Misinformed: Chapter Five

“I can call a plumber,” Sophie huffed as she paced before the bathroom door. She fiddled with her hair, touching and stroking it as she peered inside. “When I asked you what I should do I didn’t mean you should-”

“Just shut up and let me work,” Silas grunted, kneeling down and working under the sink. He turned the wrench and water sprayed all over him from the seam. He coughed and sputtered and Sophie gasped, jumping to attention.

“Are you ok?” She yelped.

The water stopped and Silas sat up from under the sink. “Fucking soaked,” he cursed under his breath.

The drain backed up and during the night had flooded Sophie’s bathroom. She has spent the entire day mopping and cleaning up, having to skip school to take care of it. To her fortune, Silas was out in his yard and he insisted he have a look over it, not allowing her to call anyone until he saw to everything first.

Sophie stood before the door, watching him as he knelt down. She noticed how he tucked his jeans into his boots and wondered if it was something bikers did. In the back of her mind, she heard Isla urging her forward, pushing her to ask Silas the question she was preparing herself for all week.

Silas grumbled and stood up, wiping his brow and pulling his drenched shirt away from his chest. “Go about your business,” he said to her. “You won’t learn anything watching this like you did with the bed.”

Sophie screwed her mouth up tight. “Do you want anything to drink?” She asked, wanting to rip her hair out at the root. Just ask him! Stop being a coward!

“Yeah, sure,” he huffed, shuffling through his tool box. “Don’t forget the water is shut off.”

“Duh,” Sophie rolled her eyes then scolded herself again as she walked away. 

She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out the lemonade. She poured two big glasses and when she returned the pitcher she saw the bottle of wine Isla gave her. She frowned and shut the fridge. Isla brought over a whole kit the day before. A bottle of expensive wine she stole from her parents, a package of imported cheeses, special ordered steaks. Anything she could get from her parent’s house that would go unnoticed.

Sophie had also brought a dress and something she called ‘the magic push-up bra’. The dress was beautiful, and Isla said that it would “show off the goods you’ve been hiding.”

“Why am I friends with her?” Sophie thought to herself as she went back to the bathroom, glasses in hand.

Silas turned as she stepped in, and for a moment in the small space, Sophie felt her heart leap up into her throat. He was so big he could move her around the room with ease. Trap her in the corner and run his hand along her thigh and around her waist.

Silas’ shirt was hanging over the shower curtain rod now. He had stripped it away while she was away. And to Sophie’s defense, it was a calculated move on Silas’ part. Ever since the selkie had given him the hard talking she did, he had been self conscious around Sophie. He was anxious waiting for her to pop the question. This was his defense. He knew being shirtless would have an effect on her.

Sophie cleared her throat, jarring the thoughts from her mind. “Lemonade,” she burbled as he took the glass.

Silas took it and chugged it, downing half the glass in one go. “You like lemons,” he wiped at his chin.

Sophie shrugged, sipping her glass. “It’s healthy,” she grimaced at the words coming from her mouth.

“So!” Sophie set her glass down, “do you think you can finish this today?”

“Not sure,” he answered, sitting on the edge of the tub. “You may need to buy a few things so I can finish it.”

“Oh,” Sophie pouted. “That means...probably not until Tuesday.”

Silas gave her a slow, defeated nod. “Probably.”

Sophie huffed, and scratched at her scalp. “And we can’t turn the water back on?” She asked.

Silas snorted and looked up to her. “Not unless you want the water everywhere.”

Sophie held her tongue but stomped her foot. “I guess I’ll see if I can stay with Isla.”

“You can use my shower.” The words slipped from his mouth before he could filter then through an intelligible grunt.

Sophie flinched. “His shower? His place?” She thought.

“My water is still on,” he continued, sounding a little hesitant now. “I mean that silly selkie probably has it better off than me.”

“No,” Sophie gasped. “No I mean, I’d rather not stay at Isla’s if I don’t have to.” She bit down on the tip of her tongue. “I would appreciate the offer.”

Silas shrugged, trying to brush it off for himself.

