Twisted

Chapter Twenty-Two

A/N: Am I the only one that sang Taylor Swift's "22" while reading this chapter? Also, in this chapter I mention that it is noon. This is noon of the next day, the day after Megan, Erik, and Lucas arrived in Paris. Yes, Chase isn't fifteen. Ever heard of an unreliable narrator? (wink wink, nudge nudge)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Gabriella's POV

The plane ride passed uneventfully. We had driven a few miles, stopping to get some gas first. Of course, Alice and I begged to go get Icees. So we did. Unfortunately, I had to discard the coke-flavored slushie before getting on the plane. We were on some crazy airplane that only had two seats in each row, so I was paired up with Chase, and Alice with Jake. Chase was alright, I guess. He just sort of sat there with a scowl on his face, looking scornfully at the magazines in  front of him that advertised stupid gadgets, like a pillow that had a place for your tablet. Actually, that would probably be pretty awesome. Every time I tried to pry Chase for some sort of conversation, he would simply end it with a one-word answer.

"So, how do you know Megan?" I had said, as a last resort for squeezing some answers out of him. This was the only time he actually used a complete sentence (woo-hoo, go Chase. Whatever. This guy was weird) as he had replied,

"I do not know Megan Day. I simply know of her."

I sensed that there was definitely something he wasn't telling me. This guy was so opposite from me. I mean, I'm an open book! I have nothing to hide- well, except for... Never mind. No need to get into all that right now.

Flash forward, and now, fifteen minutes after leaving the French airport, we are now sitting at a tiny little cafe, the kind where you would imagine all of the stereotypical snooty French people walking their pink poodles and munching on croissants and what not.

As far as I know, we are some two or three miles outside of Paris. According to Chase, France was Erik's home country, and the most likely place he was to have fled. But I still didn't understand- why are we looking for this Erik guy when we are supposed to be looking for Megan? Chase and Jake hadn't told us anything. We're in the dark, blindly and stupidly following their lead. It was around noon, the sun shining high overhead, yet the watery rays weren't strong enough to block out the wind that hung in the air. Dirty, slushy snow lay on the ground, soaking my flats through. I had borrowed some of Alice's clothes that she had had the time to gather before she and Chase arrived at Jake's apartment. The pink sweater clung to me, but her jeans were so long that I had to roll them up four times before I could walk without falling flat on my face from tripping over the denim. My purse still hung securely across my body, a small little thing for carrying my phone, a few extra bobby pins, and a brush. Hey, just because we're going on a supposedly life-threatening mission doesn't mean that I can't look my best!

I shivered again as the breeze turned into more of a chill, running throughout my petite frame from head to toe.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked, swirling my sugar-laden coffee with a spoon that clinked against the sides of the coffee mug. Chase crossed his arms and stared at me.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out. Just follow our lead, you'll be fine. Maybe."

"Maybe?!" I repeated, shrieking. "What do you mean, 'maybe'? Are you suggesting that I could get hurt?"

"Or worse." said Chase listlessly.

I stood up, pushing the small black chair underneath the table. I winced as the metal dragged against the concrete.

"That's it, I'm done. Find me when you can learn how to trust other people." I stood up and stormed away, not sure where I was headed. I heard Jake calling for me, and Chase's voice echoed after me.