Bellaroussia noticed the plastic bag in his hand. Only because it was noisy, as every plastic bag was. "Tour first, then." She nodded at her own decision. "We can find you a room so you can unpack your things, and then while you do, I'll make dinner." She returned his smile, but her's was a sheepish one. Time betrayed her time and time again, it seemed.
"Now, I don't think there are any rooms available. You may have to bunk with another orphan.. is that okay with you?" Bellaroussia scrutinized Jude's face for any change in his expression.
"Well, it's not that I don't like Reed.. it's more or less that I am afraid of Reed." It was a shameful thing to admit, but something he would have to admit, nonetheless. "But, that isn't the point. What do you plan to do about this? No matter what way you love him, you love Reed. You must give him at least that." Toma wouldn't have cared if Shiko loved Reed more than like a brother. It was up to Shiko what to do next, and he didn't wish to further complicate the situation. Putting himself in Reed's shoes, however, he knew that Reed would be hurting somewhere inside and at least deserved a merciful verdict.
"Okay. There's," Bellaroussia paused. She did the math in her head. She knew the exact amount of orphans in the manor, and how many had roomates. Simple subtraction would give her an answer in all of three point five seconds. "..five orphans are currently without a roomate. I can safely say that all of the orphans are older than you. Would you prefer to bunk with a male or female roomate?" Bellaroussia herself didn't mind the goings-on between the orphans. That and he was, what, ten? He could choose.
"I was.. raised.. that way, since I was young." Toma's smile was chased away by thoughts of Mrs. Claude. He found himself surprised as he learned his next words were the truth. "I don't know much else but that. And I don't know why I'm slipping now." He lifted a hand. He planned to pinch the bridge of his nose, again, but instead reached toward Shiko's cheek and rubbed it with the back of his hand. He stifled laughter. "They're warm, not too bad though." He gave her a reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes. So much for reassuring.
"Don't talk much, huh?" Bellaroussia padded to the refrigerator. Caesar time. She squeezed an even amount of dressing into the salad and tossed it's tasty self about with two forks. There was italian seasoned chicken and fresh lettuce leaves smothered in dressing. How tempting was that? The smell almost had her scarfing down the whole bowl. Instead, she fought the temptation and brought the bowl to the dining room table returning quickly for plates.
"Yeah, you're right." Bellaroussia nodded. But, most rooms had a lamp or something. She barely noticed Toma sneaking up the steps. "Hey." She said, loud enough for him to hear.
"Is there a problem?" Toma looked over his shoulder.
"Where is the light in your room?" Bellaroussia's hands were on her hips.
He shrugged. "There isn't one. The bulb is busted. I have a flashlight though." It was Shiko's she had given him on her first day.
Bellaroussia turned her attention to Jude. "Well, Toma's back and he has a flashlight you can use. Or, if you would feel more comfortable, you can take the cot in my office. I'll be in there and there's an actual light. Whatever you feel more comfortable with."
Toma pushed his bedroom door open all the way and shuffled inside.
"Oh, yeah, of course." Bellaroussia nodded at his question. Before leading him to her room, she held up her index finger. The gesture meant for him to wait just a moment. She was sure he would get it. He was a smart kid. She walked into Toma's and Jude's room. He was leaning against his wall again. She put her face right in his. It was something she had seen in Law and Order over and over again. When they were interrogating a suspect.
"I have a bone to pick with you first thing tomorrow," she told him, narrowing her eyes. Her voice carried a strong sense of hate. She approached the door, but paused before she left. "I don't know why my grandmother liked you so much. You have a terrible attitude. It needs help." On that sour note, Bellaroussia left the room.
"All right, let's get out of here." She led him to her office on the first floor. Her office was bland. There was a desk parallel to the doorway and two cots beside her closet. Above both of the cots hung a picture. It looked old and damaged, but was obiously well preserved now. In the picture was a woman with long grey hair. Her eyes contained a bright blue colour in the iris and a small pair of glasses lay gently on her nose. Her skin had many wrinkles, but that only intensified her beauty. There were a few other pictures hanging on the walls of the office. These ones contained both her mother and father.
Bellaroussia gestured to the cot Jude would be sleeping on but she didn't go over to it. She approached a small table and crouched down to grab a container. She had a hamster on that table and she was feeding him before bed time. He was too busy running on his wheel to notice her filling his food bowl.
"Shh.." She told the hamster. "It's time to go to sleep." The hamster didn't cease running. Bellaroussia groaned and slipped a small treat through the metal bars of the cage before retreating to her own cot. She turned on a short lamp in between both of the cots and sat on her own. It felt so comfortable.
Boy, was this getting redundant. "I don't know." He said each word with a clear emphasis, expressing that he really didn't. More importantly, in those three words he had just told Reed that he wanted to.
"But, please, stop acting so condescending. I'm one year younger than you. Stop treating me like I'm eight." This conflict was only making his head throb more. "Sorry."