Sophie smiled, feeling her courage bubble up again. “Silas-”

“Oh fuck,” he huffed.

She felt like she was turning green. “What?”

Silas stood up and stuck his head under the sink. “You smell that?”

Sophie looked around terrified, her heart pounding in her throat. “No?” Her eyes kept darting to and fro.

Silas cussed and snarled under the sink. “Do you have a wire hanger you could spare?”

“Yeah,” she set her cup down. “Hold on.”

He sighed in relief, he did smell something, but he recognized the tone she said his name with. He wasn’t sure why he reacted as strong as he did, it was knee-jerk. Sophie came back, handing him the hanger. Her long hair brushing against his shoulder and arm. It smelled sweet and felt soft.

Silas took the hanger and bent it longwise, shoving it down the opened drain.

“What’s wrong?” Sophie asked, tugging her hair back and off her shoulder.

Silas snarled and fought, shoving and twisting the hanger down into the drain. “Come...the fuck...on!”

Sophie stepped back, standing in the doorway again. Her courage going flat like old soda.

“Trash can,” Silas snarled as a slurping, sloppy, slapping sound issued from the drain. “Trash can! Hurry!” He barked.

“Oh god, what is that?” Sophie squirmed as Silas dropped something unspeakable into the trash can she extended. A loud plop and squish echoing through the room, making them both squirm.

“Your problem,” Silas heaved as he stood up.

“Fresh air?” Sophie whined as she held the can out at arm’s length and headed for the front door.

“Fresh air,” Silas heaved and followed her out the door.

Sophie tossed the contents of the trashcan into the big one that sat on the curb. She grimaced and shivered, closing the heavy metal lid as fast as she could. “Nothing good ever comes out of a bathroom drain,” she leaned against the iron railing in front of her door

Silas chuckled, leaning against the banister of the small porch. “I take it you’ve seen many a clogged drain in your life?”

Sophie chuckled. “Many a hairy man has washed in my family bath,” she pushed her hair from her face. “Sorry,” her laugh a little nervous, “I ruined your peaceful Saturday.”

He frowned down at her. “What makes you think that?”

She looked aside, cheeks blooming before him. “I promised you when I moved in I wouldn’t cause any issues.”

“I never believed that. Don’t worry about it.” He scoffed.

Sophie laughed, “I keep seeming to have a ‘Honey-do list’ for you.” She regretted those words as soon as she said them.

Silas tilted his head back and popped his neck. He grunted and cupped his hand around his neck. “Get better coffee and I’ll forget all about it.”

“Uhm...and how about a steak dinner?” She felt her heart jump to her throat and flop down into her gut where it floundered and gasped for air like a hooked fish.

Silas held his breath and ground his teeth. There it was. “You keep trying to thank me with food-”

“Not entirely a thank you,” Sophie corrected while her nerve was up. She looked up, her two perfect blue eyes capturing his one good gray eye. “I was wondering if...maybe-”

“Your little friend already yelled at me,” he growled, confessing and putting her out of her misery. “She threatened to ‘finish off what the lord started’ or something if I didn’t at least give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Sophie clapped her hands over her face. “Oh god! Isla!”

“It’s alright,” Silas huffed, arms crossed against his chest. “Just tell me how you plan to cook those steaks.”

Her heart was starting to calm, but it was cautious. She wasn’t sure if he was accepting or denying her. “Uhm...Isla was going to let me borrow her grill-”

Silas snickered and he turned to sophie. “Have you ever cooked with a grill?”

She shook her head. “No” she whimpered.

He scoffed. “I’ll cook the steaks then,” he snarled. “I don’t want you going and ruining a perfectly good slab of meat like you do your coffee.”

Her heart stopped and her mouth opened and broke into a smile. “Yeah,” she gasped as her heart returned to its proper place. “That’ll be fun!” She nodded and kept herself still despite how she wanted to bounce around. “And my coffee is just fine!” She scolded, trying to keep her excitement and nerves in check.

“When?” Silas asked.

“Uhm…,” she looked up at him. “Tonight or tomorrow?” She twitched her hair around her knuckles. “I’m free both nights.”

