Chapter 9 #3
Yet it’s a different thing to think about his death when miles away than to stand in front of where his body was found and ponder what he looked like.
I hate that he was killed before Cerys had the opportunity to clear her reputation.
While it means he doesn’t get to hurt anyone else, it sucks that it ruined her life, even though she had nothing to do with it.
“Are you coming or what?” Carmen puts a hand on her hip, staring at me impatiently.
I blink, snapping out of my trance.
“Yeah,” I mumble, forcing my legs to take one step and then another.
The rest of the way to Theta goes by in the blink of an eye.
The front door is ajar, and we sneak in through it.
Pink neon fairy lights glow from the archways, guiding a path from the foyer to the main hall and the grand stairs at the far end that lead to the bedrooms. A projector is nailed to one of the walls, flashing the beginning of a romantic comedy that I’ve seen too many times.
If it weren’t for the sound of voices coming from the living room, I’d say the house was empty.
Everyone else seems to be in Kappa for the event or have gone out on dates.
After all, it’s Valentine’s Day.
Although the house is prettily decorated in a lighthearted spirit, there’s an underlying feeling I can’t quite shake from my body.
Something bad will happen, I’m sure of it.
I don’t like how the text sounded nor what it implies, and considering the threatening letters I forgot about during my moment with Danny, I’m almost certain this is where things will start to go downhill.
I’ve studied the art of filmmaking and worked in horror long enough to know this is the part where the audience experiences the beginning of the second act.
Where the conflict hits and everything goes to shit.
Or maybe my paranoia has gotten the better of me and I’m presenting symptoms of impending doom.
It’s possible I might need to schedule an appointment with a therapist after I return home because this isn’t healthy behavior.
Coming back here, remembering what I experienced in Westbrook, has pushed me over the edge.
I’m beginning to understand why Carmen is so annoyed at me for worrying too much about her well-being.
I shouldn’t be so paranoid and freaked out over a text message, but I am.
Something about it doesn’t feel quite right.
Walking into the living room, I’m surprised by the small crowd of people that are already here.
Apparently, Carmen and I weren’t the only ones Bethan texted, because behind her I spot Leighton and Elodie.
Sitting on a couch with two guys I don’t recognize are Zelda and Sophia.
Across from them, I recognize Seth, sprawled over the couch with a red cup in his hand.
His presence irritates me the most because he was Brian’s best friend.
I spent a long time hearing him defend his disgusting buddy.
Next to him, there’s another guy I vaguely remember from Delta.
Was his name Ollie? I think it might be Ollie, short for Oliver. I don’t know him, other than by sight.
Danny and Cerys are standing in a corner near the electric fireplace.
And in the darkest part of the room, I spot the guy that approached me at the event. His gaze locks on Carmen and me, and I can’t shake away the bad vibes he gives off. Especially after the off-handed comment he made about him telling Brian he should’ve gone for me instead of Cerys.
I grab Carmen’s hand and pull her with me toward Cerys and Danny, ignoring her protests.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask them.
Cerys’ expression changes from a frown to a bright smile.
Her eyes light up with an excited gleam, and before I can process it, she hugs me tightly.
Instantly, I relax into her hug, allowing the familiarity to help soothe my nerves.
If she can stand here with all these people who made her life hell and still manage to smile, I can do it too.
For her.
“It’s so good to see you,” she whispers in my ear. A pang of pain spreads along my chest. I’ve been such a bad friend to this gentle soul. She deserves better than this. Better than me. “We have so much to talk about.”
Instinctively, my eyes dart to Danny behind her. He’s watching our interaction closely with a small smile. I notice his hair is messier than it was earlier, probably from my fingers grabbing it as he licked me less than an hour ago. I wonder if he can still taste me on his tongue.
Oh, Cerys, you have no idea how much we have to talk about.
I make a note to update her on everything that’s happened, both in LA and tonight, after this is over. I know I haven’t been a good friend to Cerys. But I badly want to rekindle our friendship because she’s been a pivotal part of my life. And my introduction to Danny too.
