Women's Studies Ch. 14

When cooped up frustration drove her to leave her rooms, she would escape to the gardens. The corridors felt like a maze. With all the walls made of aged wood paneling, and the deep red carpet runners stretching over the dark hardwood, every corridor seemed to look alike, making it easy to get lost. Kennedy was sure she was heading the right way though.

The wide hallways were empty save for a few house staff going about their duties, somehow only seeming to intensify the empty feeling of the house. Sometimes, Kennedy would pass a door and hear the unintelligible murmurs of people talking on the other side, but for the most part that was the only sign that other people were actually there.

Kennedy tugged at the tight fitting bust of the dress she wore as she strode down the main hall towards one of the back doors that had a path to the gardens. Skylar had been right assuming that some of the clothes wouldn't fit. Out of most of the clothing she's sorted through, she was left with mostly dresses for options. The cherry blossoms on white was cute enough, but it was a bit loose in the waist, and too tight up top.

Up ahead, a door sprung open. The once muted noise burst to life, filling the hall with the voices of several people talking over each other. Abigail exited flanked by two advisors, and even more trailing behind. Their eyes caught for a moment. Shock at seeing Kennedy smoothly turned into sadness, and Abigail lowered her eyes as she was ushered in the opposite direction. Kennedy caught snatches about the search efforts, but once they turned a corner, she was no longer able to hear.

"You could have gone with them you know," Skylar said making her jump. As if she hadn't noticed Kennedy's reaction, she went on. "You're a Lockwood too, and you have every right to sit in on any meeting."

"I'm a Monroe," Kennedy sighed, eyes still gazing at the empty hall where Abigail disappeared. That sadness, the search for her father must have been going worse than Kennedy thought. "Just a Monroe."

"Do you want to get out of here for a bit?" Skylar asked. "I'm going into town to pick up some things."

Kennedy was surprised at the offer, but quickly accepted. She needed to get out of this place, even if it was only for an hour. This house, and everything going on, felt so strange. It would be a relief to see anything close to normal.

As they headed to one of the black SUV's in front of the garage, Kennedy asked if they should bring some of the guards. It felt odd asking a question like that, but since learning that her father was Mr. Lockwood, she had begun to feel an itch between her shoulder blades as if someone was out there that might want to hurt her, or use her to get to one of the real Lockwood's. "I should be more than enough," was Skylar's only reply, a small smirk on her lips.

The drive into town took nearly an hour by itself. It really was a town. It couldn't have been more than a few miles from end to end. The sun stood just down from its peak as they pulled into a parking spot in the center of a cluster of shops that lined either side of the main boulevard.

Kennedy followed quietly just behind Skylar as she worked her way through a few shops to pick up whatever it was she was looking for. Kennedy caught something about the other woman that she thought she had seen before but dismissed. She was still Skylar, but the way she walked and moved seemed different. Her eyes seemed sharper as well, as if she took in every single detail of her surroundings. The notorious party girl had vanished, and in her place stood something else...something dangerous. Kennedy shook her head at that thought. The only thing Skylar was dangerous to was a frat boy's stamina.

They were in a small clothing shop and Kennedy was browsing, trying to kill time while Skylar purchased socks and a new pair of boots. At first, Kennedy thought Skylar had made up a reason to get her out of the house for some fresh air, but after the number of things the girl had purchased, this little outing was at least as much for Skylar as it was for her. Come to think of it, Kennedy thought as she fingered a really nice leather jacket, Skylar left everything she had in the dorms at Mayweather, just as she had.

"That's a nice jacket," Skylar said, causing her to jump yet again. That woman was sneaky, hardly making a sound and never where you thought she was. "Do you want it?"

"Not for eight hundred dollars," Kennedy laughed. It was a nice jacket, and it was much cooler than in Arizona.

"While we're here, why don't we just get you a few things as well," Skylar said, pulling the coat off the rack. As much of a question as it was, her tone left no doubt that it was more than a suggestion. "You may look pretty in that dress, but if I've learned anything about you from being your roommate, you would much prefer a good pair of jeans and boots, unless it's a girl's night, or sex is in the offing," she smirked knowingly.