“I have an appointment later,” he growled. “So if you don’t mind it being a little late tonight.”

“Yes!” She cupped her hand over her mouth then laughed. “I’ll call Isla to get the grill over and set up.”

“Put it down there in front of my door,” he pointed. “The ground is level.”

Sophie’s excitement was a little dampened. “Oh...the water?” She asked.

“I’ll put the sink back in order. But I’m going to keep it off for now,” he headed back into the house. “Until then you can use mine.”

Sophie followed behind Silas. “So, you don’t mind if I use your shower then?”

“Oh right-” he huffed and shrugged. “It’s not like I have a door to lock you out of it.” He looks down at Sophie who has been happily chewing on a soup bone since that morning. Sophie had been saving it for a special occasion so she gave it to Persephone when she needed room cleaning the mess.

Sophie smirked, watching his back as he went towards her bathroom. She pulled out her phone and called Isla.

Isla didn’t say hello, she just started out in a stream of words. “I’m in a rush! Mum is pawning Willam off on me and now I’m running my ass off to make myself look less than a homeless lap dog and-”

“He said yes!” Sophie squealed.

“You finally did it?” Isla gasped. “Did you finally ask the lunk?”

“Yeah, yeah I did,” Sophie felt dreamy.”He even offered to cook the steaks.”

Isla clicked her tongue. “Good! He passed my first test.”

Sophie bounced excitedly on her tippy-toes then quickly ducked back outside so Silas couldn’t hear her. “Can you bring the grill then?”

“Seeing as I have to pick up my dumb brother I’ll steal Daddy’s grill for you,” Isla cooed. “Ow! Fuck me!”

“Did you jam the mascara into your eye again?” Sophie sighed, leaning against the house.

“Never mind,” she sniffed. “I’ll be over after I drop Willam off and I’ll stage set the entire house to ensure you get what you want.”

“I just wanted the date.” Sophie bit at her thumb nail.

“No you don’t,” Isla scoffed. “I know what you want. I know what you need. If this evening doesn’t end with at least some light, over the clothes, petting I’ll light his trousers on fire.”

Sophie had thought about it, what would happen is she and Silas kissed or more, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up. “It’d be nice but I’m not expecting it. I just want to try and open the door tonight.”

Isla snarled something under her breath that sounded insanely vulgar so sophie chose to ignore it.

Silas came out of the bathroom as she finished her conversation. “I have to go.” He tossed her the wrench he used. “I’ll be late.”

“To your appointment or for our date?” They both flinched at the words. 

“Dinner?” Sophie mewled out just in case she ruined it.

“Appointment,” Silas corrected as he stood on the stairs. “I need to change.”

Sophie hesitated didn’t want to seem to eager, too clingy. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Around six or so,” he disappeared down the stairs and Sophie felt like kicking her heels.

She did it. She finally did it! All by herself! Asked out a boy and he even volunteered to cook for her. She did a quick clean up while she waited for Isla to come with the grill and help her set up.

When Isla came up, Sophie directed her down to where Silas told her to put the grill. Once they removed the grill from her car and set it up Isla was spying through his window.

“He isn’t home,” Sophie snapped her hands to her hips.

Isla shrugged and pressed her face to the window. “I just wanna look at his place.”

Sophie frowned. “I have to take a shower at his place.”

Isla's mouth opened up and she stared with excitement at her.

“My pipe backed up this morning,” she rubbed at her cheek. “So he turned the water for my apartment off. He offered it.”

Isla smirked and tapped her finger to her lips. “That’s kind of hot when you think about it.”

“Please stop right where you are,” Sophie held her hand up. “I don’t wanna hear your little fantasy right now.”

Isla grimaced, “ugh fine.” She waved her hand. “Let’s go back up and get you ready.” She drove her car back up and walked into the kitchen ahead of Sophie with a box in her arms. She looked at the counter, seeing the two glasses with a tiny bit of lemonade in them.

“Seriously?” Isla shook one of the glasses at her. “You served him lemonade? Oh honey, let some cliches die.”

Sophie frowned at her. “What was I supposed to give him?”