Carmen takes the opportunity to sneak out of my hold.
“What are you doing here?” she questions Cerys with a frown. “And you,” she motions at Danny, “am I going to be forced to see you everywhere now? Wasn’t it enough to find you going down on my sister?”
I cringe at my sister’s bluntness and loud voice.
Not only does it carry across a room thanks to her theater training, but Mami used to say that Carmen was born with a megaphone in her vocal cords because her regular tone is louder than the average.
It does wonders for her career, but it’s hell when she’s not actively trying to be discreet.
Like now.
Cerys’ blue eyes open wide and her jaw drops.
Danny’s face acquires a darker hue. The tips of his ears pinkening and almost matching the shade of the lights from the foyer.
“I feel like I missed a chapter here.”
“I’m going to kill you,” I grit out at Carmen. “Have some discretion.”
My sister rolls her eyes. “It was disgusting,” she tells Cerys.
My best friend smirks at me, enjoying the revelation.
“Stop talking,” I beg Carmen. “But what are you doing here?” My question is directed mostly at Cerys, since I’m guessing Danny is here because he wanted to keep an eye on her. Especially if she was going to be summoned into an empty frat house.
It reeks of bad news.
Cerys and Danny exchange a look.
“Well, that’s the thing,” Danny starts, scratching the back of his neck. “Shortly after I left Carmen’s room, I received a message from Cerys asking me to meet her here. And she got a text from you.”
I frown.
Why would I send her a text to meet her here, of all places?
It makes no sense. I wouldn’t ask her to come to Theta house.
If I had wanted to speak to her in private, I would’ve asked her to go to Carmen’s room.
Here? No, it wouldn’t have happened. Never.
But it doesn’t matter, because I didn’t send anyone a text.
I haven’t touched my phone since I went to the Kappa event.
“From me? We’re here because Bethan texted us.”
This scenario is all wrong. The theory I had built with the letters begins to morph with the texts. They’re not threats, but they have a clear intention to bring us all here, together. There’s no reasonable explanation this, especially when these groups of people don’t have much in common.
And if the pattern repeats for everyone else, if none of them sent the texts, then who did?
The ball of anxiety in my stomach begins to roll around the walls.
Something isn’t adding up.
“Guys, you gotta be careful with that duo there. They’ll start making up lies about you that will get you killed.
” Seth’s voice carries through the living room, reaching us in our corner.
He’s talking to the guys sitting next to Sophia and Zelda, but it’s clear he meant for us to hear. “What are they even doing back here?”
Cerys’ body stiffens and she shrinks into herself, taking a step back to almost hide behind Danny’s broader frame.
It breaks my heart that she has to constantly make herself appear less to avoid the hateful confrontations.
I don’t know how she manages to survive in so many hostile environments and still remain the sweet person she is.
Lord knows I would’ve lost the plot a long time ago.
Her reaction triggers the protective instinct in me.
“Oh, shut up,” I snap at Seth.
If I could erase someone from this place, it would be him. I can tolerate Sophia and Zelda and their bitchy comments, but Seth? He makes my blood boil with rage every time he dares to open his mouth. Because I know he’s going to spew some hatred to idolize his trash friend.
“No, he has a point, what are you all doing here? Didn’t half of you, like, graduate already?” Sophia chips in. “It’s kind of creepy to hang out at our parties.”
I hate to admit she has a point. Danny and I graduated last year, and Cerys would’ve been close to it as well if she hadn’t dropped out.
We’re officially those people who peaked in college and continue to hang around campus, trying to get a shred of the high and thrill we experienced during those years. The losers.
At least that’s what it looks like from their perspective.
We wouldn’t be here at all if the person who sent us the letters hadn’t twisted our arms with threats.
“Let’s not start an argument,” Bethan cuts in, lifting her hands. “Is this why you told us to come here? To make Kappa’s guests uncomfortable?”
I’m shocked that she has chosen to step up for Cerys and me.
I guess their serious conversation had more weight than I was expecting it to.
Maybe Bethan has done some inner work during the past year and realized her mistakes.
