Chapter 9: Ms. Knight Rises

Chapter 9: Ms. Knight Rises

The Knight Mansion’s living room felt like a cavernous relic of grandeur, the echoes of our movements bouncing off the high walls adorned with portraits of stern-looking ancestors. Erica and I sat on a sofa that seemed to swallow us whole, the air perfumed with a blend of roses and something muskier, almost oppressive.

‘This has got to be slave money, right? Maybe oil baron money? Train track money? I don’t know. It’s giving me a bad vibe in general, though.’ I think as I nervously wait for our conversation to start.

“Jason, this is my mother,” Erica said, her voice softer than usual, a note of deference threading through the words that usually held nothing but hard edges.

“Mrs. Knight, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” My words tumbled out in a polite jumble as I stood awkwardly, extending my hand towards her.

“Vivian, please,” she corrected me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her kind eyes. She shook my hand in a firm grip, her presence every bit as commanding as the mansion we were in.

“Jason Parker,” I added and watched as the name seemed to trigger an involuntary reaction in her.

“Parker?” Vivian repeated, a fine line appearing between her brows, her lips pressing into a tight line. “Is your mother Emily Parker?”

I swallowed, suddenly aware of the weight of history pressing down on me. “Yes, ma’am,” I managed to say, my voice betraying my nervousness.

For a moment, Vivian’s gaze hardened, and the warmth she had shown moments before vanished like mist. A shadow crossed her elegant features, and her posture straightened imperceptibly. It was clear that the mention of my mother had stirred something within her and not something pleasant.

“Interesting,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else, her eyes narrowing slightly as she assessed me anew. It was as if she were piecing together a puzzle with me as the final, ill-fitting piece. Her mouth opened, perhaps to deliver a reprimand or to question me further, and I braced myself for a verbal lashing from this regal figure who clearly harbored some hatred for my mother.

Before Vivian could get any words out, Erica’s voice sliced the silence with unexpected cheer. “He’s the boy I saved the other day, Mom! The one I told you about,” she said, her eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and pride.

Vivian’s stern expression wavered as if struck by a sudden ray of sunlight. The shift was almost audible. The room seemed to exhale in relief. “Oh? Is that so?” Her tone softened considerably, and a smile curved the edges of her lips, transforming her entire demeanor. “Well, that is quite the story. It’s rather endearing, actually. Erica, being your knight in shining armor.”

I blinked, taken aback by the quick turnaround. Confusion mingled with my earlier apprehension. I kinda hate being the damsel in distress but i’d be lying if I said I wasn’t exactly that to Erica. But still, the term ‘knight’ felt surreal when applied to the complex whirlwind that was Erica Knight.

‘I saw your daughter practically kill a girl today.’

“Knight in shining armor?” I echoed, unsure how to reconcile the fierce, cigarette-smoking Erica I knew with the chivalrous figure her mother now praised.

‘Granted, Erica saved my life, so...’

“Yes,” Vivian continued, her gaze flickering between me and her daughter with newfound interest. “It’s quite the modern fairy tale, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose stopping a rape is a modern fairy tale.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say, but I knew for certain what I had chosen was the wrong thing. A brief, awkward silence hung in the air.

‘I’m getting really good at fucking the vibe up lately.’

Then, Vivian let out a heavy sigh, resigning herself to a reality she’d likely been resisting. “I suppose there’s no stopping you two,” she said, her voice carrying a note of surrender. She turned to me again, her curiosity piqued but tempered by politeness. “How is your mother doing, Jason?”

“Very well,” she said, her tone carrying a note of finality. “Have you told your mother about you two, Jason?”

I shifted in my seat, a nervous laugh escaping my lips as I tried to find the right words. “I, uh, I did mention it to her last night, actually,” I said, my voice wavering slightly under Vivian’s intense gaze. “We had a family discussion about it.”

Vivian’s eyebrows raised slightly, her interest piqued. “A family discussion? And how did that go?” She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs elegantly as she appraised me with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

I cleared my throat, the memory of the previous night’s conversation with my mother still fresh in my mind. It had been a tense affair, filled with raised voices and exasperated sighs. “Well, she wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. She had concerns.”

Erica scoffed, taking another drag from her vape pen. The sweet scent of the vapor mingled with the room’s fragrance, creating an oddly intoxicating aroma. “Concerns? More like prejudices,” she muttered, her words laced with bitterness.

Vivian’s gaze sharpened, her attention fully focused on Erica now. “Prejudices?” she repeated, her tone a mix of surprise and disapproval. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Erica met her mother’s stare unflinchingly, her blue eyes blazing with defiance. “She probably thinks I’m some kind of delinquent,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Apparently, getting arrested enough gets you put on the shit list if you are someone’s cop mom. I assume. She didn’t seem fond of me for the five seconds I talked to her.”

I shifted uncomfortably. Part of me wanted to defend my mother, but it’s not like she’s easy to defend. She threw the sirens at us last night, for god’s sake.

Vivian sighed, massaging her temple with perfectly manicured fingers. “Erica, darling, you have to understand how it looks from the outside,” she said, her voice taking on a patient, almost patronizing tone. “A young man from a respectable family suddenly got involved with a girl who has a reputation for being.... unconventional. Even if you don’t have a record because I keep donating to the Salem PD, she would still know.”

Erica’s jaw clenched, her fingers tightening around the vape pen until her knuckles turned white. “Unconventional?” she spat, the word like venom on her tongue. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

I reached out instinctively, placing a hand on Erica’s arm in an attempt to calm her. Her skin was warm beneath my touch, and I could feel the tension thrumming through her body like an electric current. “Erica,” I murmured, my voice soft but insistent. “No matter what, I don’t really care what my Mom thinks of you.”

“Jason, I care what your mom thinks of me.” She responded like it was obvious.

“Oh, fair enough.” I replied to her, losing interest in the conversation.

“Ms. Knight, did any of your family’s money come from railroad development?” My ADHD got the better of me.

‘I wonder if her fortune was made on the lives of Chinese laborers instead of slaves?’

“Erica I think Jason’s tired, you should drive him home before his mother get’s worried.” With that Vivian got up and left the room. Taking her mysteries with her.

‘One of these days, Ms. Knight. Your secrets will be mine.’

Erica’s eyes perked up. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Wait, you have a car?” I realized I hadn’t seen her drive yet.

“It’s too embarrassing to drive to school with. It would fuck up my image.” Erica looked annoyed at my question.