The next morning, Mom's fist pounding on my door woke me up.
I opened it, and a crew of movers walked straight past me into my room. They started hauling out my paintings, my easel, everything.
Mom stood in the hallway directing traffic. "Careful. Don't scuff the walls. This is going to be Sienna's yoga room."
She saw me standing there and gestured down the hall like it was nothing. At the end of the corridor, past a mountain of junk, was the basement.
"Thea, Sienna needs to work on her figure before the wedding. She needs a yoga room with good light. Your studio has the best light in the house. We're knocking through the wall and giving it to her. You don't have much stuff. Just move the easel down to the basement."
I watched the movers toss my paint tubes onto the floor like trash. All my expensive supplies, every one of them, were covered in dust.
"The basement is damp. My paints will grow mold. And I'm severely allergic to pollen. Sienna wants lilies all over the living room."
Mom waved me off. "It's almost spring. Nothing's going to mold. And as for the pollen, just take allergy pills. Sienna loves lilies. Don't be a killjoy."
Sienna shuffled out of her room in a silk nightgown, yawning. "Mom, what's all the noise this early?"
Then she saw me and her face lit up with a smirk.
"Thea, I'm sorry, but I have to stay in the best shape for Dominic. If you're upset about the room, I'll give you some of my old dresses. You'll need something decent to wear when you meet Nathaniel."
I picked up the paint tubes one by one. "Don't bother. I'll move."
I packed everything into two cardboard boxes.
There really wasn't much. A few changes of clothes, some art supplies. There was almost no trace of me left in that house.
The basement smelled like old damp and closed windows. I opened one, and cold early spring air rushed in. I shivered.
My phone buzzed.
"What are you doing?" Domini's voice was low, with a softness he didn't show anyone else.
"Moving rooms. Packing." I looked around the empty, dust-covered basement.
"How much stuff do you have?"
"Not much. Two boxes are enough."
Dominic went quiet for 2 seconds. "You don't have to move. Thea, no one gets to make my future wife uncomfortable."
I held the phone tighter. My fingertips felt warm.
"I don't want to start a fight before the engagement banquet."
He was quiet again. "I know. But remember, you're not alone in this."
His voice was steady. It made me feel like things might actually be okay.
I hung up, and the door swung open. Mom walked in carrying a huge bouquet of lilies. She set them in a vase without asking.
"Sienna says the smell is too strong in her room. She can't sleep, so these stay down here."
I looked at the lilies, and my breathing changed instantly. My throat started to itch.
"Mom, I told you. I'm severely allergic to lily pollen. It triggers my asthma."
Her face went dark. "Why are you so sensitive? Are you doing this on purpose? Sienna holds them against her face every day. Why are you the only one with a problem?"
She slammed the vase down and turned to leave. At the door, she stopped and spoke over her shoulder,
"Oh, by the way. We're having some relatives over tomorrow night. A little celebration for Sienna's engagement to Dominic. Come home early from school and help in the kitchen. And wipe that look off your face. You look like someone owes you money. The relatives will talk."
The door slammed shut.
I stared at it for a long moment, then walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. I pulled a mint from my pocket, unwrapped it, and put it in my mouth. The cool sweetness spread across my tongue and pushed down the ache rising in my throat.
Dominic had bought me that mint on our last date. He said when things hurt, eat one.
I lay back on the cold folding bed and closed my eyes.
'Almost there. The engagement banquet is only days away.'
Aksara