Page 103 of Haunted Spurs

The red light stamps itself onto her thigh.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!"

Aunt Tina's exultant scream booms through the megaphone, making the air vibrate. "The shadow has triumphed over science! Emerson is officially ELIMINATED from Haunted Spurs! And our mystery cowboy claims his spot... and his partner!"

"I can't believe this, it is fucking absurd!"

Susan's yell echoes through the estate's large living room, vibrating with rage.

The mystery cowboy—Lucien, as Aunt Tina called him before sending us back inside—looks like the very incarnation of calm. He's leaning one shoulder against the heavy wooden mantel of the unlit fireplace, his arms crossed over his massive, bare chest. He has a lethal, dark aura, and seems completely at ease amidst the chaos he just unleashed.

We are watching the scene in almost absolute silence, forming a circle around the two of them. We're all intrigued by the fact that, apparently, they know each other very well. And by the fact that Susan completely lost her shit the second Lucien revealed his face.

"Yeah, well..." he comments, his voice a glacial, ruthless rasp. "What's absurd is that you were about to screw that little lab rat in the hallway."

"Who I screw is strictly my own fucking business!" she yells back, taking a step forward, her fists clenched at her sides. "And besides, look who's talking... coming from you! The guy who literally fucks anything that breathes!"

Lucien doesn't flinch. In fact. One side of his mouth lifts into a slow, arrogant, and fucking cruel smirk.

"Jealous, little sister?"

Our jaws drop in unison. I freeze, exchanging a shocked look with Emma and Carolina.

"Or should I say Susan?" he continues, pushing off the mantel to tower over her. His calm begins to crack, letting a possessive rage leak through. "What the fuck is this, some perverted roleplay?"

"Go to hell, Lucien."

She breathes heavily, her chest rising and falling convulsively beneath her wrinkled dress. Then, she tears her gaze away from his. She slowly turns toward us.

She bites her lower lip, hesitating for a long, agonizing second.

"Guys..." she murmurs. Then her eyes seek out me, Carolina, Indya, and Emma. Probably because she was starting to bond with our group. "Girls... I... I have to tell you something."

"That you have a ridiculously hot brother?" Indya cuts in, breaking the ice with her usual, brazen lack of filters.

Emma gives her a quick swat on the arm.

"What?" Indya defends herself, holding her hands up. "I'm just saying what we're all thinking. He's the literal earthly incarnation of the dark cowboy, you can't ignore the objective facts."

Despite the dramatic situation, a tiny, involuntary smirk tugs at the corner of Susan's mouth.

"No... I mean, yes, this arrogant prick is my brother," she admits, waving an annoyed hand at him.

Lucien rolls his eyes with an exasperated expression.

"But wait a second..." Katherine interrupts her, pushing her glasses up her nose with an analytical look. "In your intro video, you clearly stated that you weren't a cowgirl. We all saw it."

"Yeah... that's what I need to tell you." Susan takes a deep breath, her shoulders dropping as if she's shedding a massive weight. "The truth is, I am. And... my name isn't Susan. I'm Melusine."

And with that, she reaches both hands up to her thick, teased blonde hair. Her fingers slip under the hairline, pulling. With a sharp sound, she literally rips the blonde wig off her head.

The contrast is stunning. A cascade of wavy, brunette hair tumbles messily over her shoulders.

"B-but why?" Emma asks, her big eyes going wide.

Melusine clutches the wig in her hands, dropping her gaze for a moment. "I just wanted to be someone else for... a little while. To be different. I'm sorry, girls..."

Carolina surprises us all. With unexpected sweetness, she closes the distance separating her from Melusine. She steps up beside her and rests a hand on her shoulder.