Chapter 8 - A Cage

Another three days have passed.

Constant journalists' assault through phone-calls got so unbearable, that Elena decided to order new SIM-cards for their mobile phones, along with brand new numbers. They wanted to keep them secret, proving them only to their closest ones and some D&F Fortunes employees, but it didn't help much; somebody apparently sold their new numbers to the press and soon they started getting calls from journalists even on those new, 'top secret' numbers. Last option they were left with was to cease completely their contact with the world… they weren't the fans of that option, obviously.

First of all, Cassie wasn't the fan of it. She visibly started getting bold. She was eighteen, already halfway on her gap year and she obviously didn't like the idea to be locked up in the house with her parents instead of traveling and discovering the world's wonders, meeting new people and different cultures. She quarreled with Elena more often, then she'd lock herself in her room or chat endlessly with her boyfriend Joe on the phone. She was evidently missing him, missing being on the road and she was tired of being stuck in the middle of this fuss, while she wasn't guilty at all.

Throughout these days Elena did everything to protect her family the best she could. Firstly, she tried to solve the phones' matter. Secondly, because of few incidents when paparazzi got definitely too close to their estate, two times even getting through the gates and filming their private life through the windows of their house, she immediately signed up a contract with the security agency. This way two patrols controlled the vicinity of their estate day and night, driving the paparazzi away and keeping them on safe distance. Unfortunately, soon even that turned out to be insufficient, because paparazzi tried to film the Drakes from the seaside.

Along with those three days, Nate passed another three sleepless nights. He was squirming restlessly on his side of the bed until dawn, haunted by his fears. Every time he noticed that Elena was awaking, he'd turn on his side and pretend he was deeply asleep. He was trying to control his emotions, trying to cope with this problem by himself. He didn't need any more comforting, he didn't want to talk about it, too. He felt like a prisoner in his own house, embattled like a wounded animal by a pack of hounds.

Each day he was asleep with first rays of sunlight only and slept until noon, but it was restless and dreamless sleep; after awakening he felt even more stressed and exhausted than in the evening. He tried his best to stay in good spirit, but it was hard, especially after his talk with Elena in their study the other day. He tried to drive thoughts about it away, but they'd come back again and again. It wouldn't let him go.

One day Sam called.

Actually Nate wouldn't answer the call if Elena hadn't accidentally checked the screen of the muted phone. After two weeks of struggle for gold in the deep jungle of South Africa Sam was on his way to Mexico and visited his ex-associates - Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. There he learned about the 'Drake-gate'. He actually found it ridiculous and started making fun of his famous brother on the phone ('Y'know, little brother, you could at least put on your better clothes for this shooting session on your beach! A little fanservice wouldn't hurt anybody!'), but when Nate's only reaction at his jokes was silence, Sam understood that the situation is probably more serious than he originally thought.

"I'm sorry, Nathan," Sam said awkwardly, breaking the heavy silence between them. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right," Nate interrupted him, feeling a little exasperated. He knew that his skittish older brother hadn't the slightest idea about his state of mood and wasn't eager to explain it to him now (never). He wasn't sure if he'd understand.

"I guess it's not easy for you… Maybe…," Sam started again after a short pause. "Maybe you'd like me to drop by?"

"I don't think it's a good idea right now," Nate replied hesitantly, already trying to imagine Sam's photos appearing in the gossipy service on the Internet. "You'd attract great attention. I don't want you involved."

"Yup, I got it," Sam sighed after an instant. "But Nathan, if I could be of any help…"

"I'm fine," Nate lied. "Really. I can handle myself."

"Okay, okay…" Sam replied quickly, backing out.

There was another, short moment of silence between the brothers.

"How is Sully?" Nate finally asked with concern. "Seen him recently?"

Sam made a sigh on the other end of the line. "No, I plan to drop by at his place in two days," Sam said. "I'm sure he's doing fine. He's an old but tough guy. You should call him by yourself."

Nate bit his lip. Calling Sully meant explaining the whole news fuss, then listening to his consolation, and right now Nate now felt almost allergic to these activities. But there was more: Nate was feeling uneasy about calling Sully. He was feeling sense of guilt. It was nearly two months and he didn't call him at all.

He forgot.

"Yeah, I will," Nate answered. He's got enough of this conversation. "Listen, Sam, I gotta go…"

"Yeah. Say hi to Elena and Cassie from me. And take care, little brother."

"You too," Nate replied and hanged up.

On the fourth day the atmosphere in the house was like a huge powder keg - ready to explode in any time.

