Chapter 54
Piper
We land in Switzerland by midday, and what was supposed to be a quick stop for ski gear turns into an entire day of shopping.
Not that I mind.
For once, Adelaide and Octavia manage to agree on something, and the absence of their usual squabbling is... refreshing.
When we arrive at Adelaide’s family chalet in the Swiss Alps, it’s already dark.
Yet the snow makes the whole place glow.
We all split off to our usual rooms. I drop my bags, head back for the shopping ones, and bring them inside.
I always take the same room when we visit.
After a hot shower to chase the cold from my bones, I change into a green velvet tracksuit and braid my hair before heading downstairs.
Adelaide is already there, barefoot and rummaging through the kitchen.
“I’m starving,” she announces.
At the mention of food, I realise I could eat as well.
“And I suppose we’ll have to cook.”
She shudders at her own words, and I laugh under my breath.
Adelaide and cooking are a disaster waiting to happen.
If anything, Octavia is worse, though she’d rather throw herself off a cliff than admit it.
I can cook, but my repertoire is embarrassingly limited.
Which leaves Ophelia as our only real hope.
Either that, or takeaway.
I walk over to the fireplace and crouch in front of it.
“It’s still freezing,” I say, even though the heating has finally kicked in. “We should light this. It’ll make the place warmer. And cozier.”
I can already picture it, the fire crackling, a book in hand.
Perfect.
Octavia walks in just then, catching the end of it, and smirks as she passes me.
“If you light it, we’ll lose you before the first night. Blanket, book, fireplace, your perfect setup.”
I roll my eyes, but she’s not wrong.
“The fridge is full,” Adelaide calls from the kitchen, staring into it. “But I can’t decide what to make for dinner.”
“Please don’t,” Octavia says, leaning against the wall.
Adelaide slowly pulls her head out of the fridge, turning towards her.
“I don’t think it’ll be edible,” Octavia continues. “On second thought, we’ll all die from a gas leak before food poisoning even gets a chance.”
Adelaide picks up a knife, and points it at her without blinking.
“Don’t tempt me. I have excellent aim.”
“I actually dare you.”
I sigh. A second later, Adelaide hurls the knife across the room. It whistles past Octavia’s head before burying itself in the wall behind her.
“You two are impossible,” I mutter.
Adelaide shrugs, strolls over, pulls the knife free, and walks back to the kitchen as though she hasn’t just attempted murder.
I crouch in front of the fireplace, peering inside.
Octavia joins me.
“There has to be some wood around here,” she says.
Before I can reply footsteps sound on the stairs and soon Ophelia appears, pausing when she sees us crouched there.
“You need wood to start a fire,” she says with a smile.
“Thank you genius. Whatever would we do without your endless wisdom?”
I push myself up from the floor.
“Come on,” I say to Octavia. “Let’s find some wood before it gets too dark.”
Actually it’s already pitch black outside, so there is absolutely no chance I’m going out there on my own.
We grab our jackets, hats, gloves and boots, and bundle up by the front door.
“Be careful,” Ophelia murmurs.
I roll my eyes, unable to stop a smile.
“If someone comes after us, I’ll scream loud enough for you to hear my last words.”
“If we freeze to death, blame Adelaide,” Octavia adds.
“Blame yourself,” Adelaide calls back from the kitchen.
“Check your blood sugar while we’re gone. And don’t let her near anything sharp or flammable.” Octavia tells her sister.
Without missing a beat, Adelaide grabs a metal spoon from the counter and throws it at her.
I step outside just as Octavia ducks.
The cold hits my cheeks immediately.
Octavia falls into step beside me, and the only sound comes from the snow beneath our boots as we make our way down the chalet steps.
“Where would they keep the wood?” I ask.
Octavia shrugs. “No idea. I doubt Adelaide’s ever had to look for it herself.”
We check the garage with no luck.
I sigh, disappointed.
“I really want to light the fireplace. Let’s check around the back. Maybe there’s a shed.”
We circle the chalet, but it’s dark, and visibility is poor.
A noise breaks the silence, and I stop short as my heart begins to beat a little faster.
“What was that?” I whisper. “Did you hear it?”
“Yes.” Octavia’s reply is just as quiet. “Shh. They can smell your fear.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Whatever’s out here.”
“Oh, fuck.”
The sound comes again, closer this time.
“Why the hell did we have to walk toward the trees?” I hiss. “Couldn’t we have stayed closer to the chalet?”
We stay still for several seconds.
Octavia raises her hand, holding up three fingers.
“On three,” she murmurs.
She counts under her breath, and we bolt together, running as hard as we can.
I nearly lose my footing but catch myself before I go down.
We burst back inside. The door flies open with such force that it slams into the wall.
“A bear—” Octavia gasps.
“A wolf,” I say at the same time.
I turn to Octavia.
“If you’d ever paid attention in class, you’d know bears hibernate during winter. So it was most certainly a wolf.”
I shudder, trying to shake off the fear.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Adelaide says, rolling her eyes. “It is possible for some bears not to hibernate. Hibernation is a flexible process…”
She’s interrupted by the door slamming open behind us.
All of us scream.
Ophelia appears from nowhere with a rolling pin in her hand. Adelaide grabs a barstool.
Ophelia says something to Octavia and, a second later, the rolling pin sails towards the door. Adelaide hurls the barstool after it, and Octavia throws a... boot.
“Go away, you monster!” she shouts.
For a second, there’s complete silence, but then a voice breaks it.
“A rolling pin I can handle. Good thing it wasn’t a bloody dildo this time.”