She wouldn't have minded some new clothes, but the truth of it was she was broke, and she told Skylar as much.

"This one's on Mr. Lockwood," she said casually. "He may have been generous with all those birthday cards he sent, but he never got the chance to spoil you properly. Let's just call this an advance," she smirked as she stepped to another rack, pulling off two pairs of dark jeans and holding them both up to Kennedy before choosing one.

Kennedy felt a little awkward using Mr. Lockwood's money. She was still angry with him, but with Skylar holding the reins, there wasn't much stopping it. The fact that it wasn't exactly him giving her the money, but Skylar swiping that black AmEx card, made it somehow acceptable. It took another two hours to work their way back through most of the shops, and by the time they were done, Kennedy hadn't a clue how much they had spent. The back of the SUV was filled with bags, including one with the dress she had been wearing. She now wore a tight-fitting pair of jeans and white t-shirt, with the black leather jacket over it and a comfortable but fashionable pair of boots that matched Skylar's new pair.

They both sat at a café table outside a sandwich shop that looked to be nothing special until you tasted what they made.

"This is incredible!" Kennedy said through a mouthful of provolone.

"Every time I come into town, I make sure to stop here. I've tried convincing old Edward that he needs to branch out, but he doesn't want the hassle. Besides, if it wasn't him making the sandwiches, I doubt they would taste half as good," she confessed.

Kennedy was halfway through her hoagie when she finally paused to ask Skylar a question that had been bugging her. "Why did they send you to watch over us at Mayweather?"

"You mean why did they send a girl?" she smirked. "Or why me specifically?"

"Both I guess," Kennedy said, trying to hide her embarrassment. Skylar had hit the nail on the head on her first guess.

"Well, I wasn't the only one there. I was just the point man. And at an all-girls school, the point man had to be a girl as well," Skylar explained in a nonchalant way as she continued to pick at her basket of fries. "There were about twenty of us rotating in and out, but I was the only one that ever made direct contact. Everyone else watched from a discreet distance or out of sight completely, only waiting to move in if they were needed. Your father nearly had a fit when you went to Cancun!" she barked a laugh. "There must have been fifty of us on that island, like a small army. That was the only way I could convince him to let you girls have your fun."

"You were there?" Kennedy exclaimed.

"Yeah, I thought one of you might have caught a glimpse of me at one point and I had to spend the rest of the trip in my room."

"Abigail thought she saw you there!" Kennedy laughed. "We thought she was just seeing things."

"As for why me specifically," she said, shrugging the shoulder of her coat off and pulling up the short sleeve to reveal a tattoo, "Staff Sergeant Skylar Rhoads, United States Marine Corps," she said with pride.

"You were a Marine?" Kennedy said eyeing the woman over again, near disbelieving.

"I am a Marine," she corrected Kennedy, a fire lit in her eyes. "Once a Marine, always a Marine." When she saw the understanding in Kennedy's eyes she continued. "When I had gotten out, I was having a hard time finding work. I was a small thing of a woman and most couldn't see past my breasts. I never did take the military up on their college offer, so it was either bartending or joining a private military group. I wasn't going to be associated with the latter. A couple of guys working for Mr. Lockwood mentioned my name to him. They were army, and we only crossed paths a couple of times in Kandahar, but I guess I made an impression. I've been working for George ever since. Excuse me, Mr. Lockwood."

"How old are you?" Kennedy asked. She had assumed that Skylar was her own age or at least close.

"Twenty-six," she said easily.

She didn't look a day over twenty.

"Wait, you never had a tattoo at school!" Kennedy said.

"I had to air brush over the damn thing!" She didn't sound thrilled about that. Skylar took a great deal of pride in being able to wear the eagle, globe, and anchor on her skin.

"If you're about done there, we should probably be getting back," Skylar said crumpling up the paper that once held her hoagie while glancing back at the sun just touching the horizon.

Together, both of them rose to leave. Edward, the shop owner strode out quickly to catch them, handing Skylar a heavy paper bag for her to take to go. She passed him a folded note, with a thanks for the delicious meal and the pair headed back to their car, and the Lockwood Estate. The bag was filled nearly to the brim with sandwiches wrapped in paper, and then cellophane to keep them fresh.