It doesn’t absolve her from completely abandoning Cerys when she needed her the most, but it’s a step in the right direction.
At the end of the day, it’s up to Cerys to decide if Bethan has earned her forgiveness or not.
Seth smiles. “I didn’t tell you to come here, sweetheart.”
“Wait, what?” She tilts her head with confusion and spins around to look at everyone. “Who told you all to come here?”
Everyone says a different name in response.
Uncertainty grows in my system, spreading through every limb.
This doesn’t feel right. With every second I spend standing here, my instinct to flee grows.
Maybe I should’ve convinced Carmen to flee this place when we still had the chance.
Even if it meant we could be stuck on a road somewhere.
I wouldn’t say I have some sixth sense when something’s wrong, but after everything I’ve been through, I’ve developed the ability to pick up on when certain situations promise danger.
And this is one of them.
The blond guy is still staring at me, not engaging with the conversation unfolding before us. He’s solely focused on me, and it makes the hairs at the nape of my neck stand up, a wave of goosebumps erupting down my spine.
I don’t like this.
“We should go, guys,” I suggest, only loud enough for Cerys, Danny and Carmen to hear.
The last thing I need is for someone else to catch the urge to go. Not when we can be followed out of here. God, now I don’t know what to do. Every option seems to come with risks I don’t want to face. If we stay here, it promises danger. But if we leave, danger might still be looming behind us.
What to do when every option seems daunting? Not even my horror knowledge can help me here because, for instance, the characters probably wouldn’t even acknowledge something is sketchy. Not until the conflict hits and Act Two begins.
I bite the edge of my nail to release some of the increasing tension coiled in my body. The relief I got from Danny earlier is gone, leaving only the memory. But it’s not enough to help me forget the anxiety rattling my system, keeping me alert.
“Well, it’s clear that one of us has to be lying,” Bethan points out, crossing her arms. “There’s no way we would all be here if no one sent the texts.”
“Come on, Beth. You don’t have to act like you don’t know who gathered us here. There’s only one big liar in here,” Seth says, pointing at Cerys, and then looking at me and flaring his nostrils. “Well, maybe two.”
“Oh no,” Cerys whispers, closing her eyes.
It doesn’t take a genius to see she regrets ever coming back to Westbrook.
No matter how much she fades into the background, someone always wants to make her life a living hell.
I hate that Brian’s death only made that worse for her.
She doesn’t get to experience a level of peace that should come with his death, because no one can clear her name.
The justice system failed her before, and it continues to do so over and over again.
The only way she could get the chance for a shred of justice is if the real killer showed up and owned their actions.
“Cerys, why don’t you tell us why we’re here?
” Seth stands up and motions her to walk to the center of the room.
She remains hidden behind Danny, avoiding Seth’s attempts to lure her into an unsafe and exposed position.
“Or better yet, why don’t you tell us why you are here?
It’s surprising given the crybaby act you pulled last year.
I know you managed to fool the police into thinking you didn’t kill Brian, but you don’t fool us here.
We all know murderers come back to revisit the crime scene. ”
“Watch what you say, asshole,” Danny steps in, his chest puffing out.
“Or what?” Seth dares him with a shrug. “What will you do about it? Make us talk about our little feelings?” he mocks.
The guys next to Zelda and Sophia laugh at his remark.
“Oh, I get it. Did she let you tap it? I admit she has a nice piece of ass, but . . .” He pauses.
“I’d be careful if I were you. She might’ve returned to kill you the same way she killed Brian. ”
His comment triggers everyone in the room. Danny takes a step forward, and I’m sure he’s going to punch Seth by the way his right fist begins to rear back, but Cerys catches his arm in time. It’s surprising how her small frame can have the strength to make him pull back.
Bethan’s voice screams for everyone to calm down as the two guys that were next to Zelda and Sophia jump to their feet, ready to defend Seth.
It’s all a mess.
My heart races in my chest. I turn to check on Carmen standing next to me, but she has retreated a few meters away.
And just as I think things can’t get any worse, the lights go out.