The entire school week had been hellish for Serenah. No matter how much she tried to avoid Amanah and her flunkies, she still encountered them. They went out of their way to trip her, shove her into lockers, and, whenever possible, hit her. They always did it when none of her friends or Alastar were around. She was so miserable. She couldn't understand what she had done to prompt such maliciousness from her twin.
Romeo arranged for her not to be alone once he found out about her sister's scheming. It made the week a little easier and gave her room to breathe. She was pleasantly surprised when he offered to take her on a dining date with all their friends. She eagerly said yes. She got the address from Romeo and she and Alastar headed to Stormi's Playground.
She studied the building. The outer was made of brick with a well-maintained lawn out front. They parked and headed inside. She stared about in awe. The interior was larger than the exterior. The lovely scent of pine filled the air. She touched a nearby booth and grinned at the smooth feel of the seat.
"It's nice in here," she whispered to Alastar. Even the soothing music and subtle lighting improved her mood.
"How many?" the hostess asked and grabbed some menus.
"We're here with a group," Alastar informed her.
Serenah looked around trying to find Romeo. Her mark warmed briefly before she spotted him toward the back of the restaurant. He waved at them and she waved back.
"There they are," she told the hostess and made a beeline for Romeo.
"Glad you found this place. Come sit, please," he offered and pulled out the chair next to him.
Serenah hurried to his side and sat. Alastar moved to the opposite side and sat next to Penelope. Their waitress came over and took their drink and appetizer orders. The group resumed talking while she and Alastar studied the menu.
"I don't know what to pick. Everything looks good," she complained to Romeo.
Romeo chuckled at her disgruntled tone. "Well, let's see if I can help you narrow it down. Are you in the mood for beef, chicken, or pork?"
"Chicken."
"Okay, there are six different chicken entrees and sandwiches to choose from. Do you want salad, sandwich, or a chicken plate option?"
"Which is bigger?" she asked. "I'm really hungry."
He grinned. "I'd go for one of the salads or the dinner plate."
"Hmm," she murmured and stared at the menu. After a few minutes, she pointed to the chicken Caesar salad. "I'll try this. Oh, looks like I can get a side of soup with it." Her eyes sparkled at the thought. "Okay, I'll take the chicken noodle soup."
"Sounds good," he told her. He reached under the table and took her hand in his. She startled before squeezing his hand.
He leaned in toward her and whispered in her ear, "I hope you feel better here. No one should bother us, and you can eat in peace."
Serenah's eyes widened and she grinned. "Thank you," she murmured and blushed.
He grinned at her. Serenah glanced away and saw their waitress returning with their drinks and appetizers. Everyone said their orders and went back to talking some more once the waitress left to place their orders.
Romeo turned to Serenah and stared into her eyes until she blushed and mumbled a quiet "what?"
"Nothing much. Just enjoying the sight of my amazing and beautiful girlfriend," he replied with a smile.
He chuckled and she blushed even more.
"So what do you think of the diner? Pretty cool isn't it?" he asked her.
Serenah glanced around and nodded. "I like the interior. It's comfortable and peaceful. Even though a lot of people are in here, it's not super noisy like some restaurants."'
"I know, right? That's the charm of this place. Couldn't ask for a better spot to hang out after school, especially on a Friday night."
"Is there something special about Fridays?" she asked, intrigued by his statement.
He stroked her cheek.
She stared at him confused.
"Well, Stormi's has a karaoke battle each week to see who the best karaoke singer is."
Her eyes widened and she glanced away trying to hide her wistful look. While her mother was alive, she would sing all the time. Serenah loved to hear her mother's voice and was happy that she had inherited that talent from her mom. She wasn't allowed to sing in the castle, however.
"Sera, do you sing?"
She tensed, her head whipping around as she stared at him for a moment. "I…,"
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
Romeo frowned. Serenah stiffened in shock. Why was her sister here?
"Hello, Amy," Her quiet response was loud in the sudden silence at their table.
She felt fear bubbling up. Her sister was so unpredictable. She really didn't want to deal with her today. Her mark warned her that Romeo's anger was rising. He opened his mouth to speak. She couldn't let him say anything to her sister without her sister causing a huge problem. She squeezed his hand so hard that he paused.
"Can we help you?" he growled at her sister.
"You can," Amanah purred.
"Oh? I doubt it," he drawled.
"Not you, but my dear sister," Amanah continued.
Serenah flinched at her sister's words. What the hell was she plotting for her now?
"She can help you later, we're about to eat."
"Oh, nice! We just happened to come here to eat. Why don't we join you?"
"Like hell you're joining us!" snapped Liz.
Serenah's eyes widened at Liz's aggressiveness toward her sister.
Amanah glared at Liz before turning to Romeo with a pout on her face. "I don't see why we can't join you."
Serenah wanted to slap her. Why did her sister keep trying to take Romeo from her?
"There's not enough seats," Penelope chimed in while glaring at Amanah.
"Well, you heard them. Guess we don't have enough seats," Romeo told her with a grin.
"That's funny. I do believe you have two seats free for Nick and me," Amanah countered.
"Nope, don't see any."
Suddenly, Serenah's phone rang interrupting the tense showdown. She glanced at it and paled. Fear rose sharp enough that she was drowning in it. Her hand trembled in Romeo's and he leaned over to see who was calling.