"I always like to take some back with me. Owen loves the things, and they make an easy snack when you don't have much time to spare," Skylar said when Kennedy had remarked on the number of sandwiches. "You're welcome to some. I keep them in the small fridge in the second-floor kitchen."

Their day out had proven to be just what Kennedy needed. She still held those same emotions that troubled her before, but laughing with Skylar while they listened to music and talked about things that had happened while they were at Mayweather seemed to lift a weight from her shoulders, a weight that she hadn't realized was there. It was rather enlightening to hear of some of their exploits from Skylar's perspective. Like Skylar flirting with the night security guard so he wouldn't catch Kennedy sneaking into the Admin Building alone, or when Skylar had accidentally let herself get totally hammered during the Halloween scavenger hunt and had to call for someone to replace her from the other security personnel that were shadowing them.

"I tried to stick to mostly seltzer water and ginger ale, but that's not the kind of thing you find at a frat party. Before I knew it, I was already too drunk to handle any crisis that might have come. I was slurring my words like a first timer when I called Owen to send in reinforcements. He was laughing so hard, 'Ole' Battle Rhoads letting a few college girls out drink her!'" she chuckled with a hand on Kennedy's shoulder as they both took the steps up to the big front doors of the manor.

The house was silent inside except for the faint murmur of voices coming from the parlor next to the first flight of stairs. Most likely it was Abigail discussing the search for her father. However mad she was at Mr. Lockwood, she felt for her friend. None of this could be easy for her. Her gaze lingered on the door as they walked quietly past.

"Why don't you just go on in and see what they're talking about?" Skylar asked. "Whether or not you're ready to admit it, you are a member of this family, and I'm sure Abigail would appreciate your presence."

"I don't know about that," Kennedy sighed. That was a whole other can of worms, and in a way, that one hurt worse than the other. Before Skylar could press it, Kennedy went on. "I think I'm just going to head up to my room and lay down, if that's all right."

"Of course," Skylar said catching her mood. "I'll have someone bring up your bags from the car in a bit."

For a moment, Kennedy had forgotten about all the shopping they had done. She paused, then gave Skylar a quick nod before striding deeper into the house for one of the back sets of stairs that led up to her rooms. It might have still been early yet, but a nap sounded nice.

Her nap took her well into the night. When Kennedy woke, the clock by her bed showed just past one in the morning. Despite that lazy, comfortable feeling flowing through her from the rich comforter and the expensive mattress, she knew there was no way she would be falling back to sleep any time soon. Still, she planned to stay right where she was, until a short while later her stomach grumbled, and she remembered those hoagies they had brought back.

With her stomach leading her, she rolled out of bed. The hardwood was cool against her feet as she padded to the closet in only her underwear and tank top. The jeans she had discarded on the floor earlier were amazing, but she had no desire to try and squeeze into them again. They fit like a glove, showing off every little curve, but she didn't want to put in all that effort for a sandwich, no matter how good it tasted. Instead, she found a pink and purple pair of silk pajama pants hanging on one of the racks.

Suitably covered, she padded out of her rooms and down the hall in search of the second-floor kitchens. She had not even known there was more than one kitchen until Skylar had mentioned it. Kennedy wandered the halls, worried that she might not even recognize the door to the kitchen if she saw it. It wasn't like there were signs. There should be signs. The last thing she wanted to do was open the wrong door to somebody's bedroom. That kind of thing could be awkward.

Finally, she came across a door like no other. Instead of a handle, it had a brass bar stretching across the middle, and had a brass plate at the bottom of the door, worn with scuff marks from feet. Cautiously, she pushed it open, and it was indeed the kitchen. It was large, with stoves, ovens, and range tops lining the walls in a horseshoe and two long, narrow stainless-steel prep tables occupying the space between them. Two refrigerators stood in the corner on the opposite wall, one was massive and stainless-steel, but the other was white, and of a size you would find in an ordinary home. Figuring that was the small refrigerator, she padded over to it.

"Late night snack?" Skylar asked, spooking Kennedy just as she opened the refrigerator.

