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Jensen
The Prescotts had done one good thing in the last couple of weeks. They’d started locking Amerie’s window from the outside at night, ostensibly to stop her from sneaking out, and that actually made it incredibly easy to sneak in.
Letting out a grunt of exertion, I clambered up the trellis under her bedroom for what felt like the hundredth time. I was a lot heavier than usual tonight, courtesy of all the gear I had tucked into the plain black cloak that I picked up at the costume store earlier.
When I made it to the balcony, I swung my legs over the railing, pulled a pair of bolt cutters out of my pocket, and cracked the padlock. Once it was broken, I went motionless for a moment, cocking my head toward Piper’s bedroom next door to make sure I hadn’t woken her with any sounds.
When I was certain I was safe, I carefully opened Amerie’s balcony door and crept inside her bedroom. The rest of the house remained still and silent.
Using the moonlight streaming in from behind the curtains to light my way, I headed into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. Then I pulled out the black plastic bag I’d tucked into the left cloak pocket earlier and rifled through the contents until I found my new gold beaked mask. I’d picked it up from the same store I bought the cloak at earlier, along with a nifty little wireless voice changer microphone I’d duct-taped inside the mask.
With a thin smile at my reflection, I slowly affixed the mask to my face.
“Hello,” I muttered, testing out the voice changer mic inside to make sure I hadn’t fucked up the functionality while I was transporting it over here. My voice came out in a deep rasp, making me sound like a serial killer from a slasher flick.
Perfect.
Tucking the bag back into my pocket, I crept out of Amerie’s room and silently skulked down the hall, heading for Piper’s bedroom. Her door was slightly ajar, and she was sleeping flat on her back, dark hair fanned out on the pillow beneath her head.
Holding my breath, I stepped over to her bed as quietly as possible, hoping like hell to avoid all the creaky floorboards. Once I was beside her, I jumped on the bed, pinned her down, and clamped a gloved hand over her mouth in one fluid motion.
Her eyes instantly flew open, flashing with panic.
“I have a gun in my pocket,” I muttered to her. “You scream, you die. Understood?”
She nodded, letting out the tiniest squeak of assent through her nostrils. I kept my hand clamped firmly over her lips while I reached into my pocket for the plastic bag and emptied the contents on the sheet beside her—gag, black blindfold, and assorted ropes.
I went for the gag first, just in case Piper got any ideas about screaming for help despite my threat regarding the non-existent gun. Once that was stuffed in her mouth and fixed in place with a rope tied at the base of her neck, I grabbed another rope and bound her wrists in front of her. After that, I tied her ankles together, leaving her completely immobile.
“One more thing,” I muttered to her in my creepy killer voice, dangling the blindfold over her wide, petrified eyes. I affixed it to her face, tying it tightly at the back of her head. Then I stood and hoisted her over my shoulder. “We’re going on a little adventure, Miss Prescott.”
She remained silent as I carried her downstairs, heading for the cellar. I felt her quivering the whole way. She clearly had no idea that it was me carrying her.
I didn’t speak another word as I carried her down to the cellar and over to the secret exit at the back that led to the tunnel system below the house. I remembered where everything was after my previous trip down there, so I had no problem locating the hidden switch behind the panel.
As I headed down the stone steps and ventured into the cold, oppressive darkness, Piper cried a little on my shoulder, but she still didn’t try to scream. I kept my head held high, using the light from my phone to illuminate the rocky path ahead.
When I reached the cavern where Amerie was lured by Zara, Ali, and Dr. Carmichael all those weeks ago, I deposited Piper next to the stone benches in the center, propping her back against one of them in a seated position.
Once she was safely in place, I headed over to the torch in the center of the stone circle and lit it with a cigarette lighter. Soon the flames were roaring, filling the cavern with an eerie orange light. I grabbed my phone to record the upcoming conversation. Then I stepped over to Piper and slowly removed her blindfold and gag.
She stared up at the gold beaked mask, eyes flickering with fear as I rose back to my full height. “Who are you?” she asked in a low, tremulous voice.
“I think you know who I am,” I said in an imperious tone.
“I know you’re from the society,” she said, chin trembling. “But I don’t know exactly who you are.”
“I am an arbiter of sorts,” I said, tilting my head slightly to one side. “My role in the society is to interrogate those who are suspected of wrongdoing. That is why you are here tonight, Miss Prescott.”
“So you’re the one who’s been coming after me?” she asked, voice pitifully shrill. “You put that note in my locker? And you came into my room and sent me that video?”
I dipped my chin in a curt nod. “They were warnings. You should have heeded them.”
“But… I don’t understand. What have I done wrong?”
“An accusation has been made against you by a fellow member. They claim you have revealed privileged society information to an outsider. More than once.”
“What?” Piper’s eyes bulged, and she emphatically shook her head. “I haven’t! I swear!”
