AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Fuck that."
She begins to march past me, and I reach for her, but before I can grab her wrist, Nonna calls out, "I have no time for tantrums." She scowls at Aurora. "Can you just partner with him for the duration of this game please?"
Outside, a gust of wind slams into the side of the chalet; Aurora jumps. I wind my arm around her shoulder. "Don’t be scared; I’ll take care of you."
She grimaces. "That’s what I’m afraid of." She tries to pull away, but I tighten my hold on her.
"Relax, you're safe," I murmur. "After all, we are in the presence of so many chaperones; surely, nothing can happen to you here."
"I don’t trust you, not one bit," she hisses back.
"Good," I chuckle, "it’s good to be wary; you’ll last longer in this world if you are."
"I am paired with Karma, of course." Michael tips his chin up at Nonna, who waves a hand in the air.
"Yes, yes, all right."
"What the—!" I scowl. "Doesn’t he have to pick a note like all the rest of us."
"He’s the Don," she says by way of explanation. "Anyway, you don’t have anything to complain about. After all, you are matched with your fiancée."
"No thanks to you." I scowl.
Nonna smiles. "Best make use of the hand you’re dealt, boy."
"Oh, I plan to." I glance around the room, taking in how the rest of them have been paired. Massimo with Luca. Seb and Adrian. Theresa and Cass stand next to each other.
"Right." Nonna rubs her hands together. "Gather around, people; I need to hand each of the teams the list of your clues."
"Hold on." Seb scratches his chin, "How does this work, exactly? You give us clues which we are supposed to solve, and if we find the object we are looking for, we bring it back to you?"
"No, dummy." Theresa rolls her eyes. "You need to work your way down the list of clues. As you solve each one, you collect the thing it leads you to. Then, when you have completed the list, you meet back here."
Outside, another gust of wind slams a shutter against the pane. The resounding crack slices through the space. Next to me, Aurora shudders, and I tuck her into my side. "Shh," I whisper, "it’s okay."
"I don’t need you to take care of me." She digs her elbow into my side, and I wince. My grasp on her loosens, and she pulls away. Just then, the lights overhead flicker and go off, then come on again.
"Guess the weather’s getting on board with the game." Nonna cackles. "Speaking of, some safety rules that I hope all of you will take seriously."
She nods toward Cassandra, who glances about the assembled faces. "Don’t go too far, but if you do, make sure you keep track of the landmarks. It can be tricky finding your way back to the chalets."
"We’re not children." Seb smirks. "Surely, we can find our way home."
"Don’t be fooled by the seemingly genteel nature of this place." Nonna gestures to the living room. "The forest in this area is particularly thick and has been known to misguide people. Why, one of my granduncles was lost in a snowstorm, and when they found him—dead, of course—it was less than a mile away, but he had, apparently, been unable to find his way back."
"That was then; this is today." I raise a shoulder. "As long as we have our phones about us, we should be okay, right?"
"Phone reception out here is patchy, at best, so please don’t go too far. If you do get lost, you could also try to find your way to the lodge, which is five miles from here, and wait there until someone comes for you," Cassandra reminds us. "Please do keep clear of the pond, which is about three miles from here. It's shallow, and it may seem like the surface is frozen, but it’s not safe enough to walk on. Even animals are known to be fooled and caught up in breaks in the ice, so keep a lookout, please. Also," she hesitates, "I know I’m being overly careful, but please do watch out for the wolves."
"W-wolves?" Theresa blinks rapidly. "There are wolves out there?"
"It’s a forest, there are animals; deal with it," Nonna huffs. "Now that we have that out of the way," she glances around the assembled faces, "are you all ready for your list of clues?"
"Bring it on." Seb widens his stance. "I’m going to have this game in the bag before the rest of you have even cracked the first clue."
"Don’t bet on it," Massimo rumbles. "I’m not one for games, but once I participate, I warn you I can get competitive."
"We’re not going to let you win. You know that, right?" Karma calls out.