"Shit!" Kennedy exclaimed. She needed to get a grip on herself. This woman had her jumping out of her skin at every turn! Skylar was sitting in a corner off to the side of the door eating a bowl of cereal as if it was the most normal thing to be doing in the middle of the night. "Can you wear a fucking bell or something?" she asked, holding her hand to her thumping heart.

"Didn't mean to scare you," Skylar blushed. "I'm just taking a midnight lunch."

"Do you guys ever stop working?" Kennedy asked, feeling her heart beginning to calm down.

"We take shifts, but we're always on call," she explained. "Couldn't keep away from the hoagies huh?"

"Something like that. You don't mind, do you?" Kennedy asked, holding up one of the sandwiches.

"Not at all, I offered. Have at them. I can always get more."

Kennedy closed the refrigerator, and not seeing a reason to leave, sat at the small table with Skylar while she ate. As talkative as they were earlier, silence engulfed the room only broken by the crinkle of paper from the sandwich, or a clink of a spoon on the bowl. It didn't feel awkward for Kennedy. In fact, it was quite relaxing. She was enjoying the other girl's company. It wasn't until she was finishing her sandwich that she noticed the look on Skylar's face. She seemed to want to say something.

"Is everything all right?" Kennedy asked.

"What?" Skylar said, jerking up her head. "Yeah, I'm good," she said quickly. She stirred the milk in her bowl for a moment before continuing more slowly. "I've just noticed that you haven't been in the best mood since you found out about your...about Mr. Lockwood," she amended carefully. "After all the effort you three put into trying to find out, I thought you would have been at least a little pleased to finally know."

"I don't know what I am," Kennedy admitted with a sigh. She let her head fall into her hands, propped up by her elbows on the table. "I thought I wanted to know, but now that I do, I can't stop feeling angry. It's like he swept me under the rug so no one would find out about me. Why couldn't he have just told me?"

"Sometimes the world is more complicated than that, and sometimes the answers even more so," Skylar said kindly, letting her fingers touch Kennedy's arm soothingly. "Sometimes we don't always get all the answers we want, and have to settle for what we can get. When we find your father maybe he can tell you."

There was a long pause before Skylar's hand pulled away and the scrape of a chair made her look up.

"Take a walk with me," Skylar said standing, half turned towards the door. "There is much more of this house that you haven't seen. It'll be fun," she smiled holding out a hand.

Not wanting to offend Skylar after all of her kindness, Kennedy followed. She had spent most of her time secluded in her rooms, or out in the gardens, she really hadn't seen most of the house. The second floor mostly contained bedrooms, more than she could imagine ever being used at one time, but besides the kitchen, there was a smaller parlor, a smoking room and a billiards room. The turrets that stretched up to the third story held a sitting room, a library, a room of records behind a stout locked door that contained the entire history of the family and its business endeavors, and one more that had the look of a play room that had always been set aside for Abigail, remodeled over and over again as she aged.

She was sure she knew what was held on the bottom floor, but Skylar showed her that anyway. Besides the two parlors, the kitchens (with the maids wing on the far side of it where they lived and slept), and the grand dining hall, there was a theater room that looked exactly like a movie theater, only with a slightly smaller screen and only four rows of red velvet seats. A ballroom took up the entire far back corner; big enough to match most hotels. After all of that, it was surprising how small the basement was, containing only a two-lane bowling alley and what appeared to be a speakeasy style bar.

There was one room that Skylar had seemingly skipped over on the first floor that she led Kennedy back to after returning from the basement. Without a word, Skylar opened the door and gestured her in as she turned on the light.

The room had two long bookcases along the adjoining walls filled with everything from law texts to Tom Sawyer. In the corner opposite sat an antique desk that was neatly organized with several picture frames. Even more pictures sat on the two remaining walls and some in empty spaces on the bookshelves.

"What is this place?" Kennedy asked.

"It's your...Mr. Lockwood's study," Skylar said, guiding Kennedy inside with a note of familiarity. "This is where he spends a lot of his time when he's here."

While Skylar moved off to the side by one of the bookshelves, Kennedy took a closer look around. Every picture was of him and Abigail. Some of the older ones had a woman in them, which could only be Abigail's mother. All of the pictures were angled just so, so that whoever sat behind the desk could see each of them easily. It was as if his other daughter never existed.