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He nods. “Aye, I do. The pool shouldn't be hard to find. Let’s look for that one first.”
I think about the image of the pool room. “It was surrounded by windows—perhaps we should head outside and scale the perimeter. We’ll find it faster than just opening every closed door and hoping it’s the right one.”
Cash flicks his hair from his eye. “Good plan, Ben.”
“Thanks, but what should we do about Royce?”
“I was just going to ask you the same question, but you already know what I think—we should bring him along for our own gain.” Cash’s eyes twinkle with mischief.
“You mean to use him like bait, or a sacrifice, huh?”
I grin widely and Cash laughs. It’s good to see him relax. My lifelong friend sits down next to me, wincing slightly at the pain of the cane’s lashings, and claps me on the shoulder. “Fuck him, right?”
I hum in agreement. “This game is ours to take, Cash. No one has the advantage we do—of having someone here they trust above all others. We can do this and fuck The Gallery right in their asses.”
He smiles. “I like your thinking.”
A bell begins to chime, and my nerves fire. Cash and I look at each other, the excitement on his face evident. Our dorm room door swings open, and we head out, unsurprised when Royce finds us almost immediately.
“So, what’s the plan?” he asks, falling in line with us. Royce has a full head of greasy, dark brown hair which he wears bound in a bun on top of his head. An unruly beard covers his face, making him look more homeless than a descendent of car royalty.
“We head outside first, try to find the area with the indoor pool,” Cash answers, and Royce nods.
As the students merge on the stairs, I subconsciously look for Remington, but can’t see her little blonde head anywhere, probably because she’s too damn short. At the bottom of the stairs, students begin to split off. Those heading left mean to search within the school, and I’d say about half of them head that way. The three of us practically jog outside, and my jaw drops when I see dune buggies waiting. Cash and I share a look and rush forward, pulling a scrawny-looking boy from the driver’s seat of the very first one before carelessly tossing him to the ground.
“I should drive,” Royce boasts. “Considering my family line, I’m sure I have the most experience.”
I raise a brow at Royce. “Have you ever actually driven one of these before?”
Royce grins. “Yeah—while your mom was sucking my dick.”
If time wasn’t of the essence, I would’ve punched him square in the jaw, but I ignore his crass words and jump behind the wheel with Cash sitting next to me. Royce actually pouts and rolls his eyes before taking a spot in the back.Fucking prick.I twist the key, and the dune buggy roars to life. Smiling, memories of driving these through the Sahara flood my brain.
Damn, that was a fun trip—aside from the scorpions.
I shift the buggy into gear and press the gas pedal hard. Dirt and grass fly behind us as I steer us around the outside. “Keep a look out for those tall, rectangular windows,” I call loudly over the purring of the engine, harnessing the desire to whoop in excitement.
Bitterwood is four stories tall, with ivy growing along the plaster walls. The mansion is much larger than I thought and the grounds seem to go on forever. There’s an extensive greenhouse around back with stone pathways leading into the surrounding woods. Further down, there is a pool complete with diving boards and water slides. Netting encases the entire thing to keep away the bugs, and I spot tennis and basketball courts nearby along with a putting green and one of those outdoor exercise obstacle courses stretching between some trees.
Gunning the engine, I turn sharply and pass what can only be the outdoor arena where Cash and I failed to compete in Bawl or Brawl. It’s maybe half the size of an American football field. We pass a garden complete with sputtering fountains, trellises, and hundreds of blooming flowers when Cash shakes my arm and points. “There.”
And I see it—extending off the side of the mansion is a room covered with floor to ceiling windows. Cashel is already out before I stop the buggy, Royce following close behind him.
“Fuck!” Cash shouts, finding a door that won’t open. “Look for a key.”
The sound of a window breaking has us both turning to find Royce standing proudly by shattered glass. “Found the entrance.”
He rushes inside and we follow, finding we’re the first students to come across the place. This pool is unlike the one outside and is filled with black water so dark I’m unable to see the bottom. Three diving boards of varying heights rise on the far side, and just under the boards, floating in the water, are three matching hoops.
We step closer to the water’s edge and I bend down, quickly splashing before removing my hand. I wait for something—anything—to move in the inky liquid. I swear I see something swimming down below and reach over to tell Cash, but find him gone. By the time I see him, he’s already climbed up the middle diving board and is walking towards the end of it.
“There’s something in the water!” I call, but it’s like he doesn’t hear me.
Royce climbs the small one as a door swings open, and a group of students enters. Three boys and one girl waltz into the pool house, looking around. The girl races towards the diving boards like a bat out of hell, climbing the unoccupied and tallest one. I watch Cash and Royce freeze in fear as a fin pokes from the water before submerging again, but the girl doesn’t see it.
“Beat you, ya fuckers!” she shouts before leaping feet first off the board, but instead of meeting water, the sound of breaking glass echoes around the room followed quickly by her screams.
Fuck!
