The 20 minute drive was met with deafening silence.
Twice in the span of a week, Tawny was being chauffered someplace by car. And even though this wasn't an abduction, even though she wasn't angry or fearful for her life, for some reason she was even more anxious sharing a space with Professor McCurdy than with Dylan and his hired goons.
Part of Tawny's anxiety came from trying to silently breathe through her mouth and NOT her nose.
This was because every time she breathed in normally, she got a whiff of the damp air mingled with some weird, intoxicating notes of spice and sandalwood. McCurdy's deodorant? Cologne? She wasn't sure, but it gave her a weird, heady feeling that seemed to paralyze her brain function.
At last the car crept up a manicured driveway, and Tawny instinctively pressed her face against the glass of the car window.
For some reason she assumed McCurdy would live in modest trappings befitting of a cultured, English Professor. Not so - in fact, as they approached the house, Tawny compared it to a place more suitable for prince or a dignitary.
"They must pay the teachers exceptionally well," mused Tawny in her still-cloudy head.
McCurdy pulled into a garage attached to the home and turned off the engine, immediately jumping out of the vehicle.
Tawny immediately felt self-conscious. This was all so awkward, and her professor was probably embarrassed to be around her in her sad, puppy dog state.
As Tawny started to spiral into another bout of self-doubt, there was a light rapping on her passenger side window. Professor McCurdy opened the car door, and as Tawny stepped out, he handed her an extra-large white towel.
"Egyptian cotton," he said.
Tawny took the towel and wrapped it around herself like a blanket. "Thank you," she replied. God, this looks really expensive...
Together they left the garage through a door leading into the rest of the house. They walked by different rooms - kitchen, dining room, each more splendid than the last - until they passed the living room.
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It was vast, with one wall made entirely of glass windows. It felt like the Bizarro-version of Dylan's parlour room; whereas the Westinghouse's version was stuffy and dark and cramped, McCurdy's was bright and airy and minimalist in its decor choices.
They stopped in front of the fireplace. McCurdy grabbed a remote from the mantle and with the click of a button the fireplace roared to life.
But Tawny's eyes were focused on what was above the fireplace; a massive portrait of a woman.
The woman in the portrait was handsome and statuesque, with long wavy dark brown hair and striking dark brown eyes. She was sitting on an ornate chair, her expression imperceptible, almost akin to the mysterious smile of the Mona Lisa...
"I suppose you'll want to freshen up before I take you back home," said Professor McCurdy. Tawny looked at her teacher, curious if he would explain who this mysterious woman in the portrait was. But he pretended to not have noticed. "Bathroom's down the hall and to the right. Take your time."
Tawny took McCurdy up on that last bit; as soon as she saw the bathroom - a massive white space of marble and spa accoutrements - she discarded her idea for a quick shower and opted to take a lengthy bubble bath in the room's giant whirlpool tub.
As she soaked her weary body on the good graces of McCurdy's charity, she wondered what she would wear, as her regular clothes were still damp. But when she stepped out of the tub and dried herself off, she noticed a mirrored wardrobe in the corner.
There were some roomy pajama pants inside of the wardrobe; hanging inside the wardrobe on the clothes rack was a voluminous white collared dress shirt.
It wasn't the pinnacle of high fashion, but it suited Tawny's purposes just fine.
About an hour after entering the bathroom, Tawny emerged, rejuvenated, and in clean clothes.
"How was it?" asked McCurdy. "Are you feeling better?"
"I feel like I've been baptized," Tawny blurted out. "Sorry...that sounds a bit weird. I just...REALLY needed that. Thank you."
McCurdy smiled and bowed slightly. "The pleasure's all mine. Can I offer you a cup of tea before we head out?"
Tawny smiled, but shook her head. "You've done more than enough. Thank you, but right now, all I really want is to be back at the dorm and in bed."
"Understood. Let's press on then."
---
Maddie was absent from the room when Tawny arrived back at her dorm.
This was good; as it gave her time to reflect on all the events that had transpired on that day.
She was humiliated, ridiculed...then saved by an unlikely saviour. It all seemed like a lot.
But she was happy to be safe in her room, especially given how exhausted she was.
Tawny tossed her backpack in the corner and collapsed on her bed.
She didn't even bother changing; as she dozed off into slumberland, her thoughts were invaded by the soft scents of sandalwood and spice permeating from the white collared shirt she still wore.