Moving in

At 8 a.m., Aiden woke up. His fever had gone down and he wasn't in a lot of pain anymore although he was still a bit stiff so he stretched for twenty minutes after getting out of bed. He already slept through the usual time he'd go for a run so he decided to skip it for the day and headed to the kitchen. No one else would wake up until around ten so he could relax and take his time. Aiden made a simple breakfast of toast and eggs with orange juice. When he was done eating, he cleaned up the dishes and returned to his room.

Suddenly needing to pack up and move was annoying but Aiden figured it would be better to get it over and done with. All of his belongings were in his room and bathroom, unlike the others who had things scattered all over the house, so at least that would make things easier. However, he'd need to go out and buy cardboard boxes and packing tape. He also decided to get some bubble wrap for his electronics and other fragile items. He didn't want to go out yet so he started to pack up what he could without the boxes.

First, he unplugged and wrapped up all the wires for his desktop computer. He organized them on top of the desk with the monitor, tower, mouse, and keyboard, that way they'd be out of the way and ready to get boxed up later. He then took all his dirty clothes and went down the hallway to start the laundry. After that, he made his bed and opened up his closet. In the back corner of the closet he had two suitcases and an empty duffel bag. He pulled them out and threw them on the bed. It took him ten minutes to fold his shirts and fill up one of the suitcases.

While he was pulling out his clothes, he took an off-the-shoulder, light gray, short-sleeved shirt that was loose at the top and tight at the bottom and put it on over his white tank top. He then went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of denim shorts to wear. He put the rest of his shorts and pants into the remaining suitcase. There was still room left in it so he tossed in all of his socks and underwear and closed it. The duffel bag was packed with body wash, shampoo and conditioner, his toothbrush, toothpaste, bath sponges, deodorant and other personal care products.

Aiden grabbed one of his cross-body purses and put his phone and wallet inside after calling for a taxi. He then took the duffel bag, both suitcases, and his laptop bag downstairs. He was out of the house and waiting for the taxi before anyone else had even woken up. When the taxi arrived, the driver got out and helped load Aiden's belongings into the trunk. It was an hour long drive with traffic, which would make moving all his stuff even more of a hassle.

Eventually, the taxi came to a stop outside an expensive looking mansion just outside the city. The driver, once again, helped with his suitcases and left after getting paid. Aiden walked up the stone steps and rang the doorbell. A moment later, a middle aged woman with brown hair tied in a bun answered the door. Before he could say anything, the woman smiled brightly and spoke in a warm and welcoming tone.

"You must be Aiden, right? Welcome! Come in. Here, let me take that." The woman reached out and took one of the suitcases from him. Aiden smiled at her.

"Thank you and yes, I'm Aiden. You're Mrs. Hudson, right?"

"Yes, that's me. Why don't we take these up to your room and then I'll give you a tour?" He nodded.

"Sounds great." Aiden's room was on the second floor while Lyla's, Spencer's, and Becca's were on the third. After dropping his bags inside his new room, Mrs. Hudson showed him around.

The house was incredible. Besides the dining room, kitchen and sitting room, the house had eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, several balconies and a library. There was also a study/office room attached to the master bedroom but they weren't allowed in either of those. Outside there was a huge garden with a fountain in the middle, two large greenhouses and a pool area with lounge chairs. Mrs. Hudson also introduced Aiden to Mr. Hudson, who worked as the gardener and repair man. After the tour, Mrs. Hudson suggested that he go look around his room while she'd make some lunch.

Aiden really liked his room. The walls were painted with a shade of light gray. To the right, as soon as one enters the room, stood a queen sized bed with a black wooden frame and headboard. The blankets and pillows were a dark gray satin and two nightstands, made to match the black bed frame, sat on either side of the bed. Two matching black dressers stood by the wall. In the far corner of the room was a black desk framed by two empty black bookshelves. Directly opposite the door was a large floor to ceiling window that doubled as a door leading out onto a balcony. The top curtains surrounding the window were black and tied back to let in some light. Underneath the black curtains were white see through curtains. There was also a walk-in closet with a vanity table in it behind a white door near the bathroom.

The bathroom was huge. It had a large shower with glass doors and dark stones along the walls. Dark gray tile lined the floor and there was a large bathtub that could probably fit three people. A mirror lined one of the walls behind the sink and there was a closet to hold towels and bath products. As soon as Aiden was done looking around, he started unpacking. He put all of the contents of the duffle bag in the bathroom and then started putting his clothes in the dressers and the closet. He had just finished when Mrs. Hudson knocked on the door and told him that lunch was ready.

Aiden followed Mrs. Hudson downstairs and into the dining room. On the table was a large plate with a variety of sandwiches and a glass of iced tea.

"It's not much but…enjoy!" Aiden smiled and sat down.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Mrs. Hudson." He ate three of the small sandwiches and drank the whole glass of ice tea before taking the remaining sandwiches and his dishes into the kitchen. When Mrs. Hudson saw him carrying the plates, she hurried over and took them from him.

"Oh my, there's no need for you to do that. Whenever you eat at the dining table just leave the dishes there, dear. I'll get them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. Don't worry about it. It's part of my job after all." Aiden nodded.

"Mrs. Hudson, I'm going to head back to my aunt's house to pack up some more of my things. What time is too late to bring more stuff over?"

