Venom

29

I waited a few minutes, looking for signs of any visitors, before creeping up to the door at the end of the hall.

Anticipation flared in my chest. I needed to tell my grandmother about the necklace.

I tested the door, it was locked as usual. Now having memorized where the loose tile was, I lifted it, swiftly. The red box was still there. Excitedly, I took out the key and inserted it into the lock, turning it. 

Taking a breath, I pushed open the door.

But instead of finding a familiar room, I found myself staring at brooms upon brooms, other cleaning supplies, face-masks, and toilet rolls.

A storage space, like Taylor had told me.

There was a layer of dust all over the items too. It looked like nothing had moved for years.

I dropped to the floor, feeling like I'd just lost something again. My world was spiralling out of control.

Where is my grandmother?

* * *

I went back to Ellie's after my shift at the hospital. I'd closed the door and opened it multiple times to see if I was seeing things, but each time, I was met with the brooms and cleaning supplies.

Had I imagined the whole thing?

No. I couldn't have. I refused to believe it was all in my head. My necklace, the men in black stealing it. My parents and their dealing, the childhood memories associated with the smell of drugs. It all made sense, and I had finally started to piece back the mysteries of my past. But now it seemed like there was one part of the puzzle missing. A major one.

Something told me Dr. Pennfield had pretended to fire me so that he'd have a week to get rid of my grandmother and replace the room with cleaning products. 

I just hoped she was still alive.

Veronica answered the door when I knocked, telling me Ellie had gone to sleep.

My life is a total mess.

My grandmother was missing. I had no way of finding her. A guy I totally liked didn't tell me that he was related to another guy that I'd begun to tolerate. I wasn't allowed to go back to Mastro's until Ace's fans stopped showing up. My necklace was missing and, I had a major test coming up.

It was just past eight in the evening by the time I dragged myself home. Dallas was out. And I was starving.

Too tired and stressed out to actually make something for myself, I decided to eat choose some cereal from the three boxes I'd seen on one of the highest levels of a shelf in the kitchen.

I pushed myself up onto the counter, reaching for the boxes. Even then, I only just managed to reach them. 

Dallas was hogging the best cereals for himself!

I placed the three boxes, Froot Loops, Cheerios and Frosted Flakes, on the counter before climbing down to grab a bowl and milk.

I decided to eat some Frosted Flakes. When I tilted the box over my bowl, the entire packet fell out.

Classic.

Before I could move to pick up the mess, my phone began to ring.

I picked it up without checking who it was.

"Hey, I heard what happened. I'm sorry, I had no idea my fans would do that. I've never been on a date that was photographed, the paparazzi love messing with my life. I'll make sure you can get back to work and things settle down."

It was Ace. I wasn't sure what to make of him. Perhaps he didn't want me to know Dallas was his half-brother because they hated each other, but it made me wonder what other secrets he was keeping from me.

"It's okay," I assured him. "Thanks for checking up on me."

"Of course." I could picture him grinning and displaying those dimples of his.

"I've got to go, I'm a bit busy at the moment." I ended the call abruptly, before he could reply. 

I picked up the packet, scooping up the extra cereal and went to put it back in the cereal box. But when I looked inside, I saw a second packet inside.

It was a bag containing a white substance.

Sugar?

I pulled it out, taking a sniff. Coke.

What the hell?

Grabbing the other two cereal boxes, I took out the cereal packets to find more bags in each. One was filled with more cocaine, the other a green leafy product. Weed.

Does Dallas do drugs?

What if...he deals them?

My jaw fell open at my next thought. Venom.

I took off, out of the kitchen, rushing into Dallas's room.

The day I'd gone snooping around, I'd checked his closet finding nothing suspicious, but I'd never checked his drawers. There was a reason he didn't ever want me sneaking about in his room.

He was hiding something.

If I found more drugs, I was going to confront him. I couldn't live with a dealer.

Then again...I'd grown up with them.

Shut up, Cher, you didn't know that.

I closed my eyes as I pulled open the top drawer of his nightstand. I saw nothing out of the ordinary just some cologne and an old-fashioned alarm clock.

If I were a drug where would I be hiding?

Under the bed.

I lifted the end of his duvet to find a black briefcase.

Jackpot. Pot!

Pulling the briefcase out, I placed it on his bed. I took a deep breath before unzipping the bag.

At first, I saw nothing, but then I noticed a second zip, which I carefully pulled open.

I didn't find drugs in this compartment.

No.

I found a gun.

"Cher?" 

I nearly fell off the bed in surprise.

It was Dallas, announcing his presence from the front of the house.

My heart palpitated. Crap. Crap. Crap. I didn't have enough time to hide the gun nor did I have any chance of leaving his room without him knowing.

I could hear him head into the kitchen. He cursed. "Cher?" He called.

He must've seen the cereal boxes. There was no hiding what I knew, now.

I heard his footsteps approaching. 

I didn't know what to do. 

What was I supposed to do?

Hide under the bed? Jump out the window?

Tell him the truth? Hey, I was just snooping around, and look what I found!

I kept my back towards the door of his room.

"Cher?" Dallas said for the third time. "Hey, why are you--"

--I swung around, holding the gun up, directing it at him. "Explain."

* * *

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