The trio were sitting in their living room, each of them occupied with their own stuff. Elena was continuously typing something on her laptop, while Cassie and Nate were browsing through the books she bought in Paris. There were all sorts of books: lexicons, dictionaries of ancient languages and, most of all, interesting publications about past civilizations. There was even a book about ancient Mesopotamia, so Nate focused on that one first. Yet, he had serious problems with concentration.

Eventually, he looked up and took a peek through the half-opened window. Another beautiful day was passing by while he was stuck in the house. Recently he couldn't even peacefully cross his own beach to the studio building without noticing paparazzi's photoflash lamps in the distance. That was getting unbearably annoying.

He slumped against the back of his seat with a sigh, resting the book on his lap and glanced at his girls. They were both concentrated on their stuff and didn't look at him. But he had enough of this.

"I'm going downtown," he unexpectedly declared.

Both Elena and Cassie looked up at him, their eyes widened. "What?" they asked simultaneously.

Nate shrugged. "I'm going downtown. I'll buy myself a doughnut and drink coffee, like a normal and free citizen. Then maybe I'd go for a short walk. Feel free to join me."

Elena blinked and slowly closed her laptop. "Nate," she started, scooting closer to him. "This is insane. They're everywhere! They'll hunt you down the moment you'll pass our fence…"

"If I were you, I actually wouldn't call it a good idea either, Dad," Cassie added.

"I don't know about you, but I'm done hiding in this nuthouse and pretending I don't exist," Nate snapped back and threw his book on the coffee table. "It's been already four days!"

"Nate, please," Elena begged, grabbing him by his arm. "You really shouldn't… Do you want the situation from the airport to repeat itself-"

"I don't care," he replied angrily and got up on his feet.

"Nate, don't!" Elena rose her voice.

"Oh come on, I'll go either with or without your consent," Nate declared. "Are you girls going, or not?"

Of course Cassie immediately threw her own book aside and got up. "I'll go with you! Another day locked here and I'll go crazy..."

"No, Cassie. You're not going anywhere," Elena interrupted her firmly, then gave Nate a look. "I'll go with you."

"No!" Cassie groaned. "No way! You're not gonna leave me here!"

"Don't be a baby," Elena snapped back and rose from her seat. "You've already taken part in one pursuit of the journalists, I don't need you getting in trouble anymore while you're here."

Cassie looked up at Nate with a silent plea in her brown eyes, but Nate just shrugged. Seeing this, Cassie made a deep breath. "God, how I hate this place!" she cried and walked briskly towards her room and slammed the door behind her. Surprised Vicky went after her and lied down at the entrance to her room like a guardian.

"You're happy now?" Elena furrowed her eyebrows at Nate and walked out of the living room towards their bedroom to get dressed.

"I should ask you this question!" Nate grumped after her, entering the bedroom and observing Elena as she was dressing up. "She's already an adult! If she wants to go, let her be. I don't get you sometimes…"

Elena turned furiously on her heel to face him. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm only trying to protect her," she snapped back, pointing a finger on Nate, then stepped closer to him. "She might be an adult, but we are still her parents. And we shouldn't have let the encounter at the airport happen - never!"

Nate froze, eyeing her for an instant, then furrowed his eyebrows. "So you're saying now that I don't care about her?" he asked angrily under his breath.

Elena frowned at him, confounded. "No!" she gasped. "I didn't say that-"

"But you thought it," he whispered with a firm voice, trying to ignore the quickening of his pulse. His mouth went dry.

Elena was looking at him, visibly shocked. "No!" she whispered back after an instant in a broken voice. Her chocolate eyes were searching his face, desperately trying to find any trace that'd make her sure that what he's saying to her is not serious. "What is wrong with you?"

He blinked. Not that again. "Never mind," he replied quickly, then took a deep breath and looked away from her, like nothing happened. "It's okay."

"It's not 'okay'…" Elena continued and grabbed his arm. She was hearing alarming bells ringing in her ears. "It's been a week and nothing is 'okay' anymore, Nate!"

He fixed his eyesight on some invisible object on the wall. Elena waited for a minute, then tightened her fingers around his arm to get his attention. "Nate," she gasped. "You're not telling me everything, do you?"

Nate finally looked at her. Her eyes were full of disquiet and uncertainty. He knew that look, though he didn't see it for so long…

He didn't say anything in return.

"Tell me what's bothering you," Elena insisted eventually with a trembling voice. "Talk to me, Nate..."

He wouldn't. Or he couldn't. But at that moment it wouldn't make any difference.

"Leave it. Please," Nate insisted, trying to sound as calm as possible, then pulled her hand off his arm and squeezed it gently with his own. "It doesn't matter. C'mon, let's try to pass the rest of this afternoon in a nicest possible way. Or I'll go crazy."


Everyone's on the edge now. It wouldn't be easy to control emotions anymore.