"You can bring things over whenever you want. Here." She handed him a key. "That's the front door key. If you come back before seven, I'll still be here to open the door and help with your luggage. After that, Derek should be home but he usually ignores anyone at the door unless they're really persistent. You can come and go as you like with that key." Aiden put the key in his bag. "And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"I've called one of the driver's for you. His name is Milo. It should be much easier getting your things here without using a cab. Feel free to have him carry things for you too."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'one of the driver's?" Aiden asked.

"Hm? Derek didn't mention it? Oh my, that boy. Yes, Derek employs several driver's to be on call whenever he might need them. Since you're living here, it means they're on call for you too." At that moment, the doorbell rang. "That should be him right now." She smiled and went to answer the door. Aiden followed after her. She opened the door and a tall, brown haired man walked in.

"Hello, Mrs. Hudson!"

"Hello, Milo. This is Aiden. Aiden, this is Milo. Like I said earlier, he'll be your driver for today." The two of them shook hands.

"Nice to meet you!" Milo said enthusiastically.

"You too, Milo."

"Then should we get going?"

"Oh, yeah. Just give me a second to go get my empty bags." Milo nodded and Aiden ran upstairs and grabbed his two suitcases and his duffel bag. When he came back down, Milo took the suitcases.

"I'll put these in the trunk for you."

"Thank you." Aiden turned to Mrs. Hudson. "I'll be back later then."

"See you later, dear." Mrs. Hudson waved and closed the door as Aiden climbed into the car.

"Where to, sir?" Milo asked, getting in the driver's seat.

"Oh no. Please don't call me sir. It's too weird. Just Aiden is fine. And do you mind if we head to a store before going to my aunt's place. I need to grab some cardboard boxes and stuff."

"Ha ha! Okay, just Aiden then. And that's fine. I'll drive you wherever you want." After that, Milo took him to a store with packing supplies and he bought what he needed. After another hour of driving, Milo pulled the car over in front of Lyla's house. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon so everyone else was definitely awake but they didn't come out.

"It might take a while to pack more stuff. Are you going to sit in the car or do you want to wait inside? I'm not really sure what driver's do when they're waiting."

"I'll wait here but feel free to let me know if you need any help. I'll also help put things in the car when you're ready."

"Okay." Aiden got out of the car and grabbed his bags and the packing supplies before heading inside. When he entered the house all the lights were off. He went up to his room while looking around the house and it seemed like no one was home.

After he put his bags on his bed, Aiden went and switched his laundry from the washer to the dryer. Then he went back to his room to continue packing. He put together a large cardboard box and carefully packed away his computer and everything that went with it. After he taped it closed he labeled it and set it aside. He folded the rest of his clothes, except what was in the dryer, and packed them into a suitcase. Two more cardboard boxes got filled with shoes and everything from his vanity got put in the duffel bag.

Two hours and a bunch of cardboard boxes later, Aiden was finally done packing. He went to the dryer to get the last of his clothes and put them in the remaining suitcase. He then took the suitcases and the duffel bag out to the car and asked Milo to help with the rest. Together, they managed to fit almost all of Aiden's stuff into the trunk and backseat of the car. He didn't want to go back again after he left so he called a taxi and put the rest of his stuff in it.

When Aiden returned to the mansion, Mrs. Hudson was in a terrible mood. He wondered what could have happened in the few hours he was gone. She was so cheerful and warm when he left. Milo helped him carry all of his things inside and up to his room and once that was done, he left. Aiden went to check on Mrs. Hudson, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen. When he got close, he heard her mumbling to herself but he could only make out some of what she said.

"Horrible woman!...Those clothes…lipstick…poor Derek!"

"Mrs. Hudson?" Aiden cautiously called out to her and she jumped a bit.

"Oh my! Hello, dear!" She smiled warmly at him just like before but she seemed flustered.

"Is everything alright?" Aiden asked.

"Of course! Everything's fine. Did you finish up everything you needed to do?"

"Yes. All my stuff's been moved upstairs. I don't have anything else at the other house." Mrs. Hudson turned back to her cooking after hearing his reply.

"Good! Now you're all moved in!" She paused for a moment but continued. "Your aunt, Miss Lyla, was it? She stopped by a little while after you left. Her and her children. Apparently, she was just…inspecting the house today. Is she usually so…"

"Obnoxious? Sleazy? Loud? Annoying? Idiotic? Rude?" Aiden tried to guess the rest of Mrs. Hudson's question which improved her mood quite a bit and she chuckled.

"Ha ha! Oh, you! You shouldn't say such things about a relative, dear."

"It's okay. I've said worse." He shrugged. "I'm sorry by the way. I should have warned you about Dumb, Dumb, and Dumber but I didn't think they'd show up today." Mrs. Hudson chuckled.

"There's no need to apologize, dear. Actually, Derek already told me and my husband that three out of the four people moving in would be hard to deal with. He even offered us a raise." Mrs. Hudson and Aiden continued to chat in the kitchen for a while until she shooed him away saying he should be busy unpacking instead of hanging out with an old lady like her.

Once Aiden was back in his room, he quickly lost track of time while unpacking. At seven, Mrs. Hudson knocked on the door and told him dinner was ready and he could go down when he was ready. He didn't need any extra time so he just followed her back downstairs. On the way, she told him that Derek had returned home and it would be just the two of them for dinner that night. Aiden wasn't sure why his heartbeat was faster when she said that but he chose to ignore it. It was probably nothing.