It All Started With The Butterflies

Chapter 16

The house was rectangular and relatively big. It was painted a rich beige colour with a black slanted roof. This house was as familiar to me as my own home was. I could draw a whole floorplan if I was asked to. The bottom section was open plan, with a joined kitchen, dining room and living room. Upstairs were three bedrooms, the messiest being Chrissie's; her brother was the organised one, even though they were both smart.

Chrissie led us outside to the entertainment area before running upstairs to call her brother. The patio was surrounded on three sides by stone cladding, and the floor was tiled with bumpy, pebble-like tiles. From where we stood we had a clear view of the splash pool. The water glittered and gleamed like fairy-lights. The garden was well kept and tidy; Mrs. Swenlow's pride and joy. The rose buds were in the middle of blooming, and the pansies surrounding them made an elaborate well thought out pattern.

Caspian lounged in one of the straw garden chairs and gestured to the chair next to him. I ignored his suggestion and planted myself on the armrest of the chair he occupied.

"Can't stand to be away from me?" He wrapped one hand around my shoulders.

I jumped out of Caspian's arms as James made an appearance.

"Wow, Madelyn," James stated. "You look great."

I blushed at his compliment. This crop-top was beginning to grow on me.

"Last time I saw you, you were two bricks and a marie biscuit high," he continued. "What happened to the pigtails?" He eyed my thick ringlets.

James had also changed a lot. His shoulders were broader. His light brown hair, that used to resemble a bird's nest, was now neatly combed and styled. He wore a blue-buttoned shirt with the collar lifted up, like a vampire cloak. He also wore big, round glasses that made him look like the geek he was. Overall, he had lost a lot of weight and looked more muscular.

James down opposite Caspian. Caspian didn't bother introducing himself, and for some reason there was a scowl on his face.

I walked over to take my place on his armrest, but Caspian pulled me into his lap. He wrapped his hands around my waist, forcing me to stay put.

"Your boyfriend?" James asked, while he waited for his computer to start up.

"Yes," Caspian replied, tightening his grip on me.

"So, what do you need help with?" James asked, getting started on the reason we were here. Was it just me or did his face just go paler?

"I need to hack my brother's phone," I told him.

James looked at me in confusion and pushed his glasses back onto the rim of his nose.

"It's a long story." If I told him the truth there was no doubt that he would refuse to help me.

James didn't press me. "What's his phone number?"

I recited Asher's phone number.

"There's not much I can do if the sim card has been changed." James's fingers flew across the keyboard.

"We just need to wait for it to load," James muttered to himself.

"Here?" Caspian whispered, handing me his Stinger hoodie.

I shook my head. "I'm not cold."

"You're hot, that's the problem," Caspian hissed, through closed teeth.

I stood up and slid the hoodie over my head.

"Done," James exclaimed.

I peeked over his shoulder.

"I've managed to clone the phone screen," James said excitedly as he gestured towards the monitor.

"You're a genius." I smiled at him, grateful for his help.

He stood up, so that I had access to the screen.

I opened the Messaging App and scrolled through the contacts.

Some messages were sent in the past hour. Someone was using Asher's phone. I scrolled back to the top of the list. The last person who received a message from this number was Janet Swift.

'I'll see you soon, babe.'

I looked at the timestamp: it was sent this morning. What was going on? I scrolled up, but there were no other messages.

I looked through the other contacts.

I clicked on Victoria Herim. The last time she was messaged was the day before Asher died.

'Have you got what I wanted?'

The reply came as a picture of a boy a couple of years older than me, about Asher's age.

"That's Newt," Caspian said, from behind me. I jumped. I hadn't realised he was looking as well.

I gave him a questioning look.

"Newton Wes," he clarified. "He went missing a couple of days before your brother died. He was a Stinger."

"He reminds me of my brother." I gazed at the picture. His complexion and hair colour were exactly like Asher's, except his hair was shorter. His face didn't have quite as many freckles as Asher's, and his smile wasn't as charming.

"You don't think Victoria had something to do with his disappearance?" Caspian asked.

I shrugged, right now nothing was impossible.

Those were all the messages under Victoria's chat.

"Can you find the location of the phone?" I asked James.

James pressed a few buttons, before shaking his head. "The location services are off."

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