3 Lonely Servant

The nervous tension that grew inside Histoire increasingly became suffocating. A part of her, a sinister part she called it, did not abate its attempts to persuade her into thinking it was the husband's mistake and that Histoire should absolve herself from the blame. Light was meant to eventually shine in the dark, and if Histoire really hadn't delivered the envelope to Ines, this Taylor would've shown up sooner or later.

Histoire let her fingers go limp and dropped the wet umbrella onto the floor. She once again found herself crouching down to remove her shoes, repeating the same actions as earlier. The wig was discarded and the glasses were this time placed carefully on the table.

It was now time to turn her attention to the phone. She picked up the small object and turned it on, scanning its outline and appearance as it loaded. It was not an expensive or complicated model, just something simple she could use to reconnect with the world.

She could not contain her impatience and the moment she could use its basic functions, she sent through two messages to two respective numbers; Blaise and Jotham. And not even a minute after, she received a reply from the former. Blaise was always eager to speak to her, no matter how occupied he seemed to be. He was cordial to the point where Histoire was moved to believe he might feel the same way she did. She was wrong, however.

It was officially an hour past sunset and Histoire's schedule demanded she head for bed. The earliest lectures began at six in the morning, and she had the intention to attend them whenever she felt like it. Early morning classes had minimum attendance, which was perfect for Histoire if she wanted to keep herself away from a crowd.

This past week, Histoire held a minimum amount of days she had made an appearance on campus, including today. She was neither physically nor emotionally keen on making an appearance the next day and could thus ignore the schedule for the night.

Jotham was a demure peer of Histoire, an aspiring photographer who was intelligent and equally diligent with his work. He was another childhood friend and étrange who Histoire had the misfortune of parting with a year prior when she enrolled in a separate university. Him and Blaise were like brothers to her, except she expressed a different attraction to the latter.

When a familiar number appeared on the screen, Histoire answered the call after the first ring.

"Histoire?..." Jotham's voice sounded distant and she could hear the rain in the background, pelting against an umbrella. Apparently it rained harder in the city than in the suburb. The general noises of the city and different voices also prevented his voice from being articulate to her.

"Have... settled down yet?" Histoire could barely make out his words but understood his intended phrase.

"I'll text you the address later. You have to stop by sometime. This place is enormous..." She said, feigning the awe that had lingered for the first few days but had completely vanished by the time she spoke to Jotham. She finished speaking in time to take in the sound of a roaring a car's engine. She did not hear it as a background noise on the phone but rather from the street outside.

Curiousity got the better of her and she stood up and walked over to the circular window by the front door. She slightly pushed away the curtain with her free hand and looked past the driveway to the other house.

"If it's the Jaegars... I've been there before. Are you sure... content with being alone? I can come over right now... you aren't?"

A bright yellow Koenigsegg Regera pulled out from the Winters' driveway before speeding off out of sight. Before concern sunk in, Histoire's jaw dropped for a few seconds, then she realised that one of the couple was vexed, most likely Ines.

She refrained from sighing and allowed the curtain to swing back to its original position.

"No, you don't have to," she paused at the feeling of a recoil in her stomach, "I don't want anyone to follow you..."

"... for that very reason... don't want you staying alone. For safety's sake, Histoire, call... one of the security personal at least. That house is too big for you to live in by yourself," Histoire forced back a chuckle. How incongruous in size the mansions facing each other were. Jotham would be as incredulous to believe it as she initially was.

"I can't put my trust into strangers at the moment. Are you on your way home?" More background noises were heard, this time a number of voices calling out his name. If he was on his way home, he was traveling with his friends.

"Yes, I just... the store. My camera malfunctioned. I figured it was about time I replaced it with an improved and newer version," he explained with a deep sigh. Did it come as a surprise to Histoire that his camera died only a year after it was bought? Jotham slaved it day and night until it eventually gave up. A foreseen event it was.

"I'm going to skip classes tomorrow. I'll come around in the morning," she said next, walking to the kitchen to prepare a light meal for herself. The fridge was filled with nothing but takeaways. She had the necessary skills needed to cook, but could never trust herself around sharp utensils such as knives and forks.

"Tomorrow's perfect... I'll be waiting... be safe..." She didn't keep him on the call for too long. He was occupied. Despite having to juggle work and school, he still made time to spend with you. In a world where acquaintances and new friends kept on abandoning her, she was grateful she still had Jotham and Blaise on her side.

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Author's Note:

'Jotham' is a name derived from the Bible, pronounced: 'Yo-tham' with a soft 'TH' like from the words 'think', 'fifth', etc. and the 'am' from words like 'them'.