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The blood in the hallway is the first indication that something went seriously fucking wrong, and as I take in the carnage that used to be the light, bright and airy changing room, I begin to question if I was the right person for this.
“What the hell?”
TWENTY-TWO
IVY
“We can’t really finish this without him, can we?” Wyatt asks, taking in the disappointment on Jacob’s face.
“No,” he grumbles by way of a reply, dropping his hand.
“Well, he saw most of it,” I attempt, hoping they’ll just finish the thing so we can celebrate together.
“Not enough,” Leo says sadly, sliding the band away. “Next time, baby, and until then, I’m still yours.” He pulls Jacob in by his waistband, searing him with a kiss that has the heat in the room skyrocketing.
“I think even I need a smoke after that one, jeez,” Wyatt comments light-heartedly as he pulls the laptop back out, flicking through, looking for the film we were watching.
“Obviously there’s no rush for you to leave, but do you need anything else picking up?” Wyatt asks as the four of us settle in the blanket fort, once again safe and sound in our bubble.
“Probably,” I reply. “What Nick picked up is great, but I’m going to need something that isn’t loungewear for meeting up with Ruby, and the Zoom class and stuff,” I reply, thinking of the empty drawers strewn across the floor. The hangers without dresses. The vanity with no make-up.What did they do with all her lashes?
“The five of us are not going to fit in here for very long,” Leo comments.
“But I’d rather not go back to your room,” Jacob says. “It’s got an awful draft, and I swear that spider is going to pop back up and kill me in my sleep.”
“There are suites upstairs,” I say, not expecting the words to tumble out of my mouth. “Now Nick and I are tied together, and I guess the same for you guys, we could go and find bigger rooms up there…”
The four of us look at the ceiling, the film completely forgotten.
“Upstairs? Where the hell is there an upstairs and how did we not know about this before?” Leo asks.
“We’ve not exactly had time to explore Narnia,” Wyatt replies, throwing a cushion at him. “And the door must be somewhere by your room, soweat least have an excuse…”
“Let’s go,” Jacob says.
We are all up and clambering across the bed at the same time, tripping over blankets, the film completely forgotten as they push and shove to get to the door.
“Ladies first,” Jacob says, holding the door open for me, then shoving Leo through with a giggle.
The warning look Leo sends him suggests he’ll pay for that later, and I could totally be here for that. They guide me the right way down the corridor, passing what’s apparently Leo’s room before coming to the end of the corridor, only, instead of the side of Leo’s room, there’s a corner and a staircase.
Lights flicker on as Leo takes the first step, drawing us further and further up until we come to a corridor. But where everyone’s rooms downstairs are labelled with their names, these are blank.
The Pendleton Prep logo sits proudly on each one, surrounded by a marble circle, The Devil's logo, and as I peek in the first one, excitement tumbles over me.
These are more than the basic twin suites the guys have downstairs. The huge bed sits to one side of the room, a comfortable range of sofas taking up the majority of the space in the middle of the room. Wyatt draws back the heavy curtains, flooding the room with light as he peeks out.
“We could stay in your room,” Leo offers. “And then you guys could come up here.”
“Let’s keep looking,” I offer, turning my back.
It’s not him.
It’s the thought of having them elsewhere.
I can’t even face the thought of walking back into that house, that room. It’s not just my best friend that’s been stolen, it’s my peace. Your home is supposed to be a haven, somewhere you can go to get away from the dangers hidden around every corner, and now, that place isn’t safe either.
We step out, Leo checking out one room as Jacob tries another one, until Wyatt calls, “Guys, I think I’ve got the solution right here.”
