An Orphic Love

SIXTEEN

Author's Note: today I learned how to spell Connecticut :) 

TW: language, smoking, 

MERCEDES

It's raining, and it's raining hard. It's almost 8 o'clock, and it's dark. And we're pulled into a random gas station somewhere in between Montauk and Brooklyn.

We're going to Maine. Why Maine? Because that's where the clue that we found (it was in a box outside of the lighthouse) pointed us. Dario found the blue-tinted flowers, and suggested that this whole thing was pointing towards the Charlotte book, Midnight on Maple Lane, which takes place in Maine.

The book takes place in a cute little Bed and Breakfast where one of the guests dies. Naturally, all of the other guests and the owners are forced to stay in the place. Clearly one of them did it. But then, plot twist, it wasn't one of them. It was someone who had already left the B&B. They had been poisoning the guy over a few days. He finally took the last bit that did the job.

"Maine is 7 hours away. Personally, I don't feel like driving through this storm and getting there at midnight. That's pointless. And I don't think you guys want to snoop when it's raining and 1 AM," Nolan says from his seat in the middle row. I'm in the back, still, but I'm beginning to regret that choice.

Dario nods in agreement.

"So, we have to make a stop," He concludes.

"Well, yeah. But where?" Ellie mutters her question. I just sigh and cross my arms over my stomach.

The car gets quiet.

"We're two hours from Brooklyn," Isaiah mentions, probably talking to Dario, but of course, the whole car hears it. The car, by the way, is only minorly packed full of stuff. It's a pretty big van and we still have two seats open. It's kinda roomy. But I would very much prefer to not stay in this thing all night.

"What, you wanna have everyone at your place?"

"You have more bedrooms,"

"Yeah, because technically I sleep in the attic," Dario mutters. I look at Dawn, who looks at me with a brow raised. I just shake my head. "Bella's been on my ass anyways,"

"Who's Bella?" Ellie chirps. Even though I have definitely told her about Bella. 

"My sister," Dario smiles. "She's mad because I left her to stay with my aunt. She's fine, just dramatic," He explains. I smile. Oh, Bella. There was a time when Dario and I were on the phone and he left his phone in the kitchen to get a package from the door. Bella came into the kitchen and started talking to me. She's fun, she reminds me of Dario somehow. He doesn't know about it, but we have each other on Instagram now. We used to talk, occasionally. She's great.

"Aw," Ellie smiles. "Do y'all wanna stop in Brooklyn?" She asks them. They both exchange looks.

"The problem is, there's really nowhere to stop. There are hotels, but they're all either expensive or all ghetto as hell," Isaiah explains to us. "However, I did leave a few things,"

"Okay, so we'll pass through Brooklyn on our way to Maine. And then we'll stop... where?" Nolan looks at a map on his phone. I lean forward and look over his shoulder.

"Connecticut?" It's one of the states in between here and there. But damn, Maine is very much so North. I've never been so North. I've never been past New York. This is a whole new experience for me, and half of us in here.