Finding Ella

Chapter 6

Ella slowly opened her eyes to find sunshine streaming from behind the curtains into the room where she lay. Her head felt heavy and her brain fuzzy as she propped herself up on one elbow to look around. The sheets on the huge bed she lay in were white and there was a thick blue comforter covering her. Across from the foot of the bed was a chest of drawers with a large mirror that she could see herself reflected in. The wall to her right was completely hidden behind thick dark curtains, no doubt covering windows looking out across the grounds. To her left was the closet and a door that she was guessing led to a small bathroom.

As she took stock of the room around her, the events of the night before came flooding back to her and she flopped back down onto the pillows with a groan. What a mess her life had become. What was she going to do now? Her feet and ankle were a dull ache and her mouth felt like paste; she couldn't even imagine what her breath smelt like.

Taking a deep breath she flipped the covers back, wiggled her way to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side. Being careful to move slowly, she slid gently off the bed onto trembling legs. She let out a sigh of relief when she realised that she was still in the sweats the guys had lent her the day before, and someone had thoughtfully cleaned her feet and re-bandaged her sore ankle.

Hanging onto the mattress for a moment to give her limbs a chance to strengthen beneath her, she slowly stood up straight. After a couple of shaky steps to begin with, she managed to wobble her way into the small bathroom.

Rifling through the cupboards she came up with a brand new toothbrush, a tube of mint toothpaste and an elastic band for her hair. What was with these guys and the seemingly never ending supply of brand new toothbrushes? On second thought, she decided it was best not to go there. Tying her hair back, Ella gave her face a good scrub, washing away the tears and dirt from her terrified dash through the forest the night before. She followed this up with a thorough teeth brushing, twice.

Feeling decidedly more human, she realised it was time to face the music. In allowing the guys to bring her back to the compound the night before, she had essentially agreed to let them help her. When she stopped and thought about it for a moment, really thought about it, she realised that apart from what she'd heard them talking about, they hadn't done anything to hurt her. In fact they'd gone out of their way to help her, rescuing her in the forest, treating her wounds, stopping her from hurting herself on her mad run the night before.

Giving herself a moment to pull it together, she shuffled out of the bedroom and started off in search of the guys. Reaching the top of the stairs that led down to the bottom floor of the huge house, Ella heard the sound of the guys' voices floating up to her.

Before she could take the first step down, Hunter walked through the doorway from the living room and caught sight of her at the top of the stairs.

"Morning, little one," he greeted, his deep voice sending a tingle down her spine. He came to a stop at the bottom of stairs and looked up at her. "Ready for some food?"

Looking down at him, she bit her lip and gave a small nod. She could do this. Taking hold of the banister to keep herself from tumbling down the stairs on her still unsteady legs, she started down towards him. Hunter kept an eye on her as she made her way down, the close scrutiny making her feel a little self-conscious.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, he took a step back to let her pass, his eyes locked on her face. "You're gonna be ok," he murmured to her, "All we want to do is help."

She glanced up at him before sucking in a deep breath and nodding. He led the way down the hall into the kitchen that was flooded with the morning sunshine. Storm was standing in front of the stove cooking bacon and eggs and Ella's stomach rumbled as the delicious smell hit her. Ryder was drinking some coffee at the counter, his hair tousled and a sleepy look on his face – clearly he wasn't entirely awake yet.