Chapter 6 A Trip Down Memory Lane (One)

• “Hello, Jessica,” Charles says quietly, staring at me with his green eyes, his expression unreadable. I have never seen that shade of startling green eyes before. I wonder if he is wearing contacts but quickly decide that it is none of my business.
• “I’m beginning to think that you and your sister have quite a lot in common. You’re both crazy stalkers.” I say to him, noting that his expression does not change in the slightest.
• “Actually, Charlotte and I are nothing alike, but I can see why you would think that. I’m not following you though. I have every right to be here, you see, as the company that organized this crew belongs to Sebastian and me. I own the majority of the shares, in fact. However, I can’t say the same about you, Jessica. What are you doing here?” He asks in the same gentle tone that I’m fast coming to hate. He is clearly one of those people who rarely ever get angry, no matter how far you pushed them.
• “I was invited by this guy called Maxwell.”
• “That’s good. You’ll love it here, I think. I’m glad you came.”
• “I’m sad I did. If I had known that you would be here, I would surely not have come.”
• “I know you wouldn’t have. I’ll try to stay out of your way, so please try to enjoy yourself as much as possible.” Charles replies as solemnly as a pious saint, before walking away, leaving me on the deck by myself. I watch him go in irritation, wondering why such good looks, height, and hot bod had to be wasted on a man with such a bland personality. But I’m here to have a good time, not waste precious moments thinking about Charlotte's brother. I turn to face the water, loving the incredible view of the setting sun’s reflection glinting off the water’s surface and the breeze blowing in my hair.
• “I’ll have some lovely days here, even though Charlotte’s brother is here on the same ship with me. I know I will.” I think to myself, watching the golden hue of the sun mesmerically. I have no idea how wrong I am.
• ***
• CHARLES
• I walk slowly back to my cabin, my mind in turmoil. Had it been I had any idea that Jessica Matthews was going to be on the ship, I wouldn’t have come, even if it would have been weird for both Sebastian and me to be missing. I feel really sorry for her, and I know that she hates me because of what my sister did to her, not that any of it is my fault, but I don’t blame her one bit. If lashing out at me and hating me, or trying to punish me for everything is going to give her even a fraction of peace, then it is fine by me. Thinking about my sister saddens me a great deal, despite the fact that I like to think that I’ve put her memory behind me.
• I can still remember when we had been little kids. Charlotte had been normal then, although there were certain things that had indicated the type of person she would turn out to be, now that I think about it. While I had been a nurturing and caring kid, the type that would want to care for and help frail, fragile, and wounded things, Charlotte had been my exact opposite. As a child, she would catch butterflies and other insects and take off all their legs and wings as slowly as possible. That behavior always irked and nauseated me a great deal, and when Charlotte noticed that, it amused her so much that she graduated to torturing bigger animals like frogs, lizards, and even my pet rabbit.
• Our mother’s behavior hadn’t helped one bit. She had been a chronic drug addict, who was more interested in where she was going to get her next fix than in training her kids. To her credit, she tried to hide her habit from Charlotte and me, but I knew about it. It is no wonder that my birth father had wanted nothing to do with her. My father … the man has been dead for two years now. Even though he hadn’t been active in our lives, thanks to our mother keeping us from him in a bid to siphon money from him to fuel her habit, he still cared about us and had named us in his will. He was the one who sent me to medical school too.