She snapped out of her daze and answered on the second ring. "Hello?"
She didn't say anything as her father's voice filled her ear.
"I'm outside. Get out here, now!"
Hearing his voice shocked her so badly that she froze.
"Serenah, now!" her father roared at her.
"I understand. We'll be out in a moment."
Serenah saw Amanah's triumphant smirk.
"Romeo, I've got to go. Al, let's grab our food to go."
"Sera?"
She leaned into Romeo and moved close to his ear. "I'll call you later," she whispered.
Alastar was on his feet and Serenah stood. Her reluctance to go was obvious but she moved to Al's side. They started to go past Amanah's group when Amanah grabbed her arm. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Serenah dropped her gaze first.
"We'll see everyone Monday."
Romeo jumped to his feet and was beside her before she even registered he was there. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her. She stiffened for a second and then melted into his embrace. She tasted his emotions through the kiss and the mark. He broke it finally when Amanah's cursing filled the air. He pressed his head to Serenah's.
"Love you," he mouthed.
She smiled, though her lips trembled. She pulled free and left with Alastar.
They stopped their waitress and got their food boxed and bagged. Her phone rang again and she answered it immediately.
"I see that I need to retrain you."
"No, sir. We're coming out right now," she told him, her voice trembling at the rage in his voice.
The click of the phone disconnecting propelled her forward and out the door with Alastar on her heels.
She spotted her father and veered toward his car. His scowl made her hyperventilate. He was very angry. That did not bode well for her. She didn't want him to hurt her again.
"Father, we're here," she announced.
His glare was her only warning. The slap rocked her head and she yelped. She winced when her father grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her to his car. He shoved her inside and climbed in. Alastar got in the front seat.
"Go!" her father growled and the driver sped out of the parking lot.
Serenah cowered against the door, keeping her head and gaze down. Her cheek throbbed and she tasted blood in her mouth. She was going to have a nasty bruise from this. The tense silence grated her already frayed nerves. She worried about what punishment he would give her for going to the diner without permission and for calling him father.
She hadn't said Your Majesty because there were humans in the parking lot, a fact her father hadn't seemed to care about when he slapped her. Maybe he wasn't concerned about his image. No that wasn't the issue. He did care but in that moment her supposed defiance trumped his care about his reputation. He had to put her in her place. That had been more important to him at that moment.
She stayed curled in a ball of misery all the way home. Terror roiled in her gut when they arrived home and parked in the garage.
"Alastar, you may retire until I call for you," her father ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Alastar and the driver got out of the car.
Serenah felt so alone. There would be no help if her father hurt her. She stayed still as her father got out of the car and slammed his door. She let out a shaky breath which changed to a gasp of fear when her father opened her door. He grabbed her arm, yanked her out of the car, and sent her crashing to her knees.
She whimpered and was rewarded with another hard slap.
"Get up," he coldly ordered.
She stumbled to her feet and bit back her cries of pain at the unbearable burn of agony from her injured knees. She didn't resist her father. It would only bring more suffering if she did. He took her to his study and shoved her. She crashed into the back of the couch, her breath knocked out of her.
"You think you can do whatever you want because I'm allowing you to date that boy."
Serenah struggled to stand up, her legs threatening to give out. "No, Your Majesty, I don't,"
Her words were cut off by his hard punch to her stomach. She couldn't keep her balance and sank to the floor wheezing. Her fear was choking her. He was going to hurt again! Why did he have to be this way? She'd done nothing wrong!
"I gave you one job. You are allowed near the boy at school only. Anything other than that is forbidden."
Tears pooled in her eyes. Her father was so cruel!
"You are only a placeholder for your sister. Don't you dare get ideas otherwise," he snarled, punctuating each word with hard blows from his fists to her unprotected body.
"Mercy!" she wheezed barely managing to force that one word from her mouth.
"Mercy? You deserve none! You are worthless and a murderer! Ha, you should be thankful I even let you live back then!"
His harsh words hurt as much as the continuous blows from his fists. Would he forever hold that one incident against her? It wasn't her fault! Not that he cared.
Finally, he stopped. She whimpered in relief. She wanted to go to her room and nurse her wounds in peace.
Her father grabbed her hair at the base of her neck and yanked her head up to stare into her eyes.
"Take your disgusting self, back to your room. Next time you defy me, you'll go to the punishment chamber. I'll enjoy making you bleed."
Serenah saw the truth in his eyes and trembled. Tears fell from her eyes. Her father truly despised her. He hauled her to her feet before releasing her hair. She staggered out of his study, ignoring the pitying looks of his guards.
It took her twice as long to reach her room because of her injuries. She was met by a pacing Lael when she arrived.
"My Lady!" Lael gently led her inside. "What happened?"
"Father was angry," she replied, too tired and emotionally hurt to give details.
"Alastar told me some of what went down at the diner. Come, let's get you out of these clothes and your wounds looked at."
Serenah didn't resist. Her mind was already retreating away from the nightmare that was her life. She moved in a fog of misery. She didn't make a sound while Lael tended to her wounds and gave her painkillers. Lael put her to bed.
"Sleep, My Lady. I'll guard your room."
Serenah closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.