Isla looked fit to burst, “a blow-”

Sophie's eyes widened and she laughed trying to stop her. “Shut! It!”

Isla bust out laughing, picking up the box and carting it to the living room. From it, she brought out several lamps. She placed them strategically around the apartment. Two in the living room, one on the dining table, another on the kitchen table. She plugged them in and when she tapped the base they lit up then dimmed with each additional touch.

“In lieu of candles,” she smirked. “I stole these from home a week ago and no one has even batted a lash.” She reached back into the box and produced a stack of old records and behind them a record player.

“Why the record player?” Sophie asked.

“Nothing is more romantic than the sound of a record playing,” Isla cooed as she set it up and set a record inside. “He seems old fashioned as hell, so this should earn you some brownie points.” 

She clicked the player on and the soft, warm crackle of the record made Sophie realize the mood Isla was trying to set. She closed her eyes as the song played, something her mother and father used to play and dance to when they thought the children were asleep.

“Any of these from the stack will be good,” Isla stood up and dusted off her front. “Al Green, though,” she sighed. She winked and gave Sophie a thumbs up. “That’ll get it started.”

Sophie pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. “Sure,” she coughed.

“Now,” Isla grabbed Sophie and pulled her over. She smashed her face between her palms and turned her this way and that. “You should go shower, that way I have time to play with your hair.”

“My hair?” Sophie chuckled.

“I’m gonna make it look all beachy,” she said with a soft nod. “Something that says ‘touch me, feel me’. Take you out of that office mode you’ve always got going on.”

“Oh,” Sophie blushed.

“Down there right?” Isla was already heading down the stairs.

Sophie gave chase, finding her nosing around the living room. “Stop it! You’re being rude! He said I could use his shower and that’s all I’m gonna do.”

“I’m just gathering information,” Isla said, holding a book in her hands. “Oh look at that, he reads Tolkien.”

Sophie tried to snatch the book away from her, but Isla moved too fast. She was in the kitchen then.

“I can’t watch this.” Sophie grabbed up her basket full of bath supplies. “I’m going to get that shower.” She walked to the back, through Silas’s room. She hesitated, his scent was so strong there. She looked around. The walls were bare. Not much to look at. Just a great big bed and a small side table.

Sophie touched the sheets, then pressed to feel the firmness of the mattress. It seemed comfortable, maybe a bit old and worn in. She heard Isla knock around and she jumped up and into the bathroom.

There was a huge shower stall. The fixtures all looked new. The tile on the floor looked out of date. A sort of cat food salmon color. There wasn’t much like there was in her bathroom. She had so many supplies and things she felt crowded. Silas’s place felt like he was just living off the bare essentials.

Sophie stripped down, and as she looked at herself in the mirror she suddenly understood what Isla was trying to say.

She was naked in a man’s place.

Silas wasn’t there but she felt coy, her body a little hot. She bit her cheek and stepped into the shower.

“Silas stands naked here,” a dark thought shouted in her mind.

Sophie turned on the cold water, hoping to keep her mind out of the gutter. She just wanted a quick and uneventful shower.

Isla had found herself disappointed with her information gathering. Silas barely had anything. His fridge was full of beer and ground beef. There was a hall closet with a coat and a baseball bat. His bedroom gave her even less to look at. It was bare bones.

“Boring,” she sang and opened his closet. She shuffled through a few clothes and then spotted it in the back. The big safe. She pushed his hanging clothes aside and looked it over. As she stepped closer she felt something under her foot. When she picked it up, she saw it was a bullet.

“Not boring,” she marveled. She glanced back to the safe. “Who are you, Silas Hark?”



Silas sat in the waiting room of another one of his doctor’s. He had promised during his last session with Doctor Brothers that he would make this appointment. He was trying to distract himself with a magazine, but the first page her turned to screamed out at him: “10 HOT FIRST DATE IDEAS!” He shut it and set the magazine aside.

He couldn’t tell Sophie no, could he? Why was it ok for him to agree? He knew it would all end badly. She would see the truth and that’d be it. He couldn’t take pity from her.

