thought she could find some solitude.