He looked up as the door opened, another man coming in. He turned looking out the door and speaking to someone.

“Call me when you’re done! I’ll be helping her until then.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll go to the bakery and relax afterward,” he turned and looked inside, smiling when he spotted Silas. His eyes were soft brown, warm and kind looking things. He was tall and had dark skin, his hair was soft, curly, and pure white.

“Good afternoon.” He walked up to the front desk, relying heavily on a cane. His thick, fur coat hung off his shoulder, covering his hand on the cane. He was a selkie.

“Two selkies in a week,” Silas thought to himself. “Must be a fucking curse.” Silas was never sure when people spoke to him. He just grunted as a reply, nodding back to the man.

“Appointment?” The nurse asked, her tone much sweeter than when she talked to Silas.

“Harwood, ma’am,” he said with a bright voice. “I think I’m early.”

Silas’s ears perked. Where did he know that name?

“Oh yes, Willam,” the nurse sang. “Just sign in here and we’ll get to you.”

“Thank you,” he came back and sat down across the way from Silas. He stretched out his left leg before himself.

Silas remembered now, looking at the man’s brown eyes. Harwood was the name of that woman Sophie was friends with. The one with the scary smirk.

Silas looked up towards Willam who was settling into his seat. This was the brother Sophie dated before. He swallowed and his throat became unbearably dry. He was a good looking man, tall and lean. Broad shoulders and strong looking arms. This looked like the sort of man Sophie should be attracted to. The kind she belonged with.

“Of course, this should be the encounter I have today,” he cussed himself internally.

“I thought I had met all of Dr Rosewood’s patients. I’ve been here so much,” William smiled like he knew Silas all his life. “I never forget a face.”

“Let me guess,” Silas sneered. “You’d never forget a road rash of a mug like mine?”

Willam laughed, “oh, heavens no.” He leaned back. “I was going to say I’d never forget someone with eyes like yours. Both of them have their own beauty.”

Silas baulked and looked over William with a keen eye. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Not at all,” Willam was enjoying the joust with Silas it seemed. Blocking Silas’s snarls and teeth with warmth and smiles.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a teen,” he continued. “Playing as boys do, I realize now I was a bit cocky,” he sighed and patted his stretched out leg.

Silas growled and looked away, his arms tightening across his chest. “For me, it wasn’t my fault.”

“Even worse.” Willam folded his hands in his lap. “You can tell me if you don’t want to talk. It just helps me calm my nerves. And you looked quite petrified yourself.”

Petrified? Silas sniffed at the word.

William sighed. “I know,” he starts. “I’ve been coming here for so long you’d think it would get easier. I know things aren’t all that bad, but some days I worry. I pray more than I care to admit.”

Silas nodded, grunting again to answer him.

“I’m afraid I’ll lose it,” he touched his left leg, rubbing it a bit. “It feels heavier lately.” He reached over and fiddled with his cane. “And you?” He looked up at Silas.

Silas furrowed his brow and raised his eyes to meet William’s gentle gaze. “And me?” He grunted. “What about me?”

William leaned forward. “Do you mind if I ask why you’re here? Or am I getting too personal?” He laughed, shaking his head. “I forget sometimes I’m not always in a support group.”

“Just a fitting,” Silas answered. He touched his right knee, squeezing a bit.

Willas gasped, “oh...listen to me here, complaining of my leg when you-”

“Mr. Hark?” The nurse beckoned. “We’re ready for you.”

Silas stood up. “Keep talking,” he growled at Willam as he left.

He walked into the exam room, the nurse handing him one of the awful paper robes and telling him the doctor would knock when she came.

Silas sighed, shoulders slouching. He was a relief to get away from Willam, yet he was still bothering him at the back of his mind. Handsome and kind, he seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders even if he walked with a cane. He at least had both his legs.

“Why would Sophie break up with him?” He thought, feeling a painful gnawing in his gut. “There must be something wrong with one of them.”

Silas stripped down, placing his clothes on the hanger by the door. He slipped on the paper robe and looked down. First at the real leg, then at the fake.